Got it....

I didn't want to jinx it before it was settled, but luckily I've landed a pretty darn good job in an area I could enjoy into retirement, if they'll have me.  It's been a rough year, with nothing but uncertainty since the ferry flight from Gabon to Poland last March, but a chance meeting in Newark changed the picture.  I won't be bouncing around the globe quite so much, but it's warm, tropical, with great mountain biking and beaches.  I'm hoping it's long term....

My touring mountain bike from hell (read back a few posts) has been retired, replaced by a slick Norco hardtail, and I may even treat myself to a new watch for the new job......... Tudor Heritage Black Bay Dark perhaps...(update: got it)

I submitted my completed novel to over a dozen publishers and literary agents last month, so I'm standing by for a response.  Fingers crossed.....

Hopeful

Well, I shouldn't bad mouth the place, but Kazakhstan has been a serious pain in the ass.  Thanks for nothing.  Perhaps it's all for the best, as I get closer to my dream job in an entirely different part of the world, waiting on paperwork to clear.  I'll let you know.  I really want this.

Otherwise, my novel is finished and survived it's first edit.  It's now in the hands of some trusted proofreaders and only getting better, as suggestions come in sporadic and etherial.  I can tell a story, but my grammar skills are lacking.  I hope to have it ready to submit to publishers soon.

More to come....fingers crossed.  Excited.

Happiest when I'm flying....

I'm definitely happiest when I'm flying. And busy.  The photo above was taken a good while back prior to a SAR training sortie in Tanzania.  I was happy.  The past week wasn't too bad either as I completed my AW139 recurrent and check ride in Newark with my good friend Mike, a fellow Canadian with similar background.  We had flown together in Tanzania and Kenya then assigned to differing bases, but stayed in contact.  Training in the simulator is always a blast, and it was great to be challenged.  I finished up the week with training forms and check ride chock full of 4's, so I'm relieved that my skills haven't deteriorated from the slow year.

We had one day off and elected to head into Manhattan and catch a play on Broadway.  We considered driving down but parking in the city is prohibitively expensive, so we chatted with hotel staff regarding bus or train options, but the cheery Sheraton Front Desk manager convinced us to give Uber a try.  We downloaded the app and within minutes had a Corolla and young New Jersey driver ready to take us downtown.  The driver tried to convince us that the world was flat, and based most of his argument (as well as his theory the moon landing was faked) on episodes of Family Guy.  After dinner and a play we tried to get into the wrong car (thinking it was our Uber ride) and scared the bejesus out of a poor commuter.   My return to the airport was a Cameroon driver putting himself through his Political Science Masters with limo driving, so the conversation was considerably more enlightening than with the New Jersey lad.  The week was amazing with lots of flying and numerous contacts being made with pilots from all over the globe, followed by good restaurants and great conversations each evening.   We tried a authentic looking Moroccan restaurant one night but I was thoroughly disappointed with the bland fare.  Having lived in various parts of Morocco on and off over the years, I am biased towards the real thing, with far more intense flavours.

I used the last of my elite traveller status to get home, expiring the end of February.  Having averaged some 85,000 miles a year for the last 7 or 8 years, I didn't even break 25,000 in 2016, so gone are the priority contact numbers, priority check-in, priority boarding, priority security, upgrades to business class, lounge access, extra baggage allowance, and a plethora of amenities that makes travel more pleasant.  Here's hoping things start to recover in 2017.