On the wrong end! Gah!

I dislike uncertainty. In fact I work hard to minimize uncertainty in my life. I greatly enjoy solving a problem but when the answer comes down to the flip of a coin I start grinding my teeth. When I can make a valid argument for each of two opposing points of view I'm not a happy camper.

Take the arrival of the President of the United States in Tucson for example. Talking with people who have witnessed the arrival of Air Force One in the past and melding that information with my own personal observations I came to the conclusion that I had a valid shot of catching it from either end of the runway. Sitting in between wasn't a viable option due to access and traffic, so I would have to commit one way or the other.

Not happy. Not happy at all.

Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you. I guess today was my turn to be a grizzly appetizer. Despite the positive sign of helicopters circling above my position we heard exactly one radio call.

"Air Force One, cleared to land runway 30 check gear down."

Well crap. I was at the end of runway 12. I did get one image of SAM 28000 a.k.a. Air Force One when the POTUS is on board but I was nearly 3.5 miles away. All was not lost though. I did get to listen to wonderful lady, a retired social worker, talk about taking her kids to see this aircraft when President Clinton came to Tucson and the joy and wonderment when those boys saw it in the air. Hearing her remember that moment was a privilege, a stranger sharing one of her precious memories with me. And I realized that of all the problems the world was dealing with at that particular moment, not getting the image really wasn't that big of a deal.