oh look, another catch-up post

I've been really remiss in updating my little virtual diary here. It's part being busy (a fair amount of travel and stuff going on), part dealing with health stuff (mostly the neuralgia and the day-to-day effects it has), and a not insignificant part was just sheer laziness.

So now a big, rambling "Previously, in Stacey's life" post...reader be warned.

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TITLE CARD: "PREVIOUSLY, IN STACEY'S LIFE..."

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So, yeah...let's see. The biggest thing has been the addition of two redheads to the Lawton family and the changes they have brought:
 

Our redheads

That's Will's McLaren 675LT Spider, replacing his prior McLaren 12C (we've had the car for a while now, I just totally neglected to post about it). He went through a lot to get it: the local McLaren dealership didn't have a slot available, so he contacted pretty much every dealer in the US. We lucked out and McLaren of Scottsdale (AZ) had a slot available, so that plus our deposit and Utah address meant we were able to get one of the limited cars. It took about eight months from beginning to delivery, with a large part of that being the manufacturing (it was a bespoke configuration, with a lot of customization).

He loves it. McLaren really improved on the 12C: better handling, better electronics, a lift kit (which is amazingly useful when dealing with driveways, bumps, and dips), faster. The convertible top and sexy Volcano Red paint are icing on the cake...it's a fun car.

Peeking out shyly from behind the car is the latest redhead to join the family, our Cirrus SR22T. I never thought we'd ever own our own plane...it's pretty surreal. I really wish my parents could see it. I'd love to share the whole experience with Dad and Mom, I think they'd have gotten a kick out of it all.

The process was all new to us, so it was a mix of exciting, stressful, draining, and interesting. After a few lunches and flights with our sales rep Beth (she's awesome), a deposit, some back and forth about availability (they had more people interested than they had slots available, but Cirrus really came through with a way for everyone to join the Cirrus family), it all began in earnest.

There were three major steps: design, manufacture, and delivery. Each one involved a lot of coordination and a trip to a Cirrus location, and each step gave us some awesome times and amazing memories.


= Design =

We traded emails and some phone calls back and forth with the lead designer Chris; he quizzed us on what we liked, what kinds of things we may already have designed, what colors we preferred. He was really good...he took our conversations, pictures of our cars and motorcycles and Will's skydiving jumpsuit and wingsuits and came up with some preliminary designs. We narrowed those down, and then in April we flew out to Alcoa, TN for a few days to meet with the Cirrus folks in person.

We had no idea what to expect, which might have worked in our favor. Chris (lead designer) and Brooke (Xi Specialist - "Xi" is the Cirrus customization program) met us for dinner and drinks the night before, which was a brilliant move on their part...we all got to know each other in a more casual setting before the in-office meetings the next day.

We clicked with them both right away, and it was an awesome evening. The next day was long but fun...Brooke has an amazing memory for detail, and she picked up on every little thing: what coffee/drinks/sodas we liked, what music we listened to, what food we liked. She had all of those things ready to go, music cued up, sodas waiting, all of which made what could have been a dry, dull, draining day into a fun time filled with laughs and grins.

The end result, after a full day and a few tweaks over the next week or so, was this (well, this is one page of a longer design spec, but you get the idea):

It starts to become real.

= Manufacturing =

We really, really, really wanted to see the Cirrus factory, and Brooke had our backs...she helped arrange a July trip to the factory in Duluth, MN. She even timed it all so we could see our plane being built, which was a rare treat...it's not often that the timing works out that way. She went above and beyond and got us a tour by Julie, the production coordinator at the factory. Julie has been with Cirrus for more than thirteen years and has had a big part in refining and creating the process (and more than a few improvements to the planes themselves). She was a huge encyclopedia of knowledge; we were lucky to get time with her.

Skeletal interior of our plane

We asked everyone involved to sign our
fuselage; this is Julie indulging us

Even better, Brooke flew out and met us in Duluth and spent an awesome week showing us around. She is from the area (her parents still live there), so she had all the insider info. We went hiking by waterfalls, did a walking tour of the seedier history of Duluth (mobsters and prostitutes and murders, oh my), learned about the history of the area and Lake Superior, visited Glensheen Mansion and relaxed by the water. We love Brooke and we are pals to this day (in fact, she met up with us in Seattle a few weeks back...hopefully I'll be more diligent in posting about that trip than I was about these).

Gooseberry Falls with Will and Brooke

Glensheen Mansion (from the bridge below)

Just three goofballs being goofy

Looking out at Lake Superior
(from the bridge below Glensheen)

= Delivery =

Finally, in late August, it was time to see the end result of months and months of planning and work and emails and phone calls and trips and meetings.

Delivery for Cirrus planes is at their headquarters in Alcoa, TN. Cirrus included a stay at a fancypants resort/spa, but we asked if we could save the driving and time and stay at the nearby Hilton instead, and it was worth it...it turned out that the Hilton looked over the airport and the Cirrus hangars (and the guy at the front desk made sure we got a room facing the right way).

View from the Hilton. That's the Cirrus hangar and taxiway,
towards the back in the center.

(We are definitely more "stare out the window at planes" than "hot stone massage and concierge" people. <grin>)

The plane was beautiful. Chris did an incredible job designing it, everything pulled together amazingly (and we made some good choices, if I do say so myself). When you are staring at pictures on a piece of paper, it's hard to truly get an idea of what the end result will be, but it was even better than we'd imagined.

On delivery day, they popped us into a black SUV and drove us into a dark hangar. Then a spotlight, red carpet, music (that Brooke remembered we liked...she's got a crazy memory), and the official hand-off of the keys. N292WS was officially ours.

(The tail number is the "custom license plate" equivalent for a plane: "W" and "S" for Will and Stacey; "292" is 29th of February, our anniversary (the "N" is standard designation for planes registered in the United States). Yeah, we are dorks.)

Tah dah!!

Pristine electronics. It will never be this clean again.

We were super psyched at how the interior turned out.

We added a few of our own touches (Will is a big Disneyland
fan, so we hid a few nods to the Pirates ride here and there).

After wandering all around the plane and going through all the bells and whistles, it was time for the first flight. The weather was gorgeous, our delivery pilot Nick was another very cool person we clicked with, and it was now officially official: We were plane owners.

The weather cooperated beautifully.

The Alcoa area was lovely from the air.

An unexpected surprise: Brooke somehow knew my
birthday was during the trip, so she surprised me with
balloons and cupcakes (and singing). She rocks.

The rest of the week is a blur. We had days of training to familiarize us with the plane: Will had pilot training, I had "partner" training in the simulator (how to deal with emergencies, what buttons did what, and so on). We both had lots of time in classrooms and in the plane with our training pilot, Justin. There were lunches and dinners with our new Cirrus friends and fellow pilots. It was exciting and exhausting, and we still had a long part yet to come: the trip home.


= Back to California =

Cirrus offers ferry service when you buy a plane (they'll deliver your plane from the headquarters to wherever you are), but we chose to fly the plane home ourselves.

We left Tennessee on August 23rd, flew for about six and a half hours, spent the night in Lubbock, Texas, then flew another eight hours (with a stop at the Vegas airport for a bio-break and fuel/oxygen fill-ups) to land the evening off the 25th at SJC (San Jose International). It was a long trip, but there was some incredible scenery along the way.

A massive thunderstorm about twenty miles off our right wing.
We had to make a huge arc to go around it.

Farms. Lots and lots of farms.

Arizona had some breathtaking topography.

You can tell we are nearing the Grand Canyon.

I really do love the world up here.

Safe and sound at SJC

We were tired, we were sweaty (it was **hot** in Vegas), but we were home. An amazing trip with amazing people that left us with amazing memories.

quick catch-up

Saw Imagine Dragons again, this time in Concord. Didn't realize what a long drive it was, not sure I'd do it again (the Bay Area is frickin' huge, it's easy to forget how big it is). The show was awesome...uplifting, joyful, full of dancing and smiles. I will see them pretty much any time they are in the area.

Began the deck repair project. First big contractor/construction project, definitely interesting, definitely painful for the wallet. But looking forward to using the pool without cringing at the stairs getting to it and having a deck that isn't rotting and in danger of collapsing off its pillars.

Will had jury duty. Didn't get onto the jury, but made it a fair ways into the process. He had an interesting epiphany about what "jury of your peers" and "average American" actually mean...it's rare to see the boundaries of your own bubble, and rarer still to acknowledge them and make an effort to expand or at least not be limited by them.

More bad/sad news for my friend...her cancer requires radiation. No chemo, which is good (well, as good as cancer can be), but still sucks. And this turns out to be a new instance, not a recurrence of her prior cancer...another mixed blessing. Fuck cancer.

Darwin has continued on his "six million dollar dog" journey. MRIs to be sure the vestibular issue wasn't actually brain related, all the associated meds, lots of fun, lots of dollars. He's stabilized for now, living his life, so that's a good thing.

Still fighting my own pain crap. No change, this is life, day to day, blah blah blah. Fuck shingles, fuck nerve damage.

Four-day trip to Duluth, Minnesota to prep for the new arrival, the follow-up to an earlier Tennessee trip (can't remember if I wrote about that one). A good friend found, an awesomely productive time mixed with good company. Duluth is quite lovely, and Lake Superior is an impressive body of water.

Another concert: Panic! at the Disco. Holy crap, what an awesome show. Brendon Urie is amazing to watch: He has so much energy, smiles a lot, and puts on a hell of a show. The band on stage with him were having fun as well, bopping and dancing and smiling, and it was contagious...the crowd was also having a blast. Super high energy show with excellent lighting and visuals, big screens behind and above him that were utilized to the full. I'd definitely see them (him) again.

Speaking of concerts, a few more coming up: Fall Out Boy (again), Dirty Heads (in Santa Cruz, should be fun to see them in a small venue. especially with the mesh of their music style and the Santa Cruz vibe), Twenty One Pilots (can't wait for that one, should be epic).

Speaking of the new arrival, the time is just about here...we head out tomorrow. The next week is going to be exhausting, but definitely a new experience. This is something I never thought I'd be experiencing...definitely not what "Stacey Buncak" would have pictured for herself all those years ago. I'll try to be a bit more diligent about updating here once it's all done and life gets back to the new normal...

a sweet surprise

Yesterday started out grumbly. High pain, general bitchiness, frustration at cleaning splattered grease, specific bitchiness (poor Will), just a super sucky morning.

Later in the day, Will comes back from running some errands and makes me cry...good tears this time. He had very stealthily taken my dad's watch (one my dad wore in Vietnam and for many years after) and had it cleaned and repaired.

The day was suddenly less grumbly.

cozy days

A pic Will took back in January of me and Pepper snoozing away, electric blanket under us, plaid throw over us.

I miss Pepper. He was a good one.

doggy equilibrium troubles

Out of the blue last night, poor Darwin stood up and then fell off his cushion on the couch. We thought he had hurt a leg...he was wobbling and falling down, couldn't walk a straight line. But when it didn't get better and he started head-tilting and stumbling even more, it was time for a late night trip to the emergency room.

Long story short: idiopathic vestibular disease, likely due to something in the brain (rather than an ear issue). If he doesn't get better in the next few days then this is the new normal, though the prognosis is usually pretty favorable (crossing fingers). In the meantime, we try to keep him quiet, monitor him so he doesn't hurt himself, watch for nausea, keep him eating and drinking, and move things out of his way so he doesn't bang into them.

It can be amusing to watch him stagger and bobble and wobble, but the confusion the poor little guy has at it all cuts through any smiles pretty quickly.

Poor little kiddo. :^(

sir tom

An unexpectedly awesome time last night...saw Tom Jones at the Mountain Winery with Will and some good friends. Dinner at Pasta Armellino, dessert of some sinfully good chocolates from Plumed Horse Chocolaterie, then off to the show (after a quick detour back home to pick up the tickets that Stacey left on the counter <blush> ).

This is now the fourth time I've seen Sir Tom in concert (including once in Vegas, which was the best), and he is still rocking it. I had originally gotten the tickets back in June of last year, with the show being scheduled for September. But sadly, Sir Tom fell ill and the show was postponed until almost a year later.

It was worth the wait. It had the obligatory cheesy bits ("What's New, Pussycat?" ranks highest), but also some soulful and powerful moments (hardest for me was him singing "Green, Green Grass of Home"...that was one of the songs Dad had me play at his funeral).

The only downside to the evening was that it was frickin' FREEZING. Well, freezing for the Bay Area, which means windy and in the 40s. But when you are sitting on plastic seats at an outdoor venue on a windy peak after sundown, it gets quite chilly. Even the Welsh boys on stage were shivering and talking about the cold, which is saying something. We were saved by our buddy and his quick-thinking purchase of sweatshirts and blankets...he managed to snag the last two blankets they had. <grin>

Good night, good music, good friends.

The man is turning 78 next month...and he can still belt out a song.

It was a packed house. Even with the eight-month
postponement, the venue was sold out.

Yup, that's a sousaphone. Unexpected, and weirdly, it worked.

The opening act was "Into the Ark", his mentees from
The Voice UK, who also joined him onstage for a few songs.

Sir Tom flanked by Into the Ark.

dredging up a smile from the past

Way, way, way back in the day, I had a Velveteen Rabbit plush. Loved that little guy...his pudgy little body, his little rabbit mouth. He was full of personality and joy, and he even had his own dance routine (to "Video Killed the Radio Star", his favorite song).

He rocked it.

This is Velveteen the Second.

I found him on Etsy a few weeks ago and had to snatch him up. Fifteen bucks, my friends...rarely does nostalgia come so cheap. And you'd better believe that the first thing I did after unpacking him was to download a copy of "Video Killed the Radio Star" and see if I remembered his dance.

Yup, I remembered.

I rocked it. 😁

another goodbye

Goodbye, Aunt Monie...you were one of the good ones. Sending love and hugs and tears to my family...

helplessness

More rough times for the Saylor clan: My aunt Monie is very, very ill. It's very much a wait-and-see, time will tell situation, and the helplessness is hard for everyone. I'm stuck on the other side of the country, but I'm lucky to have some amazing family who are keeping me up-to-date on how she's doing...daily calls and texts and messages back and forth.

It sucks to see someone you love hurting. I love my Antimony, she's a friend as well as family...a rare thing.

Hugs and all my love to everyone...

music and memories

Got a random reminder the other day of how intertwined music and memory can be...it's amazing the power a song can have, even if you only hear a snippet.

Backstory: Many years back, my long-time partner developed feelings for a co-worker (spoiler: It led to the end of the relationship and was a very dark time for me, though the passing of time (and a lot of introspection and effort) would eventually lead to a better path and a better Stacey).

Back then, there was an older song that played a lot on the radio for some reason (maybe it was on a soundtrack?), whose title was the name of that co-worker. Plus (extra bonus!) the theme of the song was that the singer was smitten with the titular person, could see them being together, that things they thought were wrong in the past could be right in the future. You know, the kinds of lyrics someone going through a tough breakup loves to hear...Hollywood couldn't have written it better. <eyeroll>

Fast forward many, many years down the road. I'm a different person now. After coming through the other side, the lessons learned from that time in my life still serve me well...not the way I recommend learning about yourself, but if it has to happen, you might as well face it head on. So yeah, there I was umpteen years later, sitting at lunch, in circumstances that I couldn't have imagined in a million years, and I catch a bit of the song playing quietly over the speakers.

It was weird. It didn't hurt. It didn't bring back the emotions. It just tweaked me a bit...like tugging on a loose thread at your cuff and feeling it pull further up your sleeve. Connections, vague outlines of memories, a diaphanous blob of long-forgotten feelings.

It definitely didn't hit as hard as it did back when it was all fresh. In fact, it had no true effect, but I found the *memory* of the feelings to be fascinating. It was kind of like looking at a picture of a flower: You see the picture, you can match it to a memory of a real-life flower that you've seen, and you might have a recollection of what it should smell like, but it's removed from reality. You get a kind of "huh, yeah, I remember that flower" blip in your head, then you move on to the next thing. It was interesting to see that the cross-references were still there in my brain, but that they had dulled and diluted and no longer had power.


(There were two songs back then that made everything way, way too real at the time: the one with the co-worker's name, and one that had the singer cursing another for making them fall in love with them.

That one sucked. It was playing one time when I was hanging out with the co-worker (they had been a friend, a close one, actually) and they started crying on my shoulder about the song. So I comforted them, thinking it was about their own dying relationship. Yeah, no...turned out they were crying because it was *my* partner they were thinking of, and their relationship was failing because (and I kid you not, they said this to me) they "wanted a person like <my partner>" (another spoiler: They actually wanted my partner). So yeah, I wasn't fond of those songs, lol.)


(Oh, and don't get the idea that I blame the co-worker for what happened. While no, it's not terribly cool to pursue someone in a relationship, the weight of the choices fell on my ex-partner. They made the commitment to me, they were the one in the relationship. And if that relationship was no longer what they wanted, then it was on them to end it with honesty and integrity, with respect for everyone involved. Not going to lie, though, it would have been easier if I *could* have blamed someone else...I guess that's why so many people do.)