jwomp: Football, Fast Jets, Little Kids, and Hot Chicks

What a weekend! Sure, I had to work. What else is new? But, instead of sitting behind a computer at home all weekend, I had planned out a day-and-a-half of fun and excitement! You may have noticed something strange about the photograph on the left...it's pre-haircut! I posted a photograph on Saturday of me in the post-haircut phase, when I had meant to do a side-by-side comparison.

SATURDAY

My weekend started on Saturday at 4:15PM, with my purchase of a new digital camera. I finally broke down and bought a digital SLR. That's really the last thing that I need. I'm sure Kelly wasn't too happy. We now have 5 digital cameras, 3 camcorders, 2 analog SLR's in the house. Call me a realist, but I've put off purchasing a digital SLR because I still don't think that a digital camera can match up to the clarity of film. And, it's been a difficult task to find a digital SLR that will allow me to use my Tamron lens.

I wound up purchasing the Sony A300 SLR. Why a Sony, when I am a die-hard Nikon user? Well, a couple of reasons...Although the Nikon D40 is a highly rated camera, it lacks several items that I would want in the D60. And, quite honestly, I didn't want to put out the extra dough to step up to the D60. Plus, the D40 wouldn't allow me to use a Tamron lens.

Is the Sony a better camera? I'm not too sure yet. Sony invented the proprietary imaging hardware used in all digital cameras. I currently own two Sony digital cameras and I have been pleased thus far. Now, the reason I did go with the Sony boiled down to one thing and one thing only. I'm a tight-ass. Simple as that. Sure the Sony cost as much as the Nikon D60, but in the long run, the Sony will cost less to operate. Do you much about the Sony corporation? Well, the Sony company was smart to produce products that are not compatible with any other company's. For instance...the cords that are used on a Sony digital camera cannot be interchanged with a Canon digital camera, nor can you purchase an aftermarket version of this particular cord. Well, being a proud owner of several Sony products, I figured that if I purchased the A300, I wouldn't have to purchase any other cords or cables. They're all compatible! Now, if I would have purchased the Nikon D40, I would have to purchase all new shit, including memory cards. So, in a nut-shell, the Sony cost less.

After purchasing the camera and leaving the office early, I picked Johnny and Kelly up for the Mesa State game. Mesa State College is our local college. They have a well-ranked RMAC football team and an incredible, nationally ranked baseball team. Johnny and I attend the Mesa State games as often as possible. It's wonderful entertainment for the price! Plus, what a better way to spend time with your kid? A football/baseball game, a couple of hot dogs, and quality time together! This football game was a little different. Mommy decided to come along! What a surprise. Other than the Broncos' games, Kelly has never attended a sporting event with Johnny and I. Just a night to hang out with the boys. Mesa State would go on to beat Fort Lewis by 35 points.

SUNDAY

Johnny and I would wake up early Sunday morning. We had big plans. The two of us had been planning to go to the Air Show for about 2 weeks now. My father used to take me to the air shows when I was a child. I think all little boys like Fighter Planes. Hell, I'm an adult and I still dig them. They're kind of like sports cars, but they carry bombs, missiles, and some can fly at two times the speed of sound. I dig fast cars, too.

I grew up in the Top Gun era. I wanted to be an F-14A pilot as a kid. I still do. I can walk into any arcade these days and still kick any kids ass on any flight simulator game! I've logged more flight hours on video games than most pilots log in real life.

The day would start out pretty slow. The gates opened at 9:00AM. We wanted to get good seats, so we showed up at 8:55AM. What a mistake! Nobody told us that the Air Show would start until noon! Hell, the Broncos were playing Kansas City at 11:15AM (no big stroke...they got their asses kicked).

Johnny and I spent the first three hours looking at airplanes, with a little pre-show action in between. Although I grew up in the "Jet Age", my favorite plane of all time is the P-51 Mustang. They had a beautiful restored P-51 in the viewing area. Chuck Yeager flew a P-51. He was my childhood hero. His autobiography was the very first real book I ever read.

Pre-Show would continue with more WWII era planes. Johnny was starting to get bored. We walked around the booths a little longer and stopped for a hot dog. We ran into a few old friends and stopped to chat. We were getting ready to pack it in, when all of a sudden a Mig 17 screamed over our head. Finally some loud planes that flew fast! Johnny's enthusiasm for the air show became a little greater.

This Mig 17 is one of two remaining in the world. Notice the rear seat? Mig 17's are a dime a dozen. But a two-seater is a different story. Mayor Gregg Palmer would fly in this plane on Friday afternoon. Gregg is Kelly's boss. Although the top speed of this plane is nothing compared to the fighter planes of today, I bet it was an absolute blast to fly shotgun.

The highlight of the Pre-Show was the Jet Powered Chevy Truck. What a red-neck event. But, I will be the first to admit...this was pretty cool. The truck was powered by 2 Pratt-Whitney Jet Engines, with a top speed of about 500 MPH. Matter of fact, in a race between the Mig 17 and the Jet Truck, the truck came out ahead by a long shot.

Finally some action! As 12:00PM approached, the jets finally took to the air. The airshow started with a fly-by of the F15 at almost 1,000 MPH. Pretty incredible for a 6 year old. Because the F16 came in from behind, it took the crowd by surprise. Johnny was now having a little fun.

We received a phone call from my friend Seth at about 12:30PM to join his family in the VIP section. Not a bad deal since he had all of his children with him. Johnny and Seth's son Tony have played together in the past, so at least the boys had each other to keep busy.

Johnny and Tony

The boys played for a while. I really am glad that Seth invited us over. Johnny was starting to get bored and I would have hated to leave without seeing the Blue Angels. I was pretty sure that he would enjoy seeing them fly.

Finally...at about 2:00PM, the Blue Angels took to the sky. I've seen these guys fly since I was a child. I can remember watching them at El Toro Air Station, when the US Navy was still using the F-4 Phantom. Nowadays, the Navy uses the F-18 Hornet. Without watching them in person, you'd never realize how dangerously close together they fly...and, how low to the ground they get!