Last night space shuttle launch was awesome. Just a quick drive down the road and you’d get a spectacular view. For a second it was like sun was rising over the horizon, boding a glorious new day. Then it was like the sun said “Oh shi it’s Saturday I’m going back to bed!” and all was dark again.

This launch wasen’t as loud as the one I saw last 4th of July. Maybe it was the wind direction, I don’t know.

I spotted a man dressed in camouflage standing outside Walmart today. Military like thick jacket and matching pants and that military cap you see in the movies - my first thought was we had recruitment officers lurking around. Thinking of the odds of them going for the soccer moms vs. young male in cheap clothes, I quietly tried to blend into a group of rednecks waltzing through the main entrance.

As I was tailgating a lady in a slow electric wheelchair driving down the center aisle, my mind was busy forming a plan of avoiding recruitment. For as a pilot, I must be on top of things, with a plan. Always. But as I stormed out, about to shout “I’m on my J-1 visa!” and make a run for it, I noticed some things that passed me the first time when I was busy looking nonchalant. First, I thought wouln’t a recruiter be wearing the ceremonial outfit, with the black jackets with the ribbons, silk gloves and the white hat? Before getting an answer, I saw it. A plastic bucket in his hands. A fund raiser! I should’ve known… And there’s another! And…two more few yards away? Then it hit me. There were no markings on their uniforms, no name tags, ranks or other markings. The bucket was a 1 gallon ice cream bucket with a cut-in hole and a hand written piece of paper taped to it. One was pretty out of shape for a soldier, too. And there are probably at least 4 more at the other entrance. How can the army spare people for that to get some spare change? Are those…are those just some guys hired to act as soldiers? I didn’t really bother to find out, but now I wish I did. Were they really gathering cash to support the troops even? Meh, I dunno, you tell me.

I hope NASA will launch Discovery tonight, but the forecast dosen’t look so good.

Heyas. This is a bit of a test blog thing going on here, which I’m taking part for my bud Chris that apparently runs this doodle.

Now, I’m not a very…fluent when it comes to blogs and forum posting, or in general communication on daily basis. I make typos a lot as well so bear with me on that, English isn’t my first language and stuff…

Yeah. I believe an introduction is in order at this stage. Steini is the name, the nickname at least. The actual name is absurd, being Icelandic, but Steini works for most. Some pronounce it Steiny, which works as well. Nosebleed is my self given nickname for the famous series of tubes, so all those names are good for me.

I’m a helicopter pilot in training in Florida. Titusville to be exact. A bedroom community next door to the NASA launch pads. Most things that happen here would be related to the flight school, Helicopter Adventures Inc. (HAI). Don’t let the name distract you, this thing is huge, with about 30 Schweizer 300CB/CBi (aka Hughes 269), at least 10 Robison R22s and two Bell Jetrangers, and students both civilian and military from all over the world.

Hm, besides the helicopters…main points of interests would be computer gaming, no doubt. It’s not a lot that you can do in this town so it isn’t really a bad thing.

(At this stage I’ve developed a writers block) I’ll post a short story or two from my flights later on.

- Steini