PowerTunes

This post is inspired by Nike. Or more specifically, the new Nike+ system, where a little chip goes in your shoe and transmits info to your iPod whilst running. In this way you can always feel like you have an annoying fat coach right beside you yelling. You know, the kind that rides on his bike at a leisurely pace while you are killing yourself running. Like it always showed in Mike Tyson's PunchOut! Anyway, interesting system. I won't be buying it. But the part that is interesting is that, according to the ad I saw on the Nike website, when you are down to the last few minutes, or perhaps just the hardest portion of the run, you can cue up your "Power Song." I definitely know what they're talking about there. These are the songs that are somehow able to make your legs move faster, despite the fact that they were just ready to stop. They make your lungs heave, despite their best attempts to slow you down. They give the extra minute, or just the extra few seconds, that make the difference between a good run and just going for a jog. So I dedicate this post to my favourite power songs of all time, in order or awesomeness:

1) The First Drop - Rise Against
1) The Artist in the Ambulance - Thrice
1) Bullion - Millencolin
1) Injection - Rise Against
1) Drowning Lessons - My Chemical Romance

If you know what a power song is, and these songs are not part of your repertoire, you are making a horrible mistake. Of course, I am always open to suggestions. What is YOUR best power song?

ABBREVTN OVRLD

I am in ground school. And I have now learned why pilots make the big bucks. It's all about abbreviations and acronyms. Pilots get paid to know them all. Below is a short sampling from the classes I have taken so far:

In ACT class
- EAS is CAS corrected for PE and CE.
- It is good to have a RAT in case of BTB fail if you don't have an APU.
- JET-A with FSII is ok if JP-8 is not available.

In ADY class
- L/Dmax is the AOA where Tr and Pr are at a minimum.
- The CL can be increased by BLC.
- The FADEC is replacing MFCU these days.
- SFC is lowered by increasing TIT and lowering IOAT
- ROCmax for a jet is at L/D max

And my personal favourite,
In AOIs class
- The PMA is powered off the RGB
- The PMA powers the PMU, though the BAT BUS is backup, and if PMU fails the PIU will do it manually.
- The ADC supplies info to the EHSI, the EADI, and the EIDs.
- The EDM supplies the EIDs through the PMU
- The AHRS transfers to the AHRU, which is interpreted and displayed by the EFIS and recorded by the FRD in the IDARS.
- VOR1 and 2, ILS, as well as UHF and ModeA/C/S of the ATC transponder can be controlled through the RMU. DME too, if available.

I'm not even joking. I'm not adding anything there. This is all real. And there is a whole crapload more. But now, I know what...MOST of it means.

The source of my inspiration...

The battle over cake

There is a huge internal battle that has been going on everyday since I arrived at my new home. This battle only occurs in one building, and only at certain times. Three times per day, in fact. At the mess hall.

I pay a flat rate for food each month now. Whether or not that rate is too much...well, that is a different question. But the fact is that I do, and this entitles me to certain things at each meal of the day. I am entitled to a starch at each meal, be it hashbrowns, rice, boiled potatoes, or something of the sort. I am entitled to one main protien dish. Two vegetables at lunch and dinner, and a piece of fruit. If I have any entrée, I am not entitled to a large salad - only a small. But the thing is, I am entitled to a dessert at EVERY MEAL. Geez, just yesterday I saw a guy eating a nanaimo bar at breakfast. And these desserts are GOOD. I think they must order them in, because the food prepared in the kitchen there doesn't really compare. They have cheesecake. Pecan pie. Chocolate mousse cake. Apple crumble. Rolo cake. Cherry pie. White cake. Nanaimo bars. Ice cream. Carrot cake. Pudding. Brownies. Coconut bars. We're not talking just one thing at a meal, we're talking about a selection of five or more.

So here is where the conflict comes in: There are two parts of me, deeply ingrained in my personality, that I feel each time I see one of these desserts. First of all is the desire to be healthy. You don't have to go on my caveman diet to know that dessert is not healthy. Sugar. Saturated fat. Trans fat. It is hard to find any redeeming nutrition quality in these foods. Yeah, sure, apple pie has apples in it. That doesn't make it healthy. I have even been working extra hard lately to eat very well, and now this influence comes along.

The second part of me, in conflict with the desire to be healthy, is my need to be economical. Some people might even call me "cheap," though I would beg to differ. But really, I just feel the need to get the maximum value out of every dollar I spend. So if I can get a $4 piece of cake for nothing, don't you think I should take advantage of that? Because really, I would be cheating myself if I didn't! Think of when I am out of here and have to pay for that myself! That is just ridiculous, when I could stock up now at no extra charge. When I take that piece of fruit, that is only worth $0.65. A full size nanaimo bar is worth $3.50. And costs me nothing! And they say eating healthy is expensive.

Yes, I realize that it just might be lame to eat chocolate cake for economical reasons.

Of course, the economical part of me has a very strong ally. He is called deliciousness. Because we allllll know how delicious dessert is.

So far, I have resisted. Out of 28 meals, I have had only one dessert - an enourmous piece of moist yet rich chocolate cake. With chocolate icing. And chocolate shavings on top. Capped off with chocolate drizzle. Hey, if you're going to go, don't go half-way. But my inner beliefs continue to batter each other at every meal.

Come onnnnnnn, Healthymatt.

Motivation

Well, here I am. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Everything I ever wanted, almost. I have a nice place to live, decent food to eat, lots of friends here, and I am actually advancing my career/life now. Same goes for all the other trainees. So everyone should be happy, right?

Ha.

No.

There is way too much stress here for people to be happy. The only really happy guy I have talked to, not including the other guys on my course who just got here, was someone who finished his course last week. And this is the story another guy told about him:

"Andrew wasn't like this until Friday, you know. For 8 months, he was miserable. I went into his room a few months ago to ask him how things were on the course, since I was only a couple months into it and was not having a good time with it. 'Well, man,' he said, 'prepare yourself, because it doesn't get any better.' It wasn't very inspiring. I wasn't very motivated." No kidding. And that is all I have heard since I arrived. One guy today said he told his instructor he had to get a haircut, so he didn't have to fly. Everyone, all 80 or 90 of the other people who are on the courses ahead of me, just can't wait to be finished and out of here. Yet I haven't even STARTED GROUND SCHOOL yet, never mind being close to finishing the course. Yeesh.

GAFF remains high. Motivation high. Let's see how long I can hold that.

The special ingredient

Cross your t's

I correct people's grammar. I correct spelling. I correct punctuation. I most definitely tell then when a word they are using doesn't make any sense in the way they are using it. I do it because I wouldn't want the message to be confused or misinterpreted.

This pisses people off. It REALLY pisses off some people. "You know what I mean," say some. "F*** you, you a**hole, leave me alone," say others.

I feel better about it today, however. According to this story, Rogers is going to lose over 2 million dollars due to the misuse of a comma. Yes, a comma, that most basic of punctuation marks, was placed where, apparently...something else should have been placed. They made a deal to lock in the price for using utility poles in the Maritimes to string their cable lines. Now Aliant, with whom they made the deal, has cancelled it and the rates are going up. If you read the sentence in question in the contract, it seems very obvious to me that this deal could be cancelled:

"The agreement 'shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.'”

When there are two commas in a sentence, the third clause refers to the first. They intended the contract to be in force for five years, with the option of a cancellation thereafter with one year's notice. Too bad, Rogers. Send those lawyers back to school.

My new home

I finally did it. I finally made it out of Winnipeg. For good. Ok, at least for a while. I am the newest resident of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. For those of you who don't know where that is...well, you probably don't care, either. But as far as I know, there haven't been any hate-songs written about my new home, so I will take it. My new place even has 3 rooms, instead of one. That's right, I don't have to walk down the hall to the bathroom anymore. Simple things keep me happy.

As for Winnipeg...I still detest you. I found an awesome restaurant on my last night there, and that may be the best part of the entire city. I guess I shouldn't rant too much about the city, though. In addition to the fact that I have already done that, I will more than likely be back in Manitoba within a year, and probably back in Winnipeg before too many years. But if there is one picture that makes me think of Winnipeg, it is this one. That is Blue Bombers' kicker Troy Westwood. Trying to defend Winnipeg, as Winnipeggers often have to do. Because the rest of the country knows that the place sucks.