"Did you see the monthly tonnage report?" "Yea" Over a thousand tons of bombs dropped over the North not including the part of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. Those B-52s can carry a load. Why is the Air Force telling us this? Are they trying to look stupid? Every flight all I see are the same trees knocked down and the holes we made in the dirt roads filled with rain water.
"Take a load off and we'll figure this out." I looked around the steel walled state room and all I saw was gun metal gray and lots of it. It made my head swim. Nothing cheery about home sweet home these last eight months but the picture of my wife on the desk. "You lock the door and I'll buy tonight." I opened the the safe on my desk meant for storing secret documents and out came the bottle of Chevas Regal. I had picked up a large bucket of ice for this debriefing. Chevas over ice had a nice golden hue to it and as I brought it up to my nose it had the effect of an ammonia stick and I shook my head. It's four in the morning and still a humid 81 degrees outside. The air conditioning was working overtime in my room and I shivered as the scotch slide down my throat. The midnight flying was going to kill me not a missile. We'd been out to sea for thirty four days straight and I was getting tired.
"What the fuck are we doing here?" "The Air Force gives us shitty targets every night. By the time we get the mission planned they move the ammo depot down the road and we knock down trees again. I feel like I'm in the lumber and swimming pool business."
My flight suit was still wet from the sweat in places so I moved around and pulled the nomex material away from my skin. It had been another stormy night and my landing hadn't been stellar. The LSO had told me I was high in the beginning, low in the middle and needed power over the ramp. All true but I had made a save, grabbed a wire and was back aboard. It's not so bad they're shooting SAMs at you as having to listen to the Landing Signals Officer rant about your landing.
"You want another?" Valdez was clinking his ice around an empty glass. "Yea" "I have an answer to that stupid tonnage report." "Then drink up and let's hear it." I lit my third cigarette in as many minutes. I wasn't chain smoking but it was close. The scotch was taking effect and the nicotine kicking in so I egged Valdez on. "What's you're answer?"
"Oh yeh, if we had dropped the same tonnage of bowling balls with no finger holes into the rice paddies of North Vietnam from the beginning of this damn war they'd have surrendered years ago and still be trucking those balls to the coast."
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Notes on why I went to war, voted for Nixon and lost my religion
Did it happen quickly or was I thinking about all this all the time?
Family pressure
United States Naval Academy to be a pilot like my Father
Peace is at hand 1968 Henry Kissenger
Military family, growing up on Base, nice people
Catholic alter boy finding out about martyrs
OK to die for your faith - straight to Heaven
Help others in need
Catholics should be Democrats
Officers in the Military are upper middle class and Republican
President is Commander in Chief of the Miltary and your Boss
Kent State shootings/National Guard/DNC Chicago eight
Skipper set the tone-no hanging around the target-come home
Drinking in my room after flying and discussing stupidity of war
If we had dropped the same tonnage of bowling balls instead of bombs
Drinking, smoking and SAMS
No way out with honor
Run the flight deck, stop smoking, vote for Humphrey
Think for yourself, lost faith in politics, religion training faded
Get out as soon as you can
Family pressure
United States Naval Academy to be a pilot like my Father
Peace is at hand 1968 Henry Kissenger
Military family, growing up on Base, nice people
Catholic alter boy finding out about martyrs
OK to die for your faith - straight to Heaven
Help others in need
Catholics should be Democrats
Officers in the Military are upper middle class and Republican
President is Commander in Chief of the Miltary and your Boss
Kent State shootings/National Guard/DNC Chicago eight
Skipper set the tone-no hanging around the target-come home
Drinking in my room after flying and discussing stupidity of war
If we had dropped the same tonnage of bowling balls instead of bombs
Drinking, smoking and SAMS
No way out with honor
Run the flight deck, stop smoking, vote for Humphrey
Think for yourself, lost faith in politics, religion training faded
Get out as soon as you can
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Mother and Daughter submitted to My Turn 4/14/08
February 28, 2005 means something very different for me. Not a leap year. Our family was anxiously waiting for the live donor transplant operation to be completed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Not one, but two relatives were anesthetized, and undergoing a life saving procedure: one giving and one receiving.
My sister-in-law Blair was being the ultimate mother and donating half of her liver to her daughter Katy this afternoon. A complicated and lengthy set of protocols, tests and biopsies got them this far but reattaching the blood vessels to the new half of a liver ( just extricated from another human being who was healthy) is beyond normal comprehension. Greek myths, one of Dante’s hells and the "X Files" all expound on the regenerative power of the liver cells to reproduce quickly. Both halves will be 95 per cent full size in 3-4 weeks after the surgery.
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) attacks the large bile ducts in your liver. Doctors don’t know for sure, but it is thought to be an autoimmune disease. Immune cells that normally attack viruses and bacteria turn on the liver and slowly thicken the bile and scar the bile ducts. Eventually scarring (Sclerosis) interferes with the health of the liver and it hardens (Cirrhosis) and quits functioning. Bile thinners, opening bile ducts and placing stents in the main ducts can prolong the liver’s operation but a transplant is the only known cure at this time. Viral or bacterial infections are thought to be the triggers of this rare disease.
Blair had moved up to New England with her 2 year old daughter Katy to live with us for awhile. A 5 month temporary stay turned into 16 years as an extended family. Now we were separated - two in the operating room and others in the waiting room and at home. We had all applied to be the donor but Blair was the perfect match. She seemed to know it would be her from the beginning. You could see it in her relaxation now but she had trained hard to be in the perfect shape for this operation.
Katy with curls and a smile had constant adult companionship growing up. Uncle, aunt and mother paid special attention to Katy as she said "Talk to me, play with me, ask me questions." She grew up knowing that she was loved. She played in restaurants, ball parks and the back row of coach traveling the world in a B-747. She read constantly and studied all the way to Wellesley.
My niece Katy had been diagnosed 10 years ago when she was twenty-one and her liver had slowly (over 7 years) progressed to stage four (the start of liver failure). With ten thousand plus patients awaiting a new liver and only two to three thousand liver donations after fatal accidents in the United States, you can see why the average recipient of a cadaver liver is living with a non functioning liver near death just to get to the top of the list. A non functioning liver affects all of your organs and creates its own set of problems before and during surgery. Finding a donor and undergoing this surgery you get part of a liver five to seven years earlier than you might otherwise have to wait.
Walter Payton, the hall of fame NFL running back had PSC but died of liver cancer before he could get a transplant (a fairly common occurrence unfortunately). Another famous athlete Chris Klug who had PSC and underwent a transplant as a young man won a gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics in snow boarding with his new liver and life.
Luckily mother and daughter are doing fine with regenerated near normal sized livers. Although there can always be complications in the future and the recipients must be on anti-rejection drugs the rest of their lives, the living donor transplant operation is the only way to relieve the long wait for a new start on life. Nine years went by day by day with Katy’s life slowing down, jaundice setting in and fear of cancer always on her mind.
This disease stole Katy’s twenties and almost took her life but while waiting for her fate to unfold she volunteered and worked for Americorp in Boston managing a program of seniors tutoring elementary age students who needed one on one reading skills improvement. Katy has started a new decade of life with health, energy and a new career. She’s getting her Masters and teaching credentials as a pre-school teacher where the kids ask her to "Talk to me, play with me, ask me questions." And she does.
My sister-in-law Blair was being the ultimate mother and donating half of her liver to her daughter Katy this afternoon. A complicated and lengthy set of protocols, tests and biopsies got them this far but reattaching the blood vessels to the new half of a liver ( just extricated from another human being who was healthy) is beyond normal comprehension. Greek myths, one of Dante’s hells and the "X Files" all expound on the regenerative power of the liver cells to reproduce quickly. Both halves will be 95 per cent full size in 3-4 weeks after the surgery.
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) attacks the large bile ducts in your liver. Doctors don’t know for sure, but it is thought to be an autoimmune disease. Immune cells that normally attack viruses and bacteria turn on the liver and slowly thicken the bile and scar the bile ducts. Eventually scarring (Sclerosis) interferes with the health of the liver and it hardens (Cirrhosis) and quits functioning. Bile thinners, opening bile ducts and placing stents in the main ducts can prolong the liver’s operation but a transplant is the only known cure at this time. Viral or bacterial infections are thought to be the triggers of this rare disease.
Blair had moved up to New England with her 2 year old daughter Katy to live with us for awhile. A 5 month temporary stay turned into 16 years as an extended family. Now we were separated - two in the operating room and others in the waiting room and at home. We had all applied to be the donor but Blair was the perfect match. She seemed to know it would be her from the beginning. You could see it in her relaxation now but she had trained hard to be in the perfect shape for this operation.
Katy with curls and a smile had constant adult companionship growing up. Uncle, aunt and mother paid special attention to Katy as she said "Talk to me, play with me, ask me questions." She grew up knowing that she was loved. She played in restaurants, ball parks and the back row of coach traveling the world in a B-747. She read constantly and studied all the way to Wellesley.
My niece Katy had been diagnosed 10 years ago when she was twenty-one and her liver had slowly (over 7 years) progressed to stage four (the start of liver failure). With ten thousand plus patients awaiting a new liver and only two to three thousand liver donations after fatal accidents in the United States, you can see why the average recipient of a cadaver liver is living with a non functioning liver near death just to get to the top of the list. A non functioning liver affects all of your organs and creates its own set of problems before and during surgery. Finding a donor and undergoing this surgery you get part of a liver five to seven years earlier than you might otherwise have to wait.
Walter Payton, the hall of fame NFL running back had PSC but died of liver cancer before he could get a transplant (a fairly common occurrence unfortunately). Another famous athlete Chris Klug who had PSC and underwent a transplant as a young man won a gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics in snow boarding with his new liver and life.
Luckily mother and daughter are doing fine with regenerated near normal sized livers. Although there can always be complications in the future and the recipients must be on anti-rejection drugs the rest of their lives, the living donor transplant operation is the only way to relieve the long wait for a new start on life. Nine years went by day by day with Katy’s life slowing down, jaundice setting in and fear of cancer always on her mind.
This disease stole Katy’s twenties and almost took her life but while waiting for her fate to unfold she volunteered and worked for Americorp in Boston managing a program of seniors tutoring elementary age students who needed one on one reading skills improvement. Katy has started a new decade of life with health, energy and a new career. She’s getting her Masters and teaching credentials as a pre-school teacher where the kids ask her to "Talk to me, play with me, ask me questions." And she does.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Draft lesson four-Feeling of Flight
I've been 61 years on this earth. I wonder if I can subtract the years I've been in the air? What am I doing at a busy airport on Saturday morning in West Houston waiting to go flying? It's a clear day in the 70s but the wind is blowing like Dallas with nothing to stop it. We take the runway for take-off and all I can see from the rear seat of this experimental "tail dragger" is Loren's headset perched on his ball cap with a few instruments to his left and right. I'm not flying today. It's my birthday flight and there's no rhyme or reason as to why I said "Let's go flying." I love the sound of "clear prop!" and the crank and rumble of the engine starting. I can't wait for the acceleration at take-off and the first weightless moment of flight.
The planes on the left are waiting with jealous eyes for this sleek red and white rocket to take off. Hangars to the right with bi-planes, high wing and low wing "birds" being pulled out by their owners fade as we feel the acceleration. Rudder pedals moving left and right, tail wheel up and blue sky above as we're off and the quiet of the headsets quickly puts us into another world.
At three miles per minute we should be in the practice area in five minutes. I watched Loren build this aircraft for five years. He caressed every rivet and loved this plane into existence. "You've got the aircraft!" his hands over his head to show me that I was flying now. "Got it!" I breathed heavily into the microphone. I said "aileron roll to the left" and raised the nose of N614SL above the horizon before I pressed the stick full left and watched the world tumble in front of me. Pleasure and excitement filled my chest as I went upside down and back to level flight. I could do this a hundred times and not get tired. There's nothing to fear but the deceleration of the final landing. I don't want to come down.
The planes on the left are waiting with jealous eyes for this sleek red and white rocket to take off. Hangars to the right with bi-planes, high wing and low wing "birds" being pulled out by their owners fade as we feel the acceleration. Rudder pedals moving left and right, tail wheel up and blue sky above as we're off and the quiet of the headsets quickly puts us into another world.
At three miles per minute we should be in the practice area in five minutes. I watched Loren build this aircraft for five years. He caressed every rivet and loved this plane into existence. "You've got the aircraft!" his hands over his head to show me that I was flying now. "Got it!" I breathed heavily into the microphone. I said "aileron roll to the left" and raised the nose of N614SL above the horizon before I pressed the stick full left and watched the world tumble in front of me. Pleasure and excitement filled my chest as I went upside down and back to level flight. I could do this a hundred times and not get tired. There's nothing to fear but the deceleration of the final landing. I don't want to come down.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Pilot Epidemic
Have you noticed something different about your fellow travellers lately? I’m talking physically changing before your eyes. Next time you go to the airport, look at the pilots’ fingernails. A bit long and oh, so dirty. Yes, they try to wash their hands more frequently and pay special attention to the nails but on “that” side of security the fingernail file is not available. Waiting for the commute home they fidget with their hands, occasionally feeling in their pocket for the Swiss Army knife they used to carry. Oh yeah, confiscated on the way to work! An amputated nail file still lingers in their memory.
Did you know that there are 113 diseases of the skin and nails, some directly related to improper upkeep of the hand and nails? A recent internet search showed 496 sites advertising help with some of these maladies, but all of them requiring proper hygiene after complying with these remedies. What about us? Are we left out here like clothes to dry? Has the government forgotten our little predicament?
A few phone calls I made confirmed what I already knew. They refuse to believe there is a problem, let alone a blossoming epidemic on hand. Back to normal! Do your job. Continue as usual. But we don’t have the tools to do the job! Please sir, let us have our 1 1/2 inch nail files back. Do you realize as pilots we can carry firearms? Give us a little training and a lock box to carry our nail files in at least.
A call to the Center for Disease control did get a little sympathy but this SARS virus has them a little busy and they said they’d get back to me. They did recommend wearing latex gloves but beware there is a large part of the population that is allergic to latex, so be careful.
I’m not a scientist but I have been to the Galapagos Islands and my understanding is that the pilot group and their genetic off-spring will eventually grow abnormal fingernails evolving to suit their environment (being on the secure side of the airport system nearly half of the lives). One or two generations is my guess. I do remember a picture of Howard Hughes near his airplane. Look what happened to his fingernails.
Did you know that there are 113 diseases of the skin and nails, some directly related to improper upkeep of the hand and nails? A recent internet search showed 496 sites advertising help with some of these maladies, but all of them requiring proper hygiene after complying with these remedies. What about us? Are we left out here like clothes to dry? Has the government forgotten our little predicament?
A few phone calls I made confirmed what I already knew. They refuse to believe there is a problem, let alone a blossoming epidemic on hand. Back to normal! Do your job. Continue as usual. But we don’t have the tools to do the job! Please sir, let us have our 1 1/2 inch nail files back. Do you realize as pilots we can carry firearms? Give us a little training and a lock box to carry our nail files in at least.
A call to the Center for Disease control did get a little sympathy but this SARS virus has them a little busy and they said they’d get back to me. They did recommend wearing latex gloves but beware there is a large part of the population that is allergic to latex, so be careful.
I’m not a scientist but I have been to the Galapagos Islands and my understanding is that the pilot group and their genetic off-spring will eventually grow abnormal fingernails evolving to suit their environment (being on the secure side of the airport system nearly half of the lives). One or two generations is my guess. I do remember a picture of Howard Hughes near his airplane. Look what happened to his fingernails.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Katy's non rev adventure part one
Once upon a time there was a ten year old girl named Katy. She loved her family with all
of her heart. One day her family of seven (Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Aunt, Uncle and two cousins) decided to go to Hawaii for a well deserved vacation. This was possible because most all of the adults worked for People Express Airlines and received vacation passes from year to year. This was the year to treat everyone to Condos overlooking the ocean in Waikiki.
The flights looked good so everyone got on the People Express B-747 and off we went. Katy was good entertaining herself with a vivid imagination and with plenty of adult supervision we would play many games while flying to pass the time.
After visiting the lavatory an hour or so into the flight Katy came up with an idea. She had recently become obsessed with clipboards and checklists so what better game than grading the cleanliness and availability of supplies during this 9 hour flight. Surely the lavs will deteriorate over that length of time and she could be the one to document it. Off she went with her clipboard when there was a break in the constant lines. Toilet paper "check", soap "check", toilet seat down "check", overall cleanliness (grade). This went on for hours but she was on a mission and could not let it slip. I leaned over her shoulder and saw the columns and grid drawn perfectly with crisp check marks in the appropriate places. She was ghost riding and writing up her report with no one to receive it. I wanted to know why she was carrying a clipboard. Note to self - find out what else she had in her knapsack.
"Ohio gosaimas" (Good day), "Konichiwa" (Good evening) "Wait a second" we’re supposed to be in Hawaii not Japan. Where’s the "Aloha"? Oh, we’re surrounded by a Japanese tour group at the baggage claim. Seven bags arrived and we went off to find the van to Waikiki. Two Condos on the beach next to the Outrigger Waikiki-we’re in heaven right? Seven days in paradise to just sit back and enjoy life.
We had a ball on the beach. Just next to the Outrigger hotel and a couple of floors above the public showers. We saw and heard all the locals discussing the surf conditions while extricating the sand from their bathing suits and washing away their troubles. "Hey brudder that last set was 3-4 feet, with the Kona winds holding it up I was tubed, did you see me?"
Since this is about non revving I’ll skip to the seventh day. Two hours early with decent loads and seven checked in on vacation passes. Looked good! One hour to go the word in the seats was that Northwest had just gone on its tri-annual strike and they were sending them all over to us to rebook. Didn’t look good to get us even to LAX today. We stuck around anyway until the pushback just in case someone didn’t show. We planned to split up in the off chance of only a couple of seats. What an optimist I am. Of course our bags went with the plane (pre 9-11).
Optimism and loyalty usually precludes you actually beating the rush but nonetheless I quickly called hotels in the airport area for a couple of rooms. All I could get was the Airport Inn. I should have known it was a low end hotel by the fact that it didn’t have airport transportation. At least we had somewhere to go. I was soon to regret that statement.
Mold! That’s what the room smelled like. Not a good start. Three of us opted to sleep on the chaise lounges by the pool rather than deal with the mold. Eleven hours in the same non rev clothes (the days when you dressed up in hopes of First Class) so I loosened my tie and took my shoes off, thinking "I’ll shower later."
of her heart. One day her family of seven (Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Aunt, Uncle and two cousins) decided to go to Hawaii for a well deserved vacation. This was possible because most all of the adults worked for People Express Airlines and received vacation passes from year to year. This was the year to treat everyone to Condos overlooking the ocean in Waikiki.
The flights looked good so everyone got on the People Express B-747 and off we went. Katy was good entertaining herself with a vivid imagination and with plenty of adult supervision we would play many games while flying to pass the time.
After visiting the lavatory an hour or so into the flight Katy came up with an idea. She had recently become obsessed with clipboards and checklists so what better game than grading the cleanliness and availability of supplies during this 9 hour flight. Surely the lavs will deteriorate over that length of time and she could be the one to document it. Off she went with her clipboard when there was a break in the constant lines. Toilet paper "check", soap "check", toilet seat down "check", overall cleanliness (grade). This went on for hours but she was on a mission and could not let it slip. I leaned over her shoulder and saw the columns and grid drawn perfectly with crisp check marks in the appropriate places. She was ghost riding and writing up her report with no one to receive it. I wanted to know why she was carrying a clipboard. Note to self - find out what else she had in her knapsack.
"Ohio gosaimas" (Good day), "Konichiwa" (Good evening) "Wait a second" we’re supposed to be in Hawaii not Japan. Where’s the "Aloha"? Oh, we’re surrounded by a Japanese tour group at the baggage claim. Seven bags arrived and we went off to find the van to Waikiki. Two Condos on the beach next to the Outrigger Waikiki-we’re in heaven right? Seven days in paradise to just sit back and enjoy life.
We had a ball on the beach. Just next to the Outrigger hotel and a couple of floors above the public showers. We saw and heard all the locals discussing the surf conditions while extricating the sand from their bathing suits and washing away their troubles. "Hey brudder that last set was 3-4 feet, with the Kona winds holding it up I was tubed, did you see me?"
Since this is about non revving I’ll skip to the seventh day. Two hours early with decent loads and seven checked in on vacation passes. Looked good! One hour to go the word in the seats was that Northwest had just gone on its tri-annual strike and they were sending them all over to us to rebook. Didn’t look good to get us even to LAX today. We stuck around anyway until the pushback just in case someone didn’t show. We planned to split up in the off chance of only a couple of seats. What an optimist I am. Of course our bags went with the plane (pre 9-11).
Optimism and loyalty usually precludes you actually beating the rush but nonetheless I quickly called hotels in the airport area for a couple of rooms. All I could get was the Airport Inn. I should have known it was a low end hotel by the fact that it didn’t have airport transportation. At least we had somewhere to go. I was soon to regret that statement.
Mold! That’s what the room smelled like. Not a good start. Three of us opted to sleep on the chaise lounges by the pool rather than deal with the mold. Eleven hours in the same non rev clothes (the days when you dressed up in hopes of First Class) so I loosened my tie and took my shoes off, thinking "I’ll shower later."
Monday, April 7, 2008
Katy's non rev adventure
"Who’s hungry? Let’s try the restaurant out." We were stuck there overnight so we tried to make the best of it. "Good it’s empty we can all sit together." Over sauntered the waitress and we wondered "Isn’t she the same lady who checked us in?" Papa wanted a hot dog. "We don’t hab dat!" Ok,Chef salad for Memo. "We don’t hab dat!" Ok, while they were looking over the menu I ordered a fish sandwich. "We don’t hab dat!" Starting to realize the menu isn’t doing us any good, I said "Ok, I’ll bite. What do you have?" "Hamburger-french fry." "No bite". I now realized English was a distant second language. Ok hamburgers for some and french fries for the vegetarians in our group. That was a start. I was wondering if I should find an excuse to look in the kitchen but I chickened out. "We don’t hab dat!" still ringing in my ears I asked Katy to pass the generic bottle of Ketchup.
The next day we called reservations and they thought that the last flight to Los Angeles would be our best bet so we listed our seven names and crossed our fingers. It was a B-747 and a through flight to Newark so this wouldn’t be that bad. It worked out OK as the crowds had dissipated during the day and we got the middle five seats and two on the side. Thirty six hours later than planned isn’t so bad. In Los Angeles we lucked out and didn’t have to change our seats. We were on the plane to Newark and the doors were closed. "Phew!" Going standby can be stressful. The plane shuddered slightly and I looked out the window. A lot of ground activity and a baggage cart stuck under the number two engine didn’t look good.
The Captain came on to say that the number two engine had to be changed and that would take 8 hours. They had the spare engine on hand and would put everyone up in a local hotel if they’d like to wait and continue on with them to Newark. Eight hours in the airport for us may have put us over the edge but no way could standbys get a hotel now with all these passengers checking in. The Captain came over as we were standing there dumbfounded and offered us one room as he and the co-pilot could share one. What a nice guy. Sure we’d do that.
Our clothes were sticking to our backs and Katy’s net stockings were implanting permanent grooves in her legs so this was a good idea. Feeling every part of the immigrant family that we were, we all piled into this one beautiful room. Ok who needs the bathroom first? Three on the king bed two on the chairs on the patio and the remaining two on the floor. This’d do nicely, thank you very much.
Back on the plane eight hours and thirty two minutes later we breathed a sigh of relief as the nose wheel lifted off. Seventy two hours after we checked in and our baggage left for Newark we were reunited with all seven bags. Katy’s non rev adventure was history but it sure made an impression on all of us (not just Katy’s legs). We laughed about it, cried about it. It was better than "Cats"!
The next day we called reservations and they thought that the last flight to Los Angeles would be our best bet so we listed our seven names and crossed our fingers. It was a B-747 and a through flight to Newark so this wouldn’t be that bad. It worked out OK as the crowds had dissipated during the day and we got the middle five seats and two on the side. Thirty six hours later than planned isn’t so bad. In Los Angeles we lucked out and didn’t have to change our seats. We were on the plane to Newark and the doors were closed. "Phew!" Going standby can be stressful. The plane shuddered slightly and I looked out the window. A lot of ground activity and a baggage cart stuck under the number two engine didn’t look good.
The Captain came on to say that the number two engine had to be changed and that would take 8 hours. They had the spare engine on hand and would put everyone up in a local hotel if they’d like to wait and continue on with them to Newark. Eight hours in the airport for us may have put us over the edge but no way could standbys get a hotel now with all these passengers checking in. The Captain came over as we were standing there dumbfounded and offered us one room as he and the co-pilot could share one. What a nice guy. Sure we’d do that.
Our clothes were sticking to our backs and Katy’s net stockings were implanting permanent grooves in her legs so this was a good idea. Feeling every part of the immigrant family that we were, we all piled into this one beautiful room. Ok who needs the bathroom first? Three on the king bed two on the chairs on the patio and the remaining two on the floor. This’d do nicely, thank you very much.
Back on the plane eight hours and thirty two minutes later we breathed a sigh of relief as the nose wheel lifted off. Seventy two hours after we checked in and our baggage left for Newark we were reunited with all seven bags. Katy’s non rev adventure was history but it sure made an impression on all of us (not just Katy’s legs). We laughed about it, cried about it. It was better than "Cats"!
ideas
Top Ten List of the topics, moments, and subjects you've always wanted to write about, but thought was impossible or too scary to actually write about.
The feeling of flight
Fighting
War stories
Fear
Sport defeats
Some family members
Kids
Love
Commitment
Top Ten List of meals you've made with love for someone or were made with love, for you.
Hot dogs
Fried eggs
Hash browns
Chicken Fried Steak
Steak Diane
Thanksgiving
Christmas
South Beach Diet meals
Cornish Game Hen Gallentine
Standing Rib Roast
Top Ten List of Significant Moments (big or small, life-changing, epiphany, or slight shifts in the way you see the world) in your Life
Eighth and ninth grade in Naples Italy
End of high school-acceptance to the Naval Academy
Letter to parents defining my beliefs
Discussion with Father concerning women and marriage
Vietnam combat duty
Post military life goals
Discussion about adoption
Newly wed life
Sharing everything
Large extended family and realization that my wife and I are enablers
Top Ten Most Significant Conversations in Your Life
Pre-marriage thoughts and dreams
Will you marry me?
Why I had to go away to war
Why I was not religious anymore
Why I voted for Richard Nixon
Why I became a democrat
Wallowing in Watergate
Discussion about adoption
Every night before bed
Every morning after coffee
Top Ten Things You Love The Most in This World and One Reason Why
Dawn
Family
Kids
Love
Commitment
Cuddling
No fear
Sports activity
Enabling
Teaching
I love being loved
The feeling of flight
Fighting
War stories
Fear
Sport defeats
Some family members
Kids
Love
Commitment
Top Ten List of meals you've made with love for someone or were made with love, for you.
Hot dogs
Fried eggs
Hash browns
Chicken Fried Steak
Steak Diane
Thanksgiving
Christmas
South Beach Diet meals
Cornish Game Hen Gallentine
Standing Rib Roast
Top Ten List of Significant Moments (big or small, life-changing, epiphany, or slight shifts in the way you see the world) in your Life
Eighth and ninth grade in Naples Italy
End of high school-acceptance to the Naval Academy
Letter to parents defining my beliefs
Discussion with Father concerning women and marriage
Vietnam combat duty
Post military life goals
Discussion about adoption
Newly wed life
Sharing everything
Large extended family and realization that my wife and I are enablers
Top Ten Most Significant Conversations in Your Life
Pre-marriage thoughts and dreams
Will you marry me?
Why I had to go away to war
Why I was not religious anymore
Why I voted for Richard Nixon
Why I became a democrat
Wallowing in Watergate
Discussion about adoption
Every night before bed
Every morning after coffee
Top Ten Things You Love The Most in This World and One Reason Why
Dawn
Family
Kids
Love
Commitment
Cuddling
No fear
Sports activity
Enabling
Teaching
I love being loved
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Immigrants
1. Modern immigration implies long term legal, permanent residence.
2. Ethnicity, religion, economic benefits, impact on upward social mobility.
3. Organ transplantation is immigration
4. Organs from one to another are immigrants.
2. Ethnicity, religion, economic benefits, impact on upward social mobility.
3. Organ transplantation is immigration
4. Organs from one to another are immigrants.
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