Wordless Wednesdays

Miscellaneous Mondays

     Growing up, my father was enamored by the game of golf.  As a young child, I always remember loving to go to the course with him and driving the cart, while he played against friends.  Then, we would almost always stop at a restaurant on the way home to eat dinner together.  Eating out was a big deal because we lived 30 minutes from the nearest town and thus we savored it, unlike today.

     Anyhow, I never truly understood the game of golf until I started Middle School and my dad signed me up for golf lessons by a course pro.  The summer before my 8th grade year, I absolutely fell in love with the game and couldn't stay away from the course.  That entire summer, I would arrive to the course early for swim team practice and once that was finished, I would head out for at least one round before calling it a day.  After high school, I have not had the time to play much, thus my game has significantly declined.

     Until the past couple years, I could not get into watching golf on TV though.  It just felt boring and slow to me, however I have since found the passion and now attempt to watch every weekend.  My wife puts up with me when I claim the TV on Sundays, but she totally understands when the Masters or another major championship is on; partly because its all I can talk about for weeks leading up.  

     Golf is such a magical, yet frustrating sport that is not for the fainthearted.  It requires a great level of humility and patience to understand and enjoy the game.  I urge anyone to at least try golfing, regardless of your overall feelings toward the game.  Once the golfing bug takes hold, its extremely hard to shake.

Flying Fridays

Diversion Fun!!

     For today's Flying Friday post, I would like to quickly touch on the subject of airline diversions.  Diversions to other airports is never fun for the passengers, nor for the airline crews who have to work the extra flight.  Flight crews do not enjoy diverting to other airports either, especially if they do not feel comfortable in the airfield or the ground personnel who will be working the flight.  However, for some airports, much like the one I work for, diversions are a gift from the aviation gods, which supports our airport greatly.

     In the past, I worked for US Airways for four years, as a ramp agent and enjoyed every minute of it (minus the weather and being exposed to the elements).  Thus, I am familiar with how servicing an aircraft operates and when diversions come to our airport, I get another chance to utilize these skills once again.  Since our normal commercial service aircraft is a Saab 340 B+, 34 seat, twin turboprop aircraft, I enjoy seeing commercial jets grace our ramp.  Since our airport was once served by a legacy carrier airline, yet now must utilize the Essential Air Service to maintain commercial service, we are limited to the size of airline and type of aircraft we can support.  That being said, we are required to maintain a minimum of 10 passengers per day to keep our EAS funding.  

     When commercial aircraft are diverted to our airport and the passengers deplane the aircraft and reboard, we are able to count those passengers toward our goal of 10 passengers per day.  Therefore, diversions may hinder airline operations elsewhere and upset passengers and flight crews greatly, for others in the industry, such as our airport, we thrive from diversions.  In my office, I have a computer solely dedicated to watching the weather and tracking all inbound flights to Atlanta.  When weather or traffic begins to build around ATL, we start noting the nearby aircraft, which may divert to our field.  This allows the airport and operations personnel to be prepared in the event of a diversion.

     So, the next time you are on a flight that is diverted to another airport, for whatever reason, and you may feel upset that you are in the middle of no where, please understand that the airport may actually be glad to have you there.  Your aircraft may be making a significant difference to aid in the future of the airport.  Oh, and please be respectful to ramp agents that handle baggage.  Granted some are not as good as others, but it is a difficult and sometimes a very confusing job, so please be courteous.  Thanks and happy flying!

    Tech Thursdays...PS4 Dilemma  

     Since Sony has remastered The Last of Us on PS4, I have joked with my wife Suz that I want a PS4.  I've had a PS3 since release, but played my Xbox 360 much more, as few friends had a PS3.  I only really played it when exclusives, such as God of War or Last of Us, released.

     When the new systems launched last year, I preordered the Xbox One because I trust Microsoft to deliver an exceptional product.  I feel that they have succeeded and love my X1; however, with exclusive games such as The Last of Us and Order 1886 on the horizon, I really want to pick up a PS4.
     I received this email from Gamestop last night and am greatly enticed to pick up a PS4 this weekend.  Even though I probably wouldn't play Infamous Second Son, having the free game and discounted PS Plus Membership is much better than paying $400 outright for just the system.
     Decisions, decisions...

IM BACK!!!

So....I have been away for some time, but I have gotten the itch to begin blogging again.  My wife is a great inspiration with her scrapbooking and through blogging, I am able to provide up-to-date news about my favorite video games, movies, television shows, technology, aviation, and many other passions that I enjoy.  Much like my wife's blog, Simply Suzanna, I will be following a similar outline per week.

Mondays will be known as Miscellaneous Mondays, where I could post anything related to any topic or genre.  Tuesdays will be Television Tuesdays.  Here I will post about my favorite TV shows and hopefully entice everyone to join in on the fun!  Wednesdays will be Wordless Wednesdays (which I stole from my wife :P)  There will be pictures or videos posted, but I will refrain from blogging or talking about them, other than a quick comment explaining what they are.  Technology Thursdays will be filled with all types of current technology, from computers and software, to gaming and mobile.  I will round the week off with Flying Fridays, of which I will grace you with my ultimate passion and career, everything aviation related.

I look forward to exploring this new and exciting world of blogging, once again, and I welcome everyone to the Flying Nerd Herder!!!

Battlefield 3: Alpha Footage

This video was shot by IplayBF3 during the Alpha testing phase of Battlefield 3.  It is approximately 50 minutes in length, but the quality of the video is not very good.  Apparently the user does not have the graphics turned high or perhaps they cannot support anything higher, but the video's length makes up for it.  Enjoy!!

http://youtu.be/fKgXC3QMoAI

Smallville: Season 10

     From a gadget wielding, martial artist in a bat suit, to a superhuman alien from Krypton, the time has finally been announced when Smallville:  Season 10 will be released on DVD and Bluray.  Season Nine left fans wondering what happened between Zod and Clark/Superman, but for those, like myself, that missed season 10 on television, our anticipation will become overwhelming powerful before its release.  Amazon is already taking pre-orders on this season, but I'm almost certain we will see a complete 10 season series box set before the final release.  This was such an amazing show and for all the Superman fans out there, hopefully this will spark an even greater love for our favorite superhero! 

The Man of Steel's final season hits shelves November 29, 2011.