Saturday, July 21, 2007
Dorks
So, how sad is it that this morning on our tour of the hospital and maternity unit that we both kinda perked up when they said there's wifi?
Monday, July 16, 2007
Tragedy and risk management
[Update: Husband had his morning trip with John and got more details. No cartwheel, the right main snapped on touchdown and they skidded through the backyard. He tried to radio a mayday in to PHF (the nearest airport) but was too low at that point, but a nearby twin-engine guardian angel heard and circled overhead, communicating with PHF. Within 2 minutes of landing, rescue vehicles showed up at the scene. John's wife had to have a pin put in her foot, but otherwise it was just bruises and scratches. An FAA inspector confirmed that there was water in the fuel filter and that led to the engine failure; the trike runs on premium auto gas, and in VA auto fuel contains (up to) 10% ethanol which allows water to be held in suspension, so the preflight sump tests can't necessarily clear water from the fuel. John was up in the Cirrus today, and he and his wife still intend to take their post-Osh Kosh trip in the plane. Kudos for not being scared off!]
I have a strange bit of perspective to share: Today we spent ~6 hours on I-85 returning home from visiting family down south. On this trip, we heard that our good friend and flying buddy and (former) co-owner of 388, John, had an emergency landing over the weekend in his ultralight with his wife on board; the engine died over a river and though the nearest land was a populated area, he performed the oft-practiced emergency procedures, got down to someone's backyard (the trike luckily doesn't need much room!), and landed. Unfortunately, the landing gear snapped, and the trike cartwheeled. They're banged up, but ok. John thinks there was water in the fuel filter that cause the engine to die (Husband will get more info tomorrow morning when they fly together in the Cirrus). The ultralight is the motorcycle of airplanes, as far as structure and personal protection go (and boy is it a thrill to hang out there in one!)...
~8:30 am, maybe, we passed an automobile wreck (luckily it was in the southbound lanes and we were heading north) where really all we could make out was the charred remains of what looked like a tractor trailer and a car. I don't know what happened, but it was obviously bad and at least one person died.
Then tonight after our childbirth class, we got home to find our street blocked off with a variety of emergency vehicles. A house a few doors down burned, most likely the result of a lightning strike from the thunderstorms we had all afternoon. I was working from home earlier and ~5 pm was IM'ing with husband when an exceptionally loud and close thunderclap nearly scared me out of my seat, and completely freaked the dog out. I am willing to put money down that that was actually that house being struck, that that was what started the fire, though the afternoon's rain must have kept it in a smoldering state until after we left for class ~6:45.
In driving, we rely on our instincts and reflexes to avoid trouble. It mostly comes down to how alert we are and what our immediate options are, but driving is so commonplace that most drivers out there (me included!) are pretty complacent on the road. Heaven help us if something goes wrong or some other person impacts our situation. That wreck could just as easily have happened to US.
In our homes, we expect to be safe. We don't expect to be struck by lightning and have the house burn around us. When that fire starts, though, it's pretty much out of our hands. That could just as easily have been OUR house that got scorched.
In flying, we're taught to be in control at all times, taught how to scan the air and the instruments to maintain alertness and stay ahead of the aircraft. We're taught how the systems work and how to troubleshoot them. If all else fails, the emergency procedures are second nature and from most emergencies, they say, the plane's occupants walk away. Accidents, collisions, failures and so forth still happen, but I like these odds a lot better.
Kind of a lot to take in in such a short period of time. We'll see what other lessons the prego brain extracts during tonight's sleep...
I have a strange bit of perspective to share: Today we spent ~6 hours on I-85 returning home from visiting family down south. On this trip, we heard that our good friend and flying buddy and (former) co-owner of 388, John, had an emergency landing over the weekend in his ultralight with his wife on board; the engine died over a river and though the nearest land was a populated area, he performed the oft-practiced emergency procedures, got down to someone's backyard (the trike luckily doesn't need much room!), and landed. Unfortunately, the landing gear snapped, and the trike cartwheeled. They're banged up, but ok. John thinks there was water in the fuel filter that cause the engine to die (Husband will get more info tomorrow morning when they fly together in the Cirrus). The ultralight is the motorcycle of airplanes, as far as structure and personal protection go (and boy is it a thrill to hang out there in one!)...
~8:30 am, maybe, we passed an automobile wreck (luckily it was in the southbound lanes and we were heading north) where really all we could make out was the charred remains of what looked like a tractor trailer and a car. I don't know what happened, but it was obviously bad and at least one person died.
Then tonight after our childbirth class, we got home to find our street blocked off with a variety of emergency vehicles. A house a few doors down burned, most likely the result of a lightning strike from the thunderstorms we had all afternoon. I was working from home earlier and ~5 pm was IM'ing with husband when an exceptionally loud and close thunderclap nearly scared me out of my seat, and completely freaked the dog out. I am willing to put money down that that was actually that house being struck, that that was what started the fire, though the afternoon's rain must have kept it in a smoldering state until after we left for class ~6:45.
In driving, we rely on our instincts and reflexes to avoid trouble. It mostly comes down to how alert we are and what our immediate options are, but driving is so commonplace that most drivers out there (me included!) are pretty complacent on the road. Heaven help us if something goes wrong or some other person impacts our situation. That wreck could just as easily have happened to US.
In our homes, we expect to be safe. We don't expect to be struck by lightning and have the house burn around us. When that fire starts, though, it's pretty much out of our hands. That could just as easily have been OUR house that got scorched.
In flying, we're taught to be in control at all times, taught how to scan the air and the instruments to maintain alertness and stay ahead of the aircraft. We're taught how the systems work and how to troubleshoot them. If all else fails, the emergency procedures are second nature and from most emergencies, they say, the plane's occupants walk away. Accidents, collisions, failures and so forth still happen, but I like these odds a lot better.
Kind of a lot to take in in such a short period of time. We'll see what other lessons the prego brain extracts during tonight's sleep...
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
[Off-topic] Parental controls
Do your parents decide before you are born when you will die?
(from Quirkology): "In 1999, Nicholas Christenfeld and his colleagues from the University of California, San Diego, uncovered evidence suggesting that a person's initials might affect perhaps the most important aspect of their life - the moment of their death. Using a large, computerised database of death certificates, they identified people whose initials formed a positive-sounding word (such as A.C.E., H.U.G. and J.O.Y.), and those that had very negative connotations, like P.I.G., B.U.M. and D.I.E. Using factors such as race, year of death and socio-economic status as controls, the researchers discovered that men with positive initials lived approximately four and a half years longer than average, whereas those with negative initials died about three years early.
Women with positive initials lived an extra three years, although there was no detrimental effect for those with negative initials. Further analysis suggested that those with negative initials were especially likely to die from psychological causes, such as suicides and self-inflicted accidents."
First of all, "statistics" is such a fantastic tool that it's useless. I prefer to look at the world in terms of binary probabilities, especially for predictive scenarios (but then again, what else is the ultimate use of gathering statistics?): There's a 50% probability that I'll die earlier than people who would be in my peer group in that study (that is, I will or I won't). There's a 50% chance that I'll get a good night's rest tonight (I will or I won't). There's a 50% likelihood that that tree in the backyard will fall over this summer (it will or it won't). Life gets a little simpler, eh? :)
I'm not sure what to make of the death-by-initials correlation for me and for Husband -- my initials are nonsense, and his could go either way (but we'll focus on the positive possibility)!
How about you all?
(from Quirkology): "In 1999, Nicholas Christenfeld and his colleagues from the University of California, San Diego, uncovered evidence suggesting that a person's initials might affect perhaps the most important aspect of their life - the moment of their death. Using a large, computerised database of death certificates, they identified people whose initials formed a positive-sounding word (such as A.C.E., H.U.G. and J.O.Y.), and those that had very negative connotations, like P.I.G., B.U.M. and D.I.E. Using factors such as race, year of death and socio-economic status as controls, the researchers discovered that men with positive initials lived approximately four and a half years longer than average, whereas those with negative initials died about three years early.
Women with positive initials lived an extra three years, although there was no detrimental effect for those with negative initials. Further analysis suggested that those with negative initials were especially likely to die from psychological causes, such as suicides and self-inflicted accidents."
First of all, "statistics" is such a fantastic tool that it's useless. I prefer to look at the world in terms of binary probabilities, especially for predictive scenarios (but then again, what else is the ultimate use of gathering statistics?): There's a 50% probability that I'll die earlier than people who would be in my peer group in that study (that is, I will or I won't). There's a 50% chance that I'll get a good night's rest tonight (I will or I won't). There's a 50% likelihood that that tree in the backyard will fall over this summer (it will or it won't). Life gets a little simpler, eh? :)
I'm not sure what to make of the death-by-initials correlation for me and for Husband -- my initials are nonsense, and his could go either way (but we'll focus on the positive possibility)!
How about you all?
Friday, July 06, 2007
Other perspectives on the wind damage...
More pictures here and here from visitors to JGG around that time.
Short newspaper article here.
The storm also took out the neighboring winery.
Short newspaper article here.
The storm also took out the neighboring winery.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
[Off topic - stretching future soccer guy]
Three minutes of recent dancing belly footage, but mostly slow dancing on this one evening...
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Boo hoo :(
It's official: 388 is totaled. Husband just got off the phone with the adjustor.
You know, we had prepared ourselves for this, and in many ways it's kinda the best thing for the situation because of certain life changes going on for us (some of which you know, some that are still private); it eliminates the hassle of trying to sell off a quarter share of an old (but fantastically reliable) plane.
But I still have tears in my eyes as I write this. The first plane we could call our own. The plane I trained in. The ONLY plane I've ever flown. The plane that overlapped with our pregnancy with our first child. I will miss its loyalty, its beautiful outdatedness. Most of all, I will miss its smell. It smelled mechanic, old, grimy and musty. But that smell is tied to so many strong and mostly good memories, most of which are documented here and here. Maybe they'll let me keep a floormat or something, and in 60 years when I'm completely off my rocker, I'll pull it out of its space-baggie, take an enriching deep breath, absorb the smell, and recall through the haze of a failing brain in intricate detail to the (great-?) grandchildren about learning to fly, about traveling with Husband (who will also be there, equally nuts), about the opportunities and geographies that open up to a pilot.
Several of you have noted that this doesn't have to be the end of the line for 388, and you're right. We'll see how things unfold. It does have a feeling of finality to it, though.
You know, we had prepared ourselves for this, and in many ways it's kinda the best thing for the situation because of certain life changes going on for us (some of which you know, some that are still private); it eliminates the hassle of trying to sell off a quarter share of an old (but fantastically reliable) plane.
But I still have tears in my eyes as I write this. The first plane we could call our own. The plane I trained in. The ONLY plane I've ever flown. The plane that overlapped with our pregnancy with our first child. I will miss its loyalty, its beautiful outdatedness. Most of all, I will miss its smell. It smelled mechanic, old, grimy and musty. But that smell is tied to so many strong and mostly good memories, most of which are documented here and here. Maybe they'll let me keep a floormat or something, and in 60 years when I'm completely off my rocker, I'll pull it out of its space-baggie, take an enriching deep breath, absorb the smell, and recall through the haze of a failing brain in intricate detail to the (great-?) grandchildren about learning to fly, about traveling with Husband (who will also be there, equally nuts), about the opportunities and geographies that open up to a pilot.
Several of you have noted that this doesn't have to be the end of the line for 388, and you're right. We'll see how things unfold. It does have a feeling of finality to it, though.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Thanks
Thanks, everyone, for the support/commiseration/advice...
We stopped by the airport again yesterday ~5 pm and 388 was still shiny-side down. The insurance guy is supposed to come out tomorrow (Monday), I think, and has given approval to flip the plane right-side up whenever the airport personnel want to do so. We're blocking at least one hangar and one taxi aisle for parking (there are alternate routes, just not as convenient), so I was surprised to see it still in place yesterday.
On top of being 33 weeks pregnant and sad about our first plane, I have pink eye for the first time ever and awoke this morning to ants in the kitchen! Such diversity in life's little challenges... When it rains, it pours, eh?
At least I have the love of a good man... :)
We stopped by the airport again yesterday ~5 pm and 388 was still shiny-side down. The insurance guy is supposed to come out tomorrow (Monday), I think, and has given approval to flip the plane right-side up whenever the airport personnel want to do so. We're blocking at least one hangar and one taxi aisle for parking (there are alternate routes, just not as convenient), so I was surprised to see it still in place yesterday.
On top of being 33 weeks pregnant and sad about our first plane, I have pink eye for the first time ever and awoke this morning to ants in the kitchen! Such diversity in life's little challenges... When it rains, it pours, eh?
At least I have the love of a good man... :)
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