Of Two Minds

Here it is, Sunday night and we’ve had the weekend to think about what Dave should do.  Should he leave hearth and home to live and work in Prescott, AZ for a year and a half (or less if he gets unhappy) or stay here and look for a job that makes a fourth of what Lockheed Martin would pay him as a briefer. Damn the recession anyway.

Friday Dave went and had a drug test.  First thing tomorrow morning he will be calling Lockheed to find out how to set up a physical with a flight surgeon.  He’s had a thorough physical with our Group Health doctor, but the flight surgeon thing is an aeronautical thing.  My father worked for Boeing and his physicals were with the flight surgeon, too. 

He’s talked to one of his friends at Prescott Flight Service, and whom he’s known his since his LAX days, and apparently Lockheed Martin is trying to entice him into NOT retiring with more money so there’s a chance that Dave might be well paid.  Apparently the young folks Lockheed first hired at reduced salaries after taking over from the FAA are hanging around just long enough to get on with the FAA (don’t blame them) so maybe Lockheed has learned a few things in the last seven years. There is also a possibility that he can live with another friend who has a couple of empty bedrooms.  That would really be cost effective!

We are still up in the air about his going.  It is hard to detach one’s emotions and look objectively at the situation.  Part of me would like to lie down at the end of the driveway so he couldn’t leave on Friday, but I would hate for us to move to our “retirement” home and have it mortgaged.  It was paid for once and I’d like to have it paid off again.