HawleyBlog

The weekend has begun and I may go to work today. It would be ironic because Lorna has been gone for some days and will return tonight. I have been on reserve for some days but have not flown since Mexico City. Now, when I finally might see my wife, they may send me to LA. And I don't mean Louisiana! There is a stupid trip in Open Time where I would have to deadhead to LA this afternoon and stay the night, then fly back here in the morning. They would have to pay me for 10 1/2 hours for flying 1. Any wonder my company has trouble making money.

Yesterday I got a call at 6:30am. They needed me to go to Mexico City and back. I have been hearing horror stories about going down there ever since I got hired here. It's about 3 1/2 hours there and another 3 1/2 back. The moment you switch from American controllers to Mazatlan control you can't understand a thing they're saying. And if your in radar coverage, you're lucky. Mexico is one of those countries where you always think of it as brown from the movies but it is actually quite green. The mountains around Mexico City are unbelievably green. From the air it looks like a rain forest. Mexico City is at about 7500 ft. and there are 18,000 ft mountains ringing the valley. 8,000 ft is the highest elevation my plane can land at so we are at the edge of the performance envelope if we have to go around. The housing density is unbelievable. A solid sea of concrete and houses. It's the largest city in the world and while there are patches of green here and there, there is always more city beyond. I only stayed there an hour so I didn't get to see the town. The housing by the airport was mostly slums painted the most diverse collection of colors you could imagine. It had just rained so the visibility was good. They say that the visibility is usually around 4-5 miles due to pollution. I won't be vacationing there much. It was an interesting trip. What's that old saying..."What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger."

I was almost done yesterday when they called me out on a Seattle overnight. I was supposed to be off today but...Not. They gave me an extra day later in the month. I am in a middle-east restaraunt right now. I checked...No al-caida.

OK, I totally forgot to watch the Actors Studio. Thank God it's on again tomorrow at 8pm. Just got back from the gym and there is a monsoon-a-brewin'. Lorna is in New York for a 5 day trip. Tomorrow she goes to Montreal. Bret just finished his Type Rating in the Citation Bravo business jet. He will start flying corporate in September.

BRAVOTV.com > Inside the Actors Studio
Tomorrow on Inside the Actors Studio will be the cast of the Simpsons. 1pm Pacific.

Can't write much but I am downstairs at the hotel and in a few moments I will be going to see my sister Laura get married. It's been a wonderful weekend and this will be the capper! We'll talk soon.

I went to the dentist today for the first time in about 8 or 9 years. Coincidentally, that's precisely the amount of time I have been without dental insurance. Surprisingly there was little damage. Although I did have the cleaning of my life. Apparently, the premise was that if you scrape off the surface of the entire mouth, then it will be clean. They tell me that the gums should stop bleeding in about 2005. I do have a cavity that needs to be filled. They told me that if I get a silver filling it will cost me around $14 but if I want a synthetic filling to match the tooth it costs around $115. What happened to the value of precious metals? Gold...Silver...No, now plastic is king! Whatever.

I went fitness crazy today. That's right Chris is out of control. Don't get me wrong, I still had my morning 44oz. Dr Pepper, but before that I went to the gym and after that I hiked the Papago in 109 degrees. I was going to try to do 24 min. at 7 mph. but after 10 min. I knew I wasn't gonna make it all the way. I slowed to 6 mph. I'm such a wuss!

Yesterday it was 116F. I didn't feel it because I was in the Simulator doing seat support for a captain doing training. It's supposed to be cooler today so I might go hiking a bit. I have a few days off now. Lorna is doing a round trip today. I have no idea where. It could be Aspen or Laramie...It's north, I remember that much. Hey Laura...6 days.

I got a haircut today. I thought it was about time I get in the swing of things and go for the Phoenix type cut. my hair hasn't been this short since I was 7 years old. It looks a bit goofier than I thought it would. I hope it grows out by the time Laura's wedding rolls around. I put on my sunglasses and looked in the rear view mirror. There is actually more head above the glasses than below. I really have a huge noggin! The whole situation is exacerbated by my semi-receding hairline.

I just saw Seabiscuit this afternoon. I liked it very much. I found myself wishing it was longer. If you have the time, the racing scenes look great on the Big Screen.

As I said, we were at Oshkosh this last week. The link below is very cool. One of the astronauts on the space station took a photo of the airshow from space! This is the granddaddy of all airshows so even the coolest pilots take notice.

Ed Lu, Flight Engineer and Science Officer on board the
International Space Station, took this picture Saturday, August 2,
over EAA AirVenture Oshkosh at about 215NM. (top of photo is north)

http://www.airventure.org/2003/sunaug3/images/030802_oshkosh_from_ISS_1000.jpg

We got home to PHX yesterday and all is well. We had a pet sitter watch the birds and cats. Lorna is fighting a summer cold and so we have just been lounging around. We were at K-mark because Lorna's roll-aboard came apart the other day. Lorna's philosophy on Luggage is to get very cheep stuff and replace it often rather than spend a fortune on a name brand piece. She got a rolling backpack. It is a large backpack with a handle and wheels integrated into the unit. The wheels even light up when you "Drag your Bag." I'm refinishing a bed-side table today. It is amazing how fast paint dries is 100+ F. and 16% humidity.

Just got back from Oshkosh. This is the address for a company that makes a cool little plane. $14,000 for the kit (including engine and prop). That's a steal. More later.

Revelation