# Tag: hobbies

Today was fun - and a little frightening. I would have been all set to start my level 2 skill set after testing out of level 1 last time I was at iFly, however I had booked today's session in advance, the flying rules state that voucher time can be used for belly flying only.

As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "YUSSSSSSSSSSS!" I did it! I passed my level 1 set of flight skills! I'm sure I've already said this one or five times in the past, but this was my favorite set of flights so far. For the first time, I didn't feel nervous or like I was setting out with a mindset of checking skills off the list. I went in with the mindset of just having a fun time (and yes, hopefully passing my side slides so I could stick a fork in level 1 flying)!

Today was a beast! For the first time ever, I flew 15 minutes in one session (chopped up into chunks of 1:30 I believe)! It wasn't my idea, though. A buddy of mine (who I flew with for the third time) planted the idea in my head last time we were here, and although several people told us not to do it, we did. The way it works (in case anybody reading this wants to do it in the future) is you have to buy three 10-minute flights. That books you and a friend (or two) the full 30-minute flying window. So my pal and I decided to trade off flying for ~1:30 at a time for 30 minutes straight. The good news is you don't have to take turns with a large group of other flyers. The bad news is this environment makes for a very short recovery time between flights!

I'll probably say this a lot in this blog series, but today’s visit was my favorite so far. Why? A few reasons! First off, I got to fly with a buddy of mine today for the second time, and I think he’s getting the flying “bug” just about as much as I am. In fact, the two of us are buying out an entire half hour session next week, which is super fun (and maybe crazy?)! That means we’re going to fly 15 minutes a piece, broken up into ~2 minute flights.

Welp, I’m still absolutely loving playing Smash Drums as a way to relieve stress. I recently completed one of my favorite songs in the SD library, Something I Can Dance To, on extreme difficulty level! Check it out:

Such a fun flying session! This time I went with my boys again. It was their third or fourth time, so they got to spend some time doing belly work - that's where the instructor brings down the wind speed so you're flat on the mat, and then works with you on turns and towards/away movements. On their final session, the instructor had them stretch out their arms and legs while also lowering their heads. These are the movements that start lifting you into the air on your own! I loved watching both my boys get an "OMG!" face when that happened, and come out of the tunnel with huge smiles on their faces!

Welp, I’m a member of a gun club now. This is a sentence I never thought I would write at this age, if ever. But a bunch of events happened around the same time that sealed the deal for me: First, about a month ago I completed the concealed carry course, then a few weeks ago I learned a bunch of interesting tips in a self defense class hosted at the gun club. Finally, I got my permit in the mail and bought a gun. Since I drive near a gun club almost every night of the week for my kids’ extracurricular activities, I figured I should stop by to learn more about membership options.

In my 2022 to focus more on play in my work/play balance, I picked up a fun game for Oculus Quest 2 called Smash Drums. It's similar to the Guitar Hero series, but with (air) drums. I'd definitely file the game under the "You feel awesome playing it, but look like a complete idiot to people watching you play" category. I find that playing the game at the end of a hard work day is a real stress reliever. When I play on the higher difficulty levels, I work up quite a sweat - my watch even kicks in sometimes, asking "Hey, you doing a workout, fella?"

Today’s session was really challenging. In addition to focusing on my side slides (the last skill I have to conquer before moving on to level 2), I had a few curve balls thrown at me: I laughed when I watched the video replay because I didn’t realize my instructor was literally flying under me to interrupt the wind flow!

This visit was extra fun because I brought a buddy with me, who had flown once many years ago. We also flew with a group of first-timers. Now I know I'm a big dumb animal, but it is so fun for me to watch people do iFly for the first time. I love seeing their reaction to hitting the wind - whether it be an expression of joy or terror. I try my best to root for them from the sidelines, but I'm not sure if it does any good, since some first-timers clamp their eyelids shut!

Oh yeah! Another super fun visit with little improvements. I feel like this whole flying thing is starting to click! After my last pretty decent set of flights last week, I was anxious to get back in the tunnel today. I was also nervous because I would be flying with an instructor I hadn’t met before. But as I mentioned in previous posts, it’s really awesome to get to work with a variety of instructors since each one has given me different tips and tricks to work on, or given me a different way to think about an existing skill to make it easier or less tiring for my limbs.

Oh yeah! After having a pretty sucky last set of flights, I felt I was in much better flying form today! I had a new trainer today, and I always love learning new tips, tricks, and ways to think about different skills. Each trainer brings unique experiences and background to what they do, so I try to just put myself in “sponge mode” and take it all in. However, I have a tendency to overthink everything, so I was careful to not psych myself out as I was putting on my flight suit.

After taking my concealed carry course a month or so ago, I started getting a lot more interested in additional classes on shooting and self-defense. And since I’m in the neighborhood of the classroom/range six nights a week, I signed up for another one of their courses last week, called Flashlight and less lethal weapons. The (sort of) funny thing is I actually meant to sign up for a different class, and didn’t realize my oopsie until I got on site. And it was interesting to be the only dude in a room full of ladies but I was and am 100% fine with that.

Well, I hate to use PG-13 language, but if I had to give this iFly session a nickname, I’d call it iSucked. I’m not sure what my deal was, but I just couldn’t get my act together, and I left frustrated. After I tried the 10-pack of flights for the first time a few weeks ago, and then getting a few of my level 1 skills signed off on just last night, I was excited to come back again to keep banging away on my skills. But they banged on me. Big time.

My two sons loved their iFly journey so much, they’ve been asking if we could all come back as a group and do it again. I was thrilled they wanted to come again. My wallet? Not so much. But it's all good, as I don't think you can put a price on finding something all three of us enjoy and the boys will get along doing. Well there is a price, but....you know what I mean.

Oh my goodness. I just had the best iFly session yet! After having a great fourth session, I bit the bullet (well, my wallet did) and bought a ten pack of flights. Essentially that gives you 10 minutes of flying time, which breaks down to five flights of two minutes each, or six flights of a minute and 40 seconds a piece. I initially had a twinge of buyer’s remorse because my newbness and imposter syndrome were raging pretty hard, but the instructors assured me it’s a great way to really dig into your skill set without that feeling of “Oh, I’m finally starting to get a skill and…what? Time to go already?” that I’ve experienced a few times already.

Well, after dreaming about getting my body positions down better so I could fly more independently, I signed up for another round of three flights at iFly Minneapolis. I was excited to take my boys along after they joined me on the third flight, but unfortunately most of the Johnson household has been under the weather, so I went alone. I’m fortunate to be able to make my own work schedule, so I grabbed the first time slot available on a week day. Boy is that the way to go! It’s nice to walk into an empty lobby before they’ve even fired up the tunnel for the day’s flights. It’s also a little weird to have visited the establishment enough where some of the staff recognizes me now.

Well, my wife has created an expensive, flying monster - actually, three of them. At the end of 2021, I went flying at iFly Minneapolis for the first time, and loved it so much again I came back for another round two days later. After seeing the pictures and videos from those experiences, my sons Cameron and Atticus expressed interest as well, so this past weekend we headed out to iFly Minneapolis for their maiden flights.

As part of my 2022 goal to shift my work/fun balance to weigh heavier on fun things (like flying!), I decided to sign up for a concealed carry course a few weeks ago. I’m not a big firearms enthusiast, but I’ve been hunting and shooting as long as I can remember, and figured the course would be a good excuse to get back into the swing of things. I’ll give a brief review of the course in a moment, but for some quick background:

Just two days after my first iFly adventure, I went back for more! I found out that the 10-pack of rides I purchased during my first visit has to all be consumed in one future visit, so I bought a "return flyer" pack of three flights from the iFly Web site. Note to self: returning flights are cheaper than your maiden flight, but you still get the best discounts by buying flights in person.

At the end of December, my wife announced she was taking me out for an early birthday surprise. I was given no information except that I could dress casual, and that I should be ready to leave the house at a very specific date and time. As we headed out towards an unknown destination, I started trying to guess the surprise. I had previously announced that I really wanted to get a keyboard, but she didn’t know the specific model (plus every store nearby was out of stock due to holiday demand).