Elizablog
Elizablog
Vyctor Takes Flight!
I set my alarm for 8:00 am today in hopes of waking to clear skies for flying. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I looked out at yuck. I checked the various aviation weather sites online and they indicated yuck. I phoned for an aviation weather briefing and guess what? More Yuckaroos! Geesh. Oh well, I decided to go visit my mother in Fonthill. We went out for a coffee then headed over to the Seaway Mall. While there, I booted up my iPod Touch and checked the aviation weather again. It looked like it was clearing up! I phoned the Flying Club and was told that it was indeed clearing. I told him I would be there in about an hour and a half.
It was nice to see the clear blue skies up above. It was a little windy, but nothing major.
Here's a pic of Vyc and I heading out:
I had a good laugh when the tower called me and asked if I had new tires. I guess the big, white labels gave them away:
I was actually a little disappointed when I noticed they all fell off after I landed. I felt special having new tires. Also, I littered.
It was a really nice day for a flight. I think I was up for about an hour and a half. The visibility was great:
The weather for the first half of the week isn't looking too good, so I'm very happy to have flown today. Vyctor handles great! I can tell that he weighs more than my last plane. It's fairly noticeable during take-offs and landings. His cruising speed is a little faster too, which is a nice bonus.
I have to go make a couple batches of fudge for my RAA (Recreational Aircraft Association) meeting tomorrow night, so I shall say ado!
Today's symptoms: Felt physically better today than I have over the last week. Yea!
It was nice to see the clear blue skies up above. It was a little windy, but nothing major.
Here's a pic of Vyc and I heading out:
I had a good laugh when the tower called me and asked if I had new tires. I guess the big, white labels gave them away:
I was actually a little disappointed when I noticed they all fell off after I landed. I felt special having new tires. Also, I littered.
It was a really nice day for a flight. I think I was up for about an hour and a half. The visibility was great:
The weather for the first half of the week isn't looking too good, so I'm very happy to have flown today. Vyctor handles great! I can tell that he weighs more than my last plane. It's fairly noticeable during take-offs and landings. His cruising speed is a little faster too, which is a nice bonus.
I have to go make a couple batches of fudge for my RAA (Recreational Aircraft Association) meeting tomorrow night, so I shall say ado!
Today's symptoms: Felt physically better today than I have over the last week. Yea!
Still Grounded
I was really hoping to take Vyctor up today for his first flight as a Canadian citizen, but it wasn't meant to be. I phoned London FSS for a weather briefing around 11:30 this morning, and wasn't too happy when he said the ceiling was at 1400 feet. He said it probably wouldn't get much better during the day either. Blah. So, I did six hours of overtime at work instead! It was a productive day but nothing really exciting happened. I did snap a picture of my aviation shrine, which is on top of one of my filing cabinets:
The Snoopy dude is the newest edition. I guess I'll have to change the picture under the window to one of Vyctor. Hopefully we'll get a sunny day soon so I can pose him for a photo shoot.
Keep you fingers crossed for decent weather tomorrow, however looking at the forecast, I'm not so sure.
Symptoms for Today: Feeling better physically than I have in a while. Bummed that I didn't get to go flying.
The Snoopy dude is the newest edition. I guess I'll have to change the picture under the window to one of Vyctor. Hopefully we'll get a sunny day soon so I can pose him for a photo shoot.
Keep you fingers crossed for decent weather tomorrow, however looking at the forecast, I'm not so sure.
Symptoms for Today: Feeling better physically than I have in a while. Bummed that I didn't get to go flying.
Vyctor's Inspection
My new plane (Vyctor) was all ready for his import inspection today. My mechanic had an inspector come in from London to check over the plane. Since the plane came in from the States, we had to make sure everything was up to Canadian standards. There were quite a few items that needed repairs and adjustments (magnetos repaired, propeller overhauled, harnesses rewebbed, cracks in the wheel pants, the engine needed to be remounted, etc.) Nothing really major, but some of the things were not up to Cessna standards and regulations - they are now! The inspector arrived at the airport just after 9:00 this morning, and I met up with him around 9:30. We went over all of the paperwork and I signed some forms. My mechanic and I left the inspector to his inspection of the plane and log books. I think he was there for about three hours. I was so relieved when my mechanic phoned and said that the plane passed the inspection. Mind you, having total trust in my mechanic and knowing how meticulous and by-the-book he is, I really wasn't worried. It feels good to know that I now have a very safe plane, fully up to Cessna and Canadian standards.
Today was the first day I saw Vyctor with his new registration plastered on his sassy tail:
Cute, eh? Gee, Lyz!
Here are a couple more pics of little Vyc during his inspection. He was feeling a little exposed and vulnerable.
Here's a picture of the freshly rewebbed harnesses. Cessna requires rewebbing of the harnesses every ten years. I preferred the original blue belts, but the black ones don't look too bad:
Ok, last pic:
I'm doing overtime at work tomorrow, starting at 8:00. I think we can work until 2:00, however, I'll probably finish around 12:00 so I can get over to the airport and take Vyctor for his first flight as a Canadian citizen.
Stay tuned later this weekend for pics and stories from our flight together!
Today's symptoms: It's been a really rough week physically, mainly weakness. However, I'm feeling quite a bit better today. I'm going to get a good sleep tonight so I'm able to hit the skies tomorrow!
Over Time
Gee, I feel bad I haven't posted this week, but there wasn't anything to post! Until last night, it was a very uneventful week. We were offered overtime at work and I took advantage of it one night. I also worked today from 8:00 to 2:00. I cannot believe how much I got done in those six hours! I had my headphones on, my music cranked and I only stopped twice for a pee break and to run out and grab a coffee. Actually, I'm surprised I was able to make it in for 8:00. I had a little gathering at my apartment last night, with an Arbonne product demonstration. We did a foot soak, which I've never done before. Clearly, from the pictures below, my cats were a little jealous:
Abby was nice enough to lick my feet "dry" after the soaking. Fortunately, Arbonne products are all natural!
Both of the cats were extremely social and affectionate with the guests, which made for a rather entertaining night.
As the hostess of the party, I got quite a few deals on the vast array of products. I splurged a little more than I had planned, but it's all good! The Arbonne rep brought tons of products to demonstrate. I forgot to take a picture of the table when it was all set up - here's a shot during the clean up:
Tonight I'm just chillin' with my kids. They were a little freakish (more than normal) when I got home from work. I was rather shocked to see them both mushed into their little house-thing. Usually I have a heating pad in it for them, but I've been yet to locate it this year. Hmmmm......
I guess this is what it would look like if Mya's head was attached to Abby's body. I used to do something similar to this with my Barbie dolls when I was younger. I would have Ken's head on Barbie's body and interchange the limbs between Ken, Barbie and different ethnicities. This probably explains a lot of why I am like I am today....
Today's symptoms: I'm getting energy-like sensations, shooting through my body. I think it's just because I'm overtired. It's not painful, it just feels weird.
Abby was nice enough to lick my feet "dry" after the soaking. Fortunately, Arbonne products are all natural!
Both of the cats were extremely social and affectionate with the guests, which made for a rather entertaining night.
As the hostess of the party, I got quite a few deals on the vast array of products. I splurged a little more than I had planned, but it's all good! The Arbonne rep brought tons of products to demonstrate. I forgot to take a picture of the table when it was all set up - here's a shot during the clean up:
Tonight I'm just chillin' with my kids. They were a little freakish (more than normal) when I got home from work. I was rather shocked to see them both mushed into their little house-thing. Usually I have a heating pad in it for them, but I've been yet to locate it this year. Hmmmm......
I guess this is what it would look like if Mya's head was attached to Abby's body. I used to do something similar to this with my Barbie dolls when I was younger. I would have Ken's head on Barbie's body and interchange the limbs between Ken, Barbie and different ethnicities. This probably explains a lot of why I am like I am today....
Today's symptoms: I'm getting energy-like sensations, shooting through my body. I think it's just because I'm overtired. It's not painful, it just feels weird.
Back From Toronto
Chuck and I were in Toronto this weekend. We stayed at the Hilton right across from Pearson Airport, so we could watch the traffic. It's really amazing how many flights go out of there every day. Here is a picture of the tower from our room:
Most of the planes we saw taking off were Air Canada (however, the bird in this picture was not):
After some plane watching on Saturday, we went to Arizona's for dinner. It was great - we had the back room to ourselves, complete with a free pool table. Surprisingly, I got this one in. I really suck at pool:
We took a break from playing and had an amazing meal. We both got the BBQ bison burger. Oh yum! This picture makes it look a little yucky, but it was one, if not the best burgers I've ever had:
Neither Chuck or I are big bread folks, so we didn't eat the bun.
After dinner, we went back to play pool. I did as well with mittens on as I did without. What does that tell ya?
After I drained a few kegs, we were ready to head back to the hotel:
I told Chuck how relieved I was that no one walked in while I staged the above photo. I guess it doesn't matter though since I've just posted it on the Internet! Duh!
The next day consisted of more plane watching, a trip to Timmy's, then over to a road near the runway where we watched some more planes much closer up:
Pictures like these really make me love my camera!
Before heading home, we stopped at the Fantastic Flea Market at the Dixie Mall. It was a great flea market, unlike the one we went to on Saturday. I won't mention what it's called, but you can check it out HERE. It's not one we would go back to.
It was nice to be home to see the kids. I don't think they missed us but I sure missed them!
Today's symptoms: Actually feeling pretty good after my exciting weekend! I guess we'll see if it hits me tomorrow.
Most of the planes we saw taking off were Air Canada (however, the bird in this picture was not):
After some plane watching on Saturday, we went to Arizona's for dinner. It was great - we had the back room to ourselves, complete with a free pool table. Surprisingly, I got this one in. I really suck at pool:
We took a break from playing and had an amazing meal. We both got the BBQ bison burger. Oh yum! This picture makes it look a little yucky, but it was one, if not the best burgers I've ever had:
Neither Chuck or I are big bread folks, so we didn't eat the bun.
After dinner, we went back to play pool. I did as well with mittens on as I did without. What does that tell ya?
After I drained a few kegs, we were ready to head back to the hotel:
I told Chuck how relieved I was that no one walked in while I staged the above photo. I guess it doesn't matter though since I've just posted it on the Internet! Duh!
The next day consisted of more plane watching, a trip to Timmy's, then over to a road near the runway where we watched some more planes much closer up:
Pictures like these really make me love my camera!
Before heading home, we stopped at the Fantastic Flea Market at the Dixie Mall. It was a great flea market, unlike the one we went to on Saturday. I won't mention what it's called, but you can check it out HERE. It's not one we would go back to.
It was nice to be home to see the kids. I don't think they missed us but I sure missed them!
Today's symptoms: Actually feeling pretty good after my exciting weekend! I guess we'll see if it hits me tomorrow.
Jann Arden Rules!
What an exciting week! On Wednesday, my mother and I drove to the Downsview Airport and went on a tour of the Bombardier Aircraft plant through the Women In Aviation group. We arrived around 6:30 and the tour started soon after 7:00. There were 27 people in the group. They said it would be 1.5 hours but it went over 2.5! It was a little long, especially with the one hour and twenty minute drive home, but it was still great. The tour guide brought us over to one of the engines that was ready to be mounted - he said it was $2 million! Wow! Here is one of the aircraft they produce - it's a Bombardier Q400:
We got home quite late. Fortunately, I had Thursday off as one of my compressed days. Good thing, because last night we drove to Hamilton to see Jann Arden. I've been to quite a few concerts and this was by far the best. She was amazing and so funny! She was cracking jokes and making funny comments between and even during songs! I will have to see her again next year when she comes back to Hamilton.
Before we went to the concert, we ate at The Honest Lawyer in Jackson Square. There used to be one across from the CRA office in St. Catharines. Unfortunately, it closed a few years ago. The food was great. I asked our waiter-dude to take our picture. He agreed but first took a picture of himself. Here's your moment of fame, waiter-guy!
Chuck and I are going to Toronto tomorrow and staying until Sunday. We're going to stay at the Hilton right at Pearson Airport, with a perfect view of the planes a'comin and a'goin. Should be a great weekend!
I guess I won't get to visit Vyctor this weekend. Hopefully he'll be ready to rock in a couple more weeks:
Today's symptoms: I think I had a little too much excitement this week! I was very fatigued today with quite a few sharp pains in my limbs and hyper-sensitivity.
We got home quite late. Fortunately, I had Thursday off as one of my compressed days. Good thing, because last night we drove to Hamilton to see Jann Arden. I've been to quite a few concerts and this was by far the best. She was amazing and so funny! She was cracking jokes and making funny comments between and even during songs! I will have to see her again next year when she comes back to Hamilton.
Before we went to the concert, we ate at The Honest Lawyer in Jackson Square. There used to be one across from the CRA office in St. Catharines. Unfortunately, it closed a few years ago. The food was great. I asked our waiter-dude to take our picture. He agreed but first took a picture of himself. Here's your moment of fame, waiter-guy!
Chuck and I are going to Toronto tomorrow and staying until Sunday. We're going to stay at the Hilton right at Pearson Airport, with a perfect view of the planes a'comin and a'goin. Should be a great weekend!
I guess I won't get to visit Vyctor this weekend. Hopefully he'll be ready to rock in a couple more weeks:
Today's symptoms: I think I had a little too much excitement this week! I was very fatigued today with quite a few sharp pains in my limbs and hyper-sensitivity.
Elizabatics
I think if I win a very large lottery, I'm going to buy a slew of aerobatic airplanes and start an aerobatic flight school. I will have an Elizafleet of planes and I will hire instructors that are highly proficient in aerobatics. I will call it Elizabatics Flight School. Ah yes, I can see it now!
Back to reality. I did my presentation for the Zonta Club last night. What a great bunch of people! I felt so comfortable around them and wasn't even nervous giving my presentation. It was just about my life, the challenges I've faced, the changes I've made, and just about being generally positive in life. They had their meeting at the St. Catharines Club. It was my first time there and it's very impressive! So, the night was great - great company, food and environment.
Tomorrow I'm driving to Toronto to take a tour of the Bombardier plant. It should be interesting. I just wish it wasn't in Toronto - yucky drive! The next night my mother and I are going to the Jann Arden concert in Hamilton. What a crazy week I'm having!
I saw little Vyctor today. He was sitting in his hanger, bits and pieces missing and all over the place. His seat belts are in Winnipeg, his propeller is in Toronto and his rudder is in Welland. Hopefully his inspection will be completed soon so they can reassemble him for his first flight as a Canadian! Yea!
I can't wait to tweak his little nose like this again:
Today's symptoms: I was really weak and tired today. I had some crushing pains in my hands, which I haven't experienced for the last year or so.
Back to reality. I did my presentation for the Zonta Club last night. What a great bunch of people! I felt so comfortable around them and wasn't even nervous giving my presentation. It was just about my life, the challenges I've faced, the changes I've made, and just about being generally positive in life. They had their meeting at the St. Catharines Club. It was my first time there and it's very impressive! So, the night was great - great company, food and environment.
Tomorrow I'm driving to Toronto to take a tour of the Bombardier plant. It should be interesting. I just wish it wasn't in Toronto - yucky drive! The next night my mother and I are going to the Jann Arden concert in Hamilton. What a crazy week I'm having!
I saw little Vyctor today. He was sitting in his hanger, bits and pieces missing and all over the place. His seat belts are in Winnipeg, his propeller is in Toronto and his rudder is in Welland. Hopefully his inspection will be completed soon so they can reassemble him for his first flight as a Canadian! Yea!
I can't wait to tweak his little nose like this again:
Today's symptoms: I was really weak and tired today. I had some crushing pains in my hands, which I haven't experienced for the last year or so.
Tiny Zipper
My little mother broke the tiny, little zipper on her coat the other week. I offered to take it to my tailor's to have the zipper replaced. I went back to pick it up about five days later. The tailor said she is still working on the coat as she is having a hard time finding a replacement zipper that is short enough. I suggested she just take the fly off a pair of jeans, as it would be about the right length. To my delight, she heeded my advice and was able to locate a short zipper (about three teeth in length). It sufficiently stretched its way from the collar to the bottom of the jacket.
On Monday, I will be giving a "motivational" presentation to the Zonta Club in St. Catharines. I did a similar presentation during a women's day event at work last year. I will be able to use some of the previous presentation, but will have to tweak it a little to add in some items over the last year (like the new airplane!) I'm really looking forward to it.
This upcoming week is going to be rather busy. I have to give the presentation on Monday, I'm going to Toronto to tour the Bombardier plant on Wednesday, the Jann Arden concert on Thursday then a retirement party (unfortunately not mine!) on Friday. Yikes!
Today's symptoms: I slept in past 9:30 today. I didn't sleep well last night due to a bout of restless leg syndrome. Other than that, I'm feeling just a little tired!
On Monday, I will be giving a "motivational" presentation to the Zonta Club in St. Catharines. I did a similar presentation during a women's day event at work last year. I will be able to use some of the previous presentation, but will have to tweak it a little to add in some items over the last year (like the new airplane!) I'm really looking forward to it.
This upcoming week is going to be rather busy. I have to give the presentation on Monday, I'm going to Toronto to tour the Bombardier plant on Wednesday, the Jann Arden concert on Thursday then a retirement party (unfortunately not mine!) on Friday. Yikes!
Today's symptoms: I slept in past 9:30 today. I didn't sleep well last night due to a bout of restless leg syndrome. Other than that, I'm feeling just a little tired!
Crazy Morning
I just thought I would run you through my morning yesterday. Here's how it went down. For starters, I couldn't wake up. I had to hit the snooze bar twice. I set my alarm for 6:33 and I am always at work on time for 7:15. Needless to say, this provides me with little room for error. My body just wouldn't respond yesterday, so after rushing around frantically, I left for work only a few minutes late. I drove that day as I had to make a fudge delivery at lunch. As soon as I got to the outside ramp from our underground parking at the apartment, I was stopped by a van who was blocking the driveway in order to boost another van. I had to wait for almost five minutes. Finally they finished and I headed out to the street. Right before getting to the road, the recycling truck came in. Of course, he came in the exit as the recycling bins are placed outside the loading doors by that side of the building. I had to back up all the way to the back of the building and drive out the entrance. About two blocks from the apartment, a car pulled out of a side street and I had to slam on my brakes, which caused my car to skid. I made it to the parking lot across from my office only minutes later. I put my money in the machine to get a parking pass for the day. It processed my money and made the sound it makes while it spits out the ticket, however, no ticket appeared. I do believe it was at this point that I realized I was having a bad morning, and it was only about 7:20 am. I walked into the office and planned on calling the parking-dudes, telling them about their parking machine issues. I noticed my voicemail light was blinking and I figured I would only have one or two messages. The morning only got better when I heard "You have nine new messages!" Ugh! Fortunately, the rest of my day went fairly well. Actually, there was one more little incident. Someone, and I won't mention any names, I will only say he likes fudge and works in an orb-like environment (you know who you are!), mentioned that my cats were NOT cute! Here I am, lovingly taking my lunch time to drive to this person's place of employment, to bring him a batch of fudge I made for him, and he has the audacity to suggest my cats are anything less than cute! Humph!!! Well, I have big news for you Mr. Fudgy Orb, my cat's are as cute as they come! Nyah! Look at these faces and then tell me again that they are not precious little sweeties, enveloped in an angelic ORB of cuteness!
I rest my case! Any time you would like to apologize and admit to your heinous error in judgment, I will gladly listen!
Today's symptoms: I started to feel very drained by mid-afternoon. Regardless, I made myself stay at work a couple extra hours for over-time. Yes, I'm stubborn. Mom, quit nagging.
I rest my case! Any time you would like to apologize and admit to your heinous error in judgment, I will gladly listen!
Today's symptoms: I started to feel very drained by mid-afternoon. Regardless, I made myself stay at work a couple extra hours for over-time. Yes, I'm stubborn. Mom, quit nagging.
SOLD!
Great (but sad) news! I sold my plane this weekend! I met with the potential purchaser during the week. He came down from Oshawa and seemed to really like the plane and said he would buy it. The weather wasn't too good for the rest of the week, so we aimed for Saturday for him to pick her up. Fortunately, the weather was quite nice on Saturday, so we planned for the pick up that day. My mother and I met at the airport around 10:30, and had a quick, final flight. I wasn't sure if we would have time or not, as the Flying Club folks were working feverishly at getting the apron cleared and the Club planes ready and heated for their flights. We only did one circuit, so we were airborne for about five minutes. Still, it was nice and as usual, she flew beautifully!
The purchaser arrived and checked out the plane. I was starting to get a little bummed out at this point:
Here's my final hug goodbye:
How many people does it take to move a Cessna 150?
I must admit, I got a little teary eyed when she finally took off. It does make me feel much better, knowing that she is going to a good home. The purchaser seemed like a really nice guy and I have no reason to doubt that he's going to take good care of my ex-plane. Farewell, Odessa von Cessna - we had some truly amazing adventures together!
Saturday was a rather long day for me as after selling the plane, Chuck and I went to the St. Catharines Flying Club Annual Wings Banquet. It was an amazing turnout:
Since we didn't know most of the people there, Chuck and I discreetly sat at the back. I'm so glad we sat where we did, as all the people who sat with us were very nice and made the night pretty much perfect. I'm looking forward to seeing them around the Flying Club. Mind you, I won't be going there for a while since I don't have a functioning plane at the moment. Little Vyctor is still in another hangar, being inspected. I'm hoping some of the people I met last night come to the RAA meeting tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it as we have yet another great guest speaker.
Today's symptoms: Despite a long and emotional day yesterday, I'm actually feeling pretty good today. Just some hyper-sensitivity in my arms and legs.
The purchaser arrived and checked out the plane. I was starting to get a little bummed out at this point:
Here's my final hug goodbye:
How many people does it take to move a Cessna 150?
I must admit, I got a little teary eyed when she finally took off. It does make me feel much better, knowing that she is going to a good home. The purchaser seemed like a really nice guy and I have no reason to doubt that he's going to take good care of my ex-plane. Farewell, Odessa von Cessna - we had some truly amazing adventures together!
Saturday was a rather long day for me as after selling the plane, Chuck and I went to the St. Catharines Flying Club Annual Wings Banquet. It was an amazing turnout:
Since we didn't know most of the people there, Chuck and I discreetly sat at the back. I'm so glad we sat where we did, as all the people who sat with us were very nice and made the night pretty much perfect. I'm looking forward to seeing them around the Flying Club. Mind you, I won't be going there for a while since I don't have a functioning plane at the moment. Little Vyctor is still in another hangar, being inspected. I'm hoping some of the people I met last night come to the RAA meeting tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it as we have yet another great guest speaker.
Today's symptoms: Despite a long and emotional day yesterday, I'm actually feeling pretty good today. Just some hyper-sensitivity in my arms and legs.