The Doormonkey speaks of flying, music, and life

Summer...

2006-04-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

Alright, here's the plan for the next few weeks....
May1-May 3: Finals. No problem here except Carbs, that might be a pain in the neck. Also stage check for C3.
May 4: Leave for NIFA National SAFECON in Columbus, Ohio. Hopefully I'll be flying up in a Skyhawk with Chris Brown.
May 13 or 14: Return from Ohio to LeTourneau.
May 15 or 16: Leave LeTourneau for MN. Drop off Spork in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for his summer job with Rockwell Collins.
May 16-May 21: Time at home with the family and friends.
May 21: Leave for Rockford, IL.
May 22: Start work at Pride Aircraft.
It's gonna be crazy.

Fun stuff...

2006-04-09T01:45:00.000-05:00

Hey, something on the ligher side....

\/\/00t, an update.

2006-04-09T01:43:00.000-05:00

Its been a while since I last updated. The JAARS blog is about 3 entries from done-ness. I might get around to it this weekend but I've been pretty busy hanging out with people, which kind of needs to change because I'm a little behind in some of my labs. Flying is coming along, we've stopped the Skyhawk stuff because the MN trip didn't happen, so I'm working on finishing 15 hours of Duchess cross country time. I flew to San Antonio and back last night, that was a 4.6 hour flight. On the way back, we saw a line of thunderstorms off our right wing. There was lightning flashing in the clouds almost continuously, which was AWESOME, like God's fireworks show just for us cruising along at 11,000 feet. Right now all I have left is about 3.4 hours, hopefully take care of that Wednesday with a trip to Houston and back. Summer plans are *Godwilling* firming up. I am planning on working for Pride Aircraft in Rockford, Illinois as a mechanics assistant and line person. I am waiting to get some confirmation in writing so that I can show up there guaranteed a job. I do have a place to live though, which is good.

Feeling kind of blah. I guess some of it is coming down from a high of JAARS. Also, musical worship lately=leaving me bored. I realize that songs are only part of worshiping God, and that I worship by doing well what I do (flying and turning wrenches) but I believe music is important. It's been a while since I heard anything that makes me want to sing out loud and jump up and down. Maybe its just a reflection on my own life. It would be really nice to hear some rowdy, live, worship music though.

Finally, I'm amazed at how fast this year in school has gone. It seems like yesterday I was pulling in to campus and moving in. Random thought, its been almost exactly 2 years since I came to April Edge (early registration at LeTU) and decided on LeTourneau....My, how my life has changed since then. Something I'm thinking about as the semester draws to a close, I'll probably make a long, contemplative post somewhere around finals week. Anyway, time for me to hit the sheets, church tomorrow...umm...later today.

Yay.

2006-03-24T23:27:00.000-06:00

The JAARS Blog is half done. Check it, or Facebook, for pictures of the trip. And if you haven't already, check out the Skillet vid. The new CD (out August apparently) shall rock. I will hopefully be working in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this summer building experimental/homebuilt aircraft with Alpha Omega Aircrafters. That will be nice, because it's only about 5 hours from home and about 5 from Oshkosh.

JAARS

2006-03-11T01:40:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am...getting ready for bed. The gang from LU heads out to Waxhaw, NC tomorrow at 5 AM to work at JAARS!!! I am really excited, and a little nervous....please pray for all of us, for safe travel, that we don't break anything expensive, and that we do good work. For me specifically, pray that God would use the trip to shine some light on what He wants me to do with my future. Also, that it would be a chance for me to take a break from school and get closer to God.

Storm...

2006-03-09T11:12:00.000-06:00

I left my dorm this morning for Carbs lab, and instead of the usual sunrise, this is what greeted me.....

Vote for Will!!

2006-03-08T11:34:00.000-06:00

My brother Will entered a film contest with our home newspaper. VOTE!!!!

KGGG-KSTC

2006-03-04T01:26:00.000-06:00

Well, here is the tentative plan for the flight to St. Cloud....
Leaving about 9 AM on Friday, March 24.
KGGG-GGG-V289-FSM-V13-KEOS: 278 Nautical miles.
Get fuel in KEOS (Neosho, Missouri).
KEOS-V13-KDSM: 280 Nautical miles.
Get fuel in KDSM (Des Moines, Iowa)
KDSM-V13-MCW-KSTC: 252 Nautical miles.
Land in KSTC (St. Cloud, Minnesota). Total: 810 Nautical miles.
As for the way back, I think I'll plan VFR, so direct KSTC-KDSM, KDSM-KEOS, and KEOS-KGGG.

Here is a picture of what it looks like in my nifty flight planning program.

PS: Thank God for friends. JAARS is soon...

Foggy week!

2006-02-25T00:34:00.000-06:00

So the weather in EasTex this week has been horrid...low, low clouds and fog every day. I think Tuesday and Wednesday the ceilings never went above 500 ft. and the visibility never went over 1 mile. Yesterday the sun came out for a beautiful sunrise, tinted the bottom of all the clouds pink, then went behind the clouds for the rest of the day. I wished I had my camera while going to Carbs lab.

I am getting super pumped to go to JAARS!!! Our team is (for the most part) awesome and it will be a riot spending a week with them. I really hope we get to do lots of actual work on the airplanes.

Finally, it looks like I will be flying the Duchess back to MN the weekend after spring break. If you think about it, pray for me as I will be planning this massive thing and we really need the weather to cooperate. I hope everything does work out, it would be really nice to see my family and certain other people

Pictures from fog....

The Sabreliner

King Air...it was soo cold and wet laying on the ground to take this shot.

Cessna 310

The view out my window.

Gloomy day.

2006-02-19T13:53:00.000-06:00

A picture from flying on a gloomy day...I was about 900 ft. below the clouds at the nearest. It was great because it was in the 30s-40s that day and I ran into some occasional drizzle. Fun stuff.

Also, a random song lyric.
Kids in the Way~Scars That Save
Over and over your blood covers me.
How many times will it take me to see.
I am so dangerous.
I am so irresponsible.
Here I am, broken again, but then you show me,
you're wearing the scars that save.
How can you see me, as something so lovely.
Cause it's killing me that you took the blame.
Over and over it falls back to me.
My knees hit the floor and it's easy to see.
I am so arrogant.
I feel so unforgivable.
This is my same old song.
The one where I do it all wrong.
And I will try (fight) with all that I am to get it right in the end.

And a verse to go with it:
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Wheee.

2006-02-19T13:51:00.000-06:00

This is a xanga post from a couple days ago, blogger was disfunctioning when I wrote it so it didn't immediately go on here.

Random thought:
It's been a long time since I hung out with people who are passionate about what they do-especially learning about airplanes. I miss it. I love airplanes and learning about them, and wish there were more people around here who really enjoyed it, rather than just suffering through for the sake of a degree.
**EDIT**
Other annoyance of the moment: Why can't I be nicer? Lately a lot of my "humor" has been based on insulting/making fun of people. It also comes out in little, belittling things I say. While its funny sometimes, and thank God my friends can all take a joke pretty well, I still feel like I haven't been as encouraging as I should be. Especially around the freshmen, I know I'm only a year older, but I still feel like I should be a better example/more encouraging. Whatever. Maybe these are just random late-night ramblings.
Finally, I've been thinking about the future...again...and talking...talked with Sarah about it a little (it was good to vocalize some of the doubts and confusions) but basically I love airplanes and aviation, but I have no idea where God wants me. I suppose that was a big part of why I'm going on the JAARS trip. Hoping God will use it to shine some light on my future.

Wondering. Missing. Hopeful.

Boring.

2006-02-03T23:33:00.000-06:00

Hey look, it's me again.
Been an interesting week. I flew today, and it went really well. Tuesday night my car died. Well, to be specific, the clutch slave cylinder failed and puked out all my clutch fluid. Today I went and bought parts, and Ian and I fixed it. It's kinda quiet cuz Brian and Alissa are off on a cross country. I have very little homework, try to get it done tomorrow...Also, Sarah is off to northern MN for the weekend...so yeah, I'm pretty bored. I think I'll try to finish off Fellowship of the Ring, then go to sleep.
Oh yes, apparently I have a job. I didn't get the plane-washing job, but apparently I will be doing inventory tracking type stuff with airplane parts...should be fun. Guess I'll find out more this next week.
Hmm, that's really all I have to say for now.

Quite a weekend

2006-01-30T11:57:00.000-06:00

Well, this last weekend was quite interesting. I had a total of 1 item of homework to do-a carbs summary. I spent a lot of time hanging out with Brian (my roomie), Ian, Alissa, and Barbie. Yesterday after church and some work on the carbs summary I did a solo flight, practicing chandelles and steep spirals. It was fun! Brian, Alissa, and Barbie were up in another airplane for fun, and afterwards we and Ian went to Mr. and Mrs. B's house for real food...definitely beat paying through the nose for Hive or cooking up a frozen pizza. Then back here for the rest of the carbs summary and phone time :D
Saturday I bought the new POD CD, Testify. It's really good, I wonder if people will ever admit that POD is a Christian band...I think these lyrics make it pretty clear.

Strength of My Life
If Jah is for me, tell me whom I gon' fear? (no I won't fear)
And Jah of Jacob, deserving of my love
And God of Isaac, bring blessings from above
Hashem of Abraham will show me the way
I go down on my knees and this is what I pray.

Strength Of My Life, whom shall I dread?
When them evildoers approach to devour my flesh.
Even if there would be an army against me,
My heart would not fear.

Steer clear from weird vibes.
Chuck a spear these evil guys must realize,
Even if there would rise a war against me.
In this I trust, it's a must.
Elevated is my head, above my enemy.
Surround me with the song of glory
(Yeah, Song of glory, Yeah, ohhh)

Take away the scales from my eyes
Anoint your love upon my life
Have mercy on my soul and hear me when I cry
Do not abandon me, and don't forsake me
Lead me on the path of integrity

Even if there would be an army against me,
My heart would not fear.
Strength Of My Life, whom shall I dread?
When them evildoers approach to devour my flesh.

Back them up against the wall, stumble and fall then battle y'all
And stand tall, show me favor when I call Oh-oh
Back them against the wall, stumble and them fall
Battle y'all and stand call, show me favor when I call

Anyway, lab this morning was fun...being lab partners with Jamin always makes things interesting. The weather today is beautiful, as it was yesterday...I cannot help but feel that God is blessing me incredibly this semester, through friends, classes, His word, and even the weather. In conclusion, God is good...all the time...He was good last semester when I felt like crying after failing a stage check, and He is good this semester when I am enjoying Texas's beautiful January weather and a light schedule. Have a great day everyone!

Flying and classes...woot.

2006-01-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

Well, hello everyone. It's two weeks into the semester, and it looks to be the easiest one yet. This is a huge improvement over last semester, which was pretty much the worst semester I've had. The worst point was over Thanksgiving weekend, when I was in Longview, fell sick, and failed my first try at the final stage check for multi. Anyway, that's past now, and it's a new semester, with cool classes, fun labs, plenty of free time, and the prospect of a real job (meaning not tutoring).

In other news, on Friday I got to fly in one of LeTourneau's new Skyhawks with the Garmin G-1000 glass cockpit setup. It was way sweet. Spork rode with and took these pictures for the Yellowjacket.

In this one, I'm on final for runway 17 at KGGG-East Texas Regional.

This is me doing preflight under a gloomy sky, while standing in a puddle.

Finally, a sunrise over Davis Hall. On Tuesday and Thursday I have Carbs lab at 7:05 AM, so Sarah kept telling me to take pictures of the sunrise. It sorta turned out.

Durch kreuz, zur krone.

2006-01-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

So my church back home is old and has these cool stained glass windows, some of which have German phrases on them. This one I particularly like. The caption is "Durch kreuz, zur krone" which means roughly "Through the cross, to the crown". I think its cool because I like how it reminds me that only through the cross of Calvary can we reach the crown of Heaven. Good night for real this time.

Back at school

2006-01-13T00:03:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I'm back at school with a new class schedule, new contacts (yay for being able to see again), and enough time to start rollerblading again. The rollerblading, combined with karate class, is making me wish I wasn't a lazy bum all last semester. I hope my legs arent too sore to walk tomorrow lol. I think this will be a relatively easy semester-hopefully I'll have plenty of time to devote to NIFA, tutoring, and possibly even a job (washing planes at the airport?).
The Friday before I came back here, Sarah came up to STC to visit. That was fun, for some reason I thought it worth mentioning. I guess because it was fun. Anyway, saying goodbye to her was sad cuz I don't know when I'll be back in MN. That's alright, TX is good too, though for other reasons. Mostly Dorm 41 and aviation. I can't wait for flight team to kick off again, nationals are the week after finals so we have loads of time to prep.

Some random stats from Facebook-
-1% of LeTU males put their political views as "liberal"
-4.1% of LeTU reads the Bible (keep in mind, you have to put it in just right for the program to get it. I sincerely hope its higher than that. though sometimes I wonder)
-The second most popular book after the Bible is Lord of the Rings. "LOTR" is also in the top 10.
Ok, so a random not-quite-pointless portion of this post. I'm trying to get back into some good habits this semester, i.e. not drinking pop, rollerblading daily, and more consistent Bible reading. It struck me how easy it is to put off these things (like reading the Bible or exercising) that really don't take much time, but make life so much better. Then when I start doing them again its like, "wow, why did I ever stop? That was dumb." It's definitely a more than fair exchange to take out 20 mins a day to rollerblade and often less than that to spend time reading and praying. The extra time for homework really isn't worth it, especially cuz its easier to concentrate once I have done other things. So anyway, that is my blog of the day. I think I will prepare to say good night to Sarah, and get some sleep. Yay for nothing before chapel tomorrow (well, actually today). Good night everyone.

Christmas in Minnesnowta.

2005-12-25T23:05:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!
Friday: drove to the cities to hang out with Sarah. It was fun :) Then went to our pastor's house for Christmas treats and some games. I think it's safe to say that I owned at Mad Gab.
Saturday: Umm...Can't really remember what I did Saturday. Sat around the house I think.
Sunday: Went to the sunrise service (Julotta), then opened presents with the family, played lots of Army Men 2 on the computer, ate a big Christmas dinner with the family, went on a walk with the family incl. the dog.

So I've been feeling kind of...apathetic? lately. Music helps me feel. But time with God is best. I miss things like prayer and praise on Sunday nights at school. I do enjoy going to church in our beautiful old church building and worshiping with a smaller congregation. I also enjoy the friends here in MN.

Kids in the Way~Scars That Save

Over and over your blood covers me.
How many times will it take me to see.
I am so dangerous.
I am so irresponsible.
Here I am, broken again, but then you show me,
you're wearing the scars that save.
How can you see me, as something so lovely.
Cause it's killing me that you took the blame.
Over and over it falls back to me.
My knees hit the floor and it's easy to see.
I am so arrogant.
I feel so unforgivable.
This is my same old song.
The one where I do it all wrong.
And I will try (fight) with all that
I am to get it right in the end.

Anyway, good night all.

One to go!

2005-12-14T13:45:00.000-06:00

Well, as of Saturday I am a Private Pilot with single engine land, multiengine land, and instrument ratings. That's the big news in my life. Of course, the other is that I'm in the middle of finals week. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get good grades-I somehow pulled an A out of Bib Lit and with mercy from Pixie (our Recips grader) I'll have an A in that class. The only final I have left is Aerodynamics
Yesterday I went to the airport to sign some paperwork and brought my camera. On the way back to campus, I saw Jamin and Carter stopped by the road where the approach lights for one of the runways at East Texas Regional cross the road. There were two C-130 Hercules flying. The pictures speak for themselves.

So ready to go....

2005-12-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hey, it's midnight...why am I writing on this thing? Cuz it's been a while and I haven't updated. I am done with multiengine, just have to take the checkride. The sooner the better...gots to go to the airport tomorrow and work on paperwork. I can't wait to have that out of the way. As I told Sarah the other day, being done with flying will make slacking through finals week so much more fun.
So there were definitely about 10 people in my room tonight studying for the Recips test of death tomorrow. That was fun, other than the fact that we were studying for the Recips test of death.
GREAT NEWS PEOPLE! SKILLET WILL BE RECORDING A NEW ALBUM IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY!!!! Ok, just had to share that. My favoritest band in the world is making new music, that makes me happy.
Woot for:
-if I do well on my Bib lit paper and final, I'll pull an A from a low B at midterms.
-sleep
-cold weather, even if I'm gonna turn into a popsicle when I get back to MN
-The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe comes out today
-cool people at LeTU.
-cool people elsewhere
So yeah, thats it. I'm going to bed people.

Thanksgiving...

2005-11-24T22:05:00.000-06:00

It's Thanksgiving day. I'm here in the dorms and feeling lonely. This afternoon was awesome, I went to Mr. B's house with about 12 other people for Thanksgiving dinner. Right now though, the dorms are super quiet cuz like 5 people are here. On top of that, I'm not feeling well-I wonder if I'm coming down with the cold that people around here had earlier? I haven't missed home this much ever. The smell of Thanksgiving dinner, the sounds of the Christmas music I've been playing, and the cooler weather all remind me of home. Maybe I'll go to bed early...like 11 PM...
Anyway, for the people who care, don't worry about my feeling lonely... I just ask that you pray for me to get my flying done and pass the Multiengine checkride, because after that I'll be on top of the world and looking forward to home, instead of longing for it and wishing I could just leave.
This has been a depressing post. In an attempt to brighten the (and my) mood a bit, I'll list some of the things I'm thankful for.
-A God who loves me.
-A family that supports me and loves me, even when I do stupid things like bounce tuition checks..
-Friends. Sarah, for her encouragement, prayers, and all the times she makes me smile. My dormmates, Evan, David, Jon, Andrew, Ian, and other random people, who make life on 41 interesting. The flight team, for being the coolest bunch of pilots around.
-A reliable vehicle. I've put over 700 miles on my car this semester, just going to the airport and Wal-Mart, and not had any real problems.
-The opportunity to fly and fix airplanes. Too often I lose sight of how cool it is to be here at LeTU and live and breathe aviation.
-Profs who care.
-The talents God has given me.

HP: GoF first impressions

2005-11-19T01:39:00.000-06:00

I went to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this evening. They did a very good job capturing the feel of the book. This does mean that it was a very dark movie, however. The ending, with Voldemort's resurrection, was very well done. Good movie, though definitely not for young kids. Well, I'm going to bed.

Almost thanksgiving...

2005-11-15T00:33:00.000-06:00

It's almost Thanksgiving...
I'm trying to avoid thinking about home until I am done flying for the semester. Finishing my flight course is always the semester milestone for me-because it is the most important class and to me and the one that often requires the most time. After I finish flying, I feel like I am scot-free and ready for the semester to end. I'm almost done, I just have a review module (2-3 flights), a stage check, and a check ride.
Next weekend I am going to bust out the Christmas music on my computer. Heck yeah!!!
So I was told tonight that "I could totally see you as a teacher. You could be like the next Mr. B." I will first say that I only hope I will someday be half the pilot and man of God that Mr. B is. However, its interesting. I have been thinking about the future (a common occupation for the college student). Although I'm still not sure what I want to do after I graduate, I would definitely consider teaching something in aviation after I spend some time (hopefully around 20 years) away from the academic world. Why? Well, I just think that teaching could be incredibly rewarding. Of course, the real question is "What does God want of me?" and honestly, other than aviation, which is pretty general, I have no idea.
Well, I should head to bed. Bib Lit at 8 AM is a recipe for sleeping in class. Aerodynamics with Mr. B is fun. I wish long distance phone calls didn't cost so much. I want to finish flying and go home to cool weather, certain people, and hopefully snow.

NIFA

2005-11-05T10:21:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm here in Killeen, TX for the flight team regional competition. Actually, all the events ended yesterday and we're just chilling until tonight at the awards banquet when we find out how we actually did. It'll be interesting...I'll update tonight when we get our hardware.
This week at school is going to stink, playing catch-up. Oh well, less than 6 weeks left of this semester.... I CAN'T WAIT FOR BREAK!!!!! I'll get to see my fam, Sarah, my almost-brothers Tim and Travis, my dog, and everyone else from MN :D
Well, I finished my Bib Lit Journals so yay, I'm going back to the room to chill.

20.

2005-10-27T22:56:00.000-05:00

Well, today was my birthday. Thanks to the people who made it special:
-Sarah for the phone call :)
-My family for the message on my voicemail (they played and sang happy birthday) :)
-Dorm 41 for a cold, wet, smelly birthday present....the pond. :)
-the dozen or so random people on facebook who left birthday wishes :)
-And most of all God, because of Him I have this life and get to do so much that I enjoy.
I should go to bed, I have a 7 am flight tomorrow...

Wisdom from Mr. Chase and Mr. B

2005-10-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

In talking with ATC, just like in relationships, hinting leads to confusion. Ask direct questions.~Mr. Chase

Only in a world where faith is difficult can faith exist.~Mr. B

Is it wrong to get what we want? Only when what we want is wrong.~Mr. B

So LeTU has the coolest chief flight instructors in the world.

Fall Break

2005-10-22T16:05:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Saturday of fall break. I slept until noon, just got done writing a recips summary. I'm supposed to be at the airport at 5 to do a practice navigation flight with The Eugenius for NIFA. My plans for the weekend include lots of similar busyness.
I flew into Houston Intercontinental Airport Thursday night in the Duchess. It was way cool seeing all the lights of Houston at night. Last night I hung out with Jon and Andrew, it was good to have time to just chill for a little while. We watched Ocean's 11, it's a cool movie. I'd seen it before but it was a while ago.
I'd like to have some sort of a point to this post, so here we go. The weather today is absolutely beautiful!!!! I am so thankful to God for providing this after weeks on end of heat. Days like today (good weather, no classes, flying) rock.
This semester is going fast. Two things are coming up that make me excited-first, on Thursday is my birthday. I will no longer be a teenager!!! whoa! Second, Christmas break is less than 2 months away. I can't wait to go back to MN!!! Until then though, I'll do my best to enjoy the LeTU life. I'd best head out, so have a great weekend-even if it includes 14 hours of work on a Saturday... ;)

Midterm madness

2005-10-17T23:50:00.000-05:00

Well hey everyone, it is midterms season. I had a recips test online this weekend (nasty evil test), a powerplant electrical test today, and I have an aerodynamics test tomorrow. Oh yes, I am flying 2 cross country flights in the Duchess this week. This weekend was awesome, I went to Houston with David and Josh for Promise Keepers. It was fun and relaxing and spiritually uplifting. It was weird to be with an actual family in an actual home though. The thing I notice most when I go to other people's homes [especially if they only have like 2 kids] is how quiet it is. My home is almost always noisy. Awww dang, now I miss home. This summer was soooo awesome....All the studying and busyness is not leaving time for the things I like best about college...talking to people and hanging with the guys.

****RANT****

It really, really gets on my nerves when people complain a lot about LeTourneau. Yeah, it's not perfect. No school is. But if you really don't like it that much, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! We don't want to hear your whining. No, really, we don't. Shut up and go away.

****END RANT****

Airshow..

2005-10-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Today, Phil Roberts (a flight teamer) and I drove to Gilmer (20 miles away) to see an airshow. It was pretty boring, but the drive was still worth is because we saw an F-117 Nighthawk flyby.

***EDIT***
Added some more pics, and captions. Because Sarah is cool.

This is the one picture I got of the F-117.

This is me standing in front of a FedEx Cessna Grand Caravan...I would love to fly these planes someday.

Here is the whole airplane.

This is a Beech 18...old aircraft, VERY nicely restored.

Aerodynamics....

2005-10-05T23:45:00.000-05:00

I just want to say, studying aerodynamics is awesome cuz it's super cool to see how God's laws of physics work. I promise a real update this weekend.

A mini-blog.

2005-09-26T00:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Sunday night and I'm about to go to bed...
We got lots of rain yesterday from Rita, and had a blast playing in it. Today the weather was sunny and warm. I had a long blog I was going to write, but didn't get around to it. I talked to Sarah on the phone tonight. That's 2 weeks in a row that I've finished off a phone card talking to you... (yes, i'm silly... :p)
Quit Your Life by MxPx is a good song. It sounds like a depressing suicide song but I promise you it's not. Listen to it if you get a chance. Good night world...

midweek update..

2005-09-21T23:41:00.000-05:00

Well, its Wednesday night...news of the day is:
I think I got myself dehydrated today. I now have a massive headache.
I went rollerblading this evening for the first time since I skated with Sarah back at NWC in Minnesota. It felt really good but wasn't as much fun because I was by myself.
Hurricane Rita is turning into a big mother of a hurricane and headed straight for Houston, so Joel, Evan, Jon, and Andrew were down there working all night to board up Joel's house and move his family up here.
I need to read some Bible stuff for Bib Lit, and said headache is sapping my ability to stay on the computer...good night all...

It's like cyberstalking on crack...

2005-09-18T23:28:00.000-05:00

Well hey everyone, here it is 11:30 PM and my roomie is already asleep...actually I should be too, but I'm not. Anyway, news of the day:
-LeTourneau has been added to the Facebook. The title of my post is a quote of Spork's while attempting to explain the concept of Facebook. Go here.
-I phoned home today. Then I only had 8 minutes left on my calling card, so I called Sarah. It was a very worthwhile use of those 8 minutes :)
-Something God has been showing me lately: His power. I've been reading early OT, in Judges now. Things like the plagues in Egypt just make you go "Wow." because the scale of God's power is so amazing. Also, seeing Katrina and the wind and clouds surrounding her at the start of school was another one of those "Wow, God is POWERFUL" moments. It follows, then, if we are to worship God, not just His mercy and grace, but also His mighty power, shouldn't the songs we sing (yes, I know worship is much more than singing songs, but that is the aspect I am addressing right now) reflect that? Quiet guitars, piano, and a soothing voice do very little to focus one's attention on the wild power of God. In that thought, here is a more appropriate song.

Skillet
Energy

Power is another word that I use to describe you
Your mighty winds come in and blow me away
Frightening, coming at me like lightning
It's you that I fear, yeah yeah
I shake whenever you speak my name

And I'm surrounded
You overpower me

You're a silent rage
You're a hurricane
You are everything I cannot see and can't explain
You're an enigma wrapped in a mystery
Everywhere I go, I can't escape your energy

Divine is a reality that you define
You defy time
I see you in everything in fire and wind and rain
Captured is just the word to capture how I feel
when I still
You are what I crave
You set me free I want to be your slave

And I'm surrounded
You overpower me

You're a silent rage
You're a hurricane
You are everything I cannot see and can't explain
You're an enigma wrapped in a mystery
Everywhere I go, I can't escape your energy

I can't escape your energy

Now, add loud guitars, lots of drums, and some screaming...yes.
Time for me to hit the sack before heading back into the meat grinder of a week with 18 credits at LeTourneau.

God uses low ceilings

2005-09-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

Argh, school is craziness...there are some things God has been teaching me that I want to post about, but I just don't have time. Some random news, I am going to be a tutor for Flight Science II this semester. I was floored when I got the e-mail saying Mr. Chase recommended me. Hopefully it'll help me learn something about the subject and about teaching, as well as making some pocket money. Anyway, here is a look at my desk....its cleanliness suffers when I am busy...

A day late...

2005-09-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

This is a day late...but anyway...
4 years ago yesterday, this plane crashed into WTC 1 after being hijacked by terrorists.

REMEMBER 9-11

Update...

2005-09-08T23:45:00.000-05:00

Well, this has been one crazy week....more when its over....but I have named my car Stella...because I was listening to Stellar Kart when I posted about naming her on Xanga. And I don't actually know anyone named that, so it works. Sorry Jamin, no radial references...that just gets awkward to explain...

Name my car.

2005-09-04T17:50:00.000-05:00

So I have decided that my car needs a name. Feel free to leave suggestions, as I am bad at this sort of thing.

Back in Texas.

2005-09-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

Well everyone, I made it back to Texas. I think I'll start a little before then, though, because it's so worth writing about. Last Friday, I drove my new car down to the Cities to watch Melissa play at a church/coffee house deal and just hang out. That was lots of fun, especially so because I was driving my OWN car. It's also nice that it gets about 35 mpg on the highway...
Saturday was Sarah's birthday, so I drove down to her birthday party. It was fun because a) We got to hang out one last time before I went back to school and b) they had super good homemade Chinese food-knocks the socks off of the stuff you get at the local Chinese buffet place, especially in a place like Longview. Plus, Rachel and Melissa were there, Will rode down with me, and Sarah's crazy roommates came with, so it was quite the party. Oh yes, and apparently, according to Sarah's little cousin, the universe is a foam packing peanut, which he took great joy in crushing and throwing at various people, mainly Sarah and I.
I left for Texas at about 6 AM Sunday, and got into Longview at about 10 PM. Brian, my new roommate, had a sweet set of shelves already built, but I was still up until about 3 AM unpacking and setting up...oh yes, there was also a trip to Wal-Mart for a contact lens case. The next day I will always remember. I spent it running errands around campus and Longview. The whole day, off to the east, I could see massive banks of cumulonimbus clouds, as Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on New Orleans. The entire time we thought it had mainly missed the city...then the stories started coming in...and...well...you know the rest...chaos, murder, rape, disorder, disease...the devastation is amazing.
Tuesday classes started, a pretty soft day with only 2 classes and a lab. I also got my flight assignment, I will be flying with Mr. Chase, one of the Chief Flight Instructors. While he is intimidating as all get out on a stage check, I think flying with someone of that experience level will be an amazing learning experience. Wednesday started the madness....Chapel at 10:25, then classes and labs straight through till 4:55 PM. And it will get crazier when I start flying at 9 AM on Monday and Wednesday. I'll be doing a LOT of chapel makeups. Thursday was another quiet day (relatively). Friday...again, chapel at 10:25 AM, classes and labs straight through until 5:30 PM. I get to work in the machine tool lab on Fridays, learning to use tools to make things out of metal. Should be cool. After lab, I went to STOMP (STudent Organization Mall Party), where a bunch of 41 freshmen danced the Numa Numa for upperclassmen's signatures. Then to the flight team meeting, where I ended up as the Aircraft ID coach, which means I get the responsibility of whipping into shape the group of ID'ers we got. I also need to find a 5th person to fill out the roster...Anyway, it was good to get the Sting group together again, I know we are going to have an AWSOME time together this year. Apparently Emily's b/f, Chris, is a whiz at landings and put all 4 in the box during tryouts, maybe we will have a shot at something better than 3rd in regionals this year. That would rock my socks. After the meeting Friday, it was time for Final Night of 41 freshman initiation. THAT was fun, seeing what all the freshmen had done throughout the week to get to know us upperclassmen, and how excited some of them were when they got their *real* 41 shirts. We got us a good crop of them this year. I ended up staying up until 3 AM watching Die Hard with Jon and David last night, then woke up today and pretty much IMed and did homework all afternoon. Finally, this evening I went to my first Chai party at the home of the LeTU missionaries in residence. It was a blast, I ended up hanging out with Jamin, Carter, and a 41 freshman named Chips talking MAJOR aviation nerdulence. I also had about 4 cups of chai and am on a major caffiene rush, which explains why I am still up typing a blog entry at 1:30 AM on Sunday.

So, anyway, it is good to be back at LeTU, though still a little hard getting used to the fact that I can't just drive down to the Cities on a weekend and do something with Sarah or other AWANA people, or call up Tim and Travis for a round of disc golf. Oh well, I will be so insanely busy this semester that I think it will go pretty fast. 18 credits will generally do that to you. Anyway, I think I will add some pictures to this post, then maybe TRY to go to bed, as I do not plan on attending Bedside Baptist tomorrow (well, actually, later today).

Here is my desk, complete with Skillet poster, Christmas lights, and disco ball.

Hurricane Katrina, as seen from the LeTourneau University campus.

Final Days of Summer....

2005-08-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well, less than a week until classes start...And it seems like just yesterday that I was saying goodbye to people at the LeTU Aviation summer picnic. This has been one fun summer, hanging out with friends, playing disc golf, working lots at the library, etc. The only thing I regret is not flying more....
Yesterday I drove to the Cities and helped Sarah move in (her classes start today). Her roomies had about 10-12 people over for dinner, so we ate there, and then just hung out for a while, and went rollerblading. Fun times :)
Aaargh, lots to do before I leave....
-learn to drive my car
-pack
-get money stuff squared away
-try to catch up with 2 or 3 people I haven't had a chance to see yet
-try to get to Sarah's b-day party on Saturday.
Gonna be a busy couple days....

I've Got Wheels!

2005-08-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

Finally found a car. 1992 Honda Accord. Now I just have to learn to drive stick shift before I leave to TX....

An airplane pic

2005-08-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

So I'm gonna try this picture-in-post dealy.... This I took in Orlando (KMCO) on the way home. An Airtran 717 on short final against some afternoon cumulus clouds.

Airtran 737-700 taxiing past our gate at KMCO.

Age. Death.

2005-08-14T21:08:00.000-05:00

I am in Florida until Wednesday visiting my grandparents. They are not doing well. They are both in a nursing home, where last time I visited them they were on their own in an apartment. My grandma has Alzheimers and hardly leaves her bed. My grandpa now uses a wheelchair and sometimes a walker to get around. He isn't nearly as energetic as he used to be, railing against "the Bushies" and talking about the stock market and whats good and bad in it.

Going to a nursing home is odd. Made me realize something-I'm not really scared of death (least of all dying in a plane crash, either I made a mistake, in which case it's my fault, or mechanical failure and it was unavoidable). To quote Paul "...to live is Christ, to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21) and to quote one of my favorite fictional wizards "to the organized mind, death is merely the next adventure" No, what does scare me is clinging to a thread of life, mental and physical capacity wasted away by age and disease, in some medical facility somewhere. I don't think I could handle it. Yeah, a bit morbid I know, but that's whats going through my head right about now.

I did see some nice planes coming down here, and at MSP I was able to get some pix...a beautiful ATA 737 with winglets, a 747-400, and a long range shot of some C-130s. I also briefly saw an F-18 on the ramp during landing rollout in Orlando, and we taxied by a 777 with a rose on the tail, another beauty. Unfortunately, we flew on a 717, I don't care what people say, its just a decked out DC-9 thats a lot nicer for the pilots, but still stinks for the pax (passengers).

One final word, Florida brews some massive, lovely thunderstorms in the afternoon. I think the thunderstorm is one of the most awsome reminders in nature of God's power.

Library randomness

2005-08-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

Another book title: "Fat Girl Dances With Rocks".
And you just know these authors' last names HAVE to be pen names: "Dragonwagon" and "Myracle".

Book.

2005-08-10T16:47:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to announce that while shelving today I found a book of library cartoons. Thats coming home with me!

bleh

2005-08-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

I hate shopping for a car. End of story.

Music

2005-08-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

Now accepting nominations for Worst Song of 2005. Continuing through the end of the year. Today I submit "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani. Since when has a woman repeatedly saying "this my s***" to a beat constituted part of a hit song? Some people have lousy taste in music. Unfortunately, most of them seem to be the ones that run radio stations, record labels, and the like. Of course, the people who buy into their brainwashing that this is good music and buy the CDs are also at fault...

Also, I bought John Reuben's new CD, "The Boy Vs. The Cynic" last night. It's really good, the only rap aside from Toby Mac that I own. Standout tracks include "Nuisance" (a lot of you have prolly heard that one on the radio), "Follow Your Leader", and "All I Have". I wanted to put some lyrics up on here, but I don't have the CD with me and they aren't posted online anywhere that I could find. Oh well. Oh yes, At Savers I also bought an amazingly nerdy Harry Potter shirt. Savers is and amazingly awsome place to shop for t-shirts, you never know what you will find. Anyway, break is almost over, have a superfantastic day and listen to some good music.

Friday night

2005-07-30T23:41:00.000-05:00

Good things to do on a Friday night:
*go somewhere with a friend
*build a puzzle
*listen to live music
*eat cake
:D it was fun :D

What were they THINKING?!?!

2005-07-28T13:25:00.000-05:00

From the Worlds Worst Book Titles file come these gems.
"Bride of the Fat, White Vampire"
(that ones been sitting on the new book shelf for some time, no one's checked it out. I wonder why....)
"The Day My Butt Went Psycho"
(from the childrens room. And to think, when I was younger I read such easy, simplistic stuff as Lord of the Rings...*sarcasm*)

Summer-ness.

2005-07-27T22:56:00.000-05:00

Not much has been happening lately. I have been working a lot, playing a lot of disc golf, yay.
Today, my family and I had to work the 4-H food stand at the county fair out in Sauk Centre. The drive out there made me realize just how convenient it is to be able to fly places, as I have flown out there before and it is merely a short hop, following the interstate. Ah well. Looking forward to Friday, I get to go down to the Cities. Sarah and I and maybe some others (who knows who will all be there?) are going to watch our friend Melissa play at a church/coffee house. Should be fun :).
Alright, well, I thought I should share this. One thing I have been seeing lately is this concept that only God knows His full plan for us. It's hit me as I'm worrying about what I will do after school-I mean, thats at least 2 years away, but it's still scary. The tough part is realizing that I need to deal with today's worries-apply for scholarships, get ready for the semester, nail down my major choice, and God will guide me as I get further along. Now obviously this isn't to say "sit back, God will take care of everything". He will, however give you guidance in decisions when the time comes (which version of Commercial flight III do I take in the spring? should I go for Flight Instructor?). Anyway, that was some random musings from a tired brain that has been processing nasal sensory inputs of the smell of grease all afternoon. Later all! :D

HOT summer

2005-07-17T22:35:00.000-05:00

Well it's been in the 90s about every day for the last week and a half here...yeouch. I flew up to AWANA camp on Friday and visited, it was very enjoyable. I got to say hi to my sibs and all the people I knew up there, and sat around and talked to Sarah for a good long time, then ate dinner with her and her cabin of crazy hyper girls...haha. And the plane I rented to get up there was pretty ghetto...courtesy of Leaders St. Cloud Flying Service, a "Leaders' Beater". It was pretty old (1968), and skidded off the runway into a snowbank back in 1975, but it flew alright and I made it there and back plenty safe, and for a lot less money than renting anywhere else around here. All in all, a great combination of flying and good friends.
I also read the new Harry Potter book (please don't flame me if you dislike that [though I doubt anyone reads or cares, there was no response to the last post]). I think I will post a full review on my xanga site, cuz it has a built-in thing for doing reviews. Basically, it leaves you hanging because it is a setup for the seventh and last book, and gives you all the information we will need to understand it...whenever book 7 comes out.
Meh, it's hot and I'm tired, shower time for me soon... later y'all!

Questions

2005-07-10T23:18:00.000-05:00

So maybe I've been on Jamin's blog too much lately... but discussion questions for a period of time.
What do you think of Harry Potter? Have you read the books? Watched the movies? How do you think a Christian should respond?

Montana is a LONG drive

2005-07-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a long while since I last posted. So yeah, my family went to Wyoming for vacation, and while they were stopped for lunch in Billings, Montana on the way back, the heater core in our van puked coolant everywhere, and a tire went flat. They rented a van to get back to MN. Friday and Saturday this week I had to drive out there with my dad and drop off the rental, and pick up our van. It was a long drive. I read all of the multiengine flight textbook. And part of a Harry Potter book. And I wasn't reading nearly all the time. So yeah...it was long. I did get a couple airplane pix at Billings airport, though.

Also, while they were gone, I attempted to *gasp* actually cook... haha, Sarah knows the whole story... Lets just say the food was edible, the room was smoky, no food, kitchen appliances, cooking utensils, or body parts were set on fire, and there was much scrubbing to do to clean up.

I'm home with the 'rents, everyone else is off at AWANA camp this week, so it should be sorta quiet, hoping to do some flying this week *dances with joy*

Yay, it's late, I ought to go to bed soon, so yeah, more later...

more summer

2005-06-26T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well here I am, making my weekly post...or something like that...haha. Anyway, still no job aside from the library. That's not cool, but hopefully something will come up this week. Maybe this whole job mess is God's way of getting me to get my butt moving on finding scholarships. Speaking of, I was at the airport using their wireless internet to look for scholarships this week, it is way cool cuz you can watch airplanes as you surf the web. Still not as good as flying them though...more on that in a bit.
This week, I pretty much just worked, went disc golfing (FUN TIMES!!! I forgot how addicted I am to that game), looked for jobs and scholarships, and sat around the house. Then Saturday I fixed my bike (well, i fixed it thursday, but it broke again friday. i think it's good for a while now), and went to Jon's grad party. Lots of AWANA people were there (it was fun to hang out with them again! And see random people from our old church who I hadn't seen in about 5 years. Then today after church, I went to the CAP pancake breakfast for a while, talked to my CAP mom Judy, and looked at airplanes. Then, I drove down to Rachel's grad party, hung out there (talked to Sarah and a random friend of Rachel's [Josh]) for most of the time. Then I took Sarah home and went home myself, where my family was finishing the packing for their trip to Wyoming. I have to stay here and work, goody goody. Anywho, it's late and I should go to bed soon...good night all.

summer...and the best Monday

2005-06-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

Well everybody...I spose it's about time for an update...
I got back to MN, last week was spent looking for jobs. I also got some hours back at the liberry (a major relief) and am waiting to hear back from four places about apps I put in. Sunday we drove to St. Peter and visited my Grandpa for father's day, then went to a grad party for someone from church. Monday I worked in the morning then went down to the Cities to see Sarah. As I was standing in the entrance talking to her and her mom, Rachel came in from upstairs (read her account on her blog, 'tis amusing), then went back up. Needless to say, this somewhat confused me. Then, we went up to Sarah's room, and when the door opened, there were a bunch of my friends from AWANA (Rachel, Melissa, Heather, Brandon, Brian, and Sarah's sister, Liz)!!!! They had planned a surprise party/gettogether type thing for me!!! So we all ate pizza and ice cream, watched Napoleon Dynamite (what a DUMB movie. But funny!!!), and played Catchphrase. It was the best homecoming present ever!!!! Thanks everyone!!!
So yeah...thats the big news lately...gots to go out today and get stuff to fix my bike...I like rollerblading, but with the condition of the SE STC roads and sidewalks, it's not the best option for getting to work...plus bike is faster. *randomness* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out in less than a month.
Well that's it for now...I am hungry and have to get rollerblading home.

sigh home

2005-06-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Hey people, homies, Minnesotans, LeTUers, etc.
I'm back home in Minnesota. Anxious to see people from here. Played disc golf w/my bro Izak, and my almost-bro Tim today, and found I wasn't quite as out of practice as I thought, 2 under par for the course. Anyway, later all, time to hit the sack, tomorrow will be a day for job-lookage.
Chango out.

A bug....

2005-06-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

Well...it's been about 3 days...the flying bug has bit me again already...seeing those big old clouds around here today made me wish I was up flying so I could see them from the air... I also want to find a nice calm day with some low clouds and shoot instrument approaches in some actual weather, it would be pretty sweet, and a good confidence builder.
And a random question: How long does your average bug survive after being sucked into a nostril? I mean, for all we know, they could be crawling around in there for hours....or maybe even days...
Anywho... about 4 days till I get home :D :D :D :D.

A long post.

2005-06-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

Ok, the promised long post at the end of the week.
So I'm done with instrument...4 weeks to the day from when I started. I don't know how I did it... I guess God has really given me the ability to learn this stuff. I mean, it all MAKES SENSE to me. I don't know why, but things like finding out where you are, how to fly an approach, etc. etc, just seem to work for me. I guess it's a gift from God, a little something to help me in this crazy career. I look back on the last 4 weeks and think WOW....Waking up at 5:30 most mornings to fly, then going to class, then studying/IM/hangout until bed. Repeat. Stage checks every Wednesday. I don't know how much longer I could have done it...I didn't have as much time as I woulda liked to talk to friends, or hang out with people on campus, or just spend relaxing. I miss my family, friends in Minnesota ;), and my dog like crazy. It's truly insane though...I look in my logbook, 21.5 hours in the airplane, 14.3 hours of simulator time, dozens and dozens of approaches, hours and hours spent studying, or practicing in the sim. Now I have a week left till I leave, and I will see awsome MN people again, see my fam, eat good food, play with my stupid silly dog, and try to fit all my massive amount of stuff into the Lego room (those aquainted with the Braun house know what that's all about, those who aren't can surely guess). It will also be nice to go back to my home church, I want to talk to lotsa people there again.
However, I know I will miss the people here at school. First and most, the amazing 41 guys...even in summer, a lot of them are around. Though they all have their flaws, they are great to be around. Also, the rest of the aviation people...Friday at the aviation picnic will be a day of sad good-byes till fall. Whether it's the other flight teamers, or any other random person who I've met in class, chilling with other pilots rocks.
So now it's practically the end of my first year of college...some random thoughts.
I have grown as a pilot and a person in lots of ways. I have gone from being a homeschooled kid who knew noone to a LUer who knows lots of people in several different circles of LU society. I have watched relationships grow and then fall apart in a matter of a few weeks or months. I have helped build a treehouse in our lounge. I have become part of a team competing with the best college pilots in the nation. I have slept in chapel, I have slept in class, I have slept in several different couches around the floor. I have watched several times as many movies since coming here as I have in the rest of my life. I have talked for uncounted hours on IM and not regretted it. I have discovered the joy of iTunes. I have come to know and enjoy people, only to watch them graduate and move away. I have flown very nice planes and very junky planes. I have survived my first two college roommates, and even enjoyed it. I have borrowed cars and hitched rides from many a person. I have survived DC, FS1, and FCAS all at the same time. I have logged my first hours in aircraft other than a Skyhawk. I have spent all my money. I have been insane enough to spend entire weeks waking up at 5:30 am for flying. I have been on random trips to wal-mart, sonic, dairy queen, and many another place. I have made new friends and gotten to know old ones better. And from all of it, I have learned. God has used all of it to teach me things about myself, about others, and about life in general. What a year....
***zoooooom back to the present***
So I woke up and went to my checkride, passed it, though I didn't fly so well. I guess it's nice to know that even on my worst flying day in a while I can pass the checkride, I know I can do some mean instrument flying on most days. When I came back, of course I had to call my instructor, Judy (CAP Mom!!! :D), and my Fam. After that, I did NOTHING. Well, almost nothing productive....ate lunch, went to Sonicn for ice cream with Evan, Craig, Jon, and Andrew. Then came back and watched 2 Star Wars movies (episodes 5 and 6 if anyone cares) with Jamin coming in from time to time, and played about 2 hours of Command and Conquer Generals. Somewhere in there Craig and I went to Bodacious and got BBQ for dinner (yum!). Then Sarah called :D and we talked for...hmm...I dunno, maybe 2 hours. It was nice to talk to you Sarah! See you soon! And the rest of the Awana people too (Rach's grad partay on the 26th, YAY!!!)! Anywho, then I started this blog entry and have currently been working on it for about 1 hour. Now, I'd like to end with some attempt at a thought provoking question...so here goes my probably sorta lame attempt....
What has impacted you most this school year?

I'M DONE!!!!

2005-06-04T12:13:00.000-05:00

Took my checkride today. Passed. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Headed home a week from today. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D ;)
Grad parties to go to, friends to visit ;) ;) good food :) :) Chango=Happy.

This could be it...

2005-06-03T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well, the checkride is 8 AM tomorrow...this could be the end of the real work for the summer...

Almost done...

2005-06-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I passed my stage 4 stage check today. All that's left is the checkride...

Summer

2005-05-31T23:29:00.000-05:00

Mkay, quick post...tomorrow at 11 is the flight portion of the final stage check, thursday is the oral portion, then probably friday is the checkride. Today was cool because there was a BBQ for the summer students, free food yay. Also, I got to hang out with some of the aviation freshpeople that I usualy don't get to talk to, cuz I'm in different classes..it's always fun to chill and trade flying stories, as well as hear how other people's flying is going. Finally, yesterday I got to spend 1/2 hour flying around in clouds, we had to actually shoot an instrument approach to get back into the airport, and almost didnt get out of the clouds in time. It was so COOL!!! flying an instrument approach to minimums and breaking out just in time is what instrument flying is all about. alright, sleep time...See you soon ;)

Yowza...

2005-05-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

Well here I am at the end of a Saturday spent almost entirely at the airport. I headed out there at 6:30 AM, because that's when I could get a ride ( I HATE not having a car). Then, finished planning for my flight to Dallas and Sulfur Springs, flew it with my instructor (we ate lunch in Sulfur Springs, there is a nice cheap restaurant right across the street), then got back to Longview about 1/2 hour ahead of the thunderstorms coming in. Then I sat at the airport until 7 PM, because that's when I could get a ride back. Oh well, it's all good. I got a lot of the planning done for my practice oral on Monday, and my Stage 4 stage check on Wednesday. *sigh* wow, I'm close to being done... *praying for good weather the rest of the week*....the checkride is probably Friday or Saturday.
I will probably have like a 4 page post when I pass, because I will have time to write about everything that's been going through my head in the last couple weeks, as well as my thoughts on the first year of school...but as of right now, I have about NO free time, and a massive amount of studying to do. By the way, this was my 13th consecutive day doing flight training (not flying, we had a couple days in the simulators in there), and tomorrow will be the first day in a long time that I haven't done any. Good thing too, I need to study for the oral portion of the Instrument Pilot practical test...

randomness.

2005-05-25T14:36:00.000-05:00

Which OS are You?

Haha....hey, don't blame me, I was bored.

Yay!!!

2005-05-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

Stage 3 of instrument is done. ONLY ABOUT 5 MORE FLIGHTS!!!!!!!! Praise The Lord!!!

tired....

2005-05-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

Wow...I'm tired...and stressed...at least fatness is over...but flying is coming to crunch time (stage 3 stage check tomorrow). God, I need an extra measure of your grace to finish out strong and get home to my family and friends. Home is close enough I can almost taste it. God grant me the strength to put forth my best effort and finish strong....

:D

2005-05-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

NDB approaches in the Frasca-conquered. W00t!!!

2005-05-22T23:54:00.000-05:00

This beautiful Twin Navion once belonged to Judy (my CAP mom) back in Minnesota. Another one of the people I shall have to spend time with this summer

TX heat....ouch.

2005-05-22T23:33:00.000-05:00

Well, this is the most flying i've done in quite some time... 2.9 hours yesterday, 2.2 today (all approaches), and a couple other times this week. insane. well, it's getting me closer to finishing, and home :D
yeah...today was HOT, HOT, HOT...the rumor is it got to 102* F.....crazy...and I was up for 2.2 hours flying approaches (thanks to Emily for acting as safety pilot and preventing me from hitting anything). anywho, flying approaches w/o an instructor is different....but it really is a good confidence builder, and also a good way of realizing...wow, i really need to get this right, or i could die...lol. anyway, im exhaused from the day, and i have an 8 am sim block tomorrow...oh joy. I better grab some z's....

woweee...

2005-05-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

So my life has been crazy mad lately...wake up at the crack of dawn, eat breakfast, fly, go to fatness class, fly again (usually the sim the second time), eat lunch at some point, go to Fly Sci III (yay, my NIFA knowledge is definitely making parts of this class a piece of cake...mmm...or key lime pie...wow its been too long since I had real food), eat dinner, practice in the sim, and finally come back and do homework until I realize that I have to wake up in about 8 hours and start the whole cycle over again. thankfully, fatness is done on wednesday. Also, Laura (my instructor) said that she wants to get me finished by June 3rd (she has to go back to WI for a graduation or something), which is cool by me, because that means that I would be done with flying before classes are done. Which gets me home at the soonest possible time. :D :D :D :D :D I have to give huge props to Andrew from my floor, he left his car here till he comes back for the next session (starts wednesday) and let me use it, I don't know how I'll survive without it...I guess thats another thing to do, try and find a car that will get me and all my junk back to MN...yikes, my life is insane. good thing I don't have a job here, I wouldn't have any spare time to breathe/study/relax. anyhow, it will all be over in a few weeks, I will be instrument rated, and back to a place where more awsome people are, and where it is still spring. until then, bye!

Meh

2005-05-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

argh, NDB approaches....so devilishly simple, yet so difficult....grr...

Stage two....done

2005-05-18T08:46:00.000-05:00

I just had my stage 2 Instrument stage check, I passed it. Yay!!!! Only two stages left, and I'll be instrument rated ladies and gentlemen! The sooner the better :D

*background for non-pilots. pilots skip this part*
In airplanes, two of your most useful instruments are based on gyroscopes driven by air sucked through the system. this is known as a vacuum system.
*done*

The Ever-Quotable Mr. Burnett
Me: Longview approach, Skyhawk 61SL, vacuum failure in flight.
Mr. Burnett: I'll lend you my Kirby or my Hoover.
Mr. Burnett: I'm sorry, that sucked.

Why i think the llama thing is so funny...

2005-05-16T21:57:00.001-05:00

here

LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA

2005-05-16T18:01:00.000-05:00

MUAHAHAHAHA

Allo. Salut.

2005-05-15T01:03:00.000-05:00

Well, hey you guys (more Minnesotan than y'all), it's very early Sunday morning. I survived the first week of summer classes, got through stage 1 of instrument, had my first instrument lesson in the airplane, and spent all but $1.78 of my cash on food at Wal-Mart. Such is the life of a college student during summer session. Well, its really starting to hit me now that its summer...other people at other schools are done with finals, and moving on to summerness...here I am still doing homework and hauling my lazy butt out of bed at insane hours (5:30 AM yesterday morning) to go fly. Oh well, flying is the one thing I really don't mind waking up uber early for.
*randomness* I was sitting in a tree on the berm today reading my Bible, and I think I got bit by fire ants. Is there nowhere to go where they are not?!?! I mean I figured I'd get bit on the ground, that's why I sought the refuge of a tree. But IN the tree too? Sheesh. So this evening was spent at Wal-Mart, watching part of Star Wars: Episode 2 in Jamin and Squirt's room, wandering the other quads looking for a place to watch an old Star Wars flick, and finally coming back here and watching most of it in the lobby on Squirt's computer, and the rest on my computer. Wow, that was a really nerdy typical LeTourneau guy type evening. Oh well.
*total randomness* CS Lewis was a smart guy. I should get one of his books from the library and read it. Maybe go on a Narnia streak...or maybe go for something heavier...
*final randomness*
I can't wait to be home. I miss my family, my friends, and my dog. In July, I hope to get the chance to spend a day up at AWANA camp, and hang out with people there. That would be fun. Maybe this summer I'll actually get the chance to take a couple people flying. That would rock! Oh, and go rollerblading ;) Anyway, church tomorrow (or later today if you want to be technical about it), so goodnight, talk to you later. Or something.

Yay.

2005-05-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

Stage 1 of Instrument is done. I survived the first day of summer classes. YAY!!!

Calm before the storm....

2005-05-10T21:08:00.000-05:00

So today was the last free day before summer session starts, and I get to deal with the loveliness of 7 AM flight blocks, Fatness at 9:30, and Fly Sci III 3:15-5. Monday through Friday. Craziness. Because SAGA is closed for the summer, I have also now started my diet of cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and ramen. Plus the occasional fruit to avoid scurvy (hallelujah for knowing people in the apartments, where they have ovens). The last couple days have been chilling, taking care of random business that needed doing (renewing my pilot medical, laundry, etc.), plus hanging with the few, the proud, the summer schoolers. I'm in the same dorm as Evan, Jon, Jamin, and a bunch of other random peoples. Plus Fargo, the other Minnesotan 41er is my roommate. His computer is uber and runs hot, I think it warms up our room by about 5-10 degrees. Should be fun...
Instrument flight is going well, I have my first stage check tomorrow afternoon with Rispin...he may not be such a great prof, but he is awsome to fly with, if you know what you are doing, as I discovered on my tailwheel stage check. Hoping to be done FAST, fast as greased lightning...cuz the second I'm done with my instrument checkride, I can head home...YAY!! and escape HOT HUMID Texas.

Finals week....

2005-05-09T00:05:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is the Sunday after finals week and I finally have time to write. First off, NIFA. Well, as I wrote, it was cold and windy, and none of us had appropriate clothing for 30s and 40s with strong winds and light rain. The awards ceremony....Well LeTU ended up 12th, Andy C, Jamin, the Eugenius (2nd in the nation in power off landings!!!!), Emily, The Ted, and Tom all placed in the top 20 in events. You can see results here. I did alright, preflight has me a little frustrated cuz I know I can do better, but I go in with the judge and all that I practice starts to go to pieces. Lots of practice is the only thing I can think of to help.
Then we flew back to Longview, slept, and entered the whirlwind of Finals Week. It was a blur of study-final-study-makeup test from NIFA-study-final-sleep etc. Then Thursday rolled around, finals ended, and the time came to pack up and move to my summer housing, the built-for-midgets Quad 2. Seriously, I don't know why anyone would WANT to live here, it's way too small. Saturday was graduation. It was kind of sad to see all the people that are graduating that I've gotten to know over the last 8 or 9 months who are leaving for good...Igloo, Bolt, Chirp, Aduma, and Nybble from 41, and Tom and The Ted from flight team. The saddest, though, was seeing Igloo's room empty. Anyone who has ever been in there knows why, but I'll explain it. His room was set up with wood framing and shelves all around it, with 4 or 5 hammocks hanging in it. That, and it's central location made it a great hangout for the floor. Seeing it reduced to an empty, bare, echo-y dorm room was sad, as was wandering the floor and not seeing all the people who are gone for the summer. Ah well. The seniors are off to bigger and better things, God bless them, and most of the others will be back in the fall. Seeing the seniors graduate got me thinking though. In 2 or 3 years when I graduate, where will I be headed? It's kind of scary because that's coming up awfully fast. After Instrument this summer, I only have 3 flight courses that I have to take at LeTourneau if I don't become a flight instructor (another big decision to make-whether or not to spend the money and then work as an instructor). In the end, I decided that I just need to not worry, trust God, pray, and focus on the next step. Harder than it sounds, especially in an industry like aviation where the competition for jobs is pretty tough and a lot of people are just out chasing the next better job. *sigh*
Oh yeah, had my first sim lesson with Laura for Instrument. Yay, that's one lesson closer to MN and the people I miss there :D. Well I'm tired, its late, and I think I shall head to bed soon. Nite y'all!

My Dream Trip

2005-05-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

So today in Sunday School, as its the beginning of the new session, we had a little icebreaker/get to know you time. The question was "If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, how would you get there, and what would you do once you got there? Mine was to fly to New Zealand in a Cessna Caravan with a few good friends and family members who love LotR, and fly around New Zealand and visit the places LotR was filmed. And just fly around in the mountains, cuz they are so cool and cuz flying a Caravan would be stinking AWSOME. I'm off in search of food, more later...

Wheee

2005-05-04T14:49:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in the CAD lab waiting for my prof to get here and start the final. Since he is not here to yell at me, I am zooming around on my rolling chair and having the time of my life. Hallelujah for Gaiser not being here, rolly chairs, and a tile floor.

AAAAAHHH!!!! FINALS!!!!!!!!

2005-05-03T00:40:00.000-05:00

Well the title says it all folks, just back from NIFA and into finals and makeup tests from missing a week of school, one in which practically every one of my classes had a test. I really dont know why I'm taking the time to post, except that I can't focus on studying anymore. I'll post about NIFA (in a nutshell, God protected us and helped us to do really well) and the end of the school year (well not really for me, but it still marks a whole academic year for me at LeTU.) this weekend, after finals are done and I wake up from looooong nap.

2005-05-02T01:21:00.000-05:00

41...yeah dude....taken at NIFA nationals in Kansas. :)

Heading back...

2005-05-01T00:28:00.000-05:00

Well, National SAFECON is all over, the awards banquet was tonight. Kind of bittersweet, cuz I didn't do as well as I had hoped/expected, and because for all of the seniors (Igloo, The Ted, and Tom) this was their last SAFECON. Sweet, because lots of LeTourneau-ites did good, putting us to #12 in the nation (woot Sting!), and because of how good we younger ones did...and how much better we know we can do. Tomorrow (well, today I guess) is back to LeTourneau, and Monday starts finals, which I am majorly unprepared for. Oh well, we shall see how it goes. I will definitely miss the graduating seniors, but every day is one day closer to Minnesota. :D 7 weeks is roughly the count...anyway, time to talk for a bit, then sleep. Later all.

Links

2005-04-29T21:35:00.000-05:00

Woohoo, another cold and windy day in Kansas...I did preflight today, I think it went well, but we will see tomorrow at the banquet. Thanks to Sarah (btw, it was nice talking to you last nite ;) )for telling me how to put links on the sidebar...check them out. Time to go to bed soon, I think I will get to sleep in, but the people who still have landings left to do will be at the airport at 6:15 AM. CRAZY!!!!!!!!

numa numa

2005-04-28T12:17:00.000-05:00

Well, its Thursday of SAFECON, the weather is cold and windy, and I have had that stupid "Numa Numa" song stuck in my head since yesterday...it was running through my head during the flight computer test...and probably will be during the Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation test as well...AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Well actually it's kinda funny, we were singing before and after the test...crazy fun. Hope y'alls week is going great...:D, sounds like most of you are staying un-bored ;)

Hi From Kansas!

2005-04-26T20:23:00.000-05:00

Well here I be in Kansas, just got done with the aircraft ID test, it was....not so great, but o well, it's done. We shall see how it turns out. Anyway hope y'all's week is going well, and don't get too bored ;-) *cough*Sarah*cough*
So now I'm here in my room chillin' with the Eugenius and Jammin' Jamin. Woohoo, time to go study some weatherology. And flight computer, or whatever event is next.

Bye!

2005-04-24T16:44:00.000-05:00

We are leaving in 15 minutes for Kansas. Have a great week everyone! To VUSA people, good job, hope you had fun, send pictures!

Reminiscence...

2005-04-23T11:26:00.000-05:00

Well talking with Sarah this week has had me reminiscing about the good old days of VUSA (now called Summit). My first VUSA in Chicago, where I first met a lot of the AWANA people, going to Navy Pier, just hanging out. The next year in Omaha, the last time we stayed in a church, my only year quizzing...with Sarah, Mel, Victoria, and Tina, and my only year in games. Finally, last year in Fort Worth, hanging out with everyone, getting my Citation, and missing a day of events to register for classes at LeTU...AWANA was so much fun, and God did so much in my life through it...Ah well, AWANA (at least as a clubber) is over for me, and I have moved on to other things. However, the friendships made at VUSA and other AWANA things continue on...yet another blessing. Can't wait till summer, y'all :D
On another note...TOMORROW THE STING HEAD OUT TO SALINA KS FOR
NATIONALS!!!!!!
A week of no SAGA, lots of flying, and flight computer and aircraft ID nerdulence. Yeah, you might be a nerd if you are bringing a laptop so you can access Airliners for studying. Well I gots a meteorology workbook, laundry, and packing to do, so I best get off of here.

What a surprise...NOT

2005-04-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

You scored as Geek.

Geek

63%

Drama nerd

38%

Goth

25%

Punk/Rebel

19%

Prep/Jock/Cheerleader

13%

Loner

Ghetto gangsta

Stoner

What's Your High School Stereotype?
created with QuizFarm.com

Taildraggers

2005-04-18T12:58:00.000-05:00

So I retook my Citabria stage check with Mr. Rispin this morning, and passed. YAY!!!!!! Yesterday was cool too cuz there was a potluck lunch at church, then I went to NIFA practice and flew for message drop practice-that was way fun and I logged 1 hour of free Skyhawk time. Yay for NIFA. Finally, I came back and ran into Jamin at the Hive, we surfed airliners.net for a while and he instructed me in the finer points of identifying the various models of King Air, and other aircraft ID tidbits, then I went to prayer and praise. Yay.

The rocks of life won't pull me down

2005-04-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was lousy...I went out to the airport and failed my Citabria stage check miserably. When I got back, there was an IM from Emily saying that her dad passed away. Pray for her and her family please, they need it right now.
God is good, there are second chances...in flying as well as life in general. Today I flew a review in the Citabria with Esther (a LeTU instructor, also one of our flight team coaches). Wow, we hit some of the maneuvers hard core, and it took me a LOT of tries to get them right. I feel a lot more confident now though, God willing the next try at a stage check (Monday) will go better.
New music=Superchic[k]'s new cd, Beauty From Pain. I have some lyrics as my MSN name, and Sarah asked me about it...it seems to fit right now...Lyric:

Pure

This is my prayer without ceasing
The negative releasing
And as I rise above
My burden is easing

I bring the pure flow, water around
The rocks of life won't pull me down
I bring the pure flow, drink so deep
The river of life my soul at ease
I bring the pure flow, water around
The rocks of life won't pull me down
I bring the pure flow, rising above
The storms of life to live and love

This is my brand new day in the light
Troubles rising up on the left and the right
I keep my eyes fixed on where I want to go
The rest will follow

Right now there are like 6 people in my room watching a crude comedian on Evan's computer. It is very irritating. I am listening to Superchic[k] in my headphones. I wish they would leave. I am sick of hearing this absolute trash they listen to. I don't find it funny, merely sickening at times. I don't want to put up with it right now.
Randomness-those of you who have been praying for Em's dad (and for me, though my stage check didn't go well) you know who you are, thank you so much, it is appreciated more than you know.

Cross country 10-Apr-05

2005-04-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

Here is the promised story of cross country in 78LU. This is the text of the report I submitted to my instructor.

If this cross country had a theme, it would be “The Flight Where Nothing Went As Planned”. This started before the flight even began. I called up for my weather briefing, and after informing me that the weather, though somewhat hazy, and with winds approaching my endorsed limits, was adequate for the flight, the briefer passed on the information that Shreveport Downtown airport, my original destination, was closed most of the day for an airshow. After consulting my honorable, soon-to-be-Saab-jockey instructor, I designed a new route. The KGGG-KAGO-KSPH-KASL-KGGG route somewhat followed the original, while remaining clear of Shreveport Class C (I didn’t want to deal with that if I wasn’t actually going to land anywhere in Shreveport), and being long enough to get in the 2.5 hours I needed of cross country time. After that was all settled, I went out to preflight.
As I was pre-flighting and the dispatcher was fueling the aircraft (N78LU), we both noticed that the left tank had about 15 gallons left, while the right tank was full. The person before me had left the fuel selector on “left”, and I thought it possible that they had flown with it in that position. In any case, the dispatcher told me to watch my fuel gages closely in flight.
While climbing out of East Texas Regional, I observed that the haze extended to about 3500 feet, and was capped with a layer of widely scattered, small cumulus clouds. As I climbed above it, the visibility got much better. However, due to the haze and clouds, I couldn’t see the ground. Therefore, I descended to an altitude that put me below the clouds and in the haze.
On the way out, I did notice that the aircraft appeared to only burn fuel from the left tank. By the time I reached Spring Hill, I was down to about 15 gallons in the left, with a full right tank. I did not switch to the right tank because in the worst case scenario, if the aircraft truly was running on only one tank, I did not want to be faced with an in-air engine restart. Also, worst case scenario, my calculations suggested that I would not reach Longview with a 1 hour reserve available. The A/FD said that Spring Hill had fuel available, so I taxied to the ramp and looked for fuel.
It turns out that the fuel is in an old pump with a Master Lock on it, that the airport manager has the key for. This manager lives in the run-down house next to the airport (this I learned from a guy riding his bike around the taxiway, watching the Air Tractor 602 ag planes take off and land. Very cool looking planes!). He was also not at home. I had called the LeTU dispatch when I landed and left a message informing them of my situation. I also notified Fort Worth FSS that I was expecting a delay. After learning the possibility of getting fuel there was very low, I called LeTU dispatch back and was informed that the uneven burning was a quirk of 78LU since the wing was removed and put back on after the infamous bird strike, and the right tank would begin delivering fuel soon after the left dropped below 15 gallons. I then started up, took off, and headed back towards Marshall. Sure enough, when I was established in cruise, the right tank began to indicate lower, and I switched to it for most of the flight to Marshall.
From that point on, the flight was uneventful. I landed at Marshall, then made the short hop to Longview and landed uneventfully. En route from ASL-GGG I had given FSS a new ETA. On the ground, I closed my flight plan, and that was it.
Some lessons I learned: Last minute changes in plan can make life and flying very interesting. Troubleshoot a little-I could have tried running off the right tank on the ground at Magnolia or Spring Hill. You can’t count on scattered clouds and reports of 10 miles visibility to give you adequate visual reference for VFR navigation at altitude. Finally, Air Tractors are a lot bigger than they look in pictures.

Cross country craziness

2005-04-10T01:53:00.000-05:00

So today I flew the weirdest cross country I've ever been on...I shall tell the story in full tomorrow. Hopefully someone out there will find it amusing. It was all so truly surreal...and funny.

Hootenanny, and ponderances.

2005-04-08T23:07:00.000-05:00

Well this may end up being a BEAST of a post...I've got a lot of things on my mind. Consider yourself warned...

So I just got back from Hootenanny. What is that? Oh, how to describe it...LeTourneau's own variation on the standard talent show. There were skits, musical acts, an ADD emcee, and the best drumming I have seen since Skillet on New Years Eve. The skits tended toward making fun of LeTourneau's own unique quirks. These include nerds, awkward dates with nerds, our RA's, and girls who love "the ratio" because they are out to get their MRS degree. So anyway, I got back from there and am now writing to pass the time untill 12:30 when the new TAF (terminal aerodrome forecast, for the ground-bound among you) comes out, to see how likely it is that I will actually get to fly tomorrow.

***Rant Alert***

This leads me into another rant, which, for y'alls sake, I will keep short. LeTourneau simply doesn't have enough aircraft right now for the number of flight students they are trying to train. Now, do they do the logical thing and buy more planes? No, they go and decide to build a 15 million dollar chapel/performing arts facility. A brand new, well-equipped Skyhawk costs about 150-200 grand. Would it kill them to buy some more airplanes and spend a little less on Bud's Temple (what we have come to call the chapel, in honor of Alvin "Bud" Austin, LeTU's president)? *Sigh*

***Rant Over***

Next ponderance...
It seems like a lot of people I know have been going through hard times in their lives. One friend is losing her dad to cancer (keep praying for the Harrisons, things are not looking good) . Another is having family difficulties. The daughter of a LeTU prof died suddenly from a virus, and though I didn't know her, many people on campus did, and have been deeply affected. At this same time, I have been blessed with some of the best times of my life-flying a fun airplane, taking 18 credits and still managing to enjoy life on 41 and hanging with the guys, and being healthy enough to appreciate the lovely EasTex spring. I can't understand why God has blessed me so much right now-other than that I need to be supporting and praying for those around me. In this area I feel that I have fallen short, probably because I am not as in touch with God as I need to be. Oh, to be free of the fallenness of this world, and of my human nature...Though I am not eloquent, I know that God would give me the words to say, or at least the opportunity to listen, if I would only spend the time I really need to with Him.

Also, I need to say something about this, because it hurts me to watch it. I'm talking about friends who seem to be serial daters...You watch them and think, "oh, maybe this one will last." Nope, 6-8 weeks later, its all over, and suddenly there is a new significant other on the scene. I hope I never run into that...either become the type of person who goes wildly gaga in love and then suddenly things change and its over, or date a person who will do that...come into my life, spend a massive amount of time getting to know me, then suddenly the relationship is over and they are on to someone else. I don't know how I could live my life to prevent that...I guess just follow Biblical models of relationships...look for someone who is a Christian, take things slow and truly get to know them (one of our chapel speakers said you truly don't know someone in a relationship until you have argued with them, an interesting thought), and step back and think about the relationship...it seems to me that it needs to be more than emotions/hormones...both people need to have similar priorities, and if not similar interests, at least be able to appreciate eachother's interests. For instance, I wouldn't want to get involved with anyone who just didn't understand that I love flying. She wouldn't have to understand WHY I love it (I don't even know, other than that God wired me to love flying :-D), just THAT I do.

***Rant Alert***

In a similar vein to the last rant I posted on here, ladies, I know you like to get a "healthy" tan, but geez, do you need to show that much skin while sunbathing in a very public place? Until LeTU girls learn to cover up, I will have to continue to avoid the berm on sunny, warm days.

***Rant Over***

Finally, the last paragraph of this monster...
It's pretty much settled that I will be staying for the first 6 weeks of summer to do Instrument Flight and Commercial pilot ground school. Oh yes, and Fatness. While I think this will be an enjoyable time with lots of flying, I will really miss people back in MN. My family and AWANA people especially. Especially AWANA people who I talk to every single day on IM, but have only seen 2 times since I came to TX. Ok, that's only one person. W/E. :-)
Oh, and finally, I need to survive in the next 4 weeks, one last round of tests, NIFA nationals, and finally finals week. woohoo.

2005-04-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

from the t-storms the other night.

2005-04-06T23:40:00.000-05:00

The lovely town of Henderson, TX....before i realized the camera was set to black and white....

2005-04-06T23:38:00.000-05:00

So I borrowed Evan's camera on Saturday for my cross country....

100.1-no longer a double-digit midget!!!!!!

2005-04-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

Hey yo-I just got back from the airport, where I flew a landings review flight in the Citabria. Good things came out of it...4 good landings, .6 hours of flight time, which puts me at 100.1 hours total, and I can do my stage check whenever I fly the last cross country (which, thanks to Em, should be tomorrow). YEAAAH BAYBEE!!!!! Anyways, time to type up a lab report due at 3....

R.I.P. Narf

2005-04-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

Today is a sad day here among the aviating members of 41. The much beloved Narf, as of yesterday evening, became the much beloved, late Narf. Yes, unfortunately, on the way back from the airport, the unfortunate Narf finally gave up the ghost, scattering parts all over the road behind Glaske. I, in my relatively short time here, have come to know and love Narf, who transported me to and from many a flight team gathering, and has even served as a comfy place to watch the stars. The members of 41 will all miss his extra space in their traditional birthday celebration of ponding. Never again will I jump on his hood and show just how dead the shocks are, or ride out to the airport with 5 people packed in there, Igloo driving like a maniac, the windows down, and the stereo blaring. To the late, great Narf, we will miss you.

Spring in TX....and a rant....

2005-04-01T00:23:00.000-06:00

Well the "spring" weather is officially here in Longview....which means it is like MN in the summer. See Sarah's blog for more commentary on this situation....check out the MN temp conversion chart. A very nice bunch of thunderstorms moved through tonight, unfortunately the gusty winds and low clouds surrounding are supposed to stay through tomorrow afternoon, which means my cross country in the morning is a no-go. Oh well, Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be good. This week...well not much of anything has happened...classes....I am one flight from my Citabria stage check, but I can't take it until i finish my Skyhawk cross countries. Bummer.

***Rant Alert***

So with the warm weather, comes the immodest clothing...Seriously, do girls even THINK about the message they are sending when they dress immodestly?!?!?! Some of these same girls then proceed to complain about guys who don't respect them, or how they don't attract the kind of guy they want. WELL DUH!!!!! No offense ladies, but first impressions matter, and guys notice clothing, or lack thereof, (sorry, we're just wired that way) so if you dress like a (pardon the language) slut, that is the first thing most guys will see, and it will affect their perception of you for a very long time. And the much-sought "good guys" (especially good Christian guys) are repelled by girls who dress immodestly. You would think this wouldn't be such a problem at a Christian school...and it's not....I took classes at a public university for 2 years, and it was BAD. However, the average modesty of a Christian campus (e.g., LeTU) still leaves much to be desired. So ladies...please...make it easier for the guys who want to respect you to do so...and as for the guys who won't notice you because you dress modestly....trust me, you don't need them, all they want is to get in your pants anyway.

***Rant Over***

2005-03-29T14:52:00.000-06:00

Cuz i havent put a pic on here in some time...ain't the Citation X a beautiful plane?

Easter

2005-03-27T23:58:00.000-06:00

So Easter Sunday was rainy....the church service was good...then I went to Easter dinner at the apartment of Tom Anderson (one of the flight team captains) and his wife. The food was DELICIOUS and the company (Ted, Tom, Igloo, the Eugenius, Caleb "Chef" Cook, and Tom's brother-in-law, all upperclassmen aviatio majors) was good. It was really cool to hang out with aviation majors about to graduate, and hear about their plans. I really look up to those guys. Tomorrow is back to school after a long weekend...but not for some people *cough*Sarah*cough*. Anyway, Intro to Systems with Pole-Man the Wisconsinite calls at 7:20 AM and I will head to bed. Soon.

The Doormonkey speaks of flying, music, and life

Summer...

Fun stuff...

\/\/00t, an update.

Yay.

JAARS

Storm...

Vote for Will!!

KGGG-KSTC

Foggy week!

Gloomy day.

Wheee.

Boring.

Quite a weekend

Flying and classes...woot.

Durch kreuz, zur krone.

Back at school

Christmas in Minnesnowta.

One to go!

So ready to go....

Thanksgiving...

HP: GoF first impressions

Almost thanksgiving...

NIFA

20.

Wisdom from Mr. Chase and Mr. B

Fall Break

Midterm madness

Airshow..

Aerodynamics....

A mini-blog.

midweek update..

It's like cyberstalking on crack...

God uses low ceilings

A day late...

Update...

Name my car.

Back in Texas.

Final Days of Summer....

I've Got Wheels!

An airplane pic

Age. Death.

Library randomness

Book.

bleh

Music

Friday night

What were they THINKING?!?!

Summer-ness.

HOT summer

Questions

Montana is a LONG drive

more summer

summer...and the best Monday

*sigh* home

A bug....

A long post.

I'M DONE!!!!

This could be it...

Almost done...

Summer

Yowza...

randomness.

Yay!!!

tired....

:D

TX heat....ouch.

woweee...

Meh

Stage two....done

Why i think the llama thing is so funny...

LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA

Allo. Salut.

Yay.

Calm before the storm....

Finals week....

My Dream Trip

Wheee

AAAAAHHH!!!! FINALS!!!!!!!!

Heading back...

sigh home