Nice Christmas

Well, I have been blessed not to be called out on reserve yesterday or today! I thought for sure that I would be called out today with all the open trips that had to be covered but I must be living right because everyone on the reserve list above me got called out and I was the next in line but all the trips got covered. Dodged a holiday bullet there!

I have however been assigned a trip for tomorrow. It is the 3-day Quito, Ecuador trip. I fly down tomorrow night and spend all day Sunday there and leave on the red-eye flight back Monday morning at 12:30 a.m. arriving in Atlanta at 6:00 a.m. I will get the chance to go down and attend church with one of the families that I baptized. Don't know if I will go with Ligia Diaz to the Colon Ward or with the Armas family to the Iñaquito Ward.

Over flying Topeka

This morning I flew directly over Topeka at 36,000' at 4:10 a.m. I was on a red-eye flight from San Diego to NYC/JFK. The flight plan originally had us south of Topeka but ATC gave us a more direct routing and I flew directly over Topeka and Forbes field. I have flown 50-100 miles north or south of Topeka several times criss-crossing the country but never directly over it. I was somewhat nestalgic as I sat there contemplating how lucky I am. I thought to myself, "If someone told me in the late 1970's as I was in high school that on Dec 21, 2009 at 4:10 a.m. I would be piloting a Delta B737-800 overhead I would have thought they were crazy."

Just thinking how lucky I am to do what I love.

Thanks, Jeanne!

Do or Die for Chiefs

After reading the GHSA rules and regulations I do not understand why it is that the Chiefs are in a do or die game tonight. As I read the rules we have already had a season that qualifies us for the state playoffs but we are told that tonights game against Sprayberry is a do or die game.

Winner goes to state playoffs and loser is done for the season. The advantage we have is that it is a home game and our three running backs are all healthy for the first time this season. We have always had to get by on just one or two at a time.

Wish us luck!

WINDOWS 7

Got Windows 7 installed on my laptop today. Also bought an external drive to back up the info on my laptop and two desktops. Got to keep better track of this stuff. Almost lost some photos of Shawn's games due to a software issue yesterday.

WINDOWS 7

Visited Johnny at Hospital

As many of you know our dog Johnny had calcified deposits in his back discs and had to have surgery. Dispite how this video looks, they say Johnny is expected to regain full use of his legs. May take up to six months though. Anyway stay tuned for his progress.

Long Kick

Shawn was asked to long kick after a fourth quarter touchdown. He kicked it out of the endzone from the 40 yard line. Notice the weather that he did this in and the praise of the coaches when he returned to the bench! If you look carefully you can see him hopping up and down after the kick while he goes back to get the tee. He knew he had done well.

So sad because we sold Dallan's Bandolero today. It is necessary so we can move on to our next adventure but it was such a great car and we had so much fun racing Bandoleros! Feels like we just closed a chapter in Dallan's life. Ironic because it is sad and we sold it to the family of a boy named Luke Sorrow!

Red Sparrows

Oh that British humor! Takes a minute or two to watch but gave me a few chuckles.

Game Winner

Shawn was faced with his first game winning kick this past weekend and he didn't even flinch. After Sequoyah scored first on a touchdown run Shawn's extra point sailed left and hit the upright. His first miss of the season. Score 6-0. Rome then followed with a field goal closing the gap to 6-3. Before half time Rome scored again with a touchdown but the ensueing extra point flew right and missed the uprights all together....score 6-9 in favor of Rome. In the third period Rome kicked a field goal after our defense held them on a short field. Score 6-12. We all knew a touchdown would give Shawn the chance to redeem himself. And so it was. With 4:12 left in the game a pass gave us the tie at 12-12 and Shawn trotted out onto the field. With 4:06 left his aim was true and the ball split the uprights and gave Sequoyah our win in the first regional game of the season. We are now 2-2 over all and 1-0 in the region 7-AAAA.

B737 Trip Photos

Took a few pictures with my new camera that takes videos. The videos I have posted are with the new camera as well. These are a few of the pictures I took on my last trip. You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them. If you enlarge the panoramic photo you will notice the HUD is stowed and not visible. Clicking on the third photo is pretty cool. You really get a good look through the HUD. Photos include Lake Havasu City, AZ from 37,000', the heads up display "HUD" in the B737-800 and a view through the HUD. For those who don't know the HUD is a retractable glass panel that displays all the flight information so the pilot does not have to look down at the instruments, back up through the window and back down at the instruments repeatedly. He can see everything at once. Helps with situational awareness. Also I have included a shaddowed panoramic view I took while jumpseating.

Sequoyah Falls to Hillgrove

Sequoyah dropped its second game in a row by failing to stop the Hillgrove Hawks. Below is the article from the Cherokee Tribune, our county newspaper. I have highlighted where Shawn in mentioned. Shawn is now 8 for 8 when called upon in game situations. Notice when watching the video, and pause it if you like, how high the ball is as it clears the uprights. This 30 yard kick could have cleared the cross bar from a 45 yard field goal! The ball actually flys behind the students end zone stands.

POWDER SPRINGS - After holding ninth-ranked Hillgrove on its first possession, and scoring on a 32-yard field goal midway through the first half, Sequoyah couldn't have asked for much more.The problem was, Hillgrove was trying to give more.Either way, the Chiefs headed back to Cherokee County on the wrong end of a 21-3 loss that marked the second straight defeat for Sequoyah. "Their defense played well, but part of it was their offense taking control of the game," Sequoyah coach James Teter said. "We were sort of living on a double-edged sword. We could try to keep running the ball in the second half and run out of time, or we could start throwing the ball more."Sequoyah fell to 1-2 after the Region 7AAAA crossover game. Hillgrove moved to 3-0, avenging its second loss from '08 in as many weeks following its win over Rome last week.Sequoyah beat the Hawks, 28-6, last season at Skip Pope Stadium.Hillgrove turned that 3-0 deficit into a 18-point halftime lead and the Hawks were never threatened in the second half. But it didn't look like it would be a Hawk walk early. Hillgrove had a bad pitch on a fourth-and-inches that resulted in a 10-yard loss and turned the ball over on downs on its opening drive. The Chiefs were given a second shot at the end zone on the ensuing possession when the Hawks jumped offside on a field-goal attempt, but Sequoyah had to settle for just three points on a Shawn Wortham's field goal.From that point on, nothing went right for the Chiefs.Hillgrove took the next possession and wasted little time in driving 65 yards in five plays. Synjyn Days completed just two passes all night, but both of them went for scores. The first was a 32-yard touchdown to Trevor Tatum.The next time Sequoyah had the ball, eight plays netted 1 yard of total offense and a punt to Hillgrove. The Hawks took that possession 90 yards in just six plays with Kenyan Drake capping off the drive with a 2-yard scrambled on a botched pitch.It was that kind of night for the Hawks. On Sequoyah's third possession, Hillgrove held the Chiefs to three-and-out and minus-1 yard. A fumble on the next offensive play for Sequoyah gave the ball back to Hillgrove and the Hawks scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Days to Chuby Uwadie.From there, Sequoyah never got its offense on track. A three-and-out possession marked the start of the second half, and Hillgrove ate nearly 9:00 off of the game clock with a non-scoring drive. The Hawks may not have scored, but they kept the Sequoyah offense off of the field."We've got a lot of kids on this team that came in with a lot of inexperience, but they are going to get better," Teter said.

Mall of America Day Trip

Dallan and I took a day trip to Mall of America for Labor Day. Wish Shawn and mom could have come but Shawn had practice and mom just wanted a day at home. Worked out well. We had a great time and visited a lot of store there at the mall. We even found a BYU mini helmet in a sports store and so we bought it as our souvenir of the Mall trip. They also had Utah and Utah State mini helmets! It was great to see a Mountain West and WAC colleges in a store out east.

Shawn Named Chic-fil-A Player of Week

This week Shawn was named the Chic-fil-A player of the week for his performance in week one against Cherokee. As a reminder he was 4-4 on his PAT's and a 33 yard field goal. Quite an honor for his first competition high school football game ever.

Shawn still hasn't missed a kick in loss to Creekview.

This video is a bit shaky because the metal bleachers were shaky and not built on concrete, but still gets the point across. Although we lost to Creekview 13-7 Shawn made his PAT,twice!. He kicked the first and then had to rekick due to a penalty on the defense. We were hoping the team could score again allowing Shawn to kick the winning extra point but we threw an interception on the next possesion.

Shawn is the kicker here and this is a sequence shot of his kicking at practice. We have our first game of the season tomorrow against Canton. Our cross town rivals. We are nervous for him but excited. He seems to be calmer than his parents or brother! Anyway wish him well! Note: He has never played football and made the varsity kicker his first time out!

Back to Atlanta!

I have been awarded a slot back in Atlanta! I will be reserve again but will not have to commute to Cincinnati any more. This is good news. The conversion window is from Sep 01, 09 to Mar 01, 10. So I don't know exactly when it will be but sometime in the next few months.

By the way, the photo is the B737-800 series. My office is the furthest to the right...a corner office if you will!

INCOMPETENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

LARGE FONT AND CAPS BECAUSE I AM SHOUTING!!!! I HATE INCOMPETENCY IN PEOPLE!!! IF SOMEONE CAN'T DO THE JOB OR JUST PLAIN DOESN'T KNOW SOMETHING I WISH THEY WOULD JUST SAY SO!

I have been inundated these past few weeks with people who are so incompetent that they don't even know how stupid they are. I have had run in's with the billing/receptionist at the ortho office this week for her billing me twice and then voiding the wrong amount and so on and so forth.

I have been on a two month back and forth with Metlife that claims they sent out four checks for the same claim. They say that all four checks have the same check number! They also originally said all four were cashed and mailed me photocopies of the cashed check. It was the same photocopy duplicated four times!!!! They have demanded that I return the money for three of the checks. After two months they agreed it was their fault and that it would be rectified. This past Friday I spoke with them again after recieving a letter saying I still owe for two of the checks. Today they again said they would take care of it!!!!

Incompetence, incompetence, incompetence. No wonder some people loose it and go on rampages!

I know that it seems that I must be a great photographer with all these gorgeous photos but truth be known I just download them from the different sites where I visit.

I sure am blessed to get to visit so many nice places but it is just that...a visit. Delta does a pretty good job
about where they put us up at for our overnight stays. This is a nice one. If we want to upgrade to the all inclusive package it is $75 extra dollars and so I never do that. Instead I brought down a Lunchable meal, two Starkist tuna on cracker snacks and a small package of Little Debbie donuts. That should tide me over 'til I return home.

Antigua has a lot of goats. They also have a lot of mongooses (mongeese?). They used to have an infestation of snakes on the island and so decades ago they imported some mongoose (geese) and now the snake problem is gone but they have as many mongoose (geese) as a city park in the states has squirrels!

My Trip to Santo Domingo with Shawn

Web photos of the resort Shawn and I stayed at. We had a great time together. We swam some, went for a jog around some local neighborhoods and swam some more. Had a nice dinner and breakfast and just hung out.

Resignation of Palin

Having been a fan of Palin during the primaries, I am puzzled by her resignation at the end of the month. I had hoped that she would run for president or be a VP choice again for someone but I now have second thoughts. If the weak spot that was cast upon her was that she was inexperienced then how can resigning from governor help that cause? Although the fact that Obama was elected with even less experience would lend little weight to the arguement of experience. It just doesn't seem to bode well for her if future political office is her goal. Maybe a run for senator in 2010? She has a book deal which seems to be a prerequisite for running for president, so is she going to concentrate on that? Who knows...the political world is outside my realm of understanding in today's world....nothing seems to make sense.

RC Video

I think anyone who watches this will appreciate it whether you are an aviation enthusiast or not.

Okay, we are back from Cabo San Lucas. We, Jeanne and I had a great 4 day 3 night vacation here. All we did yesterday was sit on the beach front and watch boats, waves and people. We sat there from 9:00 a.m. til 7:00 p.m. and ordered lunch and dinner on the beach. It was great.

Return to Quito

Well, I finally have been awarded a trip that I actually get to pilot back to my old mission stomping grounds. It has eluded me over the past several months. I leave tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Quito at about 9:45 p.m. I stay overnight and leave the following evening at 11:30 p.m. for the red-eye back to Atlanta. I will be able to go visit the Armas family that I taught and baptized when I was in Quito North. I have returned about 5 times to Ecuador since my mission but this will be the first time as a flight crew operating the flight. Pretty cool if you ask me. I remember sitting by the airport as a missionary wondering what it would be like to be a pilot and now another aspect of my fantasy will become reality. When I return on Tuesday morning I am hopping on a flight to Houston to have lunch with Ligia Diaz a lady I baptized and who is visiting her daughter in Houston.

Decline of Christianity vs Increase of Islam.

This is a youtube video that was emailed to me that seems astonishing. I had heard the numbers before but this is the first video I have seen. As always, research it for your own before making any decisions but this seems scary to me.

I suppose it seems scary to me because I am not Muslim. Had these numbers been in favor of my own belief system I would be thrilled! The difference is the end goal of each belief system and how each looks at the phrase, "The ends justifies the means".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

New Name for Blog

I have renamed my Blog to "The Life of Brian" because I really didn´t ever have any deep thoughts to warrent the title "Deep Thoughts from Brian". Boy, what an eye-opener and humbling experience to finally realize after 48 1/2 years of existence on this floating piece space debris that we call Earth, that I have very few deep thoughts. So it is now under a more realistic title. Maybe a spin off of the Monty Python movie, "The Life of Brian".

Cancun Gran Melia

This is a very nice hotel/resort. The food is too expensive so I usually walk down the entrance and cross the street. There is a Papa John´s and a McDonalds there. The prices are about the same as in the states.

Lyrics vs Lyrics

In the Wortham blog Teresa asked about song lyrics. I have decided to post these two videos with the same lyrics of a 1970's hit by Castle to demonstrate my point. These lyrics are set to videos produced to be anti-Bush/Iraq war and Pro-Bush/Iraq war. Watch each and see what you think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xR8rnUmtGU. The other is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCKQ1KfcyFg

Manaus Trip

Just a couple of photos of the bus area of downtown Manaus and the famous Opera House in Manaus. Manaus has only one or two historically famous buildings and the Opera House is one of them.

Just fed up!

No picture to share, no film clip to attach, just want anyone who reads my blog to know that I am just about fed up already with the new administration. Spending so much of our money that they have to print more, a president apologizing to the world for America being "Arrogant" then telling the world that we are not a "Christian....nation". Just a nation of citizens. That was the last straw!

Since when does he have the gall to say such a thing. America was founded on Christian values! It is imprinted on our currency, it is in our Pledge of Allegiance, Christianity is referred to in several of the founding documents of our country and now our president is taking it upon himself to deny why so many have died for such a cause?!

He then mentioned, while in Europe, on his Apologizing for America tour that the US citizens do not appreciate Europe! Excuse me! Who came to fight for Europe in both World Wars? I would say that comment he made totally disrespected all those who left home and country to go to Europe and die fighting Hitler and other dangerous governments! Who's white crosses are scattered across cemeteries that dot the European landscape?

With all do respect to the office and not the person, Mr. President, you are so wrong on so many levels that I just can't take it anymore.

Northwest	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
Denver	39	21	.650	--	22-7	17-14	7-2	23-11	Lost 1	5-5
Portland	37	22	.627	1.5	24-5	13-17	6-4	19-17	Won 2	7-3
Utah	37	23	.617	2.0	26-6	11-17	8-3	26-11	Won 8	9-1
Minnesota	18	41	.305	20.5	8-22	10-19	2-10	9-27	Lost 6	1-9
Oklahoma City	15	45	.250	24.0	11-20	4-25	3-7	10-28	Won 2	3-7

Looks like the Jazz are closing the gap. About 10 days ago they were 7.5 games behind. Go Jazz! Look at the last column! 9-1 over the last ten games.

Global Warming? Really?

Global warming speakers snowed out! I have heard from several news outlets that Nancy Pelosi and another keynote speaker for global warming enthusiasts had to cancel their appointments due to the snow that blew through this week. Ironic if you ask me. Also she was unable to make it because her "private jet" was unable to make the trip due to the inclement weather. She is one of the senators that chastise others for taking private jets. The difference is hers is paid for by the US taxpayers and not a company.

Is America Safer Now?

Now that Mr. Obama has issued the executive order to close Guantanamo here is one of the first casualties of justice. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the ring leader of the USS Cole eight years ago, has had all charges dropped. He has been held at Guantanamo.

Susan Crawford, the retired judge who oversees the commissions, issued a ruling dismissing without prejudice all charges against Saudi national Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander J.D. Gordon.

"It was (Crawford's) decision, and it reflects the fact that the president has issued an executive order which mandates that the military commissions be halted, pending the outcome of several comprehensive reviews of our detention operations at Guantanamo," Gordon said.

So now a known terrorist is absolved of his actions because the new administration wants to close Gitmo. Again I ask, is America Safer Now?

Vermont Trip for Nana.

We all know her as Nana. Her real name is Pauline Mosher. She is Jeanne's step mother. Jeanne met her when she was about 18 after growing up under foster care. Grace Brown was Jeanne's foster family and Pauline was the wife of Earl Mosher, Jeanne's biological father. Dallan's middle name is Earl, in honor of her father and Pauline's husband. Pauline is ill with kidney and lung cancer. Susan, is Jeanne's step sister.

How could that be?

If in the t.v. series Star Trek they were on a 5 year mission to explore strange new worlds and a planet was 5 light years away or more, how could they have explored so many planets? I figure going warp 5 (5 x speed of light) it would take them one year to get there and one to get back. At this rate they could have only explored two planets and yet they explored so many more.

Just sticking to the "Deep Thoughts from Brian" theme.

Portland Geography

I hate taking pictures of myself but here I am at work. These are a few pictures on our arrival into Portland. The single mountain is Mt. Hood. The other shows Mt. St. Helen on the left and Mt. Rainier (spelling).

My visit with the Bean's

I had a 18 hour lay over in Portland this past week and I too got to meet Andon! Jayden does well with his ABC's but misses a few each time. Loves to talk and eats real well. Not fussy about the foods he eats.

Family Pictures of Devan's Family

Mom, Chelsea and Jayden during their visit this past week in Aloha, Oregon.













Andon Bean. Just a few weeks old. Son of Devan and Brittney Bean
















Chelsea, Jayden and Devan at a waterfall just outside of Portland, OR.

I am not a big believer in all this "Global Warming" stuff that the Gore cronies keep spewing. But I can't say that this bear has any doubts.

This is a new AD (airworthiness directive) from the FAA that applies to all Airbus aircraft now. Have you seen one out on the line yet?

Displacement Results

I have been notified that I have been displaced to Cincinnati. This surprised me because I thought I bid the 767ER out of New York before the B737 in Cincinnati. All is well though since I will still be able to hold a line in Cincinnati and this also avoids sending me to training for another aircraft. I should be able to commute pretty easy. Cincinnati is only an hours flight from Atlanta. This way I also avoid the cut in pay that the MD-88 brought with it here in Atlanta.

B737 Displacement

Looks like I have a decision to make. I have been advised that I will be displaced out of the B737 Atlanta F/O position. They are moving some 23 F/O B737 positions to NYC. I have many choices to choose from but only three that I find viable.
1) Stay on the B737 and avoid going back to training on another airplane but sit reserve in NYC. This may require going a "crash-pad" in NYC for days I have to go up and sit reserve but not get called out on a flight.

2) Hold a schedule on the B767-300ER and fly international (TransAtlantic routes) out of NYC. This would be a raise of about $2.50 per hour. Would have to commute from Atlanta for each trip. This flying would be a little more boring flying long 8-11 hour legs with fewer take-offs and landings thus making it harder to get real proficient on the plane. The pay also carries an additional $3.50/hr int'l override pay though.

3) Hold a schedule on the MD-88 here in Atlanta but take a $7.00+/hour cut in pay. This would allow me to avoid commuting to work but would have to fly an additional 11-12 hours/month to make up the difference in pay from sitting reserve on the B737 here in Atlanta. This flying would be a lot more work with up to 5 legs per day. Most all the flying would be on the east coast and east of TX, OK, MI.

What to do, What to do. There are more pros and cons but that about sums it up. Vote on my poll to tell me what you would do.