My Writings. My Thoughts.

Baby makes days hazy

// August 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // ramblings

Since Judah’s been with us… we’ve been a little spacey. People had said this would happen… but I doubted them. I run a pretty organized ship, both inside and out of the cockpit. Few things are left to chance and procedures are followed to ensure the desired outcome. This morning, I forgot the second to [...]

Lunch on the porch

// August 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // family

Before Judah came around… my favorite time of day was morning coffee on the porch watching the rest of to working class go to work. Since I’m flying weekends these days I get many weekdays on the porch. Now I get to share this time now with the boy. The neighborhood is quiet and feels [...]

Returning from vacation – time to catch up on the news

// August 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // flying

I returned to work yesterday from a three week vacation with the family. While at work and living on the road I have lots of downtime that I fill with ‘entertainment’ that I would never make time for at home. Bad movies on cable, aimless walks around Wal-Mart and celebrity gossip magazines.

Maybe cribs should come with a flight attendant call button

// June 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // family, flying

I often attempt to “Identify and Cancel” when the baby monitor sounds from across the room. Unlike the airplane, there is only only color for the alarm – Red! No option to prioritize. The alarm is either Red… or Red. It’s too bad the monitor can’t give me a cautionary Yellow and Double Chime for “the diaper is full and it starting to leak around my thigh making my legs feel all sticky”. I’d put down my coffee for a Red warning and a Triple Chime for “a cat has crossed the 33rd parallel and is getting dangerously close to pouncing up into the crib with me.”

I made a burrito and forgot to shave

// May 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // flying

My job as a pilot is made much easier by checklists and routines. We do the same thing – the same way – every time. Our checklists are written in a way that is intended to flow logically as we set up the cockpit for each phase of flight. It’s the times when something upsets that flow – that checklist items are missed. You’re midway through a taxi checklist and a radio call breaks the cadence of the “challenge and response” and it’s easier (and safer) to start over rather then stumble back into it.

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