And a voice cried out from Heaven saying, "It is done."

The move is 100% done and over with. There are decorations on the walls, all of my possessions are inside, and all of the furniture is here and in its proper place. It feels weird to be done, since all I've done with almost every free moment I've had in the last several weeks was move or organize. Now that I don't have anything left to do here I feel sortof useless.

I'm just glad it's over!!!!! Now I can sit on my couch and watch ESPN in high definition all day long.

"And the Lord saw that it was good."

Countdown

Opening day is so close I can almost taste the hot dog and $8 beer...

Listen to What I Mean, Not What I Say

There is a long posting on this blog from January 1st of 07 that I would like to revisit. Click on the following link and scroll to the bottom of the page featuring the posting titled "The Truth Hurts." http://redbirdaviator.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

Now that we're on the same page, let me continue just a bit on that line of thought about our good friends. My first observation is that speaking is terribly easy, while doing is another matter entirely. Phrases like, "You're very important to me," and "I love you," are easily thrown about. Unfortunately, any prudent individual would not take these statements at face value. The famous cliche says that actions speak louder than words, and that is indeed the case. All the "I love you's" in the world don't make up for actions that clearly tell the other, more factual story. Let's keep in mind that these actions are rarely huge injustices. In order to truely understand how a person feels about you, you must pay close attention to detail. It's not in their speech, and it won't be posted on a billboard. Somewhere, between the lines, lies the truth. It hides amid basic courtesies that are not extended, subtle rudeness that can go undetected, and a general disregard for your priorities and commitments.

My second observation is this: No matter how badly you want it, or how hard you try, you will never change anything about your friends. It's not your job to create change in them. It's your job to accept the person they are. It's also your job to make sure you understand how they feel about you so you can make sure your expectations of them aren't too high.

Some very close friends are worthy of your highest expectations. Be carefull not to place those less worthy friends on the same level. It will lead you to dissappointment, and they probably won't care.

It is an unfortunate truth of the human condition that trust is not always requitted, and honesty is not always valued as highly as it should be.

Jargon

They say that every workplace developes its own language. A mix of plain English, slang, technical terminology, and (usually) some well placed curses. Obviously the same can be said of my workplace, where we load up on the slang and technical terms, and especially the cursing... I decided that today I'd give you a small glimpse at the lingo flung around the airline world, and add the translations.

Lets start with the kind of stuff you hear on the company operations frequencies. These frequencies are not monitored by the FAA and exist in order to allow pilots in their airplanes to talk to operations managers in order to coordinate services. Most of these discussions occur on the ground at the gate. Here are some examples:

Example #1

Pilot - "Ops, this is 4123, we need catering and lav service at G10."
(The pilot is requesting that the flight attendant's galley be restocked with soda and whatever else she may need, and that the bathroom needs to be cleaned.)

Ops - "Roger."
(Ops is telling the pilot that they don't care.)

Example #2

Pilot - "Hey ops, 4123, still haven't been catered or had the lav service."
(At this point the flight is 10 minutes from departure and nothing has been done.)

Ops - "I'll call them again."
(Since the problem didn't take care of itself, Operations will call for the first time.)

Example #3

Pilot - "Ops, 4123 is on the ground for G6"
(This flight has just landed and the pilot is inquiring whether or not gate G6 is available.)

Ops - "G6 is occupied, go to the box for 10 minutes."
(Ops informs the pilot that G6 is still occupied and the wait will be at least 30 minutes.)

Example #4

Pilot - "Ops, 4123 the flight attendant counts 29 people and we have a close out for 28."
(Before the flight departs the number of passengers onboard must be verified. The pilot is informing operations that either the gate agent or the flight attendant doesn't know how to count.)

Ops - "Roger."
(Ops informs the pilot that they don't care.)

Example #5 (This example is actually heard on the deice frequency)

Pilot - "Iceman, aircraft 623 for flight 4123 at G6 needs deice."
(The pilot is informing the folks in charge of dispatching deice trucks that they need to be deiced.)

Iceman - "Copy, copy."
(Iceman informs the pilot that he doesn't care.)

Pilot - "What number are we for deice?"
(The pilot is saying, "we know you don't care, but do something, please!")

Iceman - "Ah, you're number 8."
(Iceman informs the pilot that he has no idea what number they are, and that it will take at least an hour for a deice truck to arrive.)

Now we'll move on to the kinds of exchanges you might expect to hear on air traffic control frequencies. These are the official frequencies used by the FAA to ensure the orderly, expedient and safe seperation of air traffic. (Editors note: Sarcasm is difficult to convey in print.)

Example #1 (This would be heard on clearance delivery, the frequency used to coordinate routes and departure times.)

Pilot - "Clearance, Eagle Flight 4123, what are the delays for O'Hare today?"
(The pilot is asking how long they will have to wait before air traffic control will allow them to leave, due to the flow of traffic.)

Clearance - "There are no delays to O'Hare."
(This is a lie.)

Example #2 (Also from clearance delivery)

Clearance - "Eagle Flight 4123, clearance, I have some bad news."
(Ha ha! You're screwed!)

Pilot - "Go ahead for Eagle 123."
(Oh shit.)

Clearance - "O'Hare is groundstopped, update on the hour."
(You're stuck here for a very long time.)

Pilot - "Ok, roger that."
(DAMNIT!)

Example #2 (This would be heard while the flight is in the air, either on a center or approach control frequency.)

Controller - "Eagle Flight 4123, the weather at Green Bay has gone below minimums, say intentions."
(The controller is informing the pilot that the weather is so bad at Green Bay that the pilot can no longer legally attempt a landing. He wants to know what the pilot's backup plan is.)

Pilot - "Roger, standby."
(The pilot has no backup plan.)

Controller - "Roger."
(you're an idiot.)

Example #3 (Also from center control)

Pilot - "Ah, Cleveland center, Eagle Flight 123, we're level at 370 and it's continuous light, occasional moderate turbulence."
(The pilot, who is maintaning 37000 feet of altitude, is experiencing a crappy ride.)

Controller - "Eagle Flight 123, we've had reports of a bad ride at 370 for the next 200 miles."
(You're stuck with your crappy ride for a while.)

Pilot - "Is there a lower altitude with a better ride?"
(Get me outta here before my fillings are rattled out!)

Controller - "Well sir, it's been reported smooth down at 250"
(There's smooth air at 25000 feet)

Pilot - "Ah, 250 is too low, sir."
(If I go that low I'll run out of gas before I get where I'm going.)

Controller - "Sorry Eagle, that's the best I can do for you."
(I don't care.)

Pilot - "Roger, I guess we'll ride it out."
(Thanx for nothing, asshole!)

I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into the aviation world. Always remember, your safety and security is our number one priority at the airlines. Please remember to fasten your seatbelt, and turn off your damn cell phone when the flight attendant tells you to!

Quote of the Week

"Joy, sadness, fear and anger are all very simple. Love is the only complicated human emotion." - Anonymous

And I'm Spent!

The move is over. When I say over, I mean 99% of my worldly possessions are within the confines of my new condo, and 80% of what is here has been placed in its permanent spot. There is very little left to do, which is refreshing when you consider that I've spent all of my time off the last few weeks having different appointments fullfilled, patching holes in the ceiling, buying, moving, and assembling furniture, and connecting wiring for various purposes. The fruits of my labor are now nearly complete. A large amount of credit must be extended to ER, who was always there when I needed him and his pickup truck.

Now aside from moving in a recliner and putting some decorations on the walls, the labor is basically complete.

Glory Hallelujah!

Quote of the Week

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." - Dr. Seuss

Prima Nocte

Tonight I will sleep in my new condo for the first time. Notice, I have not declared myself moved in yet...

Quote of the Week

"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith." - Bertrand Russel V. Delong

From the Airwaves

Recently heard on Chattanoga ground frequency:

Unidentified - "Ah, this is 1546 headed for Atlanta with Zulu."

Controller - "1546 who are you?"

Unidentified - "My name's Steve sir..."

Controller (laughing now) - "How's it going Steve? What I really want to know is, which airline's name do I put in front of your flight number?"

Bliss is Near

I turned on the tv in my hotel room the other day and behold, there was baseball!

Only 25 more days...

Quote of the Week

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." - Paolo Coelho