Michael Castellon

Gurinder Chadha’s film Blinded by the Light is a simple, fun yet powerful ode to Bruce Springsteen. For me, the movie captured how popular music not only interweaves across social, economic, cultural and generational situations but also gives voice and identity to those who have neither.

Earlier this week I set out to fly with another instrument student. As a safety pilot, my job isn’t much more than to make sure the person flying doesn’t make any critical errors while flying without reference to the terrain. It was 97 degrees when we departed Austin. I enjoyed sitting in the right seat,…

Today a friend told me that she looked forward to mid-August because the sunlight begins to change into something more reminiscent of autumn. In Austin, this solar change can be deceiving — even distressing — as it rarely accompanies a change in atmospheric temperature.  In short, it begins to look like fall but still feels very much…

The Economics of Texas BBQ Foreflight has added new courses and webinars that look interesting.

Tonight I served as a safety pilot for Jack, a fellow instrument student. The role of the safety pilot is to be the eyes and ears of the pilot while he or she is flying under the hood and monitor the overall safety of the flight. It was nice to sit in the right seat…

In the late 1980s, around the ages of 10 or 11, I took refuge in a small sports memorabilia shop called the Upper Deck that was located in an upstairs corner of a dying neighborhood mall in Urbana. It was owned by Jay and Linda, a young couple who would rock their newborn baby while…