Back in the 1970s I took a day job as a field engineer (glorified technician with a fancy title) for a Cable TV manufacturer. 3-days a week work and 2 travel days - so I could take the red-eye out Thursday night and be back for gigging on Friday.
I was working at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station advising and assisting the people building a computer network that would withstand a nuclear attack. Arpanet - or the infant Internet itself.
While I was there they were testing F18 fighters, and I almost saw one crash in the Chesapeake Bay. I heard the explosion, and turned around to see the pilot ejecting with his 'chute opening. The sound of the plane hitting the water quickly followed.
The day-gig didn't last all that long. I found normal to be sooooo overrated, and I found the caliber and dedication of weekend warrior musicians to be less than what I was used to.
We have a police 'copter here, and since I live just east of a protected wetlands and west of a 2-mile wide lagoon, it flies here occasionally to either look for fugitives hiding in the wetlands, or to rescue people in the lagoon.
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