messiestobjects

Being John Mikeovich

I got my Space Adventures video, and this time it works! I asked for it in 2 formats, DVD and MPEG, so I've got it all backed up and I'm a happy space camper.
It's fairly dull; the camera men insisted on keeping the camera on ME for most of it, which is silly because I'm hardly movie material, and everything going on around me is much more interesting... They even had the camera in the cockpit of the MIG pointed right at me, so 30 minutes of the movie is just me looking really out of place in a Russian supersonic jet fighter and the really loud sound of the engine. Blah. They have a little bit at the end of the take-off and arrival of me in the acrobatic L-39, but nothing of while I was actually up in the air, which leaves open a man-on-the-moon sort of debate as to whether I actually went up in the thing and did some acrobatics or whether it was all staged... But all that matters is that my friend Jen believes me! (10!) If only Neil Armstrong had so good an alibi...
But even with all that, I had a blast watching it... it made me want to go again. I am definately not done with Space Adventures; I have to retry the zero-gravity flight, and I'm thinking about the sub-orbital adventure... we'll see.
Anyway, still no word on our contract... although there have been hints that all is not lost. If they don't tell us by the middle of february that we have to go, then the contract stipulates that it is extended by default. So, that should be the latest that we know what the deal is. I think they're keeping quiet because they're having so much fun bullying us into non-contractual work... once the new contract is signed, they won't be able to do that.
Enough of that... it's bored. I don't really care anymore; I can stay or I can go. Either option has it's pluses, really. All I really care about is getting another vacation soon so that I can have something interesting to blog about rather than periodic "still no word" entries... hey! Like THIS one!
Buh Bye.

Jingle Jangle

Remember the old Pepsodent jingle?
"You'll wonder where the yellow went,
when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent."
Time for a 21st century update:
"You'll wonder where the billions went,
when you elect George Bush your president."

- From an article which also mentions my incarcerated boss.

Self-Fulfilling Grizzly Motorcycle Prophecy

Heh heh... I was just re-reading some of my earlier blog entries, and something funny occured to me. If someone had told me before a year ago that "You'll pilot a Russian jet plane before you ever drive a motorcycle!" I would have taken it to mean that I'd never in my life actually ride a motorcycle. But as it turns out, it would've been prophecy! I actually have flown a Russian Jet, and have not yet driven a motorcycle in my life! That's awesome! So I also have to kind of call bull***t on myself here because in my description of flight day, I compared piloting the L-39 acrobatic jet to driving a motorcycle in the sky, and as I've never been on a motorcycle, I apparently had no true basis for comparison, (unless you count the scooters I drove while living in Bavaria, which I probably shouldn't) but it sounded good. But I will definately correct that at some point in the future, as the prophecy clearly states that I WILL fly a Russian jet before ever riding a motorcycle! hee hee. Self-fulfillment rules!
  Has anyone seen 'Grizzly Man'? I watched it the other night, and man I laughed my butt off at that guy! I mean, he's just some loser that decided to go live in a super dangerous Grizzly Bear environment, even though he'd had no formal training with something like Park Service or Bearology or whatever! What did he think was going to happen! Ha! .... but then I realized that I've pretty much done the same thing... and I'm not sure if that makes him worthy of more respect from me, or me worthy of equal derision... let's just drop the subject there, okay?
So anyway, we finished the construction, mostly on time, but I'm still not sure where we stand with the client... on the one hand I think it's likely that they'll tell us to take a hike anyway, as we are usually having a crisis of some sort and are not fully able to meet their requirements, but on the other hand they'd be foolish to let us go because they've been bullying us into performing work that is outside what we are actually contracted to do, and we have to let them because we are in no position to stand up for ourselves. Additionally, they haven't paid GBG in 6 months, so it's work for free! Another contractor won't give them a deal like that! So anyway, my honest guess is that we'll only be here a few more months until they can hire a replacement contractor, but I've heard nothing official yet.
Thailand, here I come!