Boeing 787 Takes Flight

After countless delays the Boeing 787 Dreamliner took to the air today. As I write this its still slowly circling the Puget Sound doing a litany of tests. What a great day. Enjoy this shot of the moment it lifted off with the T33 chase plane alongside. Photo from the Seattle Times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlmkAdimq4c

I've Done Some Crazy Things But....

Video - Descente de cote en BuggyRollin

Reelected

Well the year is rapidly coming to an end and for me it also concludes my first year as Regional Executive (RE) of the Ohio Valley Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). I was elected last year in a close vote and lets just say I really had no idea what I had gotten myself into. So much of the RE position is done away from Board meetings. The RE is essentially the CEO and Chairman of the board for each region across the country. Each region sets up their bylaws to determine how the RE is elected and how long they can serve. It's been a fun learning experience and I'm certainly glad that I had the opportunity to be in charge. According to our bylaws I am allowed to serve for 2 consecutive terms as RE and I made the decision to run for reelection. Once again the campaign was busy and I'm happy to say that I was reelected to a second term. This time the margin was even closer at just 9 votes from more tan 1000 mailed out. Unfortunately only about 175 were returned, but For those that voted I hope to continue to move our region forward and also I hope to not screw anything up too bad.

Time Flies

Wow has the last few months flown by. It seems that the kids just went back to school. Alas its not the case and as I write this we are closer to Thanksgiving than we are to this past summer. The leaves are gone and I'm once again way late on throwing a blog post up. The kids are playing very competitive hockey this year and Freddy was able to make a PeeWee Major team instead of the expected Minor team. Quite an accomplishment for a kid starting his 3rd year of play. He has passed EVERY single kid that was on his first hockey team 2 short years ago. From last off the bench to starting at center. I'm quite proud of him. Poppy has elevated her game although the boys make it hard. Unfortunately this past Sunday a hit into the boards resulted in the ligaments in her thumb taking a beating. She came out of the game for about 6 minutes and her thumb was quite swollen, but she went back in and iced the thumb between shifts. The Dr. wants her in a splint and tight wrap for 2 weeks then we'll get an MRI and see if the ligaments are torn or if a break has manifested. She is in pain, but she went to practice the next night and gave it a go. We'll see how the season goes. Both are trying to make their respective select teams although both face uphill odds as first year PeeWee's and Squirts rarely make those teams without dad being a coach.

As for dad...I am helping coach Poppy's team and of course I enjoy it. Some times I wish I could take over entirely, but I just don't have the time. I'm up for reelection as Regional Executive of my region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). I'm being challenged by the person that was the previous RE. Its a bit unorthodox to be RE and then not give the next one a chance, but whatever. i'll deal with it. If I lose it won't be so bad as I will get more free time.

The other reason its been so long since I posted was on October 12th, 2009 my longtime companion Zulu died. Zulu was nearly 14 years old and for a Rhodesian Ridgeback that is an exceptionally long life. Even though I knew the days were numbered the end hit me incredibly hard. Its been almost a month now and i still find myself looking for him dozens of times a day. Zulu was my daily companion for all those years and since for the past 5 I've been at home every day I spent so much time with him. He went with me everywhere. Many people have suggested getting another dog, but truly I'm not sure that another dog will be the same. Zulu had incredible qualities about him that other dogs just didn't have. Its tough to explain, but for the next couple years I think I'll be dog free. He died with me and it was a very difficult last few days and especially hours. Its hard to move on from that.

Again I'm on Facebook and I am able to catch up with so many people there so I post more often over there. Look for me. As of today Ohio enters the realm of states that allow gambling as a statewide referendum was passed yesterday to allow 4 casinos in the major metropolitan areas. This is going to be interesting to watch. I now need to find a place to take the fam for spring break or early summer vacation. Got any suggestions involving warmth and beaches?

It's HOCKEY SEASON again!

And that explains why I am not blogging much. Well that and the fact that I have not transferred much to my new MacBook Pro. I promise to post soon.

The New Phone Books Here, The New Phone Books Here!

Like Steve Martin's character Navin Johnson in The Jerk I find myself running around with a big smile on my face today. Yes in fact we did get 2 new phone books today, but thats not the reason for my excitement. No the real reason is I got a visit from the FedEx man this morning with a package from Apple Computers. I mentioned in a July blog that I had found my next laptop and it was not the one I thought. I've been content for the last few years to be behind the times with the last iBook G4 to roll off the shelves and while its been a bit long in tooth lately I thought a new MacBook would suffice. It looked much like my iBook in white, but a visit to the Apple Store got me revved up for the Aluminum MacBook Pro. Being the savvy shopper I am I noted that I could get the same form factor in the older model Macbook Aluminum. I found what I wanted and started saving pennies. Monday I pounced. However, it was in fact the MacBook Pro that I snagged and I am so happy with it. It's LOVE all over again. Those of you that are considering the switch to a Mac should be like Nike and Just Do It! The design and style just blow away anything from ANY other manufacturer. Tis thing is so smooth quiet and light with a battery thats guaranteed to go 7 hours between charges. I can even run Windows® if I want. The guts are the same as any other PC and thats good. Whats better is the OS. Thats the difference. Apple works the bugs out before they release a new operating system. Oh well I'm starting to sound like a commercial.

Patrick Swayze

I was not a fan of Dirty Dancing or Ghost for that matter. When the name Swayze was mentioned I always thought of films like Red Dawn, Roadhouse or Point Break. Action films starring the tough guy. With word of his death yesterday the Celebrity Death 2009 Tour keeps right on moving. Its been a tough summer. In tribute I loaded those 3 films onto my trusty ipod video and watched them on and off overnight. 3 great films from one of our best. His comedic genius from that Chippendales stint on SNL will forever be my lasting memory of him. Just like it was for Chris Farley. RIP.

Patrick Swayze - Chippendale
by tressage

Coming Back to Earth

Wow its been more than a month since I last blogged. The month was so busy that barely 2 days went by where I wasn't consumed with things to do. Since signing up for Facebook I've spent most of my online time microblogging over there. If you want to keep up with me please search for me over there. Leave me a comment and I'll connect with you. So over the last month I've been to school bus races. I've ridden along with a complete stranger at more than 140 mph and spun! I've found that you can ice skate when its more than 90 degrees and the "ice is outside. I've been there when my daughter met her hockey hero RJ Umberger. I've been on the sidelines for another opener for Worthington Kilbourne football. I've had FA-18 Super Hornets stage over my house for a morning when I'm about 600+ miles from the nearest Naval Air Station. So many other things. Lots to write about and somehow i'll cover it. I promise. Fulfilling my role as Regional Executive of the local SCCA region has been a ton of work and a complete eye opener.

I promise to blog more. Really.

End of Season

Well here it is. Today ends my first season as summer coach for 3 vs 3 hockey. Its been a fabulous season even though the good guys did not always end up with the most goals. Getting a chance to stand out on the field of battle with your own children is an amazing experience and is something I will always remember. Having complete strangers trust you with their children as well just makes it that much better. Thru 6 games and a couple practices we have held our heads up as we fought better teams and never quit. We experienced wins and losses and pulled goalies and penalty shots. Today we do battle with a travel team that has not won a game this year. On paper they should kill us, but we will go out there and play the game. I'll be the guy smiling on the side.

Drowning...

Did you ever feel as if you were drowning? 'm feeling it right now....

I Fixed It!

I did a little DIY repair on my laptop today and the fact that I'm typing this means it worked. I replaced the DC power in port. You know the thing you plug the power cord into so that your laptop actually can recharge the battery.

For the last few months mine has been on the way out. Finally in the last week or so it became impossible to recharge my battery no matter how I rigged the plug or whatever I did. I got a couple quotes for the repair and both wanted $300 to fix it. Since my laptop is several years old and barely functional I just could not bring myself to pay that much. I decided to look online on my REALLLLLLLLY old ibook G3 to see if this was something I could do myself. I found a few other that had the same issue and this led me to a site called www.ifixit.com. They had a complete tutorial and photo directions and had the part I needed in stock for about $30. I picked up the 2 small tools I would need and did not already have. The package arrived yesterday and I cracked it open today and I'm in good shape now. In all honesty it wasn't that hard to do. There were a few steps that required a bit of courage, but in the end it all worked out great. My trusty ibook G4 is back in business. If you need some mac repair I highly suggest their website. Besides the thrill of doing it yourself there is the recycling aspect and thats good for the environment.

The thing that bugs me the most i all this is that the darn thing is fixed now...

That sounds strange huh? Well thats because today I was at the Apple Store at Easton and got a chance to play with the latest and greatest Macbook and Macbook Pro computers from Apple. To say I want a new one now is an understatement. I was pretty sure that a white Macbook would be great. With a list price of $999 it is not too bad and heck I can get a refurbished from Apple for $750 with the same warranty as a new one. That was what I wanted, but today I got a chance to play with the aluminum Macbook Pro and I am now in LOVE with that model. Oh well I guess I will have to save the pennies a bit more. At least I'm back online.

Quickie Post---Tom Watson

Just a quick post for today as I've been having terminal PC issues. Help is on the way with a new DC power in port from ifixit.com. Hope I don't fry my mac when I try to save some cash and do it myself...

In my house growing up we cheered on Jack Nicklaus. Him being a Buckeye and former classmate of my father made that an easy choice along with roughly 75% of America. We loathed Tom Watson for he was the one that stole the British Open in '77 from Jack. A funny thing happen though this weekend when Tom Watson came OH-SO-CLOSE to winning a 6th British Open at age 59. My dad cheered on TW. Not the TW as in Tiger Woods. No he cheered on Tom Watson. In a Major championship.

Thats just so hard to comprehend. But then again I was too and it felt great. Tom Watson nearly had one of the greatest upsets in all of sports. 8 feet separated him from immortality. I loved every minute of it.

Fireworks on the fourth

I'm a fireworks fiend. I love them. I spend money I don't have so that on the 4th of July I can blow some stuff up. Thank goodness Phantom Fireworks has stores about an hour away. This year the coupons cam fast and often with lots of good deals. I just finished another show tonight and still have all my fingers. For more than 25 years I've had a blast (ha ha) and never been burned or hurt. I have fun, but I take this stuff seriously. If you do them you should too. Yes in Ohio its not legal to set them off, but out here in the country nearly every house it shooting them off. It is really pretty awesome to look in every direction and see the fireworks. Its just so cool. The best one tonight was the Mega Mojo. I highly recommend it! Have a happy Sunday!

Who will be next?

Ed Mcmahon

Farrah Fawcett

Michael Jackson

Billy Mays

Its been a good week if you write headlines for the National news. I can't really remember so many famous people all passing away in such a short period of time. Of course some might say that the Boeing 787 (7 Late 7) might be on the list as well. After the 5th delay I'm almost ready to declare this plane dead. Not really,, but its quite dissapointing...

Whirlwind

Its that time of year when I never have enough time... Nothing can be done about it. Its just the way it is. Yesterday morning started with a visit to the Orthodontist with my daughter. She's 8 and will get to know that Dr. very well over the coming years. He will get to know us as well. I had braces as a kid and hated it. My son has so far avoided it, but my daughter did not. She starts with a palate expander and placeholder retainer on the bottom. She also gets braces on the top, but won't get the wire until a tooth is moved forward. Then a bite block to move that tooth even further up. 14 months later her tops will be done and then we move to the bottom. For her there is plenty of time. For me not so much as we just made appointments for the next 6 months. I'm not sure I can write all those down on my calendar.

So obviously my daughter was sad about this. We went to everybody's favorite place for Pizza. Pizza-Hut. That helped, but took forever seeing as we were the only ones in the restaurant. A power nap later we were again off to the Columbus Blue Jackets Pre-Draft party at Nationwide Arena. Hey it was free. That also meant EVERYBODY was there too. lines were crazy for autographs. Poppy wanted to get her favorite players autograph RJ Umberger. Sadly the line for him was hours long and he was only there for 45 minutes. We decided to take a tour of the locker room and hope the line would be shorter for Jared Boll or Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year 2009) winner Steve Mason. While waiting in the line in the bowels of the arena I spied Steve Mason sneaking in and pointed him out to my son who at the top of his lungs shouted "STEVE MASON YOU'RE SO AWESOME". Of course everybody looked and he got a smile on his face as he was whisked away by security. A few minutes later around a corner a door opened and we were face to face with RJ Umberger. Poppy looked him in the eye and quietly waved to him and said "Hi RJ. He smiled and waved back saying hi to her.

The moment was better than any autograph ever could be. Both kids did things their way and thats what makes them special. After the tour of the locker room they were ready to roll so we went to BD Mongolian Barbecue for dinner. I'd never had it and it was good, but i was stiff full from lunch. We ate and headed home where we watched the Blue Jackets trade down and then back up to make their pick. Before I knew it it was 11. The time just keeps ticking, but it's summer in Ohio.

Today was similar. A gas pump going so slow I could count to 10 between 10ths of a gallon. Of course my on board computer told me I could go all of 14 miles so I had to wait it out. The pool is still closed. Thats been more than 2 weeks of warm weather. In an attempt to do something to cool off we decided to go and scout the other teams in our 3 on 3 ice hockey league and watched their game. Cooling down in the Ohio summer.

I followed that up with a visit to the Powell Festival for the greatest stuff on earth: Fair food. French Fries, Funnel Cakes, Elephant Ears. All there all right before my eyes. Blazing sun be damned. I was eating it all. Fried Shrimp and Fish Sandwiches and lemon-aid. Best of all the drinks were Pepsi products. This is what Pepto Bismol is for. For a moment there I believe time did stand still.

Tonight after getting the kids to help with some tree trimming we picked fresh wild black raspberries in the backyard. Blackberries are still a few weeks away. Summer in Ohio.
Sunday is still to come. I love summer.

And so it Begins

Today I stepped out on my own. Today I didn't assist anyone. Today I became the boss. Oh yeah I am now the head coach. It was great. The opportunity to coach one of your kids is something everyone should experience. Today I got to coach both of mine. We loved it. Now the scores did not matter so much to me, but I found they did to the kids. To me its summer 3 on 3 hockey. Its a chance to skate and stay in shape. To the kids its about winning.

We had the unfortunate opportunity to play 2 games today. Back to back. Thats not so cool in the first week of the season. With kids I didn't know. Heck most of the kids I had never met before and I had to learn names and faces. The first game we lost, but thats ok. The team was a group that has played together for 4 years and all are select players. The second game we had a full roster and I was able to put lines together and we dominated. But then again I didn't care about the score. So I'm 1-1 and have now played both the other teams in our league. Next time we will be ready. My kids had a blast. I had a blast. Thats what it's all about.

Hanging out at The Memorial

This is the one week each year when you just KNOW its going to rain. Pouring buckets with hail and heavy thunderstorms. Since about 1975 its happened almost like clockwork. Why you ask? Jack Nicklaus hosts The Memorial. One of the best PGA Tour stops. The course legend says is built upon Leatherlips grave site and well around here that means RAIN. Only 5 times since its inception has the tournament not been delayed. Growing up in Central Ohio always meant ditching school for a day or 2 to get sunburned and watch golf. I have fond memories of taking girls WAAAYYY out of my league to the tournament for a day in high school. You see back then they were like golden tickets. Everybody wanted them and not so many had them. My dad always bought 4 or 6. I was cool. In fact for 3 years I worked at the Stouffers Hotel in dublin (the ONLY hotel at the time) planting flowers for the hotel the weeks before the tournament to spruce it up. A great job back then with good times all because the dude in front of me in Earth Science had his dad get us the jobs and a ride there and home. Being 14-15 was great.

Fast forward to the present and my parents now live about .2 miles from the 18th green. All the action is right there. Of course just to get to their house require special passes and giving your first born to Mr. Nicklaus. My dad still gets the tickets and I still take all the cool kids with me. Only now they are my kids. I don't get sunburned like I used to and I certainly watch more golf. Its still the party it used to be except this year all the people were missing. Its official now. The economy is tanking. The huge galleries are gone. In fact I spent most of the day on the 18th green just hanging in the clubhouse or sitting near the pin. Nearly by myself. Last year attendance was down a bit, but this year is absurd. Maybe 100 people around 18 all day. When Crybaby Woods came through it filled up just like always. Probably 1500 people follow Tiger. The thing that bothered me most off all was that when tiger was playing you could literally hear a pin drop. When every other group came through people just yacked away. Truly pathetic. There was a time that when every group came through the only thing heard was golf claps. Those days I guess are long gone. In fact the crowd is there not to watch golf so much as they are to be seen.

Weather forecast for today 76 Sunny. For saturday 80 and Sunny. For Sunday 84 and Sunny. Yesterday was 67 and SUNNY. Hmmmmm.

Keep Jim Day on FSN Ohio Blue Jackets Telecasts

Since the birth of the Columbus Blue Jackets one man has been there for televised games. As host of the broadcast he is able to set the tone and welcome the viewers to the greatest sport of all. Jim Day has done that and more in his time as host of the CBJ pre and post game shows. I did an on-air piece with Jim when he was sports anchor at WSYX many years ago. He had me make fun of his last name just for laughs. The guy loves sports and TV. The fact that he was broadcasting the best of all sports was awesome. That time has now ended because he called a loss "disappointing" and refused to stay mum on the trials and tribulations of the team FINALLY making the playoffs. Jim Day will still be working for FSN Ohio, but not the CBJ broadcasts. In a scene straight out of the Doug McLain years the current powers that be decided to mess with the broadcasters. Firing Danny Gare and moving Bill Davidge from the radio booth to the TV side. George Mathews was given only a 1 year extension while Jeff Rimer gets 3. Rimer after 4 years still has trouble remembering which team he is covering and his endless name dropping and self promotion have made me turn the sound off. George and Bill have been here since the beginning along with Jim Day and it kills me to see them be broken up. I've stood right up with the CBJ organization thru all the good and bad, but this messing with the broadcast teams is too much. Stick to what you know. Hockey.

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/keepjimday/

Umm did that just happen?

I'm not quite sure I can come up with a witty come back. This dude got accepted to a college? What bird groomers college?

Memorial Day Weekend Ramblings

Lots going on over the next few days. I heard a pair of F-16's from the ONG ripping around yesterday before doing a flyby for a memorial celebration in downtown Columbus. I never get tired of that ripping sound.

W had our last 3 on 3 game today and avenged the only loss on our schedule with a 7-4 win. We only had 7 players today so 2 lines and a goalie. Of course the other team had 7 as well. Islanders win and Frudoch had a nice goal. Still trying to find players for a summer team...

My dad gave me a Mossberg shotgun today. Its really nice. A classic. 2 boxes of ammo too. Second Amendment rights are important. Our current president does not necessarily agree with that.

I spent last night doing something that I had not done in probably 30 plus years. Trying to hit a ball in a batting cage. Fortunately I bat left handed so my shoulder does not get worked over. I stroked a few and only whiffed 3 times. Felt pretty good too.

I don't do Twitter

I readily admit it. I don't do twitter. No tweets from me. Don't look for them anytime soon. Its not that I don't have anything to say, but I really would rather waste time in more unproductive ways. Got that?

Social networking is one of those things that you either get into or you don't. I don't do myspace, I won't do twitter. I have the free classmates.com account which is pretty much worthless for connecting with people. I just don't feel the need to broadcast my life beyond blogger. Yes I do blog.

Next summer will be my 25th high school reunion. Holy crap! I look back at the 20th reunion and well it kinda sucked. The 2 or 3 close friends I had in high school did not attend. In fact I had long ago lost contact. The person I most wanted to come had disappeared long ago. Recently while in Las Vegas I got one of those emails from classmates.com that teases about a new member. You know the type that says someone you know just signed up. Only I have never recognized the names of any of those people. I just assumed they were bogus attempts to get me to upgrade my account. So with plenty of time I logged in thru my blackberry and what do you know, but I recognized the name. It was a person I'd lost contact with. Once I returned home I sent a message thru their system figuring it would never get thru and a few days later I got a response. Fast forward a couple months and we've had a chance to catch up.

Yesterday I signed up on Facebook.

I would love 4 tickets on SWA

Mothers day was today and SWA s marking the day with a special for all moms. A chance to win some free airfare. I must admit with 2 kids it does come in handy when booking airfare to have the price be ZERO. Ahh well who knows. Maybe I'll win. I'm not beyond selling out. Just promise me SWA that if I win the flight attendants won't sing on the flight I choose. I do enjoy the Boeing 737 and would love to go back to Las Vegas, or Phoenix, or Orlando, etc etc etc.....

Air Force One: The $328,835 Picture

So this is the picture. You know the one that frightened thousands of New Yorkers and others. Apparently the picture of AF1 taken in front of Mount Rushmore was too Republican so we needed a Democratic version taken in front of the Statue of Liberty. At a mere $328,835 and the job of the White House Military Director we can all rest easy now that the photo pages in the White House handbooks are updated. It seems that Mr. Oblahblahblahma does not remember when this was discussed with him, but he sure was furious about it later.

Hey I'm all for airplane flights of any kind at any time. The bigger the plane the better. The lower said plane is to the ground the better for me to see it, but any idiot who allowed a jumbo jet to fly around NYC should be strung up by his fingernails. Its sick and a form of psychological torture. Now said official has "resigned". To me its not the money, but the stupidity. Keeping it largely a secret was classic democrat. Sort of like Pelosi getting a Boeing 757 to fly back and forth to California at her whim. Add to that Al Gore and his Boeing 707 and you have the 3 Stooges reincarnated....

Quick Post

So Frudoch has been doing a special camp for travel level players with a really good coach. Twice a week he has been doing power skating and other work. He also has been playing 3 on 3 hockey and wow has his game elevated due to the workouts he has been getting in the development camp. In fact the coach has encouraged him to try out for the AAA Ohio Blue Jackets. I'm not quite ready for that level, but we have decided to let him try out for the Columbus Capitals PeeWee Travel team.

His 3 on 3 season has gone really well and he is leading his team in goals with 8 in 5 games. He has so many assists I've lost count. His unselfish play has made him a really complete player and everybody wants to be on his line. I've enjoyed coaching him and with a 5-1 record it looks like the last game of the season will be for all the marbles. Its there where we face the Hockey Rockers. The one team we lost to this year. Then begins the Summer 3 on 3 season and we will throw Poppy in as well. Hopefully on a team with her older brother.

Frudoch also got the opportunity to do his first checking clinic. I have not had so many laughs at the rink ever....

WooHoo My question got answered!

I read a blog on the USAToday web site every day about travel. Its written by Ben Mutzabaugh and every Wednesday he has a chat around 1pm est. I've submitted questions many times and never got them answered-- until today. Today I submitted this:

Dave-Delaware OH: Ben, I have a bit over 60k skymiles and am itching to take a trip. Any suggestions? Been to Maui. Been to London. Been to Zurich. Thinking central Europe or some place exotic. Help me out. The wife turns 40 and I need to take her someplace.

And got this for an answer:

Ben Mutzabaugh: Sounds like a fun problem! I don't know if you were hoping to both travel for 60,000 miles, or to redeem for one ticket and buy another. You may not have enough miles for both for some destinations, so be sure to check that out. But, regardless of that ...

Personally, I'm a big fan of Berlin. I highly recommend it, especially if you like a city that can combine history, culture and some pretty exciting nightlife. Plus, it's pretty cheap compared to most other big European capital cities. Otherwise, Krakow is one city to consider. I've never been personally, but I've had at least a half dozen people rave to me recently about what an undiscovered gem it is. Something exotic? How about the Slovenian coast? Or, a little less exotic, but Florence is great for couples. And, another personal favorites of mine is Buenos Aires. The sites are not as fantastic as Paris or London, but -- if you just want to soak up some sophisticated cafe culture and urban ambiance -- I couldn't recommend a better place (especially with the exchange rate).

If you're just looking to burn miles, you could always consider the Caribbean. It's not one of my preferred regions, but lots of people enjoy it. And, I will say that Curacao and its colorful capital of Willemstad have always intrigued me.

And, as always, I bet our readers have some good advice to offer here. So, readers: Share your thoughts here (via Today in the Sky).

Some days you just get lucky I guess. BTW I earned those miles myself and I'm spending them on ME. I hope my wife does not mind sitting in coach by herself.....

US NAVY Boeing 737 Based Poseidon P8-A Takes Flight

On Saturday April 25th the First Flight of the Boeing 737-800 Based US NAVY Poseidon P8-A Submarine Hunter took its first flight. These photos depict the moments and are from Flightblogger. Look closely and several things become noticeable. All the various antennae and the raked wing-tips from the 737-900ER. These are neat planes. I also have a photo of the 2nd plane which has been painted in its final US NAVY colors. Once in service these sub hunters will become a huge part of our defense system. The inside contains so much top secret stuff. In any case check t out. If you reside in a sub it will soon be checking YOU out.


Poseidon lifting off


Poseidon retuning with T-33 in tow

The final paint scheme on aircraft #2

The Last 747 Rolls Out

The Last 747-400
Just a few days ago the last Boeing 747 rolled out of the assembly line and made its way to the paint booth. This was number 1419 of the giant winged wonder. This one is destined to go to Kuwait as a freighter. The 747 is the most recognizable plane in the world. There is nothing else that even resembles it. I have been lucky enough to fly on them many times and every time I book a trip I always see if there are any segments where I might be able to hop just one more ride. I still remember the last time I flew on one and its been quite a while now. It was a TWA flight from St. Louis to LAX and then the return a week later in 1993. That was just a small hop for these guys. I took many trips on TWA from JFK to London aboard the 747. It was always a pleasure.

The 747-8 Intercontinental

The good part to this is that now that the 747-400 series is complete its time to begin building the 747-8 which is the totally redesigned version. The 747-8F will come first as the freight haulers have lined up to buy them. After awhile we will begin to see the passenger version. Right now only Lufthansa has ordered, but I expect others to hop on board. The current economic climate has limited the ability for airlines to find financing.

Delta Boeing 747-400 After Repaint

If you want to fly an American registered passenger 747 today then head to Delta where the former Northwest 747's are being repainted and deployed on long haul routes to the Far East and other faraway locales.

Hockey in April? In Columbus?

On Thursday evening the Columbus Blue Jackets will finally lose the moniker as the last team in the NHL to make the playoffs. I've resisted the urge to write about it and just bask in the playoffs themselves. No coaches or GM firings. No lists of players we need to get rid of. Just real honest playoff games. Thursday and Saturday in Detroit and then next week here. Playoff fever has gripped Columbus. How long it lasts is anybodys guess. The experts don't give us much of a chance, but for this year thats OK. Its just nice to be in the show. Mr. Mac this ones for you.

Columbus Blue Jackets. PLAYOFFS!!!!!!

See this. Man can fly!

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Quick Review- Fast and Furious

Ok so today I did something I rarely do anymore. See a movie in the theatre. With about 1000 channels on satellite tv I eventually see every movie I want--eventually.

Today though an old film drew me back. Fast and Furious. Complete with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker and joined by Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez. Those four you may recall were in the original known as The Fast and The Furious. This one is minus the word "the". Ok maybe it was the cars in the trailer a bit. Now lets make one thing clear. Like most films the trailer is cut in a way to make you think something happens and in this case it doesn't. Right on cue.

Dom and Brian are back. Its 5 years later and many of the cars in the original are gone. Except for the Charger. Brian dives a Skyline a he did in the forgettable sequel and there is even a tie to the HORRID 3rd installment--Tokyo Drift. In essense this takes place before Tokyo and after the 2nd. Yet this is the 4th. Got that? Good.

I will not give anything away except to say there are a few plot twists and the action is ok. The cars are the stars and they are not in it enough for the hardcore motorhead which this film is aimed at. The stunts are cool and despite the fact its getting panned by the msm this film is not bad. Go see it and let me know what you think.

My new Toy---Now Installed

Here it is. My new AMG steering wheel. Look how nice and thick it is. Also notice the alcantara leather and of course the aluminum shift paddles. As Jeremy Clarson of Top Gear would say--Flappy Paddles. It works great and was easy to install. I love it.

A Chance for the Championship

Last Friday Frudoch and I headed up to Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Tournament. Its an almost weekly series of tournaments in Cleveland and for us it was the last chance the North Stars had to win big. 3 games were guaranteed with a championship game for 1 vs. 2. Our first game was Friday night in Euclid vs. the Georgetown Raiders from Canada. This group was a well coached and very disciplined team. The Stars were missing a couple of players and unfortunately for Fru they were his linemates so he had to skate with new players. Lets just say the game was very competitive, but never in doubt as the Canadians won 3-0. It looked like the start of another not so successful tournament. Saturday morning we had an 8:00 game in Chagrin Falls against the Mentor Cardinals and the team played great. They passed the puck and worked hard. They came away with a 4-1 win and we had the whole day open with nothing until 7:50 am Sunday. Lots of ideas were tossed around, but a bunch of us went to Perani's Hockey World which is a big hockey store. It was a load of fun and then it was time for a nap and then Mass. Frudoch and I finally got our dinner at Outback Steakhouse that we had been trying to do for a few months. So early to bed it was for an early game in Strongsville against Rocky River was coming. It was a super game of back and forth with the North Stars pulling out a 4-3 win. Frudoch had a penalty for interference, but was otherwise held in check. We all went back to our hotel to check out as we were now going to the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME in Lakewood against.... the Georgetown Raiders again. WOOHOO..... redemption.

It was about this time I noticed the scores for the games that had been played and the team we were about to play had not been scored on yet in the 3 games. Uhh Oh. But thats why they play the game. In this game the ref's were the story. The whistles were a blowing. The raiders got a quick goal and we matched them. Or did we. The ref claimed he lost sight of the puck which was a really bad call.

Frudoch Working Hard
Since the puck was never frozen or near the goalie. They immediately came right back and scored to make it 2-0. We got a break and finally got one past the goalie to cut it to 2-1 and then they had a goal waved off for a crease violation that was not a very good call. At this point the floodgates opened for penalties on the North Stars and Fru got one for a trip. He also got hosed on a no call while he was on a breakaway.

Those kids were big!
At the end there were 7 penalties on the North Stars and 1 on the Raiders. Not exactly even. They even called a penalty with 4 seconds to go in the game. So an empty net goal and a cheap goal later it ended 4-1. The penalties really did the North Stars in as the Raiders collected a couple power play goals. I'm not one to complain about officials, but it was not an evenly called game. The kids deserved better. So second place it was.

Once again a prime spot---In the penalty box!


Second place and a medal!
Not the Stanley Cup, But Close Enough

Back to the Story-- I'm feeling better

Wow how time has flown. Its been 2 and a half weeks since my last post and what was current then is old news now. I'll try to be more timely in my posts. So I left off in Vegas and thats a good place to pick up. The reason for my trip was to attend the 2009 SCCA National Convention. The SCCA is the Sports Car Club of America and I've been a member for 15 years. This was my first convention though. It went very well and I even came home up a bit winning $10.75. Las vegas itself has changed quite a bit since I was last there in 2002. The strip has a completely different look as new buildings are sprouting up everywhere. In fact the sidewalks were so crowded you could hardly walk. The planes coming in were all full as well. Las Vegas is not hurting. The high roller rooms were though. Our hotel was the South Point Casino about 8 miles off the strip. It was nice and the prices were fair. The trip home was not nearly as eventful as the way down. I had a 6:00 am flight to Atlanta on a Boeing 767. I love flying widebody aircraft as there is so much more room. I literally made it thru security with minutes to spare as I underestimated my time to get to the airport via a shuttle. All was well until my phone rang as the doors were about to close. My wife called to say there was no heat in the house back in Ohio. I had to talk quickly but told my wife to call the repair guys as our whole HVAC system was only 8 months old. Off to ATL I went. Upon landing my phone was ringing again. The furnace was fine (not) and we were out of propane. We live in the country so its either electric heat or a propane tank. Its cheap and warm if somewhat different. I told her call the gas guy. So I am standing in the middle of the terminal talking to a guy I know from Ft. Wayne and my phone rings again.

The Gas company won't talk to my wife as its my name on the account. I need to call them myself. I do and they eventually send out a truck. Gas will be on when I get home. I board my flight to Columbus, a MD-80. I hope we get off early as I hope to make my son's second game. The first game he got to by calling the opponent and asking one of them to drive and my dad agreed to pick him up and take him to the rink near the airport where I will take him home. I land in Columbus and get to the rink to find the game had ended. Oh well. The house will be warm and I am super tired having only gotten 2.5 hours of sleep.

When I get home the house is at 60 degrees. Calamity ensues as i try to figure out what's wrong. Lots of phone calls to the gas company and the HVAC company later the house is now 57 degrees. I am so tired at this point I just don't care and we all hunker down in the master bedroom for a night of camping in sleeping bags. When we wake up its 50 degrees. It turns out the burner did go bad....

So Then I came down with a horrible URI that had ben going around and I had a fever of 102 for a few days. It was really as sick as I've been in a while. The hard part was getting back to the regular grind.

Frudochs team won their first game in the championship and then lost to the Islanders and the Blues about 18 hours apart and they were out. A very disappointing end to the season for the only team to beat the islanders this year. We did go watch some of the playoffs although Fru thought they should have been there. Unfortunately the team played like individuals instead of a team. Lesson learned. Poppy finished her season playing full ice games and even got to join the Orange Crush for a full ice game an hour before her teams final game. Poppy was named player of the game for her play with the Orange Crush.

At the year end banquet both kids got awards for a great season. Frudoch getting a medal and Poppy a trophy. A load of pizza and pepsi too!. Last weekend the season came to an end with games in Athens Ohio for Poppy and Cleveland for Frudoch. I'll pick the story up there shortly with some photos.

Knocked Down

I have been bitten by a nasty URI and I feel like crap. I'll continue the story in a day or 2. Please read the 3 previous posts so it all makes sense. I'll be back. Super long hockey weekend. 5 games over 3 days and NO WINS. Ouch! Stay tuned.

Continuing our story...LONG POST ALERT

When I left we had gone to the CBJ game on a Monday (school night) and the Jackets got a point for an OT loss. Tuesday came and now I was not hearing the bad noises from the sump pump. Unfortunately that meant that both pumps were now in fact dead and it was supposed to rain all day Wednesday. We had the discussion about what to do and my wife said let it go until you get back. I said thats probably bad and called the plumber. They could not come until Wednesday afternoon and I would be on my plane to Las Vegas so I asked my father to come over and help my wife not get ripped off by the plumbers.

Its a really good thing I did as both pumps were dead and the sump was filled to within a quarter of an inch of the top and the overflow and flood was minutes away. Once the new pumps were installed they ran for more than 24 hours straight. 18 seconds on and 2 seconds off for more than a day. We were lucky on this. However, luck was definitely NOT on my side that day.....

I had an 8:15 flight to Atlanta so I left at about 6:30 for the airport. I filled the tank with fuel so it would start when I returned. I parked and got on the shuttle and breezed thru security with no wait. We boarded and left the gate on-time. That was the last thing to go as planned all day. We taxied in the Embraer 170 and when we got to the end of the runway I noticed there was another plane parked off to the side. We then joined it as well. It was the earlier flight to ATL. The captain came on the PA and announced that ATL was closed due to weather and to expect a delay. He allowed us to use computers and cell phones which is a bad sign since the doors were closed. We ended up sitting for 48 minutes before taking off. I was not worried as I had about a 2 hour layover in Atlanta before my flight to Las Vegas. What could go wrong? I take this flight all the time and it only takes 1:10 minutes.

My first inclination of trouble was when we started to do donuts in the sky. Air traffic control had us in a hold to get us into a slot. I still had almost an hour though so no big deal. Then we did another, and then another and I started to look at my watch. When we finally started our descent I was concerned as the next flight was probably starting to board. It was no big deal because Delta would not hang me out to dry. hey KNEW I was coming in and it was not my fault. So I enjoyed the last mnutes of my flight sitting in the bulkhead with an empty seat next to me. Once we landed I looked at my watch and prayed we would be in the same terminal as my next flight. According to my boarding pass we were not. I always carry on my stuff whenever possible so if I have to do an OJ Simpson (No, not slash someone's throat. Running thru an airport like he did on the commercials for Hertz) I know my bags will make the flight. We pulled into gate B33 and checking the monitor shoed my next plane was at B3. In other words as far apart as they could be in the same terminal. The board also showed on-time and I had 7 minutes to get there. I started a panic run and quickly ran out of steam. I walked fast for a minute or two before I heard over the PA: Final Boarding call for flight XXXX and then my name. At that point I was still 10 gates away and exhausted. I finally mustered a last run and got there to a line of standby passengers trying to get my seat. It took awhile to get the attention of the ticket guy and then he scanned my pass told the other sorry and closed the door behind me. I ran dow the jetway and entered the plane where the flight attendant gave me a nasty look and closed the door to the Boeing 757-200. I made it to my seat and somehow found overhead space for my bag and climbed over 2 people to the window seat to find this plane did not have the personal video screen in front of me. Bummer. I was exhausted and my mouth was so dry I could hardly swallow. I had to go to the restroom terribly, but I had made my flight. What could go wrong?

So within minutes we taxied out and the Captain came over the PA announcing flight time would be 4 hours and 26 minutes. but that we were going to be on the ground for awhile as we were about 25-30 planes away from taking off. It ended up being 27 and we sat for over an hour slowly creeping forward. By the time we took off I really had to go. I love the takeoff in the 757 as it requires a higher speed as the wings are not the most efficient. Its angle is always greater although it bounces around a lot. Once I felt the plane level off I was up and moving when I heard the ding for the safety belt. Fortunately only one person got in front of me and there was a line of about 10 people waiting to use the lavatory when I got out. The rest of the flight itself was normal although with no video and being able to see only half of the tiny overhead monitor I really did not watch the movie. I listed to my ipod and watched a little video on it. Finally we made our descent into Las Vegas and landed. As we pulled up onto the jetway the door never opened. The captain then came over the PA to announce there had been a security incident in the airport and it had to be emptied and everybody re-screened. It also meant we had to stay on the plane. I just shook my head and read my emails. It was now I was able to find out all about the sump pump being fixed and how lucky we were. Ater 45 minutes we finally began do get off the plane. What could go wrong from here?

Delta is in terminal D and I knew the tram was down so we had only 1 instead of 2. The issue was 25 planes all dumping their loads at the same time and it took more than 1 hour from the time I left the plane until I stepped outside to get a taxi. My shuttle had long since left by more than 2 hours and now I had to pay to get to the hotel. After a $30 cab ride for about 7 miles I arrived at the South Point Casino. Home of the 2009 SCCA National Convention. I waited in a short line to check in and all seemed normal at long last. Besides, what could go wrong?

I tried to check in, but they did not have my name. No big deal as there were 7 of us going to represent the Ohio Valley Region. I gave the name of the person who had made reservations. Over and over they went thru the lists. Nothing. Its as if I did not exist. For more than 30 minutes I tried to figure out where I was supposed to be. The lady finally said I could just get a room, but I would have to pay. No way. She finally said to use the house phone to page the other overhead in the casino. Yeah right. So I left to figure out a plan. I finally decided to see if I could dial a number from my voicemail and call one of the people that had flown direct on Southwest Airlines. Luckily I got thru and help was on the way. It turned out the lady was an idiot and had never checked to see if the others had checked in. Which they had. They already had my room and all I needed to do was pick up the key at the desk. I had finally made it. Exhausted and late but I was there. Wasn't that easy?

Next....

So we returned from the tournament in Detroit and the first thing I heard was a really weird noise coming from my sump pump. I'll get around to that after Vegas I said to myself. I had 2 days and a million things to do. Poppy had her tournament final game at 7:30am at Chiller Easton. Nothing like having to wake up at o dark thirty on a holiday day off. So we went out and watched the CAHA team get handled not only by the other team, but the parents that were working the clock.


Well the game was fun, but decidedly one sided as the other team plays full ice vs. our half ice. Since these games were full ice and this one on Olympic ice it was hard to cover so much open ice. So after the game it was announced that all players were getting tickets to that nights Columbus Blue Jackets game against Dallas. Now I had so much to do with a trip coming on Wednesday morning, but Poppy earned it and I took her and as always she appeared on the Jumbotron with several of her teammates. We had fun. When I got home I heard that noise again.....

Please stay tuned. SO MUCH to tell and its getting late. Several more posts tomorrow.

Catching Up

Wow its been a couple weeks since my last blog update and so much has happened. Rather than write one huge post I'll break it down into several over the next couple days.

On my last post we were in snowy Detroit for a tournament with the North Stars. Well Frudoch did not have his best set of games. He ended the four game tournament with no goals one assist and 10 penalty minutes. For some reason the 2008 version returned and Fru got comfortable in the penalty box. 3 roughing and 2 boarding penalties in addition to having a go and exchanging a few punches AFTER a game had ended with probably 3 or 4 hits that could have been called. He was not alone in trying to knock everybody down as several of his teammates spent time in the box too. Overall they finished 1-3 with the win coming against Easton. The worst was yet to come.

A Familiar site: #10 in the box...

In one of his scrums Frudoch got into it with a kid and that kid found the ultimate way to get even. He put his skate blade across Frudoch's Easton Stealth S17 stick and broke it. Now this is not an ordinary stick. In fact it was a christmas present this year and a source of considerable pride. It also cost $200. Now I'm trying to figure out how to mark the occasion. I'll either mount the broken stick on the wall as-is or I'll take it to a trophy shop and have a piece of it mounted on a plaque. In any case here is the obligatory picture.

Hockeytown

So I'm up in Detroit for a few days for what else? A hockey tournament. While the NHL team from up here went down to our town Columbus and guess what happened. The Jackets beat the RedWings 3-2. Awesome. Except for the fact we could not find any place to watch it up here. Hockeytown my ass. The hotel is nice, but is SOOOOO LOUD. The pool is in an atrium and the rooms overlook it. Nobody could sleep and it showed in this mornings game. A 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh. Its going to take alot more for Frudoch to get a trophy here. Add to that there is no free wifi. $9.99 for 24 hours and no free breakfast. Bummer. WE are across the street from Detroit Metro Airport, but you can't see anything because of the snow. Double bummer. When we get back home I turn around and head out west for the SCCA National Convention so hopefully the weather is nice. Cross your fingers for Frudoch and Poppy who is also playing this weekend for a team called the Blue Chill in the Chiller House Mite Tournament. Go Blue Chill and Go North Stars.

Another Weekend Another Spectacular Goal

Well he did it again. Frudoch had a couple games and scored a couple more goals. The goal in the second game was absolutely amazing. It was a deflection off a hard shot that was exactly as its supposed to go, but rarely does. You've seen the type--In an NHL game. Frudoch was so excited he did a happy dance across the ice. The crowd was roaring. It sealed the win. A win over the Islanders who were playing their last game of the season. To that point in time they had not lost. Now they know what its like. And we got to see the happy dance.


SCOREBOARD

Chilling USAir 1549 Audio Clips

Here is the audio of just after the birdstrikes. You can hear Captain Sullenberger call it in with a slight mistake he calls it 1539 and the ATC calls back 1529. It seems he knew they were going in the river all along. He had hope for a moment to get to a private field in NJ, but could not even make that.

USAir Flight 1549 on the Move Again

I saw these pics of USAir 1549 being moved to its new semi-permanent home in New Jersey. A warehouse where it can be further examined over the next 18 months or so. Oversize load indeed. This is not the type of thing you see everyday. An Airbus A320 being driven down the middle of the street. Reminds me a bit of the scene from the movie Second Sight where Bronson Pinchot takes control of the jet and uses his mind power to drive it down city streets. Ok Maybe not.

Some Cool Airplane Photos I found on the Web.

I found these photos and thought I would share. Unfortunately I did not take any of these. Its about the time of year I start planning for airshow season. Ohio will once again be a good place. Did you know the US Air Force Thunderbirds are supposed to fly in 3 shows within the state this year. Thats AWESOME. Enjoy these.

The F-15 with full burners.

Heritage Flight with F-4, F-22, and F-15. A unique grouping for sure.

The MiG 23

Thats The F/A-18 with San Diego in the background.

Goals Goals and More Goals. A goalie too!

We had another busy hockey weekend and it was fun fun fun. Poppy had 2 games and Frudoch had but 1. But what a game it was. Poppy had a really good game on Saturday with a couple goals and lots of heads up play. Sunday morning she took her stint as goalie again and once again was tough. She let a few through, but her team did a great job of scoring goals and playing defense. In fact one of her teammates who does not like girls told me that she plays goalie really well(for a girl). He also thought she was the best girl goalie around. High praise indeed. we returned a few hours later for Frudoch's game and he got off to a fast start with a couple goals in the first period. He worked hard trying to get that elusive third goal for the rest of the game and came close several times before finally(!) getting that third goal for the hat trick! His game was much more physical and he stayed with it as several team members were not able to play so the shifts were long. Now we have 2 games next weekend for him and a game for poppy before both go to tournaments the following weekend. For the season its about 15 goals. From the same kid that struggled to get one all of last year. Its a good feeling.

I Got a New Toy for my Toy

I have not written much about my car lately. Mostly because its sitting in the garage while we get slammed with snow. The CLK has traction control, but it just makes driving dangerous in the way it cuts power. I drove it a few weeks ago to the dealer to have a warranty repair done and it was so much fun to open up the throttle and just rocket around. They gave me a loaner for what ended up being 4 days as they needed to replace the seat back and that had to be ordered. The loaner they give is a Mercedes Benz C300. A really nice car in and of itself. In fact going back to when I was looking to buy it was the other car I had to choose from. Man am I glad I bought the CLK500. The C300 is nice, but its not as nice as my CLK. Every time I get in the CLK and drive I end up smiling when I get out. I just love that car. So I had a few wants on the car that needed to be addressed.

I already upgraded the lights to factory xenon headlights. Now I went out and got an AMG steering wheel with shift paddles. This thing is so nice. Its partially wrapped with alcantara and leather and its nice and thick. The price? Oh over a couple grand, but I got a deal on it. Yeah these cars are expensive, but does your car make you smile every time you step out of it?

Who Knew There Was A Goal Scorer in the Family

We just returned from the first hockey tournament of the year. This one was in Indianapolis and Frudoch was there with the Columbus North Stars. This is Fru's first time making the North Stars and most of the other kids have played on the team for at least a couple years moving up thru the program as mites and now squirts. Needless to say they have an advantage as the familiarity with each other and the extra practices and games furthers their development. I was unable to make the first couple games as I had to stay back for a banquet so my wife took both kids and watched the first couple games while I came early Sunday morning and saw the last couple games. As I've noted before, Frudoch has improved his game quite a bit this year and now at the A level he is proving he belongs. In the 4 games he had 2 goals and 3 assists with 2 penalty minutes. He really has developed into a great forward and is willing to pay the price down low in front of the goal. What's maybe more impressive is his ability to setup his linemates with centering passes. In the Sunday game he was a monster crashing the net and scoring a goal on a rebound. His next shift out he was knocked down by an opposing player and he twisted his ankle and had to be carried off the ice and was unable to return. They held on to win the game, but the team lost a spark and his line allowed a couple of goals without him. His goal ended up being the game winner. His other goal was the first for the team in the tournament. I think he was having fun. His ankle felt a little better after keeping it iced and elevated and he played a limited role in Mondays semi final game. Unfortunately they ran into a team that was so disciplined and positionally strong and lost 3-2. It was a hard loss, but it will make them stronger. This story has not been finished.

In his most recent House game, Frudoch grabbed a couple early goals and tried so hard for the 3rd to get his first hat trick. He took 2 penalties in the 3rd trying to make something happen. The second penalty has a roughing for bumping this kid who just bounced about 5 feet off his shoulder. It was pretty impressive even though it was 2 kids running into each other and not a true penalty. This weekend brings 2 house games for both Frudoch and Poppy. Its gonna be another weekend of Hockey. Coming up soon we have Presidents Day weekend tournaments in Detroit for Fru and the North Stars and Poppy in Columbus for the Kings. See ya later.

Lufthansa Game --Try it

This was sent to me by my last boss. Its a fun way to waste an afternoon. How well do you know your European geography?

http://www.lufthansa-usa.com/useugame2007/html/play.html

The NHL "War Room" is full of idiots

Anybody that knows me knows I perseverate on things. Something inside me says don't let go. In that mode I still can't forgive the NHL for the no-goal call against Dallas in December. Now I saw the same group of "hockey experts" in Toronto called and goal good in a recent Islanders vs. Oilers game. I sent the replays to a local CBJ blogger and he agrees. Check out Light the Lamp for your CBJ blogger fix. Its excellent. Plus he gave me credit. Excellent.

http://lightthelamp.blogspot.com/2009/01/you-be-judge.html

Happy New Year

Its almost time for the Winter Classic. To heck with bowl games we got hockey!