Today, the first part of my journey led me through the "mistake by the lake" (aka Cleveland). It was weird to get off a plane, and see CAVALIERS crap all over the airport sportsbar. It was cool, they had some NFL helmets up and everything. I was tempted to thank the bartender for giving us the Ravens, but that would be beyond cruel...
When I walked outside the airport, I had a heat headache (it was 70 in DC, and 98 here), and fought it off for the victory.
The only thing that strikes me (and most northerners that travel south) is the "Southern Hospitality". I've seen it whenever I went to Georgia, but OKC is on another level...let me explain:
The apartments I'm staying at are sponsored by the FAA, it's not Holiday Inn by ANY stretch of the imagination, but its doable (for now). These apartments usually have courtesy rental cars for the tenants. Well today, they ran out so I asked the property manager if I could reserve one for later (I needed a Wal-Mart run). She hands me some keys and then says, "Here, just take my car".
Lemme say this again....she handed me the keys to her personal ride.
I asked if she needed proof of insurance/I.D., and she gave me that "you gotta be kidding me" look.
So, yeah, I went to WalMart, did some looking around, and put $5 in her tank (cause Karma's a b*tch). That would NEVER happen in DC...
Things I've noticed:
-How FLAT this place is...you can see for miles..
-It's hot...they weren't playin. The 5 day forecast looked like freakin' NBA scores.
-Native Americans represent HARD out here, and its cool to see the diversity....my homies at the BBQ shack down the street hooked it UP.
-The outer regions of OKC kinda remind me of PG County, but 50% less blacker, with drive thru BBQ and liquor errywhere.
-All the kids look like Bobby Hill
-I met a few of my classmates and they seem pretty cool....give you an update tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
As The Final Buzzer...
Sounds on my last season here in the state of MD, I realize at 11:06PM that I'm not gonna be here anymore. It's a very bittersweet feeling you know? The folks at Spacely Sprockets threw me a little happy hour shindig for me. It's weird how you go in to work, for years, around the same people, and think they don't care, when in reality, they do. People I never knew by name came out to say goodbye (oh and get blasted).
But I'm leaving. And I won't be back....for a WHILE.
We came to MD from Memphis back in spring of 85' (my dad left us in November of that year, and I remember that incident vividly), and it was a huge thing for me. New friends, new school, new adjustment to pops not being there anymore. It seemed like that was the story of my life.
Change and adapt, survive and advance.
People still didn't really understand what I was leaving for...
"So your going to pilot school?"
"Are you gonna be the guy with the orange sticks and headphones?"
"So you're flying to Nebraska?"
I've been able to simplify the concept down to "I'll be the guy in the tower".
At any rate, I'm ready. I closed up shop at Fox Run (the best apt. complex in Germantown) and I'm leaving the Death Star (Jetta) behind.
I'll give y'all an update and pics when I land at Will Rogers....
But I'm leaving. And I won't be back....for a WHILE.
We came to MD from Memphis back in spring of 85' (my dad left us in November of that year, and I remember that incident vividly), and it was a huge thing for me. New friends, new school, new adjustment to pops not being there anymore. It seemed like that was the story of my life.
Change and adapt, survive and advance.
People still didn't really understand what I was leaving for...
"So your going to pilot school?"
"Are you gonna be the guy with the orange sticks and headphones?"
"So you're flying to Nebraska?"
I've been able to simplify the concept down to "I'll be the guy in the tower".
At any rate, I'm ready. I closed up shop at Fox Run (the best apt. complex in Germantown) and I'm leaving the Death Star (Jetta) behind.
I'll give y'all an update and pics when I land at Will Rogers....
Monday, May 12, 2008
Are you serious!?
We've had rain here in DC for a week, but not just the tolerable summer rain, I'm talking 48 degrees, no sunlight, catch strep throat kinda rain, and it sucks.
It's starting to hit me for real now, the prospect and fact that I'm MOVING HALFWAY ACROSS THE U.S. to start over with a new career. It's VERY scary to say the least, but at the same time the reward is better than anything Spacely Sprockets is doing right now. There are folks at Spacely's that I'll miss for sure, and there's a few that have pissed me off to the point of no return, the ones that now seem to be twisting the knife since it's been know I'm on the way out.
I craigslisted some of my stuff, so my lil apt will start to get more and more bleak. It's gotta go though.
While staying dry at home, I looked up a cool forum for people that are relocating, city-data.com, and it's been helpful to say the least. I already know OKC is gonna be silly come summertime, but I'm legitimately worried about being in Rust Belt Hell (Cedar Rapids) for two years..so I signed up for the forum and asked some questions....
.....here's what I got:
To work at the Eastern Iowa Airport (Air Traffic Controller). I'm originally from Germantown, MD (a suburb of DC) and wanted to know some things about CR.
Is there public transportation (to the airport specifically?)
Barely. The stop is out on Wright Brothers Boulevard, which has a lot of parking and circle drive space between it and the airport proper. Here's the transit map: http://www.crbus-parking.org/_routes/Route11.pdf
Any nightlife worth checking out?
Downtown has acquired some sophisticated options such as The Piano Lounge (sounds awful, but is very nice) and a couple of great restaurants. If you want bands and rowdiness, though, you'll probably end up in Iowa City.
Are the winters as bad as they say (we have snow and ice storms here in DC, so it wouldn't be TOO bad)
This winter sucked like a Hoover. Ask us some other year! I'd say the difference from DC is that the cold weather lasts a lot longer, and there are probably longer stretches between thaws / more pleasant conditions. You'll recognize the humidity here, though!
Should I move to Iowa City and commute? Or stay near or in CR.
That depends entirely on what you are looking for in your spare time. The airport is way on the south end of Cedar Rapids, so a commute from Iowa City or even North Liberty (or Swisher or Shueyville or Fairfax or Amana) is super easy. If your second question is about nightlife, I bet you should strongly consider IC or somewhere that will allow you to easily head there for your recreation.
What's the airport like? I'm training with the FAA Academy in OKC now and that's where I've been assigned.
Small. Growing. I've always thought it was quite well kept up and the cafe is under management by my favorite coffee shop, The Blue Strawberry (yum!) The airport has had a good "feel" to it for as long as I can remember -- no scandals, no horrible management, no real trouble, and generally responsive to customer needs.
(ed. note THIS ONE KILLED ME, or as Steve Buckhantz would say...."DAAAAAAGGERRRRRRR!")
Is there diversity in CR? (I'm a brotha!)
Simply put: no. I explain it to people this way -- we went to visit my in-laws in Phoenix and were horrified to learn that our dog barked at people of color. Simply put, she'd never seen anyone that wasn't either the fishbelly white of Iowa's wintertime complexion or the strawberry white of Iowa's sunburned complexion. It was SO embarrassing! As someone who has lived in Cedar Rapids for a long time, I'm always glad to hear of people considering a move here, but I've got to be fair and tell you how the numbers stack up. All that aside, there is particularly a dearth of professional African American men and so you'd have to think those numbers could work in your favor...?
Are there any good gyms in the area (I'm a personal trainer as well, and would like a few clients)
Lots of gyms, some probably more professional than others. Again, Iowa City, with the college athletes and wanna-be college athletes and former college athletes, probably has more to offer in this area.
Any information would help, as it looks like I'll be in CR for 2-2.5 years while I get certified.
It's definitely going to be an adventure, and I hope it's a positive one. My biggest suggestion would be to start a blog -- I'm serious -- and then see whether the local media/newspapers want to link to it and/or feature your posts. I think it would be a real eye opener for our area citizens to see how they look to someone of a different background, and could teach us all something about each other.I hope it is a wonderful experience for you. Best of luck!
........God Help Me!!
It's starting to hit me for real now, the prospect and fact that I'm MOVING HALFWAY ACROSS THE U.S. to start over with a new career. It's VERY scary to say the least, but at the same time the reward is better than anything Spacely Sprockets is doing right now. There are folks at Spacely's that I'll miss for sure, and there's a few that have pissed me off to the point of no return, the ones that now seem to be twisting the knife since it's been know I'm on the way out.
I craigslisted some of my stuff, so my lil apt will start to get more and more bleak. It's gotta go though.
While staying dry at home, I looked up a cool forum for people that are relocating, city-data.com, and it's been helpful to say the least. I already know OKC is gonna be silly come summertime, but I'm legitimately worried about being in Rust Belt Hell (Cedar Rapids) for two years..so I signed up for the forum and asked some questions....
.....here's what I got:
To work at the Eastern Iowa Airport (Air Traffic Controller). I'm originally from Germantown, MD (a suburb of DC) and wanted to know some things about CR.
Is there public transportation (to the airport specifically?)
Barely. The stop is out on Wright Brothers Boulevard, which has a lot of parking and circle drive space between it and the airport proper. Here's the transit map: http://www.crbus-parking.org/_routes/Route11.pdf
Any nightlife worth checking out?
Downtown has acquired some sophisticated options such as The Piano Lounge (sounds awful, but is very nice) and a couple of great restaurants. If you want bands and rowdiness, though, you'll probably end up in Iowa City.
Are the winters as bad as they say (we have snow and ice storms here in DC, so it wouldn't be TOO bad)
This winter sucked like a Hoover. Ask us some other year! I'd say the difference from DC is that the cold weather lasts a lot longer, and there are probably longer stretches between thaws / more pleasant conditions. You'll recognize the humidity here, though!
Should I move to Iowa City and commute? Or stay near or in CR.
That depends entirely on what you are looking for in your spare time. The airport is way on the south end of Cedar Rapids, so a commute from Iowa City or even North Liberty (or Swisher or Shueyville or Fairfax or Amana) is super easy. If your second question is about nightlife, I bet you should strongly consider IC or somewhere that will allow you to easily head there for your recreation.
What's the airport like? I'm training with the FAA Academy in OKC now and that's where I've been assigned.
Small. Growing. I've always thought it was quite well kept up and the cafe is under management by my favorite coffee shop, The Blue Strawberry (yum!) The airport has had a good "feel" to it for as long as I can remember -- no scandals, no horrible management, no real trouble, and generally responsive to customer needs.
(ed. note THIS ONE KILLED ME, or as Steve Buckhantz would say...."DAAAAAAGGERRRRRRR!")
Is there diversity in CR? (I'm a brotha!)
Simply put: no. I explain it to people this way -- we went to visit my in-laws in Phoenix and were horrified to learn that our dog barked at people of color. Simply put, she'd never seen anyone that wasn't either the fishbelly white of Iowa's wintertime complexion or the strawberry white of Iowa's sunburned complexion. It was SO embarrassing! As someone who has lived in Cedar Rapids for a long time, I'm always glad to hear of people considering a move here, but I've got to be fair and tell you how the numbers stack up. All that aside, there is particularly a dearth of professional African American men and so you'd have to think those numbers could work in your favor...?
Are there any good gyms in the area (I'm a personal trainer as well, and would like a few clients)
Lots of gyms, some probably more professional than others. Again, Iowa City, with the college athletes and wanna-be college athletes and former college athletes, probably has more to offer in this area.
Any information would help, as it looks like I'll be in CR for 2-2.5 years while I get certified.
It's definitely going to be an adventure, and I hope it's a positive one. My biggest suggestion would be to start a blog -- I'm serious -- and then see whether the local media/newspapers want to link to it and/or feature your posts. I think it would be a real eye opener for our area citizens to see how they look to someone of a different background, and could teach us all something about each other.I hope it is a wonderful experience for you. Best of luck!
........God Help Me!!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Welcome To The Show......
May 1st 2008,
Today is basically the first day OF THE REST OF MY LIFE! LOL! But seriously, this here blog is going to give you all a look into the day-to-day craziness that has become my life recently.
Since last year, I've been fed up with the office politics/atmosphere of my current employer. From here on out, I shall refer to said employer as "Spacely Sprockets". If you remember the Jetsons, you can probably figure it out. We're making the BIGGEST Sprockets right now for the Feds, and we (heck, really Yours Truly) is making the smallest amount of $$$.
So being the enterprising young dude I am, I applied to answer the call of the FAA, passed the test and the interview, and am now waiting to close up shop here in MD, on the way to OKC.
Which reminds me, I need to snag some boxes today to pack up the lil things in my apartment now I plan to keep. I lucked out and found a spot in one of the FAA's long term apartments, and from the pics it looks kinda hood, but then again I'm from the Urea (DC/MD/VA to the uninitiated) so adaptation is notta problem.
Today is basically the first day OF THE REST OF MY LIFE! LOL! But seriously, this here blog is going to give you all a look into the day-to-day craziness that has become my life recently.
Since last year, I've been fed up with the office politics/atmosphere of my current employer. From here on out, I shall refer to said employer as "Spacely Sprockets". If you remember the Jetsons, you can probably figure it out. We're making the BIGGEST Sprockets right now for the Feds, and we (heck, really Yours Truly) is making the smallest amount of $$$.
So being the enterprising young dude I am, I applied to answer the call of the FAA, passed the test and the interview, and am now waiting to close up shop here in MD, on the way to OKC.
Which reminds me, I need to snag some boxes today to pack up the lil things in my apartment now I plan to keep. I lucked out and found a spot in one of the FAA's long term apartments, and from the pics it looks kinda hood, but then again I'm from the Urea (DC/MD/VA to the uninitiated) so adaptation is notta problem.
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