Woke up at 8:42 A.M. I was so ridiculously tired! That's what I get for goin' to bed at 2:20 A.M., huh?! Supposed to meet Van between 9:00 and 9:30. Ended up headin' over to the FBO about 9:15.

I was surprised to see no snow on the ground this morning. But winter was back with a vengeance. I was in shorts and a t-shirt yesterday. Now I was in pants, a t-shirt, a hoodie, AND a leather jacket. It wasn't very warm at all! 30-something. And windy!

Didn't fly today.

At first, Van and I spent some time just kickin' it and watchin' some tornado videos. Van had brought some pictures from last night's storm...lightning obliterated his neighbor's tree, and we soon found ourselves fascinated with watchin' storm videos. Van used to chase storms several years ago, so we both share that same passion!

After that, we did a little ground school in the FBO. Van asked me questions out of the Oral Exam book, and I realized quickly that I knew some material...but that I didn't know some, as well. I could answer some questions right off the bat, others I would know part of the information, and then on others I would quickly have to say, "I don't have a clue."

But it was good to go over the stuff. I am realizing my strengths and weaknesses in terms of what to know...

A King-Air flew in while we were in the FBO. I could really get used to flying one of those! They are such beautiful airplanes!

And I had some really great news today, too! I called the auto repair shop this morning to find out about my car, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out the results! Actually, I was rather excited!

I've been eager to find out the results for the past several days, and I received a phone call on Friday, but I had missed it. I called back on Saturday only to find out the shop was closed. And I'm expectin' a minimum of $100 easy. I mean, my car bled to death!

Well, it turns out that the previous owner (or mechanic) had put some type of temporary drain plug on the oil pan (the mechanic described it as a rubber stop with arms [much like drywall anchors] that keep it from coming out). Well, when I nailed the pavement, the forward movement and sudden friction decided to rip the rubber right out or bend the screw or something...more or less, I just opened up the drain plug hole! Hence the sudden leak of oil!

So all the mechanic did was put a new and proper drain plug in (the threads were just fine, he said), fill the car back up with oil, and he was done! The total? $34.94!!! Woo hoo! I didn't know what to expect, but under $50 never even crossed my mind! I didn't even know it was possible to go to a mechanic and leave with such a low bill. I sure can't complain about that!

Van drove me to pick the car up, then I drove it back to the FBO. And she runs great!

After getting back, I started reading the Oral Exam guide for the Instrument test, but I quickly realized that I wasn't goin' to make it. I crashed. Another nap. I slept from 2:53 until 4:07 P.M.

I woke up to find the King-Air gone. Too bad. I really wanted to check out the inside! He had flown up from down around Tulsa this morning to avoid the snow and ice down there...and he had a flight this evening, but he was obviously gone! Oh, well...

Spent the majority of the night hittin' the books. Van is thinking that I might be ready for the checkride before the end of the month, so that gives me some incentive to study! I'm goin' to hit the books hard the next couple of weeks and then get the written test out of the way. That's pretty exciting.

And tonight was great! For some reason, I was absorbing everything! In the books, on the videos, I was remembering what I was reading and watching! There have been times where I read something but don't get it or remember it, but tonight was different! It was clicking, so I even spent more time studying to take advantage of that!

So for now, the plan is to knock out the written in two weeks, fly up until then to get my hours and become proficient, and hopefully be ready for the checkride later this month! How exciting would that be?!

Van also asked me tonight about my intentions after the training. Really, I'm not sure. The thought of flying is enough for me! I think I could enjoy a wide variety of jobs in aviation, but I haven't landed on any one idea. Corporate jets would probably give me the most enjoyment in terms of flying (different airports, personal attention to regular passengers, exciting airplanes), but I think I could also enjoy the regionals, too (just not sure about doin' the same routes over and over or the hours on some of 'em). And I've also thought quite a bit about instructing...but not to build hours. I love to teach, and I'm gifted at it. So I could combine my love of people, sharing what I know, and flying...and that seems like a good match there, too. The possibilities are endless!

Van even suggested the possibility of becoming an instructor out here. And that's definitely an option, too. White-Air is currently booked up through August with career-minded pilots. They are going to have to start turning away students because they don't have enough instructors to meet the demand! In terms of business, that is a good problem to have...at first! But you also want to meet that demand, too, and having another instructor would sure help out.

Who knows what the future brings? Frankly, I'm not real worried about it. It's still a few months off, and I'm sure something will fall into place.

But I would lie to say I'm not eager to see what happens!

Went to bed about 12:30 A.M. I fly at noon.