Jesus, talk about some nostalgia. I just went through everything from graduating college to getting married to moving to Memphis in the past 10 minutes. I deleted a ton of the bullshit posts (quizzes, links, etc), but I can’t bring myself to delete the rest. I think I need to make an Archive section or something. It’s kinda like throwing out old Christmas or Birthday cards. It’s always tough for some stupid reason.
I think it’s time I do something with this site again. Question is what. Maybe my car test drives? Perhaps WoW stuff? I dunno. Either way, I need to get rid of all the old garbage and find a new template. Suggestions welcome. :)
Just wanted to see how this iPhone app works. This might just make me get this page going again.
Washington, DC | June 05, 2008
Washington – The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) today endorsed Barack Obama as the president this country needs to restore accountability and fairness in the Federal Aviation Administration, reverse a disturbing trend of serious aviation safety concerns and lead an expedited effort to modernize our air traffic control system to cut flight delays and strengthen our economy.
“We feel extremely proud and excited to throw our complete support behind Senator Obama as we look ahead to the most important presidential election in the history of this nation’s aviation system and certainly the most important for the air traffic controllers,” NATCA President Patrick Forrey said. “This is a controller workforce in crisis due to the failed management of the FAA and its actions to demoralize and punish its employees. We need a president who will restore collaboration between controllers and the agency and recognize that a strong, fully-staffed, well-trained, respected and motivated controller workforce is essential in ensuring the safety of the traveling public. Senator Obama will be that president.”
Two years ago, Senator Obama introduced the “FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006″ in an effort to replace the FAA’s extraordinary and arbitrary authority to impose wages and working conditions on its workers with neutral binding arbitration in the case of an impasse in labor-management negotiations, something controllers still seek today after having had work and pay rules imposed on them by the FAA on Labor Day 2006.
Said Senator Obama upon introducing that legislation in 2006: “I looked into it and came to the conclusion that if we did not restore a fair negotiation procedure, it would threaten agency morale and effectiveness. (The FAA’s authority) denies air traffic controllers and all other FAA employees the opportunity to engage in and conclude negotiations in good faith.”
“I want to thank the highly skilled and dedicated men and women who ensure that Americans are safe when they’re on board an aircraft and I am grateful for their support,” said Senator Obama today. “As President, NATCA will have a partner in the White House. Together, we can fix our nation’s aviation system and tackle the challenges we face – from the damaging effect flight delays have on our lives and our economy to recent safety concerns. I applaud the work that NATCA does day in and day out to strengthen our aviation system and keep Americans safe, and I look forward to working with its members going forward.”
Dear Red States:
We’re ticked off at the way you’ve treated California and we’ve decided we’re leaving.
We intend to form our own country and we’re taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren’t aware that includes Nevada, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of New California.
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get John Edwards. You get Ken Lay.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss.
We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition’s we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro choice and anti war and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight ask your evangelicals. They have kids they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose and they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets coming home.
We wish you success in Iraq and hope that the WMDs turn up but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s Quagmire.
With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country’s fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95% of America’s quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite, thank you.
38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
We’re taking the good pot too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely, Author Unknown in New California.
Yes, I know it’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve updated. I’ll be changing things in the very near future. :)
Just got my 2nd sector today. :D Time for beer.
Yep. I’m 14% of a fully certified air traffic controller. I got my first R-side this evening…and I wasn’t even expecting it.
This past weekend was a long one. Coming from having four days off (1 day of leave, 2 RDOs, and 1 forced day off for the Labor Day holiday) and diving into a busy sector was kinda freaky. Amazing how quick the cobwebs build up over a little bit of down time. Well, I was working my first session with Zinger, my trainer, and in between me trying to not go down the tubes, I keep hearing him talking to my other trainer, Gator, about recommending me and whatnot. Well, we had discussed getting my recommendations on my first two sectors today and tomorrow, and probably getting checkrides over the weekend.
Apparently, plans changed.
At the end of that first session, Zinger hands me a grading form (which usually isn’t done ’til the end of the shift to go over the day’s training) with “Recommend certification” written on it. My supervisor also showed me the previous two training forms from last Saturday where the same thing was added for my other sector. Next thing I know, I’m being told that I’ll be having a check ride a little later that evening and possibly a second for my other sector if time permitted. Eek.
Well, time didn’t permit the second one, but I did pass my first one. That was probably one of the most nerve-wracking 90 minutes of my life. Tomorrow I’ll get my other check ride (in theory). Hopefully this one won’t be quite so scary. :)
This coming week is the last week of Radar Class. We just did our final evals the other day, and everyone passed. It only took 30 someodd problems to get a clean run. ;) This week, we get to do familiarization problems on the sectors we get to train on once we get back down to the control room floor. A week from tomorrow, we’ll start training with live traffic. Oh noes. :)
I’m pretty excited about it. The only thing I’m really worried about is actual training I’m gonna get. Staffing has become so short that available trainers seems to be a commodity. They put out a memo about mandatory overtime for just about everyone, including trainees. That’s what I heard anyway, as I haven’t actually seen the memo.
I’ll be starting on a high and an ultrahigh sector. High in Memphis Center means from 24,000 feet to 34,000 feet, and ultrahigh is 35,000 all the way up. The ultrahigh sector in my area is m-a-s-s-i-v-e. I’m pretty sure it’s the largest sector in the house, coming in at about 250 miles across. We get a bunch of traffic going in/out of Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas/Fort Worth. Should be fun.