Long Time

Well, as the title says it's been quite some time since the last post. For that I apologize. It's been an interesting last couple of months.

Luckly this time I am writing this from the comfort of my home. Although I haven't been flying much I haven't been home as much either. Along with the holidays, we were signed up for an initial course to learn a new aircraft which would have us on the road for almost a month.

I was quite excited. Not for the fact that I would be away for a long time but to be finally in class learning the CL604. It had been over three years since my last initial course and had forgotten what long periods in a classroom will do to me. It started with the early wakeups and let me tell you I'm not the best morning person. I tried to caffinate as much as I could but with not much luck. For the next 10 days we would be doing this same routine and I started to realize it wasn't what I had envisioned.

As most people in my life would attest to, I am not one for too much routine. I like to take it day by day. I try to imagine my life with a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 job and I can never see myself doing it. This "shift" work we do is something I would not change. Keeps it interesting I think.

So after day 2 the classroom was getting to me. We were now getting into the very familiar systems of the Challenger and I was having trouble staying awake, again trying to caffinate as much as I could to counteract my head hitting the desk. Luckily, after 10 days, I survived the classroom and was again excited to hit up the simulator.

The simulator is basically a large box which from the inside looks identical to the actual aircraft. From the outside, it's a cool looking box that sits on 6 hydrualic jacks and moves to simulate all the motions of the airplane. Sounds cool, and it is the first few times. Eventually it is just another step in attaining, or maintaining, your license and currency.

The simulator is desinged to beat procedures into you through repetitive motion, and it works. Although repetitive it is a necessary step and a good one at that. You come out of there exhausted but well trained to tackle pretty much any emergency the airplane can throw at you.

After those 10 days of simulator training and tests we were able to head home, albeit through Las Vegas. It was a long time but it felt good to get it done and now I am looking forward to setting foot into the 604 and taking it to places I have yet to see.

Been back now, off the road for the last five or so days. It's something that I haven't been accustomed to lately. The road had started to feel like home. Going from city to city, hotel to hotel was becoming the norm. We've made the ongoing joke that some of the hotels/destinations are our second home and in some ways it's true.

I have spent upwards of 100+ nights on the road this year. Most likely more as I usually lose count in the first bit of the year. Some have been much better than others. When people are gone for long periods of time the crankiness sets in and it is never more relevant than in my situation. I travel with the same two people for every night I am away. These two have become great friends, some consider us family, and I can't thank them enough for putting up with me when it's my turn to be in a bad mood. 

Recently I have been in that mood. Can't exactly pinpoint why but I'll admit it probably hasn't been pleasant to be around me lately. I am not the type to tell anyone what's going on but from what I'm told I definitely give off the bad mood vibe. I chalk it up to being on the road for an extended period of time and hope that this time at home can give the boost to get back in the groove.

Being a road warrior has it's up's and down's but I wouldn't be doing this if it didn't have more up's. I've always thought I have the best job in the world and most days it doesn't even feel like work. The next few weeks will determine my long term position in this job and I hope it will turn out with a positive outcome.  

In the meantime it's back to the second home in NY again. Should be the last trip there for the year. After that it's off to more tropical destinations with maybe the odd ski trip in there somewhere. 
  

Finally a start

Well, what better time to start this blog than during hurricane Tomas. We were just about to complete a great week on the island of Canouan when out of nowhere, near the end of the season, Tomas pops up in the Atlantic.

I must say I have always wanted to see a hurricane up close and I guess some may say I got my wish. I sit here in the hotel watching each wave as they come ashore and am amazed at the power of nature with a storm that is only in it's infancy. The strength it gathers over the next few days will only show that we are completely at the mercy of mother nature. As it passes by though it is quite the sight. We are not in any direct line of Tomas and are only seeing the southern part of it's fury.

Soon we will return to our norm of just regular old rain as our winter sets in back home. Or at least one of us will. I must continue on to New York and Washington before I see my own bed again.