Living the Dream

I apologize for the long break between posts. I have been pretty busy the last 2 weeks and on top of all the flying my internet decided it didn't want to work last week.

So here is what has been going on...

I was lucky enough to have my first flight be an oceanic flight to the Azores.

It was so much fun.

The instructors are awesome, the flying is fun, and the environment beautiful.

Since the first flight I have refueled a couple c130s and this week will be giving gas to some german fighters.

On the tourist side of things, i participated in the Gallon Challenge of Cambridge last weekend. It is drinking a pint of beer at 8 different pubs around Cambridge. You have 2 weeks to do it, but the guys that called were just gonna knock it out in one afternoon. It doesn't sound like that difficult for somone that is just a couple years out of college, but it was. Maybe it was the walking around between pubs or the greasy food that i ate after round 5, but it wasn't as easy as expected.

This weekend I hit up a castle and Norwich for the Living End concert. More pics to come.

Ska Band in London and I get lost running

Apparently they had wired my phone line to someone else's home. I am glad it wasn't something simple I wasn't doing from here. So i am up and running. The Internet beats the dorms in OK but isn't top of the line. I also have a phone line and am in the process of hooking up my vonage. I will send an email with the numbers to contact me. I started to post them but realized that could end badly.

So, I headed down to London to see one of my favorite ska bands on Saturday. Ska is like reggae, punk, and big band for those who aren't familiar. I pick up a buddy from base and drive to Cambridge to meet another copilot from the SQ. If it wasn't for the 30-40 minute commute to work i would definitely consider getting a nice place in Cambridge when Mary gets here. We park the car and take a train to London. It is 17 pounds for the round trip train and unlimited Underground (subway). With the exchange rate is $25ish and isn't too bad. There are 2 trains from Cambridge to kings Cross (London), one is express and one stops along the way. Only about 15-20 min difference, but we caught the longer train just because he next one wasn't for 35 minutes. It takes about 50 minutes to get there. We have no plans until the concert so we just hop on the tube and head to Leicester square. on the hunt for food we end up finding a pub near Trafalgar square. The monument at the square is for Lord Nelson the admiral that kicked napoleon's butt just north of Africa at the battle of Trafalgar, hence the name of the square. Around the monument are big bronze lions that were actually molded from the melted napoleon cannons. I get a pint of some beer called Brains from a pub along with fish and chips. I hadn't had the chance to experience fish and chips yet. I always seemed to just eat at Indian or Thai places.

From the pub we just continue our walk towards the river Thames that brings us to big ben, parliament and Westminster abbey. This is the same route that Mary had taken our first day here. While i was sad she wasn't here, the weather was nice enough to get a tan and i hadn't been up for 36 hours so i still had fun. Did you know Big Ben is actually named for the bell, not the clock. we continued through the parks to Buckingham palace and on to Hyde park. It is very similar to New York's central park. people were in the grass laying int he sun, roller bladers were jumping the cones, and dogs were running around. It is a pretty good sized park and we just headed to the nearest underground station to try and find the venue of the concert.

I shamefully hadn't done my research, or any research on where this place could be. I told myself it is the University of London Union, everyone will know where that is. It took a couple circles and a tube back track but we found it. 2 of us had tickets but the other was just gonna buy it at the door. I really hoped they didn't sell out. They were hungry and the door opened later than expected so we headed to find a nearby restaurant. We settled on Lebanese cuisine. it is a mixture of Indian and Greek i thought. Very good lamb and pitas. They had yogurt garlic cucumber sauce that was amazing and the rice was good as well. It wasn't too pricey. i found that if you just think that you are paying dollars, everything is really cheap and you can live happier.

We headed back the concert. There were 3 opening bands and they were all pretty good. in between bands we could go to the room next door and drink beer. It wasn't a bad deal. Finally, Streetlight Manifesto took the stage and gave a great performance. Their horns were so talented and the singer really kept the pace up. I will only say one more thing about the concert. I have been to dozens of concerts. Mary and i have been in the mosh pit of the warped tour in 100 degree weather, but i must say that it was probably the smelliest group that i have been around. i am sure i didn't help it since i was walking around all day, but i am just throwing that out there. Oh yeah, i caught a drum stick. I had found a guitar pick once when a band threw 20 into the audience, but this was my first drum stick. It fell right to my feet, and being so close to the ground i had first dibs. It was a good trophy for my day. From the concert we hit up the train back home and i was asleep before i hit the pillow, (I showered first of course).

I know this post is getting long, but i am so excited to have Internet and have nothing else to do tonight.

I went running down my usual 20 minute path that brings me by the church and the peacocks. While in the past i kinda felt like i wasn't allowed to travel on some roads, i was caught today by a 10 year old on a bike that informed me i was on a private road and if i was looking for the foot path is was a bit farther down the road. he was friendly and i went on my way. Already 12 minutes into the run, i headed into the unknown. He said the footpath took me to Tudenham, which is a town farther east of me. I didn't want to have to run all the way there and then back home so i kinda created my own shortcut. I knew i was south and a little east, but not sure how far south. I left the footpath to run on the outskirts of a farm. These are usually beaten paths by tractors. I headed in the direction that i thought was home. I made it about another mile and the ground turned to very soft soil. Not quite mud, but very moist and hard to run on. I was surrounded by a creek that was too far for me to jump. I considered climbing a tree to give me a little more range, but it wasn't worth the jump. I dodged some stubborn ducks on a nest, 2 bee hives in the ground, and after discovering England's variation of Sting weed, i came across and small bridge. Still in the middle of nowhere i ran the direction where i saw cars. I finally made it out of the swamps and on to the street. I was worried for a bit that i would get stranded and i would be found in a thousand years by national geographic fully preserved as the bog man of 2000. I poked through the hedges at an intersection where i saw as sign to the Manor which is right next to where i live. Thinking knew which road that was, i chose not to take it and headed the way i knew was quicker. it turns out that i had run about 2 miles north of where i thought i was. I took my dad's army advice and headed to high ground. I booked it up a hill and saw a farmer working on his tractor. Anxiously sprinting to ask him for directions, he evaded me in his tractor and i headed on the farm path. I finally recognized a little concrete bunker that you can see from the main road and from there had my bearings. It ended up being over an hour ordeal. I posted a picture that i took from the concrete bunker when i first got here.

If you are reading this, then you toughed out my rambling and i congratulate you on making it to the end.

I have my first flight on Wed. i am really excited. I get to fly to Lajes airfield on the Azores. They are the small islands just south west of Portugal. i get to practice the new plane system of texting air traffic control rather than talking on the radio. i hope it works out.

pictures:

Trafalgar square

Eye of London

London Aquarium/Salvadore Dali museum

Battle of britain Memorial with churchill quote "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"

A St. George statue outside of westminister abbey

one of the buckingham guards

the marble arch

a cavalry monument from WWI in hyde park

Streetlight manifesto

I miss you all. And Mary, I if i was the drummer in a band i would throw my drumstick to you.

My gated community and the spies of Mildenhall

Since my apartment isn't quite ready to be photographed, I took some pics of the Manor next to my apartment. I am not sure of the history of the Manor, but it is a giant mansion that has about 10 acres. I guess they sold the land and that became my apartment complex. The entire estate is mine as well, so i can walk the paths and chase the animals of the surrounding woods.

I had my final flight physical this morning. I had gone in on Thursday and they gave me 3 different sleeping pills that I had to test out. they are to make sure i didn't have a reaction in case they had to issue them to me on deployment for crew rest issues. So i am good to go and may start flying as early as Thurs or Friday. I am fully Block 40 upgraded and just have to fly a couple times to be operationally qualified. i am getting excited.

My movers come tomorrow, then the phone people will come on Thursday. I will get an American number through vonage, then all calls will be just as if you were calling Florida. I have to get Mary's Acura's light conversion and yearly maintenance check on Friday. They have different standards as Americans do. So they will have to adjust the lights and other stuff. All can be undone so Mary can sleep well knowing it isn't permanently tainted.

There are some other animals in the pictures. I am not sure what the 2 birds are, maybe some kind of quail. The other is a small deer. They are much smaller than American white tailed deer. The picture of cars is right along our flight line. The community loves to track the tail numbers of the planes. They have huge lensed cameras and just hug the fence only about 100 yards from the runway all day and even night. Its kinda neat that they enjoy watching rather than being upset we are there. Sometimes it makes you wonder who else can be there watching though. I am sure we have proper protection. Enjoy!

I watched Frost/Nixon last night on base. The theater is pretty nice. It hasn't been crowded yet. The movies aren't as recent as America, just about a month later. The great thing is that it is only 4 bucks. so i usually just grab subway and see a movie if it looks good. I enjoyed the movie. i am not from that era, and i don't have any personal feelings about Nixon. The movie did a good job of playing both sides. i felt bad for Nixon at times in the movie. I recommend it.

I hear this Friday is a "family day" and most will not have to work. As the newbie, i will probably fly or something on Friday, but we will see. Even though i have no real family here, i plan on taking advantage. i may head somewhere south around London. On Saturday i am going to see my favorite Ska band, Streetlight Manifesto, at the University of London Union. I am excited. i am coming around to the Cask Ales here. Those are the warmer, less carbonated beers. it sounds awful, and if you get the wrong one it will make you quit drinking beer. Instead of being pressurized in a keg at the brewery and shipped, the company sends the half fermented barrel to the bar. The bar tenders then put them in the basement and open the barrels for about 2 days for the beer to finish its process. From there they just put a hose in the barrel and have to hand pump the beer out. it is an experience.

the pigfarm near my apt and Ely cathedral

I couldn't help but notice that the pigs here at this pig farm are very much the steriotypical pig. I mean this is what i think of when i think of all the famous porkers out there. Wilbur, babe, etc. I had to take pictures of them. They are so big and pink. smaller eyes than i expected though.

I also ventured west recently to this town called Ely. (pronounced Eelie) This place has a beautiful cathedral as well as Oliver Cromwell's house. I gathered some information from tour guide and am gonna contact the archives at Cambridge for some leads as to where our family came from. let me know if you have any hints.

I attached some pics of the pigs, ely cathedral, and me at the cromwell house.

birds of east anglia

One of the first things that caught my eye as I was driving around the backroads of my new Apartment were the neat birds around. i have attached some pictures. The pheasants are really pretty and there are peacocks just walking around as well. Everything is so green out here. I guess the price for all this green is the rain it takes. It seems like everywhere I have lived, the locals say "if you dont' like the weather, wait 10 minutes". I figured that was just the way the world was. But out here they probably say "wait 2 minutes". I was running yesterday becasue i saw a glint of sunlight shining through. I got about a mile out and i kid you not, while the sun was still shining on my face i was pelted with little pea sized hail. Don't even bother getting your car washed. I counted 6 waves of rain/sun the other day. all within abotu 2 hours.

As for my job, i have completed all the computer training and 2 of the 3 sims. my last sim is going to be monday morning then i will probably fly later next week. I half of my goods have arrived as well as the bed and table i bought have already arrived. I have spent this weekend cleaning and preparing my place for the rest of my household items. I like my apartment for the most part. it is very modern and all the appliances are included. The down side is that i am on the top floor and anyone taller than me wont' stand a chance maneuvering past the beams of the celing. i have even bumped my head a couple times doing laundry. I guess that will deter them from drinking to much at my place.

Dont' take for granted how easy stuff in america is. I guess it is the greed of our business, but it takes weeks to set up any phone/tv/internet. I remember having everything within a couple days (if not that day) of the first phone call to the services at all the places i have lived. i ordered vonage as well, so there will be an american numbe for you all to call for free. neat huh!

That is all i have for now.

3 weeks after arriving

I have arrived in the UK. Mary was here the first week then had to head back to TX. I have found a place to live and look forward to getting all my stuff moved in and having internet at my apartment. I have a couple good stories already that will follow this post in the next couple days.