T Stands For Sally, Sully, and More

As promised, I'm going to begin this T post with Sully.

I realize it's a movie about an event that many of us remember, but I know, after talking to some of the people who left the theater the same time Sally and I did, most of them remember it better than I.  It seems to have surprised several people.  Of course, Sally and I both enjoyed it, but I know for a fact, I enjoyed it far more than she did.

I hadn't planned to reveal the plot, but it appears Wikipedia has done so already.  So why, you ask, did I appreciate it more than Sally?  Well, it certainly was NOT because it was in IMAX.  I'm not sure what I expected of IMAX, but it wasn't all that impressive to me.

What DID impress me was the plot line.  Sully, or for those of you who are unfamiliar with the heroic efforts of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (played brilliantly by Tom Hanks), landed a commuter jet on the Hudson River, where all 155 passengers and crew survived with only minor injuries.  All were rescued within less than 30 minutes by crews from the New York Fire Department who sent skilled divers, the NY Police Department, US Coast Guard, and several local waterways and sightseeing cruise liners.

Suffering from PTSD, Sully has numerous dreams where he plows his aircraft into one of the buildings in New York City, reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks.  Although called a hero by many, he claimed he didn't feel like one.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attempted to claim the plane crashed due to pilot error, not Canada geese hitting both engines and disabling them.  The NTSB originally claimed one of the engines was functional, although later it was removed from the Hudson and shown to have been disabled, too.

However, the reason I fell in love with this movie was toward the end, where simulator pilots, after knowing what was going to happen, were successful (after a number of crashes) in landing at both local airports.  Sully countered that the simulations were unrealistic, and didn't take into account the HUMAN FACTOR.  Those who know me, know my Ph.D. is in Human Factors, a discipline described as

the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

The degree crosses many disciplines, including psychology, engineering, kinesiology biomechanics, industrial design, statistics, methodology, physiology, cognition, and anthropometry.

The NTSB allowed an additional 35 seconds for the human factor to take effect, and when that time was allowed, neither simulator could land their aircraft at either airport, but crashed over and over.

At the end of the movie, it showed Sully (not Tom Hanks) reunited with many of the survivors of the aircraft at the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

So although I have no idea why IMAX is such a big deal, I loved the movie more than most will ever know.  It just confirms why I went to school and got such a useful degree.

After the movie, I insisted I take Sally to dinner, since it was too late for the lunch crowd.  She picked the restaurant.  After all, she had paid for those overpriced IMAX tickets.

Reminiscent of photos taken by both Valerie and Helen, the busy late afternoon traffic and static buildings made a great reflection against the restaurant's name and hours of operation.

I got a little carried away

taking photos

of the menu.

You can see my choice is Chili Rellenos.

I was glad I only got one, which included beans, rice, and three flour tortillas.  I also had them hold the horrible mole, which I can't seem to like, no matter how often restaurants try to include it.

Sally ordered the flauta dinner, which included sour cream and her choice of beans or rice.  She also combined two sauces, mild and hot.

I, on the other hand, chose only mild sauce to go with my chips.  It was also about that time I realized I needed to take a photo of my drink which was water with lemon.  Sally had the same.

Look who was waiting for me when I got home.    He had missed me.  Squiggles had been pretty much pushed aside during September, when Bleubeard and I hosted Art Journal Journey.  That's why I decided he was worth mentioning photographing today.

Now it's your turn to share a drink related post.  It can be about anything, including a movie (one with a drink in it, not one where the actors land in the drink), postcard, art of any kind including digital, hybrid, or traditional, vignettes, cups, mugs, or even out and about as Sally and I were.  Then, please link your post (not your blog in general, please) and Bleubeard, Squiggles, and I, along with the rest of the T crowd, will be by to visit.