Abbott’s Preparation week 30 (Medic Cycle)

This week I’ve been more driven than ever - flying, reading, working and exercising, all in the harmony of a productive spirit.

To start, I’ve continued soloing, staying local to rack up the hours I need before I can be cleared to solo to another airport. I even had a lesson of checkride prep with my instructor, and I have to say, the entire process of the checkride isn’t nearly as intense as I thought it was going to be. You have two parts of the checkride, the oral exam (which tests your knowledge of the more logistical side of flying) and the in-flight portion which tests how well you can actually fly the aircraft. I was worried about the in-flight portion, but after simulating it, I feel a lot more comfortable, as it’s pretty hands-off from the examiner’s side. So as long as you don’t do anything stupid, and do your maneuvers correctly, it’s easy money.

Speaking of money, I’ve started working a part-time job again. Keeping to the theme of blue collar work (I worked for a handyman earlier this year and part of last year), I’ve taken over one of my friend’s jobs at a horse ranch (he’s leaving on his two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), where I’ve been dealing with a bunch of horse shit (there’s really no better way to say it…). Hey, it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. The good parts about the job, however, are that it’s flexible (meaning I could do it after school or on the weekends), my employers are really nice people, I’ll be getting some exercise and sunshine, and it’s a lot closer to home than my last job.

On top of that, I’ve finished my second Great Courses class, Medical School For Everyone: Emergency Medicine, the Caveman Chemistry book, as well as The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I hadn’t been planning on reading this Hemingway book during this cycle, as it is a good book for the Sailor cycle, but one night as I was watching No Reservations, with Anthony Bourdain, my new favorite show, Bourdain made some snarky New York style comment on something or other and likened himself to the Old Man in The Old Man and the Sea. My dad, who happened to be in the room, suggested that I read that book, as any writer worth his words should. So I did, and I really enjoyed it. I would probably place it among the best books I’ve read, second only to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is an excellent story of how self-indulgence and gluttony lead to one’s own demise. With that series of happy little accidents, I now find myself pretty much ready to take EMT school head-on, having completed three books and two Great Courses lectures. Still, I have one last book to read (coincidentally enough, also a Hemingway book): A Farewell to Arms. But I have this in audiobook form, so it’ll be easy listening on the way to school and back. One last item I should mention is that I’ve also started another Great Courses class for this cycle called Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality. While some of the information is interesting, I find it to be more woke than the new Odyssey movie, which is saying something…

All in all, this week has been much better as I find myself more driven, passionate and productive, culminating in a new chapter in my growth and learning that I eagerly await.

Until next time,

• Abbott Springston