I'm beginning to regret telling my hubby that I was interested in another airplane for myself. He's now talking about taking the money we were setting aside to fix up the Apache into a down payment on a Tri-Pacer. Crap...
It's not like we need to go further into debt at this point in time. In fact, we REALLY SHOULDN'T. But telling him that is like talking to a brick wall sometimes. I know he understands the financial situation we're in (in fact, he's usually the first to tell me, "Do you REALLY need that?) And I know that he's not really serious about it right now, but that doesn't decrease the amount of times we need to discuss it. At this point, I'd rather discuss the plans to re-do the bathroom (because if I have my way, that project will be completed BEFORE we even start looking for another plane).
I feel like I should have flash cards or something that have different topics of discussion on them that I can show him everytime he gets on the whole "new plane" thing.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Brillante Blog Award
lonestar818 nominated me for the Brillante Blog Award! Yay! Thanks :)
Part of the deal for me to accept this award is for me to nominate 7 other blogs for the award. I am a little short on that list, mainly because I am so new to the whole blog thing. So, I'm going to nominate the ones I've read and liked so far, and if I find others, I'll nominate them too! They are (so far)
Random Thoughts : I nominated this blog because I've never really liked poetry (or understood it for the most part) and my friend has been posting poems she has written and it has really opened my eyes to liking poetry.
Partner of a Pilot : I nominated this blog because the owner of this blog has interesting stories about living with a pilot and how the lives of pilot wives are completely different than most.
Living with MS : This blog belongs to my mother. She struggles pretty much daily and has a hard time with technology, so this blog is a testiment to will power and humor in dealing with life. It doesn't get updated very often, due to her mobility restrictions and where the computer is now placed in her apartment, but when it does, I have fun reading about what she had in her head that day.
Here are the rules for the recipients of the awards:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated.
6. Enjoy your award!
Part of the deal for me to accept this award is for me to nominate 7 other blogs for the award. I am a little short on that list, mainly because I am so new to the whole blog thing. So, I'm going to nominate the ones I've read and liked so far, and if I find others, I'll nominate them too! They are (so far)
Random Thoughts : I nominated this blog because I've never really liked poetry (or understood it for the most part) and my friend has been posting poems she has written and it has really opened my eyes to liking poetry.
Partner of a Pilot : I nominated this blog because the owner of this blog has interesting stories about living with a pilot and how the lives of pilot wives are completely different than most.
Living with MS : This blog belongs to my mother. She struggles pretty much daily and has a hard time with technology, so this blog is a testiment to will power and humor in dealing with life. It doesn't get updated very often, due to her mobility restrictions and where the computer is now placed in her apartment, but when it does, I have fun reading about what she had in her head that day.
Here are the rules for the recipients of the awards:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated.
6. Enjoy your award!
Attack of the Mullet-Head Dog
It was brought to my attention last night that my dog has a mullet. I feel I need to give a little back story here...
Noni is 1/2 Lhasa Apso, 1/2 Sled Dog Mutt. Now, Lhasa's grow a lot of hair that comes down over their eyes. Noni has this trait. I've heard that it is to protect their sensitive eyes. However, Noni does not have sensitive eyes, at least that we can tell (it must be the "sled dog" in her). In fact, everytime I let her hair grow that long on her head, she starts biting everything because she can't see. So, ever since she's been about 6-8 months old, I've kept the hair above her eyes trimmed.
The last few times I've trimmed her head, I've trimmed the rest of her a bit too (her fur gets really long and shaggy, hard to keep clean). However, the last time I trimmed her "hair," I did not do the rest of her (this was shortly before A came back home). We were laying there last night when I was asked, "How come Noni's "eyebrows" aren't growing back in?" My response was that I had trimmed them back just before he got home. Then he started looking at her pretty intensely. Then, all of a sudden, "Noni has a mullet!" I haven't laughed so hard or so repeatedly (I'd crack up every 10 minutes or so) for so long! He was SO RIGHT!!! It is all business in the front, party in the back! LOL!!!! It's especially noticeable when she's all riled up and has shaken her fur out! HILARIOUS!!!
Here's a picture of Noni sporting the MacGuyver mullet (it seems to have a life of it's own...) Enjoy!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Exact Date Unknown...
Sometime next week, we expect A to be called to go to his flight training. I don't know how long he'll be gone this time, but we'll have to see. One the one hand, I'll be sad to see him go again. But on the other, I'll be happy that I can get back into my "me only" routine. Somehow, I'm get more done when I'm by myself. However, I expect that feeling of happiness will only last a few days at the most, before I start missing him again. I guess that I'm missing him already and he's here for at least another week or so.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I miss my Tri-Pacer
I decided today that I miss my old airplane. Especially with the cost of things going up, my old Tri-Pacer was one of the cheapest planes we have owned. I'm thinking about possibly getting another one, which has A all excited. One, he loves looking for "new" planes online, comparing the information, etc. I guess he gets the same kind of "high" from that as women do shoe shopping. But, I was thinking that I'd like to get back into flying myself. I mean, I loved it when I was flying solo. I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to. If all I wanted to do was go back and forth around the valley, then that's what I'd do...
Of course, all this is moot for the time being. It's just dreaming. But if things start getting better for us, and we pay off some other things, then we can afford for me to have another Short-Wing Piper.
It would make it easier for me to go "down south" by myself on an adventure. A mentioned that I could do that now with the Apache we currently own, if only I'd get my license and learn to fly multi-engine. But then I pointed out the fact that the Apache will maybe break even on cost with the airlines only if the both of us travel with the dog. A smaller plane will take longer, but will be much more economical than the Apache if I travel alone. But that is for another time. Like I said, at this point, it's all dreams.
Of course, all this is moot for the time being. It's just dreaming. But if things start getting better for us, and we pay off some other things, then we can afford for me to have another Short-Wing Piper.
It would make it easier for me to go "down south" by myself on an adventure. A mentioned that I could do that now with the Apache we currently own, if only I'd get my license and learn to fly multi-engine. But then I pointed out the fact that the Apache will maybe break even on cost with the airlines only if the both of us travel with the dog. A smaller plane will take longer, but will be much more economical than the Apache if I travel alone. But that is for another time. Like I said, at this point, it's all dreams.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Apparently, I make funny noises too...
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. Mostly because everytime I hit REM sleep, A would shove me (we have previously discussed "asking" me to roll over, as I do with him when he's snoring, but I don't know for sure if he tried that first... I only remember the "shoving"). I remember disruptions in my dreams last night that in my dream I couldn't figure out why it was skipping like a record player. Finally, one last shove did it and woke me up. I think I asked him why he was shoving me, and I think his response was "you are making weird noises, roll over" or something to that effect. My brain was awake enough to process what he said, but not concious enough to remember it.
When I asked him about it this afternoon (because my butt has been dragging all day), he said I was making "weird gurgling/snorting noises". I guess I got so congested last night that I had trouble breathing. It got better on my side, but that made my back hurt. So, neither of us got really good sleep last night. Hopefully tonight will be better.
PS... sorry to be so "gross" and "descriptive" with my breathing issues.
When I asked him about it this afternoon (because my butt has been dragging all day), he said I was making "weird gurgling/snorting noises". I guess I got so congested last night that I had trouble breathing. It got better on my side, but that made my back hurt. So, neither of us got really good sleep last night. Hopefully tonight will be better.
PS... sorry to be so "gross" and "descriptive" with my breathing issues.
Monday, August 25, 2008
What to write...
I'm sitting here thinking about what to talk about today. We didn't get to go to the movies yesterday. I was feeling good enough to go to work today, but I ended up losing my voice on several phone calls I needed to make. My co-workers were trying to protect themselves as if I were Drakula (fingers made into a cross, garlic necklaces being talked about, you know, the usual). LOL. I'm glad I went in because I had so much work to do that I couldn't do it all in one day. So I'll have stuff to do tomorrow. Yay!
A passed his written exam for him to be a Flight Engineer, so Yay A! Now he is just waiting for them to call him back for flight training. I'm sure it'll be like last time and he'll have to leave at a moment's notice. Although, now he can jumpseat, so that is good.
We are looking at having to do a thorough clean on the house to prepare for the roof workers. They have to do a lot of work inside the house, accessing the beam to check for rot. The good thing is that they will be done in about 4 days. The bad thing is that I have to clear out my office and shove my furniture in my living room into my dining room to protect it. And I'll have to take Noni with me to work while they are here, if A isn't going to be home when they get to our unit.
I'm still looking for a part time job to help make ends meet. I'm hoping to find something that I can do from home, but I won't know until next month if we can make it work. If anyone has any experience with doing stuff from home for a part time income, please let me know.
A passed his written exam for him to be a Flight Engineer, so Yay A! Now he is just waiting for them to call him back for flight training. I'm sure it'll be like last time and he'll have to leave at a moment's notice. Although, now he can jumpseat, so that is good.
We are looking at having to do a thorough clean on the house to prepare for the roof workers. They have to do a lot of work inside the house, accessing the beam to check for rot. The good thing is that they will be done in about 4 days. The bad thing is that I have to clear out my office and shove my furniture in my living room into my dining room to protect it. And I'll have to take Noni with me to work while they are here, if A isn't going to be home when they get to our unit.
I'm still looking for a part time job to help make ends meet. I'm hoping to find something that I can do from home, but I won't know until next month if we can make it work. If anyone has any experience with doing stuff from home for a part time income, please let me know.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The movie we were supposed to go see today...
We had made a date to go see "Tropic Thunder" at the matinee today, but due to me being sick and in bed all day, we didn't. I hope that I feel better tomorrow so we can go see it. They only have matinee's on the weekends and if we want to see anything in theaters right now, it has to be a matinee.
Friday, August 22, 2008
I'm so tired of being sick...
It seems like every time I turn around, I have some new ailment. One week, I was having muscle spasms that kept me from walking. The next week, I had the flu. The next, migranes, and on and on...
Right now, I have a cold or something. I've had a sore throat most of the week and it evolved into something more yesterday. I went home from work early and called in today (well, actually, A called me in today. I think I was still asleep or something). Been coughing/sneezing all day (fun)... Losing my voice. All good things, I guess.
I wonder what will happen to me next week...
Right now, I have a cold or something. I've had a sore throat most of the week and it evolved into something more yesterday. I went home from work early and called in today (well, actually, A called me in today. I think I was still asleep or something). Been coughing/sneezing all day (fun)... Losing my voice. All good things, I guess.
I wonder what will happen to me next week...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Noni makes funny noises....
...when you are playing with one of her toys and she wants you to throw it. It's like a very frustrated growl/whine. You get her really riled up and she'll bark at you... Pretty dang funny :)
Been Busy...
It's been a pretty busy and boring week so far. We found out that a house we were paying combined mortgage and condo dues of $1600/mo is now going to be more like $2000/mo, on less salary, no less. With the high cost of living, especially here in AK, we are adding a "fuel assesment" charge and a "roof replacement" charge to our condo dues, and our mortage went up due to a "miscalculation" for our escrow account that pays for our property taxes. Honestly, it couldn't have happened at a better time [dripping with sarcasm].
I'm not due for a raise at work until December, so that won't help much. A took a pretty substantial pay cut to take his new job. I just got turned down for a part time job at a store here. Aparently I'm not the only one in Juneau who needs to get a second job to make ends meet. I was told that the shift I was looking to do was already full up on workers from the state.
I'm not sure how well I'll do finding something for evenings/weekends until the holdiays come around. I guess we'll have to see where we are at then. In the meantime, the search is still on. It would be ideal for me to find something that I could do from home in the evenings/weekends, especially since A will be gone so much. It'll at least give me something to do.
I'm not due for a raise at work until December, so that won't help much. A took a pretty substantial pay cut to take his new job. I just got turned down for a part time job at a store here. Aparently I'm not the only one in Juneau who needs to get a second job to make ends meet. I was told that the shift I was looking to do was already full up on workers from the state.
I'm not sure how well I'll do finding something for evenings/weekends until the holdiays come around. I guess we'll have to see where we are at then. In the meantime, the search is still on. It would be ideal for me to find something that I could do from home in the evenings/weekends, especially since A will be gone so much. It'll at least give me something to do.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday's Suck, Part 2
Today has been the crappiest day I've had in quite a while, far surpassing last Monday's crappiness.
Over the weekend, A's cell phone busted spontaneously (we have yet to narrow down "how" it did this, other than at some point from when he shut it off to get on the plane in Anchorage to come home and turning it back on when he landed here in Juneau.) We have been trying to get a new cell phone for him, for free, considering I was forced into "upgrading" our cell phone plan to transfer it to Alaska from Utah. I had to pay full price for my new phone (the front screen on mine was busted and needed to be replaced) at the time because I was not "eligible for an upgrade" at that point. They did offer me a second phone at that time, but because we didn't "need" it, we decided not to get it. Aparently, if you don't go get your "second phone" within 30 days of a new contract, you forfeit your claim to a new phone AND they extend the "upgrade" option on your old phone. So, A cannot get an upgrade until September of 2009. Because the phone is out of warranty, they will not replace it. Oh, but they will give us 2 free phones if we sign up for another 2 years service. Now, I probably wouldn't have too much of a problem with this if - 1) I didn't have to stand in line for an hour to get any service what-so-ever at my local AT&T (that's right... I said it... AT&FREAKINGT), 2) they wouldn't tell me I get something and then later tell me, sorry, but no (after wanting to transfer my Roll-Over minutes from my old contract to the new one), and 3) if I would actually get customer service when I went down there and took time out of my busy day to deal with all this stupid crap!!!! Oh, yeah, and A has been authorized on our account since the beginning of the plan, with me being primary, and today they wouldn't help him out at all. I had to go down there with 5 minutes left on my lunch break to deal with this. A met me in the parking lot and told me that the chick-lady that I tried to talk to to authorize A on the plan wouldn't talk to me because I yelled at her on the phone. Of course I yelled at her! I told her that I was going to head down there since she "wouldn't" take my phone authorization for him and that I wasn't going to stand around waiting for 20 minutes to get resolution (they are notorious for people waiting for 30 minutes or more for customer service). I was advised that if I had a problem that I was more than welcome to call the main customer service number to get resolution. OK, I used to work for AT&T. All they are going to do is say "I'm sorry, we can't do that" and hang up on me.
I never wanted to go with AT&T in the first place. I was with Cingular and they got taken over. I NEVER had a problem with Cingular. If I could get comparible service (nationwide) here in Alaska, I would switch in a heartbeat and let them take me to collections over the broken contract. But, alas, unless I want service pretty much only in Alaska, they are my best bet. ARGHHH!!!
So, A, being much more calm on the phone that I would be right now, is on the phone with customer service to try and get resolution. Well, good luck honey...
One idea that was suggested to me was to circumvent the whole situation by getting a prepaid "gophone" and just put his sim card in it. There's an idea!!! Let's stick it to those greedy jerks!!!
Over the weekend, A's cell phone busted spontaneously (we have yet to narrow down "how" it did this, other than at some point from when he shut it off to get on the plane in Anchorage to come home and turning it back on when he landed here in Juneau.) We have been trying to get a new cell phone for him, for free, considering I was forced into "upgrading" our cell phone plan to transfer it to Alaska from Utah. I had to pay full price for my new phone (the front screen on mine was busted and needed to be replaced) at the time because I was not "eligible for an upgrade" at that point. They did offer me a second phone at that time, but because we didn't "need" it, we decided not to get it. Aparently, if you don't go get your "second phone" within 30 days of a new contract, you forfeit your claim to a new phone AND they extend the "upgrade" option on your old phone. So, A cannot get an upgrade until September of 2009. Because the phone is out of warranty, they will not replace it. Oh, but they will give us 2 free phones if we sign up for another 2 years service. Now, I probably wouldn't have too much of a problem with this if - 1) I didn't have to stand in line for an hour to get any service what-so-ever at my local AT&T (that's right... I said it... AT&FREAKINGT), 2) they wouldn't tell me I get something and then later tell me, sorry, but no (after wanting to transfer my Roll-Over minutes from my old contract to the new one), and 3) if I would actually get customer service when I went down there and took time out of my busy day to deal with all this stupid crap!!!! Oh, yeah, and A has been authorized on our account since the beginning of the plan, with me being primary, and today they wouldn't help him out at all. I had to go down there with 5 minutes left on my lunch break to deal with this. A met me in the parking lot and told me that the chick-lady that I tried to talk to to authorize A on the plan wouldn't talk to me because I yelled at her on the phone. Of course I yelled at her! I told her that I was going to head down there since she "wouldn't" take my phone authorization for him and that I wasn't going to stand around waiting for 20 minutes to get resolution (they are notorious for people waiting for 30 minutes or more for customer service). I was advised that if I had a problem that I was more than welcome to call the main customer service number to get resolution. OK, I used to work for AT&T. All they are going to do is say "I'm sorry, we can't do that" and hang up on me.
I never wanted to go with AT&T in the first place. I was with Cingular and they got taken over. I NEVER had a problem with Cingular. If I could get comparible service (nationwide) here in Alaska, I would switch in a heartbeat and let them take me to collections over the broken contract. But, alas, unless I want service pretty much only in Alaska, they are my best bet. ARGHHH!!!
So, A, being much more calm on the phone that I would be right now, is on the phone with customer service to try and get resolution. Well, good luck honey...
One idea that was suggested to me was to circumvent the whole situation by getting a prepaid "gophone" and just put his sim card in it. There's an idea!!! Let's stick it to those greedy jerks!!!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
HE'S HOME!!!!!!
Can you tell that I'm excited? I picked him up this morning. Right now he is napping. I guess he had a pretty late night last night and only got about 2 hours of sleep. Since we have a party to go to tonight, he's going to catch up on sleep before we need to go.
On the crappy side, I'm either coming down with a cold, or I am having major allergies again. I woke up pretty congested today and I'm not sure if it's because I forgot to take my allergy medication last night or I'm getting sick. I didn't want to feel like crap his first day back, so it kind of sucks. I think I'm going to go take a decongestant in a little while so I can still go to the party.
On the crappy side, I'm either coming down with a cold, or I am having major allergies again. I woke up pretty congested today and I'm not sure if it's because I forgot to take my allergy medication last night or I'm getting sick. I didn't want to feel like crap his first day back, so it kind of sucks. I think I'm going to go take a decongestant in a little while so I can still go to the party.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Something New!
When I was checking on a blog a friend of mine writes, she noticed that when she was checking the stats of her blog, someone had translated her blog into German using the Google Translater. I checked it out and it was really awesome! I've added a "bug" to my blog, allowing anyone to comes across it to select a language and view my blog in that language. I'm not sure how much that will happen, but I think it's cool that I can have my blog translated into Italian so I can keep up with and expand my understanding of the language.
Check it out with your favorite language (other than English, of course).
Check it out with your favorite language (other than English, of course).
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Cessna 175
I've noticed that I haven't posted much regarding our Cessna 175. We bought it shortly after we were married, mainly because we were living in Utah at the time, and flying to Texas or ABQ to visit relatives was really fatiguing in the Pacer. We wanted a roomier/more comfortable ride.
A let me name it (as I get to do with our current airplane, which I haven't done yet). It was named "Moonlight Serenade" after "our song." We both love big band/Glenn Miller.
We had the Cessna for a long time. It was useful to us, especially if A had to leave immediately for a new position (when we moved the Juneau the first time, and when he had to report to duty in Salt Lake a few years ago). We also used it as a SUV/Cargo Van when we lived in Iliamna. To get out of the village, we would take a few days off, fly the Cessna to Anchorage and go shopping for 2 days. It also allowed us to see movies, get a night out, etc... We were able to pack so much stuff in the plane that we only had to make trips like that every 2-3 months. That came in handy, considering if we were to have gotten all of our groceries at the local general store, we would not have had a great selection and it would have cost us way more. (Think $8/gallon of milk).
We finally sold it prior to moving to Hawaii, mainly because we couldn't fathom leaving it in a hanger for who knew how long at the time, and A didn't really trust anyone to keep it flying for him. There was no way we could have ferried it across the ocean to Hawaii, or barging it out there. But, that left us open to getting the twin he's been wanting for some time (I wouldn't let him get one until the Cessna was gone. Even though we've had 2 planes at a time before, the cost is so much more for a twin, that it would have seemed like we had 3-4 planes at a time).
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Lighten Up
In the news recently is a lot of backlash for Ben Stiller's new movie "Tropic Thunder." I've decided to post my opinion (and remember, it is MY OPINION, I am not forcing my views onto anyone here, so please don't write me thinking that I am) and share my views on this situation.
I don't normally like Ben Stiller movies. I usually can't stand the comedy, the way they are usually just stupid (Zoolander, anyone?). However, I am way more interested in this movie, mainly because Robert Downey Jr is in it, and I find him HILARIOUS! (when he's not high, of course).
The biggest backlash I've read so far in the news is the "over"use of a particular word. I find it amazing, though, that the person doing the loudest boycott of the movie, hasn't even seen it yet. There is also controversy regarding the "blackface" performance of Robert Downey Jr. I've also read comments pertaining to Vietnam vets and how their actions during the war are being portrayed.
In addressing all of these items I would like to say that "It's a freaking movie!" I am getting tired of people taking things way too seriously. This is a comedy, satiring Hollywood and the extremes that actors go through, not a poke at mentally challenged people, or african americans, or vietnam vets. Take it for what it is.
Now, that being said, I hope you don't consider me a heartless person for this opinion. I'm sure that I would have a different opinion if the movie was actually about poking fun at the mentally challenged, etc.
I saw a comment on a news blog earlier today that basically said, If George Carlin were here, I wonder what his take on all this would be. It would probably be somewhere along the line of Lighten Up People (expletive deleted)!
I haven't seen the movie yet. I hope to see it this weekend. I'll post a review of it once I have seen it, but until then, I just have to say that everyone needs to lighten up and not take it so seriously. It may still be a stupid movie, but I'm not going to boycott it on the off chance that my going will offend some people.
I don't normally like Ben Stiller movies. I usually can't stand the comedy, the way they are usually just stupid (Zoolander, anyone?). However, I am way more interested in this movie, mainly because Robert Downey Jr is in it, and I find him HILARIOUS! (when he's not high, of course).
The biggest backlash I've read so far in the news is the "over"use of a particular word. I find it amazing, though, that the person doing the loudest boycott of the movie, hasn't even seen it yet. There is also controversy regarding the "blackface" performance of Robert Downey Jr. I've also read comments pertaining to Vietnam vets and how their actions during the war are being portrayed.
In addressing all of these items I would like to say that "It's a freaking movie!" I am getting tired of people taking things way too seriously. This is a comedy, satiring Hollywood and the extremes that actors go through, not a poke at mentally challenged people, or african americans, or vietnam vets. Take it for what it is.
Now, that being said, I hope you don't consider me a heartless person for this opinion. I'm sure that I would have a different opinion if the movie was actually about poking fun at the mentally challenged, etc.
I saw a comment on a news blog earlier today that basically said, If George Carlin were here, I wonder what his take on all this would be. It would probably be somewhere along the line of Lighten Up People (expletive deleted)!
I haven't seen the movie yet. I hope to see it this weekend. I'll post a review of it once I have seen it, but until then, I just have to say that everyone needs to lighten up and not take it so seriously. It may still be a stupid movie, but I'm not going to boycott it on the off chance that my going will offend some people.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I can't wait for Saturday!!!
A gets to come home for a week. He'll be home Saturday morning! YAY!!!!!
Although, now I have to get off my duff and get the house immaculate. Not because he want's me to, but because I want to show him how the house needs to stay, so he won't mess it up too much while he's home. Hopefully once it's done, I'll keep up with it too.
Although, now I have to get off my duff and get the house immaculate. Not because he want's me to, but because I want to show him how the house needs to stay, so he won't mess it up too much while he's home. Hopefully once it's done, I'll keep up with it too.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Mondays Suck
I think that my disdain for Mondays is really only rivaled by Garfield's... I don't know what it is about Monday's, but everything seems to be bad that day above all other days. It's harder to get out of bed in the morning (which is easily explained away by the fact that I sleep in both Saturday and Sunday... quite a luxury when you consider that I don't have any children).
It didn't help that it is raining again today. I thought I would never get tired of weather, especially after the "perpetual summer" that I was fortunate enough to get to experience for 8 months. But, come on Mother Nature!!! It's freaking AUGUST!!!! Let the light shine for crying out loud!!! It's sad when the rest of the world takes "Snow Days" when it snows, but here in Juneau, we take a "Sun Day" when it is actually nice out. This is the first summer I can remember here where it was more like Fall than anything. The sad thing is, I really do like fall. This is kind of ruining it for me. The best part of Fall is when the heat goes away and the colors change. Here, it's been a really cool summer and nothing but wet...
Can you tell that I'm bored? This is the best thing I could come up with to discuss on Monday... The fact that I hate Mondays, and I'm getting sick of the rain...
It didn't help that it is raining again today. I thought I would never get tired of weather, especially after the "perpetual summer" that I was fortunate enough to get to experience for 8 months. But, come on Mother Nature!!! It's freaking AUGUST!!!! Let the light shine for crying out loud!!! It's sad when the rest of the world takes "Snow Days" when it snows, but here in Juneau, we take a "Sun Day" when it is actually nice out. This is the first summer I can remember here where it was more like Fall than anything. The sad thing is, I really do like fall. This is kind of ruining it for me. The best part of Fall is when the heat goes away and the colors change. Here, it's been a really cool summer and nothing but wet...
Can you tell that I'm bored? This is the best thing I could come up with to discuss on Monday... The fact that I hate Mondays, and I'm getting sick of the rain...
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Happy Birthday A!
Today is A's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Love You!!!
I made another video, just in time for A's birthday. It is of our dog, Noni and him, and how much she misses him. Check it out!
I made another video, just in time for A's birthday. It is of our dog, Noni and him, and how much she misses him. Check it out!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Move #9 - Hawaii
While the prospect of moving to Hawaii tends to make people really really excited, I will leave you all with a little warning. VISIT Hawaii first, then decide if you want to move there.
When A's position in Salt Lake went away, he was offered 3 choices. 1) He could accept a position flying the same equipment in Casper, WY. 2) He could upgrade and fly left-seat in Hawaii. 3) He could quit and find something else to do. At the time, upgrading and moving to Hawaii sounded like the best thing for his career, so that's the one we chose.
We had a house that we had only lived in for 6 months. We did not have the option of renting it out while in Hawaii due to the kind of mortgage we received, so we listed it on the market. We sold it a few months later.
We also had animals. Hawaii has pretty strict quarantine laws that apply to all animals entering the state. I won't go into too much detail regarding it, so if you want to know more you can google it. This is the time where we made the decision to not bring the cats with us to Hawaii. We saw what we needed to do and how much we had to pay just to bring the dog with us. I couldn't do that to the cats. They had both been through so much with us that we thought it better to leave them in Utah with a family who could take care of them.
A had to go to training to get his type-rating for his new airplane. Meanwhile, I had the great job of packing the house and dealing with the real-estate agents. I also got to take the dog to her numerous vet appointments to deal with quarantine.
First, Noni had to be microchipped. It's pretty common nowadays, but we had planned on not chipping her due to the cruelty of it. It was required to get her into Hawaii, so we didn't have a choice. The vet I took her to did 2 microchips. One on the old frequency and one on the new. The poor thing had 1 of them pop out immediately after insertion. She also had to have blood drawn for the rabies tider test. The guy doing it couldn't get a vein and kept sticking her. She was extremely traumatized through the whole thing. Before they starting drawing blood for the tider, I asked them if she needed a rabies vaccine before they could do it, since she was so young at the time, she had only had one rabies shot at that point. They said that it shouldn't matter. But it did. They put my dog through hell for her NOT to pass her rabies tider. I had to get a rabies vaccination done. Had they told me about it one week prior to when they did (they had the results at the time, they just didn't tell me about it yet), I could have had the second blood test done when I had taken her to Montana to have her spayed (my best friend is a vet and she did the procedure while I was there visiting). Instead, she got spayed, then had to go back to the vet in Utah for a second blood test. Let me tell you that my poor baby was so traumatized through the whole thing. If she hadn't passed the second tider, we would not have gone.
Basically, quarantine starts once the rabies tider test comes back in a certain range (I can't remember what it is at the moment.) Once it comes back, you can do one of 2 things. You can either head out to Hawaii and have the dog serve it's 90 day quarantine there, or you can stay where you are and head to Hawaii once the 90 days is up. If you choose the second one, they do an exam upon arriving in Hawaii and if the dog is healthy, they release it from quarantine. We chose the second one. A went out ahead of time because he had to. That year, we spent Christmas apart. I stayed in Utah with the dog at a friend's house for the duration of quarantine. We had sold the house by this point.
I had a really hard time getting Noni on a flight out to Hawaii. Most of the airlines at the time would not allow a dog on the plane, even in cargo. I ended up flying on one that did, but when the time came to list the dog on the flight, they told me then that they could only allow 2 or 3 dogs at a time on the plane (why, I still don't know). I ended up having to send her out as cargo 2 days before I was flying. It's a good thing A was already there. Noni and I had to drive to San Francisco to ship the car to Hawaii, so we had our airplane rides from there. It's good I have family in the area there (Hey Y'all!!!!)
Looking back, Hawaii wasn't that horrible, but I will never live there again. I much prefer the islands when I'm there as a tourist. After I came up to Alaska to set up for move # 10, I went back as a tourist when family came to visit and I enjoyed myself a lot more.
When A's position in Salt Lake went away, he was offered 3 choices. 1) He could accept a position flying the same equipment in Casper, WY. 2) He could upgrade and fly left-seat in Hawaii. 3) He could quit and find something else to do. At the time, upgrading and moving to Hawaii sounded like the best thing for his career, so that's the one we chose.
We had a house that we had only lived in for 6 months. We did not have the option of renting it out while in Hawaii due to the kind of mortgage we received, so we listed it on the market. We sold it a few months later.
We also had animals. Hawaii has pretty strict quarantine laws that apply to all animals entering the state. I won't go into too much detail regarding it, so if you want to know more you can google it. This is the time where we made the decision to not bring the cats with us to Hawaii. We saw what we needed to do and how much we had to pay just to bring the dog with us. I couldn't do that to the cats. They had both been through so much with us that we thought it better to leave them in Utah with a family who could take care of them.
A had to go to training to get his type-rating for his new airplane. Meanwhile, I had the great job of packing the house and dealing with the real-estate agents. I also got to take the dog to her numerous vet appointments to deal with quarantine.
First, Noni had to be microchipped. It's pretty common nowadays, but we had planned on not chipping her due to the cruelty of it. It was required to get her into Hawaii, so we didn't have a choice. The vet I took her to did 2 microchips. One on the old frequency and one on the new. The poor thing had 1 of them pop out immediately after insertion. She also had to have blood drawn for the rabies tider test. The guy doing it couldn't get a vein and kept sticking her. She was extremely traumatized through the whole thing. Before they starting drawing blood for the tider, I asked them if she needed a rabies vaccine before they could do it, since she was so young at the time, she had only had one rabies shot at that point. They said that it shouldn't matter. But it did. They put my dog through hell for her NOT to pass her rabies tider. I had to get a rabies vaccination done. Had they told me about it one week prior to when they did (they had the results at the time, they just didn't tell me about it yet), I could have had the second blood test done when I had taken her to Montana to have her spayed (my best friend is a vet and she did the procedure while I was there visiting). Instead, she got spayed, then had to go back to the vet in Utah for a second blood test. Let me tell you that my poor baby was so traumatized through the whole thing. If she hadn't passed the second tider, we would not have gone.
Basically, quarantine starts once the rabies tider test comes back in a certain range (I can't remember what it is at the moment.) Once it comes back, you can do one of 2 things. You can either head out to Hawaii and have the dog serve it's 90 day quarantine there, or you can stay where you are and head to Hawaii once the 90 days is up. If you choose the second one, they do an exam upon arriving in Hawaii and if the dog is healthy, they release it from quarantine. We chose the second one. A went out ahead of time because he had to. That year, we spent Christmas apart. I stayed in Utah with the dog at a friend's house for the duration of quarantine. We had sold the house by this point.
I had a really hard time getting Noni on a flight out to Hawaii. Most of the airlines at the time would not allow a dog on the plane, even in cargo. I ended up flying on one that did, but when the time came to list the dog on the flight, they told me then that they could only allow 2 or 3 dogs at a time on the plane (why, I still don't know). I ended up having to send her out as cargo 2 days before I was flying. It's a good thing A was already there. Noni and I had to drive to San Francisco to ship the car to Hawaii, so we had our airplane rides from there. It's good I have family in the area there (Hey Y'all!!!!)
Looking back, Hawaii wasn't that horrible, but I will never live there again. I much prefer the islands when I'm there as a tourist. After I came up to Alaska to set up for move # 10, I went back as a tourist when family came to visit and I enjoyed myself a lot more.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Next Few Moves
I guess we are getting to the part where I talk about moves 6, 7 and 8...
Move 6 was the one from Juneau to Iliamna, AK. That year, we had gone to Anchorage for A's birthday. We flew our plane up and parked next to a really cool airplane. What is an airplane freak supposed to do but go and find the pilot of the really cool airplane and do the pilot speak? Now, I, not being an "airplane freak" sat on the couch in the FBO eating popcorn, patiently waiting for my man to get it out of his system. He walked away with a job offer. It was more money than he was getting in Juneau, and actual IFR experience (which pilots lust for because it looks good on the resume). We decided to take it.
The only good thing that came out of that move was the experience he got to add to his resume. It was an extremely stifling environment, with restrictions on our personal lives coming from his new boss. We were pretty well isolated too. When ever we needed a break to get out of the village for the weekend, his time off request was denied, almost every time. Needless to say, it was not a great situation for us. I won't go into too much detail, but I initiated the next move.
I decided to move near my family in Montana (that's move #7). A decided to give up flying in Alaska and he joined me shortly afterwards. He got hired on at a company based about 100 mi from where my family lived - SCORE! They didn't have an opening at that base, but they did in Salt Lake - SUCKY! It was either take the job and move to Salt Lake, or stay unemployed, skills withering away, while I lived where I wanted to... Pretty easy choice for the most part.
So we bought a house in Utah (Move #8). It was OK. I liked my house. A had a really good schedule. The dog was happy. Then came the call that A's position was going away, thus initiating move #9, which is a whole other post due to the BS involved with it.
Move 6 was the one from Juneau to Iliamna, AK. That year, we had gone to Anchorage for A's birthday. We flew our plane up and parked next to a really cool airplane. What is an airplane freak supposed to do but go and find the pilot of the really cool airplane and do the pilot speak? Now, I, not being an "airplane freak" sat on the couch in the FBO eating popcorn, patiently waiting for my man to get it out of his system. He walked away with a job offer. It was more money than he was getting in Juneau, and actual IFR experience (which pilots lust for because it looks good on the resume). We decided to take it.
The only good thing that came out of that move was the experience he got to add to his resume. It was an extremely stifling environment, with restrictions on our personal lives coming from his new boss. We were pretty well isolated too. When ever we needed a break to get out of the village for the weekend, his time off request was denied, almost every time. Needless to say, it was not a great situation for us. I won't go into too much detail, but I initiated the next move.
I decided to move near my family in Montana (that's move #7). A decided to give up flying in Alaska and he joined me shortly afterwards. He got hired on at a company based about 100 mi from where my family lived - SCORE! They didn't have an opening at that base, but they did in Salt Lake - SUCKY! It was either take the job and move to Salt Lake, or stay unemployed, skills withering away, while I lived where I wanted to... Pretty easy choice for the most part.
So we bought a house in Utah (Move #8). It was OK. I liked my house. A had a really good schedule. The dog was happy. Then came the call that A's position was going away, thus initiating move #9, which is a whole other post due to the BS involved with it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
My First Video
This is my first video attempt. I put it together for A's birthday. It is next week, but it didn't take me as long as I thought it would to do this video.
The pictures are generally about A, with some of me thrown in. They are shown in the general order that they were taken in. It is set to "Truely, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden, one of my favorite songs from when were were dating.
The time frame for this video is approx. 10 years time.
The pictures are generally about A, with some of me thrown in. They are shown in the general order that they were taken in. It is set to "Truely, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden, one of my favorite songs from when were were dating.
The time frame for this video is approx. 10 years time.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Missing him...
I'm kinda feeling sorry for myself today. A's been gone since Tuesday and I miss him. While it's great that he was able to get a job so quickly, it kinda sucks too because we didn't have a whole lot of time to prepare. He's having a great time though. 
I have two options for this situation. 1 - I can accept that I am only going to see him now 1-2 weeks out of the month and get to stay living in Juneau or 2 - Move to Anchorage where he will be home every night. Right now, I really don't want to move to Anchorage, mainly because my job is really awesome here. I do have the option of moving with my position to Anchorage, but I don't think I could do it for a few more years. I need a bit more experience before I think I could handle doing what I'm doing completely by myself. So, we'll see.
So for today, I guess I will get to work on the house. Do all the cleaning that I don't get to do when he's home because he wants to do stuff with me and not clean the house.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)