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Date: Fri Jan 17, 2003 12:16 am
Subject: Tinkerbell semi freeflight 1 - Emotional Aspects
Hi again, all you wonderful folks of Freeflight and
Birdclick.
I came back from another town by train this evening
after having meetings and conducting workshop there
the whole day today and tomorrow and next tueday will
see me gone for the day.
I cannot even steal a few minutes in the office to
write here. Then tomorrow evening will have yet
another company dinner.
If you have felt bad for me that I worked right
through Christmas eve and New Years eve, it is just
the way things are like here. BUT, on Chinese Lunar
New Year, the public holidays stretch for 11 days :-)
so that is why I am adding a week prior and a week
after for that holiday down under. That is also why I
got two drunken dinners ahead of me and 4 more that I
have to forgo.
I gave up hunting for blackeye beans, kidney beans and
great northern white beans and had to start soaking
those other beans I have to prepare the mash by
saturday. In addition, the cat and the ferret litter
need their daily cleaning and they deserve time with
me too.
I am sorry that I really cannot answer all the letters
individually as I wanted. I do hope Melinda of
birdclick, Janet, Chris and so many others of both
freeflight and birdclick can understand my time
problem. I am touched by all your letters of support
and encouragement. I enjoy writing all those accounts
as it allowed me to relive those moments again and I
am happy you enjoyed that.
I feel sorry that I cannot join in other interesting
threads as well such as welcoming yet another charming
addition like Tinkerbelle. I am sorry also for the
tragic passing of Birdy and I hope that missing
cockatoo can be recovered.
I will be stopping the digest mode from both birdclick
and freeflight after this letter is sent. Mike of
BCplus, I cannot get into BCplus and I appreciate if
you can unsub me until I am back.
In my earlier report of that semi freeflight, I tried
to make it as concise as I can which means certain
aspects were passed over. 'In retrospect' tried to
lay out the plan based on what I perceived from that
flight from Tinkerbell after I have time to reflect
back.
I recalled reading a saying from a general ' No plans
ever survive the first encounter with the enemy'.
It may be possible those careful plans I made may not
survive reality either. For those who want to try to
follow those steps, there is another factor involved.
It is so easy to say that you must remain calm.
Unless you are a cyborg, there is this emotional
aspect that can impaired rational minds, be it yours
or your charge.
After that heart stopping episode where Tinkerbell
flew up and up and that subsequent recovery and after
she settled down and flew to me, I increased the
range.
She got into it and flew faster than she ever did and
she rocked me with her impact a few times before she
learned to control and slow her landings.
I felt everything clicked together and I am sure she
felt that too. She overshot me to circle before
landing.
I increased to half the length of that room and she
overflew me, calling her 'argh argh argh', went on to
the length of that room at great speed, circling the
columns before flying and landing back on me. That
gave such a strong thrill in me that I wasn't sure
that either of us were rational at that point.
The next flight after that, she came high over me at
recall, circled and hovered over my head, and called
me again. My heart went up into my mind, I felt the
excitment and joy as if I was a little kid. I felt
like she was urging me to run. I shouted/screamed back
and ran and she then screamed back and picked up the
pace to reach the end of the room to turn around back
to me. Her excitment made me excited and which made
her even more excited and cascade on and on. That was
such a strong emotional high. The flap flap flap that
she so delighted me in the past in the apartment
metamorphosise into aerial ballet.
I was tired and my wife got caught up in it and did
the recalls and the 3 of us went crazy.
I am not trying to make excuses. Emotions were
running very high that day.
To keep a cool mind that first time may be a lot more
diffcult then you can imagine.
The next flight this satuday should be more controlled
than the madness of the first time.
That report will be the last you all will hear from me
until I am back
=====
With warmest regards
Shanlung
Joy - wife, Tinkerbell - CAG & surrogate daughter