5 more days of training before the big day.  Already begun packing some items.  I think I have a lot to send home...

Home sick with a cough.  Need to get better.

My visit home was very nice except for the fact NW lost my bag.  Didn't get it the next day...  Luckily I was handcarrying the necessities...

Back in OKC and waiting to go to class.  Night classes this week.  Night class sux.  Very nervous about the upcoming PV in two weeks.  We're training like crazy but I'm still not "getting" it.  I mean, if there were only a few airplanes on the scope, fine.   I can handle that.  But now we're progressing to a VERY BUSY problem with a million things to do.  Hate it when the phone keeps ringing.  They want to see if we can set our priorities...  I still need to practice that....

Nervous.  Very nervous.  I hope I pass...

I'm so excited about my visit home this weekend.  YAY!

Two students from a previous class failed the PV today.  They get to retake it on Friday.  Good luck to them.  Hearing this makes me very nervous....  Radar is a whole new beast. 

The start of the Chinese New Year has been very tough on me so far:

1 - Huge ass cellphone bill overdue of two months for 709 bucks.  Yeah.  709.
2 - My mortgage rate went up and I will be paying MORE per month
3 - No special APR rates available on my ten thousand outstanding credit cards
4 - One wedding in Aruba, one baby shower in Miami and an extravagant birthday party coming up in the near futiure.  Will need to decide what I can afford to go to.
5 - The possibility of failing training will result in living in a box and eating cat food.

I'm hoping I'm struggling through the beginning of the year because it will be smooth sailing later on.  God, I hope so...  I'm so stressed out....

YAY!  Got a 100 on my Block test today!  I was worried for nothing!!  Now I need to hunker down and study for the PV Written exam next monday and our skills check.  I'm so used to studying the way we did in Basics Class that we OVER-study.  But every little bit helps!!

Found out another person failed his PV today.  The retake is Friday.  I wish them luck.  I'm so nervous.  I think if I passed the PV, I'd be crying and jumping up and down.  (Same goes for failing the PV minus the jumping up and down.)

Second week of Feb, we have night classes:  3pm to midnight.  YUCK.  It'll be scary going home in the middle of the night alone.  Will have to drag Jake with me just in case.  Ever since I came home and found my door open (I think I forgot to lock it) I've been very paranoid and checking in my closets and under the bed.  Another car got broken into in my parking lot.  That makes 4 since I've been here.  Luckily the thieves aren't interested in our lousy Cavalier rentals. 

6 more weeks of class.  Man, I'm so nervous.  I'm starting to get all my restrictions but had a few separation errors.  The Bastid that graded me last Friday (and made me cry) said I improved a lot since last week.  I guess it's good to get a hard-ass so I have to try harder instead of a false sense that I'm doing well....  Still, I wish I can see the traffic faster.  I'm so unsure of my restrictions that I get my departures out 6 minutes late and I get written up for that.  Ugh.

Back to the drawing board.  More problems until Friday.  I'm so glad non-radar is almost over.  Non-radar SUCKS big time.  At least I'm over my nervous-ness....  One of the major reasons people fail their PV is because of anxiety.  I need to remember to calm down and do the best I can. 

Wish me luck!

2nd Block test tomorrow.  Jake and I tried studying but he ended up taking a nap for an hour while I watched March of the Penguins.  End of the week is the last of non radar and then we move to the radar lab.  That's where it will count.  I'm so nervous about the PV.  5 out of 14 people failed today from an earlier class.  Yikes.  How embarassing is it if I went home after failing?  No job, no money and just a bunch of OKC trinkets to pass the time.  I will be the old lady living in a bag with her two cats. 

The only thing I can do is calm my damn nerves (that's what gets me each time) and breathe before I speak.  I tend to hold my breath when I'm nervous and trying to rush through the problem....

"Inbound.  November 23 Tango Alpha estimated Jackson Approach 1520 descending to 6 thousand with a restriction to cross 17 miles North Jackson Vortac.  Your control 17 North Jackson Vortac on Victor Niner."

If only we had to memorize it but each problem is different.  Wah.

I had a faboo weekend in NYC during MLK weekend!    The trip there was horrible... but it was well worth it!

ATC SUCKS!
We rushed out of class at exactly 3:30 to catch a 4:30 flight only to find that it was delayed until 5:30 due to fog in NYC.  Yuck.  They guaranteed they'd hold the flight for us (HA) and also booked us on the next flight out of Houston.  When we got there, we missed the flight by ONE FREAKING MINUTE!  Of course, they placed the gate over yonder... we'd never make it there even with 10 minutes!

We made it to a later flight only to be held above LGA until 1am.  Poor V waited for me while I lugged my heavy bag to his car.  He greeted me at home with a giant tub of Popcornopolis!  YAY!

So this was a weekend of stuffing my cake-hole!

Piggies
Woke up bright and early to go to meet mom and family for a yummy meal of shabu.  Judy, Minna and Henry came out too to join the festivities.  (Kill two birds...)  Then we whisked away to a dinner at Lannaam with the girls (Mich and Babs).  It was awesome.  We ate, drank wine and talked all night.  They came over and imbibed in some more wine.  I think when Babs fell asleep during Hero, I kicked them out so we can get some sleep.

I woke Vin up at 6am to go to Jean's for a much needed haircut and then took a snooze at mom's.  Then we were off back to the city to continue our nap-fest.  At 3pm, we were back in Queens for a Secret Santa exchange with V's friends.  We had much to eat and a great time watching them play Gauntlet and exchange gifts.  Even I got a gift even tho I showed up unannounced! 

More eating
We met V's parent's at East Manor for more food.  They ordered a fried flounder, a whole sauteed lobster and beef steak cubes.  Even tho I was full, I couldn't say no when V's dad piled fish on my plate.  It really was delicious.  I think I gained 5 pounds this weekend.  Yuck.  V promised we'd start dieting when I come back in March.

Next day we overslept and rushed to Minna and Henry's for a lunch at Dumont's.  OMG the best Croque Monsier I've ever had!!  The fries were delish too!  We hung out at their place in a zombie-like state while I waited to leave before my flight.

Parting is such sweet sorrow
I cried and cried like an infant when V hugged me goodbye at the security gate.  The guards didn't even take notice of the huge tears falling off my face.  They just rushed me past the security as I collected my heavy shoes. 

The flight back was a nightmare.  We were held in the air over Houston for over an hour.  Of course we missed our original connection.  Then the departure was held at the gate due to a thunderstorm.  I seriously thought I was going to throw up from all the turbulence. 

Finally made it home and the kiddies were happy to see me.  My bed never looked more welcoming.  Now my schedule is all screwed up and I'm so tired.  But yet I sit here and type this.  Tomorrow is another day of new problems of separating aircraft.  I try not to think of the lives that's depending on me to keep them safe from colliding with another plane.  Ugh.  It's tough tho.  Especially when the instructor says BOOM when I give an incorrect restriction.  I need more practice.

Tomorrow is V's 31st birthday.  No matter what, I will always be years ahead of him.  Going to continue slathering on the youth creme to "look" younger.  Ha.

Tomorrow's another day.  Man, only 49 more days to go...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Vin's here.  YAY!!!