Nokia N810

Back during the fall, my truck was broken into, and my Sansa MP3 player was stolen. I have been wanting a new MP3 player ever since. Another thing I have been really wanting is a portable GPS system. I have also been pretty enamored with the iPod Touch, even though I am the farthest thing from an Apple fanboy you'll find. The reason I like the iPod Touch is that you can access the internet with it.

I think I may have found a device that will allow me to keep eschewing Apple products and get all the functionality that I am looking for. The Nokia N810 is an internet tablet, but rather than being the size of a laptop, it is approximately the size of an iPod Touch, a little thicker, maybe a little larger in the other dimensions, but it'll easily fit in your shirt pocket.

It has a web browser, audio player capability, and the ability to act as a GPS. The downside is that it costs $475. I can get a 15% discount, but that's still in the $400 neighborhood. That's more than I can afford right now, so I guess I'll have to keep admiring it from afar. It really does look like a nice device, though. Maybe I'll be able to afford one soon.

Minor Brain Dump

I don't really have anything specific to say today, but I feel like writing something. I'm still waiting to hear something from GSU about the job. I just hope I haven't been passed over for consideration. It sucks not knowing anything.

I'm getting back into the swing of things with my night job. I had a rough time with it over the summer. I was doing three nights a week at one location, and they closed abruptly in the spring. I only had one other show, and that one went away during the summer. I spent about three months just picking up a cover here and there, and doing the occasional corporate event. I finally started picking up some more shows, and now I have four per week. I'm looking for a Wednesday night Trivia show, and that'll give me five nights a week. I hate being away from my family at night, but frankly I need the money. It replaces what Leila would earn as a preschool teacher, and this way she gets to stay home with Camille. Camille is such a happy little girl that I wouldn't have it any other way.

I wish that I earned more at my day job in order to not have to do the night thing, but I doubt that'll happen. Once we get our finances under control, it will be better, but with hospital bills (I had my gall bladder out last April) and other emergency expenses, we're stretched to the limit right now. I have no choice but to work nights.

The good news is that I plan to file our taxes this week, and there should be about a $5k refund. That will help immensely.

I guess that's all. I have the urge to write more, but I truly have nothing to say.

Job Hunting - The Wait

I like my current job. I like the people I work with. They are quite literally the smartest people I have ever known. And the companies that we work with are the cream of the crop. But I find myself chasing another job.

I have applied to Georgia Southern University for the position of Assistant Director of Information Systems. I sent my application right after New Year's Day, and came to find out three weeks later that they never received it. I sent it again, via fax, and have been waiting ever since. Several circumstances have conspired to make the application process a very slow one. For starters, I have heard through the grapevine that the entire IS department at GSU is new. So perhaps they aren't as certain about what to do or who they want as an established department would be. Also, they are using a committee to screen the applications, and as everyone who has ever been a part of a committee know, they move at a snail's pace.

So if I'm happy with my current job, and the application process for the new job is so slow, why am I chasing it? Several reasons. One is that I am from Bulloch County, where GSU is located, and I simply want to go home. I miss my home, I miss my parents, I miss my family, and I miss living where I feel like I belong. I'm a country boy, and the city just isn't for me.

Another reason stems from the fact that my in-laws moved from the area to Florida back in October. When they were here, we could go see them on the weekend, and it felt like I had family close. Now I have no family within 200 miles.

Finally, I think it would be a good career move. I really don't want to be a programmer for the rest of my life. I want to move into management, and that's probably not going to happen in my current job. If I can switch jobs into a management position, even if there isn't a pay increase, it would be a good career move.

I have some good references: The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at GSU, the Acting Chair of the Information Systems Department of the College of Business Administration at GSU, and one of the employees of the Engineering Department. I have plenty of management experience, but no title that would suggest that. I hope that I get the opportunity to interview, because I think my interview would be what would convince them that I am the right person for the job.

I just have to wait. And as Tom Petty sang, "The waiting is the hardest part".

Super Tuesday Results

Super Tuesday has come and gone in Georgia, and the surprise winner on the Republican side was Mike Huckabee. This came as a pleasant surprise to me, since he is the candidate that I placed my vote for. I supported Huckabee due to his support of one single issue: The Fair Tax. I firmly believe that the Fair Tax will cause the US to become the world's greatest tax haven, and that the citizens of the US will have to work extremely hard to not have a good job. It will give more purchasing power to the people, and lift the economy to heights that have never been dreamed of.

I do not think that Huckabee can overcome the lead that McCain has built up, but his strong showing at the very least helps to bring the issue of the FairTax more into the public eye, and the more the public sees of the FairTax, the better the chance that it'll get passed.

What a Birthday!

Saturday was my 30th birthday, and what a birthday it was! My wonderful wife, who was celebrating her 29th birthday on Saturday as well, booked me some time with aerobatic pilot Elgin Wells in his Super Decathalon. The Super Decathalon is one of the planes that I've always wanted a ride in, and what a ride I got!

Elgin picked me up at the Flying Machine restaurant at the Lawrenceville airport. There were three sets of straps holding me in -- one for the parachute (!!!), one set of straps holding me to the seat, and a final set with a rachet tightening device holding me to the airframe. It took almost 15 minutes to get me strapped in.

We took off and proceeded to the practice area. Elgin talked, and I flew! It was great. I haven't been at the controls of an airplane in five years, and it felt so good to just fly around. When we got to the practice area, Elgin talked me through the aerobatic manuevers. We started with a barrel roll, which is crazy easy. We went on to do a loop, a half cuban eight, four point rolls, half cuban eight with a roll, hammerhead turns, and a half cuban eight with a point roll.

I had Elgin demonstrate a snap roll, and that's what finally got me. I didn't get sick -- not even close -- but I felt a small knot develop in the pit of my stomach. I knew that I wasn't going to hurl, but I also knew that if we kept on, I was going to feel worse. I had been having such a good time that I didn't want to take a chance on ruining it by feeling bad. We headed back to the airport.

I can't thank Leila enough for such an amazing birthday present. I'll post some screenshots from the DVD of my flight that is coming. This was so much fun, I may have to do it again!

F-14 Retirement

Aero-News.net is reporting that the last F-14 combat mission has returned to the carrier USS Teddy Roosevelt (CVN 71). The last combat mission was on February 8, 2006.

The F-14 has always been one of my favorite military aircraft, and not just because it was the real star of "Top Gun". The swing wing technology has always fascinated me, and the amount of sheer, raw power that the F14 packed is enough to amaze everyone. I had the good fortune to witness an F-14 airshow performance in Augusta several years ago. It also did a "Heritage Flight", flying in formation with a P-51 Mustang. I'll never forget that flyby. The P-51 was running almost flat-out, and the huge wings of the F-14 were straight out to the sides, fighting to stay in the air at that low an airspeed. It was a great show.

I will definitely miss the F-14.

Initial Thoughts on Flight Training

So I have made the decision to get my pilot's license. (Actually, I made that decision years ago. It just hasn't been financially feasible. I'm looking at maybe next year.) The first thing I have to decide is where I'm going to have my training.

The first option is Gwinnett County/Briscoe Field (KLZU) which is south of me off of Highway 316. It has a control tower, and is a busy airport. It only has one runway, measuring 6000 x 100, so it has plenty of runway. I want to train with a tower, but I worry about how busy this airport is. I don't want to have to fight for a place in the pattern with corporate jets, fast twins, etc. There are several flight schools there, including Atlanta Pilot Training, Advanced Aviation Diamond Flight Center, The Flight School of Gwinnett County and Atlanta Flight Training. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I found on the web.

The next option is the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville (KGVL), which is northeast of me. While it has two intersecting runways, it only has one flight school that I can find, the Lanier Flight Center. The runways are configured as follows: Runway 4/22 is 5500 x 100, and Runway 11/29 is 4001 x 100. GVL is also an uncontrolled field.

The last option is the Winder-Barrow County Airport (KWDR). KWDR is farther from me than either KLZU or KGVL, and it also has no control tower. It has two intersecting runways. Runway 13/31 is 5500 x 100, and runway 5/23 is 3610 x 100. There is one flight school, The Flight School of Barrow County.
There is one final option, and it will get me my license in the fastest possible time. I can get my license in two weeks by going out to Arizona and taking lessons at West Mesa Aviation. The tradeoff is that it will cost approximately twice as much, almost $10k. While I'd like to get my license in two weeks, I think I'll skip this option. It's just too expensive. I may try some kind of accelerated training when I go for my IFR rating.