Back to NorCal

I just came back from an overnight trip to Northern California, which was prompted by business and did not involve any research for Sarah at all.

In fact, I stayed as far away from San Francisco and Berkeley as I could - as I think the political correctness of the liberals there is proving to be just as toxic to me as the far-right theocracy of Southern California. My trek started in Monterey, overnighting in Milpitas just north of San Jose and finishing up in Sacramento. One reason for Sacramento was a visit to the air museum at the former McClellan Air Force Base, where I could see two examples of the F-86 Sabre, the very aircraft that Sarah's grandfather flew during the Korean War (and translated into Sarah's own interest in aviation). Didn't really enjoy the visit though, as I was not really in an aviation mood today - certainly not military aviation.

Otherwise, I've been working long hours (getting nothing done, actually) and not getting much of any time off at all. I'm also extremely sick and tired of having to constantly babysit coworkers and "family" members due to their inability to understand basic English. I'm not very happy.

I was actually relieved to spend the past two days driving my new Hyundai, which now bears a vanity plate referring to Kwan Yin, Sarah's (and my) transgender matron saint. It is a great car, and the vanity plate is a very strong counterpoint to all the theocratic negative energy that permeates the California freeways. The only downside, of course, is the car's Bluetooth system, which allows people to call me at the worst possible times, and disturb my peace. A few hours without my babysitting, and everything seems to go haywire.

As for the online airline simulation game, I'm starting to fall apart, due to the game's "open skies" environment where anyone can fly any route, even domestic runs in a foreign country, regardless of nationality (imagine the New York - San Francisco route being dominated by airlines from China). Basically, anyone hailing from a city with lots of demand can grow fast, and drive competitors from nearby cities out of business. Two competitors, one in Hong Kong and the other in Beijing, are doing just that - and I can't keep up from my Seoul hub. And with my time commitments, I may have to call it quits early. I do think I got my objective - learning the aviation economics enough to apply it to Sarah's work environment - accomplished. (And by chance, my mainline fleet is looking a lot like United's - the only difference being the Boeing 767-400, which United doesn't fly, but I will, but whether I'll survive long enough to actually fly the plane is another question altogether.)

I have, however, made some strong statements even in that game, by abruptly pulling out of the Los Angeles market in late 1999, incensed over the extremist antics of the Korean-American community as well as its collaboration with other primitive immigrant communities of SoCal (they alone make up half of Los Angeles already) for the passage of Proposition 22, California's first gay marriage ban. I'm starting to think that as noble as Kwan Yin's determination to save every human first is, I think she can forget about ever reaching nirvana for herself, as long as she continues to try to save the theocratic immigrant communities in Los Angeles, which are absolutely hopeless. Pulling my Kwan Yin-themed airline out of the Los Angeles market was my way of saying that in the game.