one checkride down, good tunes

I'm multitasking as I sit here in Starbucks and watch the hail fall on my car outside. Listening to the Relevant Podcast (which I highly recommend by the way, go to relevantmagazine.com), reading my favorite blogs, and of course, writing this blog. I had my first checkride of instructor training today. I passed, but it wasn't pretty. I have been really fortunate in my flying career that I have done well on all of my checkrides but one, and that one was not a bad flight, but I dorked up the ground eval. Today, I messed up a lot of stuff. I had a really crappy jet and the weather was pretty bumpy, but that's no excuse. My approaches were probably the worst I have done since I learned how to do approaches. I was just really dissappointed in the way I flew, and this checkride will stay with me my whole career now. Thankfully I only got one downgrade. I would not have been as nice to myself, but like everyone says, you cannot grade yourself. Let the checkpilot do that.

I got an iPod for my birthday from my parents, if I haven't mentioned it already. It totally rocks!! I listen to it all the time. So I have been thinking of music non-stop. I have been loving Kids in the Way. I first heard their "Phoenix with a Hearache" tune. The phoenix is my favorite mythological creature, so I had to like it (ok, that sounds really geeky). But listening to it the last couple of weeks, I have to say "The Scars that Save" has really spoken to me and once again broken me down and humbled me. I haven't been into any hard rock or screamo lately, but I have realy liked them a lot. Here's a sample of the lyrics:

Over and over your blood covers me.
How many times will it take me to see.
I am so dangerous.
I am so irresponsible.
Here I am, broken again, but then you show me,
you're wearing the scars that save.
How can you see me, as something so lovely.
Cause it's killing me that you took the blame.
Over and over it falls back to me.
My knees hit the floor and it's easy to see.
I am so arrogant.
I feel so unforgivable.
This is my same old song.
The one where I do it all wrong.
And I will try (fight) with all that I am to get it right in the end.

More lyrics here. And they are also on iTunes or MySpace.

I am also totally STOKED for Snow Patrol's new album. If you haven't
heard the Irish lads' new single, Hands Open, go, NOW, listen!! Its on iTunes for only $.99, cheap at half the price. Check out their website or listen for free at their MySpace page. They will be on Austin on the 26th, so if anyone wants to go with, I'll be there!!