Small Miracles

Two years ago my parents, convinced that it was time for me to get a new car, arranged for me to acquire a ’96 Cadillac. As a financial planner, they reasoned, I should drive a more upscale car than the ’91 Ford Crown Victoria I had. The terms were excellent, and it was a great car.

Now I all I had to do was to sell the Crown Vic. It had a few issues given that it was fifteen years old, high mileage and the wear and tear that comes with it. I wanted to avoid pouring a lot of money into it. The main thing I wanted to accomplish was to refurbish the vinyl top, which had started to fade and crack. Being the brilliant individual that I am, I decided to use crazy glue to fill the cracks and then paint it over. Unfortunately the crazy glue didn’t fill the crack but just sealed it. Good, but not good enough. Then I had a better idea: Shoe Goo! It did manage to fill in the holes. . . and then some. It was a mess, and now I had to peel it off.

To add to the problems the car no longer ran very well. Whether this was a simple factor of sitting for an extended period or needing fresh gas or something more serious, now I had an additional project. I discovered this when I needed to replace a tire for my Cadillac and so drove my now un-registered and un-licensed Crown Vic to the tire store. Not only did it lurch, but, yes, you guessed it, I got pulled over and ticketed.

As time passed there was less and less of it to spend on fixing the car. First I increased the hours I was giving flight instruction and then last year of course I started working at ASA and was limited to 11 days off a month. The Crown Vic sat in my garage for fear that more exposure would worsen the vinyl while my Cadillac sat in the driveway. I kept meaning to get to it, but other projects kept diverting my attention.

Finally this past week I actually had five consecutive days off. By this time the car wouldn’t even start—the battery had corroded. My goal was now just to get it started and take it to a mechanic to see what needed to be done so I could at least advertise it as running well. I cleaned the battery cable and post and after charging the battery and getting a jump I finally succeeded in starting the car. With my wife following me we first filled the tires and then proceeded to the repair shop.

After explaining my purpose one of the mechanics offered to buy it as is for a fair price. No fuss no muss. No more time and money spent. I may have lost a couple of hundred dollars by not doing it myself, but it was worth it. Or I may have come out just fine. After all, I was nearing the point of taking it to the recycler just to get it out of the garage.

This was a real blessing. Sometimes miracles are small and not so flashy, but important and real just the same.

It Beats Working For a Living

In two more days I will have completed my first year with Atlantic Southeast Airlines. This is an important milestone in at least a couple of regards. First and foremost, during the first year the airline can terminate your employment without cause. Arriving late for an assignment is sufficient cause. So is your shirt coming untucked. Fortunately ASA is not known for its draconian behavior, but there is one area where I feel a bit exposed—commuting. Generally the last day of a reserve assignment I am on call until 9:00PM and the last flight home leaves at 8:55. So I fudge and leave early. Sometimes when feeling brave I have left on the 6:30 flight. It’s a calculated risk given that there is virtually no assignment the airline could give me and get me back in time for my day off, so the chances of it backfiring are slim. Nevertheless, I almost always check my cell phone upon landing with a hint of fear that Scheduling called while enroute. Chances are I would have to meet with a Chief Pilot who would give me a tongue lashing but likely nothing worse. Hopefully. But like I said, if the airline felt so inclined, it would be more than enough to fire me. But once a pilot has completed a year he or she then has union protection and it is much much much harder to fire them. I will still be nervous when commuting home if I leave a little early, but I won’t fear for my job. My stress level will go down a notch.

The second big deal about the year mark is the pay raise. First year first officers don’t make very much. If you are interested in knowing just how much you can click here. Every little bit helps, and it’s nice to have made it through the most difficult stage. Pilot pay raises come according to years of service—each year your pay goes up. The biggest jump is after the first year, then it grows much slower. The next real jump will come when I upgrade to captain. And when will that be? Given how the whole industry has slowed down, probably not for another five years. Sooner would be nice, but it’s not something to expect. The only ways to speed up that process are for the airline to grow or for senior pilots to leave, whether for retirement or to other airlines. Naturally we pilots hang on every rumor of growth, but it doesn’t take long to recognize that the rumors are almost always nothing more than just that.

Overall it has been a good year. The only real negative is that I am still on reserve, meaning I still do not have a regular route and schedule and so fly only when someone else doesn’t show. That’s why I have now sat in my crash pad in Atlanta for the last three days without going anywhere. I still have three more days before I go home again. Usually I’m here for four or five days at a time, but I’m here for six this time around because I was able to more around some off days so that next week I will have five days off in a row. That will be very nice. Again, the process of “holding a line” or regular schedule is a question of movement upward in seniority. Right now it’s pretty slow, but I expect that by late Spring I should finally have a line. That also comes with at least one more day off per month.

On the plus side I fly a jet airplane and they pay me to do it. I have visited Mexico and Canada plus many cities in the eastern U.S., not all particularly glamorous but good people live in them all. As my Dad, a retired United pilot, used to say, “It sure beats working for a living.”

Exercise

When I started training as a pilot last year I could see by looking at the pilots I knew that it isn’t the healthiest lifestyle. For obvious reasons it involves a lot of sitting as well as eating out. While hardly “overweight” (I’ve always been skinny) I was not in my best shape and was starting to develop a bit of a belly. Given that my wife likes me skinny, it was important for me to establish some basic habits early in my new career.

Back in high school I ran cross-country and track and have always “enjoyed” running. I put that in parentheses because it’s not as if I can’t wait to jump out the door and sprint. But I do like changing scenery and it’s something I’ve done with my family since I was a kid.

So I started running. After a few times I found a route about two miles long and that worked. I also threw in some push-ups and sit-ups. After a couple of months I had lost ten pounds and instead of my pants being too tight now I had to worry about them being too loose. Part of it was definitely the exercise, and part was eating less. Frozen dinners (no, not TV dinners—I do have standards) are only so big and don’t allow for second helpings, so that helped to limit my calorie intake. All in all I looked and felt better than I had in a couple of years or more.

Meanwhile my wife has been going to 24 Hour Fitness and so she added me to her pas as a “VIP,” meaning as long as I accompanied her it only cost another $15 per month. We try and go every week together so I get a little bit of weights, etc.

Now that I’m out of training I run around my “crash pad” apartment and around the hotels I stay at when I’m on the road. I still do push-ups regularly, but sit-ups fell by the wayside because they always strained my back.

Then yesterday I googled “abdominal exercise” and found out that the very best exercise also requires no equipment. Good, because I wasn’t going to buy any. It’s called the “bicycle crunch,” something you may all be aware of but new to me. Not radically new, but new. And it doesn’t strain my back but does work my abs hard. So I’m happy and have re-committed myself to doing a set or two every day. I can spare 10 minutes.

Did I mention my wife likes me skinny? She’s a great motivator, in all the right ways.

Something To Think About

Sometimes a film comes along that not only entertains you but also makes you think. A lot. The Dark Knight is just such a film.

First of all, I am a semi-reformed former comics geek. While I didn’t regularly collect Batman comics, there were certain series, notably Frank Miller’s dark and stylized Dark Knight Returns and gritty Batman: Year One work, that mesmerized and enthralled me. So for me the ultimate Batman is the one played straight, that shows the ethical and moral dilemmas inherent in combating evil and the choices with their natural consequences. Fortunately for me, director Christopher Nolan has a similar vision of the Batman.

After seeing the film the most striking thing was the late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. Nothing new here. If he doesn’t win an Oscar for best actor this year then a serious miscarriage of justice will have occurred. But as excellent as the performance was, it is how the character was written that allows Ledger’s portrayal to say something deep and meaningful.

The Joker is the personification of chaos and anarchy, and for that reason is perhaps the best cinematic representation of Satan I have ever seen. To him, only disorder has meaning. “You have all these rules and you think they'll save you. . . . The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules!” We learn no origin, as whenever he reveals something about himself it is a lie. “Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias.” Not knowing anything, we cannot empathize with him. He just is. And what he is is blood and horror. As Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler, describes him, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.”



Another aspect of Satan’s character embodied in the Joker (as pointed out to me by my wife) is his desire to “deceive the very elect.” The Joker turns Harvey Dent from an incorruptible champion of the law and order inherent in civilization into an agent of personal vengeance and destruction. He brags, “I took Gotham's white knight, and brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. Y'see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little...push.” No one is immune to the conceit that the rules, which create and build community, don't apply to them personally. “You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time,” Two-Face bemoans. “But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance.” One man decides that his will trumps the greater whole.

Interestingly, in society today and throughout history certain individuals and groups try to redefine those rules to let anarchy back in, believing that they act in the name of liberty. Liberty is not synonymous with anarchy, but when society normalizes behaviors and activities that strike at the very order that strengthens the community, it becomes the enemy of order. And where order breaks down, chaos ensues.

The Batman, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of the Joker. He is human. He doubts himself. The terror the Joker has unleashed strikes him to the very core. Nevertheless, he stays true to his moral compass. Ultimately the difference between civilization and anarchy is a set of mutually recognized and respected rules. The Joker has none, Two-Face gives his up, but the Batman stays true. Moreover, for the good of Gotham City the Batman takes upon himself the sins of another to further Dent’s work as District Attorney (See Leviticus 16:20-22). In Commissioner Gordon’s words, “[H]e's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight.”

Lots to think about. Dark and disturbing, but in the end hopeful. I don’t know that this movie is one that I’ll watch again and again, but its message will stay with me for a long time to come.

Climbing Mountains (Figuratively)

Some people thrive on self-help books. Committed to improvement, or at least the thought of it, some read the classics like Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich or Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. Others follow the latest from Anthony Robins and others. Me? I have an aversion to self-help books. It’s not that I find them shallow or pretentious or all froth. No, I just don’t like the premise that by reading them I am admitting that I need to change. Change is hard. It takes effort. It requires us to break from our comfort zones. I like the idea of change and am devoted to personal progress, but can’t I do it later?

I am no quitter, though. Once I start on something, I tend to finish, even if it takes me, oh, just about forever. When I determined that I was going to become an airline pilot I started earnestly but ultimately took six years from starting to employment for an airline. With a family and a “regular” job, some of this delay could not be avoided, but to be fair, I wavered in my urgency during the process. It was only when finances got tight(er) and I was not hired for a full-time position as a Chief Flight Instructor at Utah Valley University that I realized it was time to pick up the pace and get it done. Nine months later I started my training in Atlanta with Atlantic Southeast Airlines.

Sometimes, however, my tendency to finish what I start has gotten in the way of progress. Shortly after graduating with my Bachelors from BYU I was introduced to an insurance marketing company, World Marketing Alliance (WMA, now World Financial Group, or WFG). I was assured that with effort I could build my own company within a company by selling investments and insurance and recruiting others to do the same. Essentially it was a financial services Amway. I stayed with it for seven years, several full-time, and never made much money. It was always around the corner, just requiring a little more effort. When I realized that the only thing I could offer potential recruits was near-poverty I knew it was time to pack it in. From this I have learned that you need 1) a goal, 2) a plan of action including a timeline, and 3) an exit strategy. Especially in business, if you aren’t seeing progress, you need a way to cut your losses and move on. But regardless, without a timeline it is very difficult to measure your progress.

In both these examples I did have a goal, and varying degrees of a plan, but it was never well clearly set out. I also definitely lacked urgency throughout the projects. I expected that because I was working toward the goal that things would work out, without taking the pace into account. Had I had greater urgency, I would have moved much more quickly, or in the case of WMA, I would have succeeded or moved on. A timeline to measure my progress would have made a real difference.

I think another lesson learned was be sure that whatever you take on is something you can really commit to. I was fully dedicated to becoming a pilot, wavering only when my training schedule slowed down to a crawl the second year. In the case of WMA, I always felt like I should be more committed, but it was never something that I could stay passionate about. Enthusiasm can wane, that’s natural, but if you’re going to commit to a major goal make sure it’s something that speaks to you at a fundamental level.

So what are my goals today? I’m currently working on three mains goals, in no particular order: 1) to shift my financial planning practice to focus on 401(k) advice, 2) to learn Arabic by 2013, and 3) to become a better parent. More on these in future blog entries!

Our World Traveller Returns

Dinohunter just returned from spending three weeks in Israel and Palestine. He was fortunate to be one of only four students chosen nationwide for a program sponsored in part by the State Department to improve understanding and cultural exchange between U.S. and Palestinian youth. While there he was able to visit the Old City, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Ramallah and many other sites. He also stayed with a Palestinian family for a week and improved his Arabic. In short, he had an awesome time.

Annette and I were thrilled for him. The summer after we were married we spent two months in Israel and a week in Egypt and had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Some have asked whether we were worried for him. The short answer is no. Israel and Palestine can be dangerous, but to keep thing in perspective, he had a greater statistical likelihood of being involved in a traffic accident than being in a terrorist attack. With that said, he was two blocks away from an incident in which a Palestinian man overturned three dozen cars on a Jerusalem street with a bulldozer. Still I didn't worry. It helps that I've been there as well as many dangerous places in the world, sometimes knowingly and sometimes oblivious. Bad things do happen, but our fear magnifies it.

Upon his return Dinohunter gave out presents to each member of the family. In my case he was very generous. When Annette and I were in Israel and Palestine the one major purchase we made was to buy a nativity set in Bethlehem carved out of olive wood.

But there was one other thing I wished I had bought--a Herodian oil lamp. Believe it or not there are hundreds, probably thousands of these still around from the time of Jesus. These are the kind Jesus probably had in mind when he taught the parable of the 10 virgins. Dinohunter knew I wanted one and found one for a reasonable price, guaranteed authentic. I'm thrilled. It now has a prominent place in our curio cabinet in our living room. Thanks, Dinohunter!

Clouds

One of the pleasures of flying at 30,000 feet (on a good day--the CRJ 200 is not known for its strong climbing performance) in the summer is seeing the amazing cloud formations. I wish I had pictures to do justice to the beauty I see so often. Sometimes I think it's a shame that cartographers have mapped out the permanent geographical features of the planet but but the spectacular mountains, valleys, canyons and islands of clouds are too transitory to merit such attention. In fact, their constant evolution is part of their splendor. You will never see the same cloud twice, because it is constantly changing.

Hopefully one of these days I will own a decent camera and take pictures of my own, but for now, here are some I found on the internet that give you some idea of what I see almost every day (and these aren't even good ones).