J.P.

Storms.

I’ve been watching the forecasts from the Storm Prediction Center all week. When they started mentioning severe weather yesterday, I told Earl I was interested in doing some storm chasing this weekend. He packed me a cooler with sandwiches, salads, fruit, and drink, along with the necessary silverware and other accessories, and told me to go have fun. “Be careful. See you Sunday.”

I’m writing this from the River Hills Mall parking lot in Mankato, Minnesota. I’ve been following heavy rain around all morning; the forecast calls for severe storms this evening and into the overnight hours. I’ll probably move to the east just a bit, as the forecast probability is strongest to the west of I-35 along the Minnesota-Iowa border.

Adventures like this are awesome. I am lucky to have such a supportive husband.

Saturday.

I’m sitting here at Wittman Regional Airport during #OSH18, or EAA AirVenture 2018, the largest aviation celebration in the world. This is the fifth time Earl and I have been here, this is my sixth time total. We’ve been here since Thursday.

Watching the crowd during the afternoon air show, I can’t help but imagine how many different ways people are excited by aviation. Some folks are here to learn how to build an airplane, others are looking to find the best deals to upgrade their existing aircraft. Families are here to see the air show. Some see it as a NASCAR event in the sky, others see it as a feat of magic when man can fly like a bird.

My dad loved aviation. He was always reading aviation magazines, he watched war movies featuring a lot of aviation, and we spent a lot of time as a family at the nearby grass field we called an “International Airport”. Both my dad and grandfather loved building airplanes; my dad built two of them from scratch. This week I described my dad as a “build and fly” guy, and I referred to myself as a “buy and fly” guy. I don’t have the patience nor talent required to build an airplane. I could barely get through a model airplane when I was a kid. But like my dad, I enjoy reading any and everything I can and courtesy of the Internet, I love sharing photos, videos and experiences with other aviation enthusiasts.

This little vacation at Oshkosh has been too short. It has been immersive, it has been thoroughly enjoyable, but I’m not ready for it to end. I can’t get enough time around aviation. I’ve already told my husband that next year I want to spend the entire week here. We will make that happen. He thoroughly supports my aviation endeavors and I will be forever grateful for that.

I am fortunate that my family was able to pass their love of aviation down to me, which sparked a fire that I know was meant to be there. Earl and I don’t have kids; to pass this enthusiasm forward will require me to fulfill my dream of becoming a CFII, or a Certified Flight Instructor. I’ve been saying this for a couple of years. To make this happen I need to reposition my focus and eliminate distractions. I have a finite amount of bandwidth; it’s my responsibility to use that bandwidth the best way possible.

I need to keep an eye in the sky and keep the nose on the centerline.

1 August 2018 by J.P. Fly. 0

Classic.

Classic McDonalds sign in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

27 July 2018 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 0

New Cap.

I needed a new flying baseball cap.

27 July 2018 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 0

Mac.

I love the new “Behind The Mac” ad campaign popping up all over the place. My Twitter ads are filled with stories, the ‘L’ stations feature ads. They look classy to me. As an Apple Enthusiast I find them quite enjoyable.

Using Apple products sparks creativity in me. Other experiences make me think too much of corporate work.

I’m a free spirit. I need to recognize that more often.

25 July 2018 by J.P. Ponderings and Musings 0

Pencil.

I fly with an iPad Pro as my electronic flight bag. ForeFlight is my software of choice. All of my flight planning information, notes, maps, etc. are stored on this iPad and I use an Apple Pencil go jot down my inflight notes.

My Apple Pencil decided to be free and did not make the trip from the airplane to home last night. I put it in a pen holder in my flight bag and closed the side pocket, but that pen holder and side pocket are not solid on the bottom, so it undoubtedly slipped out in transition. At least I know it’s not in the airplane somewhere.

The Apple Pencil is an expensive accessory to lose and I will be extra diligent with this replacement purchase. As we become more and more reliant on technology in our lives, it’s important to keep track of our doodads.

25 July 2018 by J.P. Geek 0

Way Gay.

Some days you just need to relax and idle the brain. Apparently I’ve gone off the gay end. I’m having a glass of red wine and binging “Hot In Cleveland”.

That’s just one step away from a Bea Arthur marathon.

22 July 2018 by J.P. Ponderings and Musings 0

Décor.

Flipping through YouTube while writing code today, a scene from “A Very Brady Sequel” came up as a suggestion. I took a peek and faster than Roy Martin could eat Alice’s spaghetti I realized the Brady’s have the very same clock Grandma City had for very many years.

And then there was happiness.

19 July 2018 by J.P. Ponderings and Musings 0

Can’t.

I’ve started this blog entry three times. At first I was going to write a rant about the latest idiocy from Trump but then I decided it wasn’t worth my time. How any American citizen can still support this idiot is beyond my comprehension, but then again, I don’t understand how people enjoy giving an time to a Kardashian, so I’m often out of step with those around me.

I then thought I could write something witty about the latest idiocy from Trump but we are way beyond any of this being a laughing matter. Recently, when asked how much I enjoyed age 50, I quipped that I was happy to be halfway through my life and that lingering damage done by this administration may screw up only half my existence. The first half was a great run. I hope there’s a country, even a planet, for the second half of my life. And quite frankly, there’s nothing funny about that.

Trump’s little flip-flop maneuver on the word “would” vs “wouldn’t” this afternoon, after he realized that the majority of intelligent Americans were freaking out about his remarks in Helsinki yesterday, is just another example of how stupid too many in the United States really can be. Anyone accepting his explanation that he “misspoke” yesterday, albeit one word, which is completely out of character for the entire theme of his remarks yesterday, née, his entire presidency, is an unabashed idiot.

I can’t believe how stupid people have become. I can’t believe this guy is still in office. In an alternate timeline, Hillary has secured healthcare for everyone and we are now working on getting the homeless fed and off the streets.

17 July 2018 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept Ponderings and Musings 0