Walking on the Moon

If you think that the blog format looks a little different, you’re right. I upgraded to wordpress 2.0.4 which included a slightly modified default theme.

… then back into one.  Then back out again.  Link courtesy of John Heidemann.  The comments are well worth a look, too.

A 30-second jabber session with Tim Shepard yielded this incredible report of a Zlin wing failure during aerobatics written from the pilot’s perspective.  Clearly I should chat with Tim more often.

Man, I don’t know what I did to get on the weird Trek mailing list but digging through my mail backlog this weekend, I found these from Aaron Falk:

• Cribs
• Poolside
• Karaoke
• Coffee Shop

I liked the first one best.

Not to be outdone, Mike Maria (yes he commented on my Motivators post) sent me these:

• Vaguely homoerotic REO-Speedwagon-styled Star Trek rock anthem.
• And well, this video with Leonard Nimoy, which I can’t really do justice in words.

Leaving work after everyone was gone

An indistinct whiff tugged me toward my past.

Crossing the parking lot

With this city buzzing in my ears

While Its lights washed out the void,

I was small and far from home.

More ominous notions

Voiced through the ether,

Shadows cast on the walls,

Heard only in my mind

Drew me somewhere faraway and small,

where you can still talk to Orion.

And then out to the supermarket.

32169 is back in service after being inspected again.  Mostly minor things needed to be fixed, but it won’t be my cheapest annual ever or anything.  We’re still wrestling with the EGT and making sure that nothing weird happened to the vacuum pump – and the vacuum pump is by far the more important.

I spent a bunch of time this weekend getting reacquainted with her, and mostly working landings.  Every now and again, most pilots get a bug to work on their landings, and I have it.  I’ve been reading the aviation mags and seeing some of the bad habits they describe in my landings, so I’ve been working to tune them back up.  I’m making good progress, I think, but I suspect that next time I go up for IFR currency with Andy, my CFI, I’ll spend some time landing.

I really don’t want to swamp this poor guy, but: Star Trek Motivation Posters.  Oh, yes: they’re geeky.

I have a problem. I can’t seem to stop buying Hellblazer. I’d like to. I mean, I enjoyed Carey’s run, and there are occasional good stories, but I really haven’t looked forward to a Hellblazer story in ages. A sane person would drop the book.

But, see, I have all the issues so far.

I’ve really got to stop this compulsive completeness.

Don’t even get me started about 100 Bullets.

Becuase this blog isn’t enough of a conversation with Rod, I have to point out that:

• Life on Mars looks grim
• People are hacking the Himalayas

See, Rod, Keith Phipps understands Tom Petty.