Who Am I To Fly in the Sky?

Hopefully the Worst is Behind Us

2010-06-06T08:21:00.002-06:00

So we got back a couple of days ago from a quickly planned trip to Asheville, NC where Erik had a job interview for a new call. I was granted unpaid leave for June 1st and 2nd, which gave us four days to make the trip and get back.

The interview seemed to go well, and hopefully the congregation will be letting him know in the next few days if they would like him to come back for a second interview, most likely mid-July. The good news is that the family seemed to like the change in scenery that Asheville would bring - lots and lots of green, and no cow poop smell in the air. The bad news is that to stay at my current airline I would have to commute, and not an easy commute. Brings me lots of stress, but I'm trying not to focus on that for the time being. We are researching my options, though, just to stay as informed as possible.

Due to weather issues in Atlanta, which is the city we flew in and out of, we weren't able to get on our first two flight choices. Erik and the girls ended up spending the night at Van's, while I caught a late night Delta flight to Denver. They treated me very well: a seat in first class and lots of friendly attention. Thanks, guys!

It was vital that I get home that night because I had a stand-alone duty day for June 3rd, and of course I got assigned a LaGuardia turn for the morning of the 3rd. I ended up spending the night in the quiet room in the crew lounge. The good news is that I got to fly in the back with my new friend, Tonya, who always makes flying a lot of fun. The day was very long (8.5 hours block time), but thanks to her it flew by - no pun intended.

But to get to the title of this post, with the worst being the financial nightmares we've had the last six months, thanks to Erik's former congregation refusing to pay him the agreed-upon severance package. My last paycheck was FINALLY a full paycheck, plus per diem, for the first time since December! He has lots of supply preaching gigs lined up for the rest of the summer, and we finally feel like we are able to hold our heads a little bit better above water. I AM hopeful that with these things, plus the new job prospect in NC, that we have weathered the worst and have good things ahead.

And now, though it is 8:30 am and I just got up 2.5 hours ago, it is off to bed soon again for me. I have a two-leg red-eye tonight, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to survive it awake. With me, sun comes up - eyes open; sun goes down - eyes close. At this point I can only hope that a nice, long Ambien induced nap today will be enough to get me through until our 12 hour rest in Milwaukee tomorrow morning. Nite-nite.

Boarding Nightmares

2010-05-26T19:21:00.002-06:00

I started my five days on call this week with a 6 am ready reserve couch sit. I was enjoying a nice quiet sit with two of my classmates when the three of us were called out for an Indianapolis overnight.

We quickly decided who would work what position, and I ended up with the "C" position - working the main cabin during boarding. Both flights were uneventful, for the most part, but this morning's boarding process was one of those inexplicably crazy ones where anybody and everybody needs something, usually while standing in the middle of the aisle, blocking everyone else.

First, I had a pregnant lady who needed me to lift her bag into the overhead bin (which was too fat, by the way). I explained about my recent shoulder surgery, but told her we could lift it together and share the weight, after we had taken a couple of things out of the front pocket, making it actually fit into the overhead bin.

Next was a lady traveling alone with three kids, one a lap child. Her seats, naturally, were not all together, and she wanted to know could I ask someone to move so she could sit with all three. I explained we would try, and she could ask her fellow passengers as she got to her row. Five minutes later I realized boarding had bottle-necked and saw some discussion taking place over boarding passes. It was the same Mom with those 3 little ones, and it looked like we had a seat dupe, only we didn't. In her frazzled state, she was looking at the boarding passes for her next, connecting flight and had seated them (with all their various detritus) in the totally wrong row - 6 rows back from where they should be. Of course. I finally got that mess straightened out, by letting them stay seated and asking pax assigned to those seats to simply switch with her (hey, how would you like to sit a lot closer to the front of the plane? wink, wink), then dealt with a lady who had spilled coffee on her white shirt while juggling her carry-ons, and checked into why the gate agent had asked another woman to gate check her bag - it, too, was way too over-stuffed to fit into the bin.

Next, I tried to soothe the couple in one of the exit rows who were very irritated that their seats didn't recline. Even though we had a few open seats and I invited them to move to one that did recline once the seat belt sign was off, it didn't help. They oozed an annoyed, put-upon air the entire flight. Darn that safety stuff, interfering with our 2 extra inches of comfort on a 2 hour flight!

Lastly, I worked with the last two rows, re-arranging a large family traveling together who had two lap children, and who were both assigned seats in the same row of 3. Can't have that - that would have been five folks with only four air masks. Luckily, they grasped the problem very quickly and one of the teenaged sons piped up and said, "Oh! I'll trade! No problem!"

By the time we closed the main cabin door, I was frazzled and exhausted myself. But no moment to dwell - time to arm doors, do the safety demo, and then compliance for take-off! Whew! Thank goodness for those few thousand feet of climbing time to take a deep breath and re-group!

Miss Me?

2010-05-23T17:28:00.002-06:00

Yeah....I knew you didn't. Anyway, I was reading through my old posts and discovered I really do enjoy jotting down what happens to me in this crazy job. I just got out of the habit. I will try to do better.

Two major factors of my not blogging in the last year, though:

1) Erik lost his job six months ago. It's been a sad and depressing situation, and that makes it hard to focus on silly things like a blog.

2) I fell in our hotel on a layover on Thanksgiving Day and hurt my shoulder. I had surgery in January, but was not flying for 5 months. I've now been back for 3 weeks, and all is going well.

Did I mention it's been a rough year? More to come later...

Welcome to Maine!

2009-06-05T09:18:00.002-06:00

With Erik's vacation and my 9 days in a row off, we decided to fly to Maine to spend a few days with Erik's old college roommate, Leni and his wife, Kim. There are four lovely girls in their house ages 14, 5, 2 and 4 months. It's a busy household!

We got passes for the family on AirTran, that being the best option for us to get from Colorado to Portland, ME. It should have been 3 flights for us: Denver-Atlanta-Baltimore-Portland, but after the flight to Atlanta was full we ended up taking a Frontier flight to Reagan airport in DC, then taking the Metro train and a bus to Baltimore, then catching up with an AirTran flight to Portland. Leni picked us up and after another hour and a half drive, we arrived at their house about 7:30 pm local time. Whew! It was a long travel day, but could not have gone more smoothly considering non-revenue travel. So guess what? You CAN "get theah from heah!"

We had a late supper of authentic New England clam chowder and crab cakes, got an incredibly good night sleep and are now on our way to go explore the Maine coast, which is fogged in today, so we will also get to experience some authentic Maine lighthouse foghorn sounds. Cool....

Top 5 Unusual Tips

2009-05-31T20:42:00.002-06:00

There are so many wonderful tips out there that we flight attendants eagerly share with each other as we're jetting back and forth, and many of them are so widely known, I don't feel I need to share them here. Instead, I thought I would give a short list of some of the more unusual tips I've received (and grown to love) that don't relate to travelling in general, but focus mostly on smoothing our job-related tasks. My favorites, from 5 to the number one:

5. As I'm serving beverages and empty a can, I flip the pop-top up to a vertical position to signal an empty can. That way as I'm cleaning out the cart at the end of service, I know at a glance which cans still have liquid in them, and which cans can be recycled or thrown away.

4. Our airbuses have a couple of round vents in all the galleys, so an easy, free way to freshen the air in the galley is to tear those perfume cards out of fashion magazines, roll them up and insert them in the vent. The air blows across the card and subtly perfumes the air.

3. Sanitary napkins are made to be absorbent! When I spill something in the galley, I just peel the sticky back off of a sanitary napkin, stick it to the bottom of my shoe and skate the spill away. Sounds disgusting, works incredibly well and saves a bunch of c-fold napkins.

2. Something I just discovered on my last trip: a combination of hot sauce and alcohol wipes will take chewing gum right off a seat belt buckle.

And my favorite tip, especially for dead-headers or those on extended airport appreciation time:

1. Blow up a beach ball about half-way, stick it inside a pillow case and voila! Cheap travel pillow! You can rest your head more comfortably on the tray table this way, or wedge it between your head and the plane window. Very malleable, and surprisingly comfortable. When you're done, let the air back out of the beach ball, fold it up and it takes up practically no space in your bag. Love it!

What are your favorite tips that have made this job easier?

Obviously, I Wasn't Fine!

2009-05-28T12:34:00.002-06:00

Sorry about the previous post, guys. My computer hiccuped just after I typed the title, and posted my blog with no content. I immediately went back to edit my post, but fifteen minutes later, edit almost complete, my computer hiccuped again and shut itself off, so my edited post wasn't saved. At that point, I said, "Forget it! I'm going to bed!" and decided I'd just fix it today.

I got back last night from a 6 leg, two day trip worth 13.50 hours, with only 9 hours of rest on the ground at our layover. The truly humorous thing to me is that my post was all about how my esteemed colleagues and I just couldn't seem to get anything right on this trip. And my screwing up yesterday evening's post just sort of proves my point!

But the passengers were having problems, too: a gentleman spilled a brand new cup of Bloody Mary mix all over his khaki-panted lap and seatbelt; several passengers had to run back for things usually not forgotten, like laptops and suitcases; and somebody got chewing gum all over both parts of the buckle on their seatbelt.

As for the flight attendants: during one safety demo, the fa completely blanked on the words "flotation devices for children", much to the passengers amusement; later on, she verified over the PA that the aft doors were "disarmed", when we were actually arming them for take-off. The fa in the front almost told us to prepare for arrival over the PA, when we were actually preparing for departure, but caught herself at the last minute.

Me? I kept dropping things. I dropped a full can of Pepsi, which exploded all over the galley; while I was cleaning it up, I knocked a cup of diet Dr. Pepper off the shelf onto the floor; I couldn't remember for 10 seconds what anybody's drink order was, especially if there was extra conversation, and worst of all - I (gently) dropped a VERY heavy bag on a gentleman's head while I was trying to help a woman put it in the overhead bin. Even though I think part of the reason I lost my grip is because it was at least 60 pounds, I was still mortified. Luckily the gentleman had a great sense of humor:

Me: "Sir, I'm so sorry about that bag. Are you ok?"
Him: "Sorry, I can't understand you, due to my new brain damage."
Me: "Oh! Well, I was actually going to comp your TV for you today as an apology, but since you can't understand me anyway....."
Him: "I'm healed!"

Was it a full moon, or was it holiday weekend leftovers? I don't know, but sometimes trips take on a personality of their own. Thank goodness I was flying with kind, professional ladies who both had wonderfully funny personalities. It made all the frustration over brain-farts humorous and uplifting instead of downheartening, as they sometimes can be. And I knew, and think they did, too, that even though we made mistakes, we still knew what we were doing and had the safety thing in full control. We just had little "human" moments along the way!

No, We're Fine, Really!

2009-05-27T19:50:00.000-06:00

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Reserves!!

2009-05-24T20:18:00.003-06:00

I started 5 days on call yesterday morning, and per my usual, started with a 6 am couch shift. Did I mention that yesterday was Saturday before Memorial Day?

Things in the crew lounge were chaotic with short calls, junior assigning and ready reserves being sent every which way. All of us got sent off the couch. I got called for a Tampa turn with a 9:38 am show time. Crap!! That turned my little easy 6 hour couch shift into a 13 hour duty day with no tax-free per diem, dang it.

When I got back and called in to be released, I was told I was assigned the noon to 6 couch shift for today. OK - cool. I really thought I'd be back on the couch at 6 am, which would have left me exactly 8 hours total at home - including family time, dinner, sleep and a shower. Instead, I got 6 bonus hours, which made me happy.

More of the chaos when I got to the airport today - plus TA-DAH!! A tornado warning at the airport and 2 hour weather delays due to lightning in the area. We (meaning all of us in the relative safety of the terminal) sat and watched a great number of our planes stop 50 feet short of blocking in because rampers couldn't be outside to park them with lightning in the area. That's planes full of passengers. Stopped 50 feet short of being set free. 50 feet short for almost 2 hours. Poor folks - including the FAs who had to keep them company for so long.

I wasn't spared flying in all that weather today, either. I got sent out on a Phoenix overnight, and am now blogging from the lobby of our hotel there. PAX were great, considering their long frustrating delay, and I now have a little per diem! Yay!

One interesting thing on my Tampa flight yesterday: as folks were de-planing a woman handed me a business card naming her as part of an aviation group helping families during aviation disasters. On it she had written "Thanks for a great flight" and "survivor UA 232 July 19, 1989." Wow....for those of you not intimately familiar with airplane disaster details, that's the Sioux City, IA flight that famously cartwheeled down the runway, burst into flames and landed in a corn field. Really touched me, and made me wish I could have talked to her more, but she handed me the card as she exited the plane. By the time I read it she was gone. But what a strong lady she must be. I think I will keep that card close by me when I fly as a very real, vivid and poignant reminder of how critical my role as a safety professional is. There is no more important reason for doing what we do than for all of those "souls on board."

Have a great weekend, all, and happy flying!

What We Do On Layovers

2009-05-21T16:06:00.002-06:00

My youngest daughter and I were chatting recently about a blanket I started knitting a while back for some friends who were expecting their first baby. Baby Anna is now 2.5 years old, and said baby blanket is only about 8 inches long. It's a work in progress.....

Anyway, my daughter suggested I start bringing my knitting with me to work on in hotel rooms and then asked what other flight attendants do on their layovers. She found the list funny, weird and fascinating, so I thought I'd share it. Come to think of it, she's not the first person to ask, "So, what do you do, exactly, on your layovers?" (All of these I've either seen, done or heard rumors that others have done, by the way.)

50 Ways to Entertain Yourself On a Layover:

1. Work-out.
2. Eat (from your bag alone in your room).
3. Eat (at a restaurant with your crew).
4. Drink (at a restaurant with your crew).
5. Drink (from your bag alone in your room).
6. Knit.
7. Crochet.
8. Cross-stitch.
9. Do your taxes.
10. Read.
11. Do Crossword or Sudoku puzzles.
12. Get a haircut.
13. Get a massage.
14. Get a mani/pedi.
15. Dye your hair.
16. SHOPPING.
17. Spend some quality time with a prostitute (not that I condone or recommend this one).
18. Become a prostitute (don't recommend this one either!).
19. Bowling.
20. See a movie.
21. Play pool.
22. Sightsee.
23. Take in a show/play/concert.
24. Spend time with family that would normally be long distance.
25. Spend time with a friend who lives there.
26. Go to a museum.
27. Go surfing.
28. Spend hours surfing the internet.
29. Argue with a spouse/significant other/child.
30. Catch up on those Netflix you've been putting off.
31. Nap.
32. Catch up on work from the part-time job you have to make ends meet.
33. Arrange for those buddy passes your friends needed yesterday.
34. Quilt.
35. Scrapbook.
36. Pluck your eyebrows.
37. Swim.
38. Go for a run.
39. Go for a long walk.
40. Catch up on company related computer based training.
41. Call Human Resources and find out what happened to your last paycheck.
42. Call Crew Services and find out what happened to your last bid.
43. Plan your wedding.
44. Call housekeeping, ask for clean towels and answer door naked, then proposition staff.
45. Proposition someone on your crew.
46. Get propositioned in hotel bar. (But refuse, because you're a moral person and you have a significant other.
47. Get propositioned in hotel bar. (But accept, for reasons of your own.)
48. Get sick and go to local emergency room.
49. Visit home of crew member whose lives in the city you're laying over in.
50. Did I mentioned drink?

Be Careful What You Wish For...

2009-05-18T10:57:00.002-06:00

I just got my Reserve schedule for June. Erik has vacation the 2nd week of June so he had asked me to request as many of those days off as I could. Following my friend EC's advice on bidding tips, I asked for June 4th thru 10th, then said I would be willing to have 2 instances of only single days off. This is what I was awarded (keeping in mind I'm 9th from the bottom of our FA seniority list):

June 1st and 2nd: RSV (2 days)

June 3rd thru 11th: OFF (9 days in a row!)

June 12th thru 17th: RSV (6 days in a row)

June 18th: OFF (1 day)

June 19th thru 24th: RSV (6 days in a row)

June 25th: OFF (1 day)

June 26th thru 30th: RSV (5 days in a row)

WHOA.....I have 2 days off out of 17. Yikes.....That'll teach me to listen to EC! LOL

Granted, I may very well not be flying all of those 17 days. It depends on how busy the airline is, etc. It's entirely possible I will end up being at home on some of my reserve days, but you never know in this industry. And being home and on call is just not the same as being OFF.

Don't get me wrong. I'm excited to have basically the whole first part of June off, but leery about the possibilities for the last half! Like I said - be careful what you wish for.....

(Here's where I bring out my motto: No matter how good or bad it gets, this too will end.)

At Least It's Not the Piggy Kind

2009-05-15T18:47:00.002-06:00

I have the flu.

This past Tuesday night Erik and I went to Hanna's band concert and I started feeling weird and run down during the concert. Since it was a middle school band concert, Erik joked that it was probably just the bad music making me feel yucky (naughty man! lol). Felt ok all day Wednesday, but felt it coming on again Wednesday night. Just a general all over malaise and achy feeling.

By the time I got to the airport yesterday morning for my usual 6 am couch shift, I was feeling pretty run down. I got lucky and didn't get sent anywhere, and by the time I got home around 2 pm, I felt really crappy, complete with a fever. When Erik came home with a brand new thermometer for me and we took my temp it was 101 degrees. Uh oh - time to call Crew Scheduling and call out for at least the next day.

To complicate matters, I just did a Puerto Vallarta turn this past Sunday and although we didn't get off the plane, I did bring back passengers who had been there on a great big germ tube , so I thought it might be prudent of me to call my doc and get tested for Swine Flu. Now before you roll your eyes at me, I didn't really think I HAD swine flu; just that it would be better to know for sure than to assume, "I probably don't have it." I'm happy to report the test results were negative, just as I suspected. The doctor said I do have A flu, just not THE flu.

She also strongly recommended that I spend the next three days at home resting rather than flying, and I'm grateful for that. My fever is gone for the most part today, but every time I make myself get up off the sofa I feel exhausted before I take ten steps.

Tomorrow, the rest of my family is flying to ABQ to spend the day with friends and to help celebrate one friend's high school graduation. I intend to spend the day on the couch with Coda on my feet to keep my toes warm, watching movie after movie. The peace and quiet, I'm sure, will do wonders for my recuperation.

I'm Alive!!! Really!

2009-05-12T09:55:00.002-06:00

I know I've been a bad girl for not posting for so long, and I'll try to do better, but sometimes you let too many days go by between posts and it becomes so overwhelming trying to decide WHAT to post about! In brief, since the last time I was here, this is where I've "been":

1. Took a 7 day Caribbean cruise with my family. Had a great time, wanted to stay in Nassau forever.

2. Was called a "bitch" by an upset passenger.

3. Cleaned up copious amounts of vomit from a poor lady who was paralyzed on her right side and couldn't get to the airsick bag in time.

4. Went to Atlanta to see my friend, Van's, chorus concert. Was moved to tears several times.

5. Had a mechanical in Cancun that kept us grounded - and on the plane - for 4 1/2 hours. Wanted it to be longer so we could stay the night, but no such luck.

6. Went to Puerto Vallarta on a turn in the midst of the Swine Flu scare and got to see everyone's "sticker of honor" from the Mexican authorities that they were ok to travel: "Libre de influenza." Complete with an okee-dokee check mark.

7. Numerous 6 hour couch shifts at the butt crack of dawn.

8. Two 6 hour couch shifts back to back at the butt crack of dawn.

9. Numerous trips to the airport for turns only - very few overnights.

10. A surprise trip to Spokane from my hubby to see "Spamalot!" on tour and celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary.

So see? It's not that I'm not that into you, blog, I've just been busy! More time with you soon, I promise.

Reunion Pictures

2009-03-10T08:27:00.003-06:00

As promised, here are a couple of pictures of my big reunion with my friend, Tony, on my Phoenix layover last week. Naturally, I was nervous for nothing, and found out he had been nervous all day, too. After hugging for a very long, glorious time, we went to a nearby Starbucks where we spent the next couple of hours catching each other up on the big happenings in our lives in the last decade. Then we went to a really, really nice restaurant to meet his husband, Alan, for dinner. They've been together for 12 years and it's apparent they have a wonderful, loving relationship. They shared their "story" with me, then stories and pictures of their children - two of the cutest doggies on the planet.

After buying me one of the most delicious dinners and wine I've had in a long time, Alan sweetly excused himself from dinner to give Tony and me MORE time to catch up if we wanted it - which of course we did, but after the stress of the day plus wine, my eyes were closing. We didn't stay too long after Alan left, then Tony returned me to my hotel, with lots of warm feelings re-kindled and promises to stay in touch this time and visit again very soon.

We both felt like we had never been apart, and it felt so nice to see his handsome face again. And I really liked Alan. Hope we can do it again sooner rather than later.

Here are the two best pix of the night:

Tony and Alan at the restaurant Tony and me sharing a good-bye hug

Facebook and This Job = Amazing Things Happen

2009-03-03T16:38:00.002-07:00

I signed up for a Facebook page a little over a year ago now at the suggestion of my friend, Kate. I already had a MySpace page and figured Facebook wouldn't be any different but thought I'd do it for a lark anyway. Holy cow was I wrong! Anybody who has talked to me even for a little while in the past year knows about my new Facebook addiction. Hey, admitting it is the first step: "Hi, my name is Kelly, and I've been addicted for Facebook for about 13 months now." "Hi, Kelly."

Anyway, I've been amazed...nay - BLOWN AWAY - by the people I've re-connected with on Facebook: high school chums, former congregation members, current congregation members, old colorguard buddies, old boyfriends, current co-workers, cousins, siblins, nieces and nephews; the list goes on and on.

But combine these re-connections with my current traveling job and it truly starts to reach surreal and miraculous proportions - at least in my opinion. Take today. I am currently sitting in Phoenix, AZ on a 17 hour layover. Phoenix also happens to be the new home base of a very special friend of mine I lost touch with right about the time my first child was born just over 14 years ago. We found each other a month or so ago on Facebook, discovered we had been looking for one another for years, and I've been hoping for a Phoenix trip ever since. And today, I have one.

I am waiting now for him to get off work and come pick me up for our "big" reunion, and I have to admit that although I am excited, I am also a little nervous, too. I mean, after all, we've both come a long way, geographically and figuratively, in the years since we've seen each other. I've gained and lost 150 pounds, another child and a permanent set of glasses on my face; he's gained a few distinguishing laugh lines around his eyes and a few more gray hairs in his beard (at least, that's what it looks like from the pictures on his Facebook page). And that's just what's obvious. What if we don't know how to talk to one another anymore? We used to exchange letters (old school, snail mail style) back when we were in high school, then phone calls, then weekend visits where we never seemed to run out of laughs or things to share. Then, when I got married, everything went POOF! and he was gone, almost before I knew it.

Stay tuned for for an update and pix.....

See-Saw Trip

2009-02-28T08:09:00.002-07:00

I finished a 3 day trip the other day and it was one of the strangest I've been on in a long time. We had rotating flight attendants for almost every leg. I was the only one of us on for the whole 10 leg trip (OMG! My sweet hubby just brought me coffee in bed! God, I love him!) Anyway, for the most part I had great colleagues, as usual. We had a 19 hour layover in Salt Lake City, getting in about 2 in the afternoon. One of the other FAs brought a friend along for the layover, who also happens to be a Frontier FA. The three of us met at this super cool place right behind our hotel. It's called Brewvies, and it's a pool house, bar, restaurant, movie house all in one. The food's good, the beer's cheap and the movies are only second run and cost $3.00 each. It's a great place to hang out and kill some time. The other ladies played pool before I got there, then we stayed for 2 movies: "Gran Torino" and "Frost/Nixon." (Both excellent movies in their own right, but "Gran Torino"? Awesome. Go see it; I think you'll be surprised.) We had lots of laughs, conversation and food and it was a good time.

Omaha was my next overnight and all was well. My classmate was with me and she's wonderful, and we went to have a sandwich with the Captain, who is extremely naughty, but in a good way. He made us laugh all through dinner. The only strange thing is this: our Omaha hotel has a reputation for being haunted, which of course I love, but nothing strange happened the other time I stayed there. This time, though, as I walked into my room for the first time, I had the strangest feeling, like a physical density or pushing around my head and shoulders. I hadn't been thinking about where I was, so it kind of took me by surprise to feel something so strongly and suddenly - like the air in the room was almost solid. The feeling jolted me into remembering where I was, so I said, "Huh," walked back into the hallway to test the air there (which was fine), and returned to my room after about a 15 second wait. And the air in my room felt different, normal, just that quickly. Nothing else happened the rest of the night, even after I set up specifically placed items on the tables around my room to see if they would get moved. I wonder if that corner is in a "fear cage", as some paranormal investigators call it when there are LOTS of electrical wires in the walls and stuff, creating off the chart EMF readings. I'm kind of disappointed that we will be changing hotels as of March 1st.

Which brings me to the last day and our Cabo San Lucas turn. Renate (my classmate) and I got a real "winner" of a C Flight Attendant. This post has been longer than I intended it to be, and I don't want to give spend any more emotion on the situation than I already have the last couple of days, so I will try to make it brief. This "C" FA, a guy, is senior enough that he holds trips to Costa Rica every week (or so he claims). From the get go, he treated Renate and I (Reserves) as if we had no idea what we were doing with international forms, etc. and stepped all over me regarding the handling of those forms. He and the Captain clearly didn't trust that I could take care of business efficiently. Twice, when I caught his hands in the red bag that houses the forms for us, I informed him I had it under control and had even discovered some forms that were missing, and twice he said he was going to double-check me. Grrrr......He insisted on handling the distribution and passenger instructions of said forms all by himself, even after I offered him help - several times. I finally decided that he was punishing himself by not letting us assist him in that part, so I adopted a "Knock yourself out, dude." attitude, and told him to let us know when he needed help, otherwise we were just going to stay out of his way since that was what he seemed to want. The most annoying thing? He handed the forms out and gave instructions over the PA about how to fill them out DURING THE BOARDING PROCESS. Was he monitoring bags? No. Was he helping with bags? No. Was he closing bins? No. Did he do his exit row brief? Well, yes, he did, thank goodness. But the whole thing did not go smoothly at all, in my opinion.

And the last straw? On the flight home, after all of our duties had been performed, he sat down in the front row, put on his own Bose headphones and proceeded to watch TV!! I looked it up in our FAM and our Company Handbook, and officially he didn't break any rule that was written down anywhere by watching TV, but common sense should say that if the Company says not to listen to music or work on personal projects during the flight, you shouldn't sit down and put on headphones, either! Talk about checking out!

What a nightmare he was all the way around. After much consideration, I've decided I am going to put a very kind "heads up" note in his V-file in the crew lounge telling him how his un-professionalism made me feel. I realize I should have confronted this immediately, but I let his seniority intimidate me, and that's my downfall. But I still feel it would be a kindness for me to let him know that his actions underminded my trust in him, in a similar way that he let our lack of seniority undermind his trust in us. The biggest difference being that I waited to judge him until I witnessed his actions for myself firsthand. I can almost guarantee he won't like or appreciate what I have to say, but I will sleep better knowing I had my say, even if it's belated. And I pray for God to give me just the right words so that maybe, just maybe, he'll hear and change at least his tv-watching and pre-judging behaviors.

Thank God for the first part of the trip, Emily, Carly, Renate, and Brewvies!

No, I'm Not Dead

2009-02-14T19:00:00.003-07:00

I've just been taking a break from posting. Things here in our household have been routine: go on call, stress waiting for phone to ring, phone rings, drive to airport, get on plane, deal with passengers, finish trip, drive home, enjoy all too short days off, rinse and repeat.

In light of the very tragic and sad or potentially sad airliner crashes that have occurred lately, I can honestly say I'm happy for routine. Passengers for the most part have been attentive and courteous; flight crews have been the same. I'm grateful.

I did get an unexpected bonus today - I got to be home with my family all day today for Valentines Day! Our time together actually started last night with Hanna's Band Fund-raiser: Mystery Dinner Theater Night. All 3 of us, plus some friends from church, attended last night's opening performance and what a hoot it was. The premise, of course, was muurrrddeeerrrr.. Hanna played "Hil D. Glum", a young girl who recently moved to this new school from Oshkosh, WI; Hil D. is a 4-H enthusiast and makes all of her own clothes. Her secret desire is to be a runway model, and when someone spikes everybody's punch with a secret "passion" potion, everyone's secret desires start coming out. Hil D. ended up not being either the murderer or the victim last night but she still did great. And I think this unusual fund-raising idea has been a big enough success that they will definitely be able to go up to the mountains for competition and a day of snow skiing.

Today has been quiet with a lot of lying about and snuggling together - me, Erik, Maggie and the dog. No cards or presents, but I don't mind that. Erik decided to stay home with us instead of going goose hunting on the last day of the season and that is a wonderful gift all by itself.

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

What's on YOUR iPod?

2009-01-22T10:53:00.002-07:00

I think it's an interesting snapshot of our culture these days of how many people have iPods to keep them entertained during down times - like airplane rides. And I definitely count myself among those "people." But let me be clear - I'm not passing judgment. I just think it's interesting, probably because I see so many of them in my line of work. There are so many different kinds now, too: original "old school" iPods, old nanos, new nanos, old shuffles, new shuffles, off-brand mp3s, you name it.

So, as I work through the cabin passenger by passenger serving drink after drink, interrupting jam session after jam session, I find myself wondering,

"What's on their iPod?" Maybe it's the sociologist in me that's wondering, or maybe I'm just damn nosy. Either way, I want to know, so please comment on this post and help me with my ponderings.

And just in case the curiosity is universal, here's what's on my iPod this week: Bette Midler (of course); Barenaked Ladies; Prince; Mac Davis; the complete soundtracks to Wicked, Into the Woods, Dreamgirls - the movie, and Hairspray, the movie; Dixie Chicks; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Cake; Queen; Linda Ronstadt; Weird Al; and even a little of my beloved Scott Bakula, in the form of 3 episodes of Quantum Leap and a song called "Pig Island."

I Have a Thing for Art Deco

2009-01-21T10:09:00.003-07:00

Some snapshots of our neat hotel in Omaha:

The hotel is a little old and outdated, but I really like the authenticity of it. It's very easy to imagine it back in it's heyday, bustling with flappers and men in suits, smoking cigars and sipping "tea" out of china tea cups. Although this hotel isn't popular with a lot of our crews, I think it just might be one of my favorites.

Couch Sits

2009-01-18T19:04:00.002-07:00

I sat the couch this morning from 6 am to noon, and I have to admit - I like couch sits. I always think I'm going to get that book read, or that scarf knitted, in today's case, I was planning to watch 3 episodes of Quantum Leap I had loaded onto my iPod. I do love my Scott, after all, and he's shirtless quite a lot in these eps! :)

Anyway, I didn't even get one page of my book read - it's such a social time. I sat with Kari, the lady I got to go to Nashville with Thanksgiving week. (See pix in previous post) She spent some time sleeping in the quiet room, and while she was out another lady I've flown with recently (and whose career I've been following over at flightattendants.org since before I signed on with Frontier) came by and we visited for quite a long time. I got to do some "pastoral care" for her by listening to her vent about some things that have been going on in her personal life and felt much closer to her by the time she had to leave for her trip. Turns out we have the same mother! Go figure!

Anyway, when I'm done with my couch sits I almost always leave feeling connected and re-energized by the friends/colleagues I've been blessed to see that day. That's a powerful feeling. Although I won't ask for couch shifts if/when I ever get to hold a line, a part of me will miss those opportunities to say hello and touch base with such a huge variety of folks.

Something Definitely Smelly About This Flight!

2009-01-17T09:04:00.002-07:00

I did get a 2 hour call out the other morning on my last day, but it was at 6:45 am instead of 4 am.

I had to laugh when I heard crew scheduler Bernadette on the other end, with much trepidation in her voice, "Gooood morning, Kelly. I'm so sorry, but I have some flying for you, and it is a 2 hour call out."

They had two broken planes in out stations and didn't know when they called what I would be doing exactly - either a Sacramento or a San Francisco turn. The instructions were to call when I got on the employee shuttle, which I did and was told to go straight to the gate where I would be flying to San Fran in the "A" position.

The turn went very smoothly, with one smelly, disgusting exception: a man in about the third row got up toward the end of the flight to go to the lavatory, looked down once he got to the galley, and realized he was dragging POOP with him on his shoe! There was a large smear of .......residue........on the carpet in the aisle, and two huge smears on the galley floor. He apologized, said he had no idea where it came from, and after pulling a yucky face, went on into the lav to take care of business, and subsequently clean off his shoe. I got to work cleaning it up as best I could, called for back ups, and the three of us managed to de-biohazard the area as best we could. Lucky aircraft appearance folks who got to take care of it even better when we got to Denver!

Afterwards, I was amused to find that although I was not exactly excited to be cleaning up this mystery excrement (we never did figure out where it came from), I wasn't totally grossed out, either. When I was going through training and we were discussing various bodily fluids flight attendants might have to deal with on a plane, I thought I would be horrified at having to deal with urine, shit, vomit, blood, snot, etc. Instead I'm pleased to find I view it typically as no big deal - just something to be handled as quickly, professionally and efficiently as possible so as not to horrify the PASSENGERS if/when they come into contact with it. There's a sort of relief and yes, pride, in knowing that so far, at least, I have been able to handle whatever potentially disgusting thing is dropped (snicker, snicker) my way.

No Flying for Me Today!

2009-01-12T11:49:00.002-07:00

I did end up getting to be home all day yesterday, and ended up getting awarded an RNF day for today - which basically equals a day off in the middle of my block of reserve days. I debated about whether I should bid for a no-fly day or not because it will cost me 4 hours of my hourly guarantee for the month, but in the end I just couldn't resist since those offers have been so rare lately, what with the reserve grid being constantly low during the holidays. And I only half-believed I would get it since more flight attendants are figuring out how to do it and I'm so low on the seniority list.

But I am making sure I am enjoying the hell out of my surprise day off - even if I do feel a tad guilty about losing that money. I've run errands around town this morning, and am currently sitting in the public library making good use of their computers since I had to stop and try to find a new book on CD to listen to anyway.

In just a moment I am headed back home to let the puppy out of his kennel, then I fully intend to kick off my shoes, make another pot of coffee, and snuggle on the couch with a good book for the rest of the day!

Then tomorrow, I'll be ready for that 4 am short call! (Which I will probably STILL complain about, knowing me!)

Friggin' Fraggin' Computer Issues

2009-01-11T14:18:00.002-07:00

It's been hard for me to catch a moment to update this site the last few weeks - all of our laptops are on their last legs, or have bitten the dust. Erik's lap top he usually brings home from work is having re-charging issues, so he's leaving it at work as much as possible; our old lap top from Kevin has finally bitten the dust and won't hold a charge; I haven't ordered a new power cord for my "new" Macbook yet, and the laptop I'm currently using (Van's old one) has a broken screen, so we've hooked it up to an old desk top monitor. Great, except for now the computer overheats and shuts down after a couple of hours use. Sigh.....someday we'll learn to take care of stuff. (Read: that is, someday our children will learn to take care of stuff - when they're the ones paying for it!)

Anyway, life is chugging along now that the holidays are over. When we got back from our quick trip to Dallas, we had literally just stepped off our plane at DIA when Crew Scheduling called attempting to junior assign me for the second time that day. I listened to the email and they needed someone to take a Sacramento overnight trip. I checked flight loads, which were pretty wide open for both flights so - Hanna went with me! We had a really great time. We have contract shuttle service there so we got a nice cushy SUV ride on the way to the hotel. The next morning we went to the mall across the highway and walked around for a couple of hours, had lunch, and then walked back. Best of all - our ride back to the airport was a white stretch limo. Mine and Hanna's eyes were both huge, as it was a first for both of us. Seriously, it sure was fun watching her delight in her first limo ride and hearing her joke about how she was going to lord it over her friends.

The only downer was I got sent on a SLC turn when we got back so Erik had to drive all the way to Denver to pick her up, but he didn't mind. We knew that was a possibility when I accepted the assignment. And thankfully, crew scheduling called me to tell me about it while we were still in Sacramento so he had plenty of time to get down there before we got back.

The next day I got short called for a 3 day trip worth 18 hours or so. We had a Las Vegas overnight then an Indianapolis overnight with turns on the beginning and end of the trip. Tiring, but not the worst trip I've ever gotten. The ladies I flew with were nice and we spent a pleasant couple of shopping hours in Indy before our show time.

I enjoyed 3 days off at home with the family, sat the couch yesterday and am now sitting at home on call wondering when the phone will ring. It FEELS quiet, but you never know. I'm good for 3 days after today, so I'm content with another 3 day trip tomorrow, especially if I get to enjoy this bonus day at home for a change. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Good Times in Texas

2009-01-02T11:00:00.004-07:00

I made it to our friends' house in Texas yesterday morning after a nearly sleepless night in the crew room. We've been having a terrific time catching up.

Mike has a promotion with his job - Congratulations! He is now the National Sales Manager for the hat line for Resistol/Ranch Brand cowboy hats, and is as excited as a kid planning a visit to Santaland. Shauna's Pampered Chef business continues to go well and keeps her busy. Taylor, Maggie's BFF, is growing into quite the beautiful young woman, and Bailey, their youngest, is still the cute Cabbage Patch Doll who keeps us laughing with her sunny disposition. I love and miss these guys so very much.

Yesterday we spent time playing Rock Band, then went out to dinner. Frisco has the most amazing Christmas light display in their City Center - with the flashing lights set to music on one of the FM radio stations. Jaw droppingly impressive, I thought.

It's a joy to see Erik having so much fun hanging out with his "bud", and as I write this, the two of them have invented some excuse to go for a ride and get away from all this estrogen. They make me smile....

We're headed home tonight because unfortunately I am on duty again already tomorrow - but for only 4 days again, hallelujah. Then I can finally have three off in a row.

2009 is off to a very pleasant start.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T22:34:00.002-07:00

I'm too tired to write much this evening, but wanted to take a second before heading to my barca-lounger in the crew room quiet room (again) to say, "A very Happy New Year."

I got back from another 3 day trip today where my victory lap to Orange County got cancelled because of extreme fog. Should have been good news, no? It was, I guess, except I had to sit the couch from 6 to midnight. My family is all in Dallas celebrating the new year with friends and I'm joining them on the first flight out in the morning. Of course, when I found out our SNA turn was kaput, I was crossing my fingers hoping to be released right away so I could catch at 7 pm flight tonight, but it was not to be. I guess in the long run I wouldn't have wanted any of my loved ones on the highway tonight anyway. And my classmate, Renate, was assigned the couch tonight and she brought lots of goodies to share with everyone - including sparkling cider! What a generous and fun idea! It was so crazy that from 6 to 8:30 there were 8 of us couching it! Good times, good times!

So, happy new year to everyone, and may 2009 bring you more love, laughter, good times, free time and blessings than you can possibly handle. And may Frontier have their best year ever so we can bring furloughed folks back and have new hire classes so all us reserve folks can finally be lineholders!

Peace.

Still Trying to Focus on the Positive

2008-12-25T13:55:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas to all, from Kansas City, Missouri today. My shuttle to the airport is in 15 minutes and thought I would send some good cheer since I am feeling a little down about being so far from home on this Christmas Day, after not having been home since Monday morning.

I am still trying to stay positive and focus on the fact that less then 12 hours from now, I should be home and snuggled in close to my hubby's warm and fuzzy body. Our children should be nestled and snug in their beds, and my faithful puppy should be dozing at mine and my love's feet. Or, more likely, he'll be snuggled in between us, and Erik's will NOT be the warm and fuzzy body I'm snuggled against! :)

Fun is on the way, though. Our Captain, having missed out on turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, brought an entire Christmas dinner with him on this trip with enough for all of us: turkey, Honey Baked ham, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, and even brownies. Most everything is pre-cooked or canned, and the plan is to warm everything in the plane ovens on our trip to Portland tonight and enjoy Christmas dinner "together" then. And even the brownies should be easy to do; it's a pre-mixed, bake it right in the pan thing. How nice!

Tomorrow Erik and I will do some last minute shopping for the family, then we'll open our presents and have family Christmas dinner tomorrow evening. I can't wait!

The Light Shines in the Darkness

2008-12-23T13:17:00.002-07:00

Here's a lesson on the importance of staying focused on the positive:

After driving all the way to the airport for my usual 6 am couch sit on Sunday and then getting sent home, I got assigned a Cabo San Lucas turn yesterday for my day 2 of 5, with an 8:30 am show time. I arrived on time, but the plane was delayed coming out of Omaha and we ended up leaving at 12:30 for what was originally a 9:35 departure. We should have been back at 4:15 pm, but I finally cleared customs at 7:30 pm, ending up with an 11 hour duty day. I called crew scheduling and found out I had been assigned a 3 day trip for the next day, with a 5:45 am show time this morning. A hell 3 day trip, worth a total of 21 hours -

Day 1 - MSP turn, 3 hour sit, DTW leg getting into Detroit at 11:00 pm, 11 hour layover; 13 1/2 hour duty day. (3 total legs)

Day 2 (Christmas Eve) - 8:35 am showtime, back to DEN; ABQ turn; MCI leg getting into Kansas City at 6:30 pm, 21 hour layover; 11 hour duty day. (4 total legs)

Day 3 (Christmas Day) - 3:35 pm showtime, back to DEN; PDX victory lap, getting back into DEN at 11:45 pm; 9 1/2 hour duty day. (3 legs again)

Since I literally had only 10 hours and 15 minutes until my new showtime, I decided to spend the night in the crew lounge. After sleeping poorly, I awoke, got dressed, got my stuff together for my showtime, met with the crew for briefing, etc., all the while feeling bummed about my horrible 3 day trip that wouldn't get me home in time to spend any of the official holiday with my family. One problem - I FORGOT TO CHECK-IN. Crew Scheduling called the crew lounge at 6:00, wondering where I was. I got a Late Show - bad news in this industry. The crew scheduler was very sweet when I explained that yes, I obviously screwed up, but in my poor, addled brain I felt like I never stopped being on duty since I spent the night here. She sympathized, gave me my late show, and advised I call my inflight manager.

Great - a crap couple of days already, and then I go and do something boneheaded like this! Life should really be hell right about now, except for focusing on the positive -

I had two of the nicest ladies you could ever want to fly with on my MSP turn; the passengers were mostly in cheerful moods; when I got back from my MSP turn I did talk to my inflight manager who understood what happened and removed my late show (Hooray!); and best of all - as the passengers deplaned back here in Denver, a lady reached into her tote bag, pulled out a beautiful, royal blue hand-knitted scarf and said, "Here! Merry Christmas!" All 3 of us flight attendants received one of her incredible gifts. When we protested, this kind Mrs. Claus merely shrugged and said modestly, "It's just what I do."

Wow.....so just when life could be total and utter hell, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it. Amen. And "Merry Christmas."

Anatomy of a Short Christmas Flight

2008-12-17T21:18:00.004-07:00

During Boarding....

"Good morning! Welcome aboard! Where are you sitting, sir? Oh, 1D and 1E? Ok, here, let me put that bag up above for you while you get comfortable. And I'm sorry, I'll need to put your cane and your wife's purse overhead as well. I'm sorry, you can't keep it under your seat, but it's just for take off and landing. If you need it during flight let me know and I'll get it down for you. Thank you."

A little later....

"Hello! Welcome aboard! Yes, ma'am, I know your grandson's looking forward to that Thomas the Tank Engine set, but since the bins directly above your seat are full, please feel free to use any of the overhead bins. Those, unlike your seats, are un-assigned and are shared."

"Please hold onto your coats, folks, to save room for larger bags. We'll tuck your coats around them later so your coats won't get dirty.....If you would, hold onto your coats, please.......sir, would your mind holding your coat for just a few minutes until all the large bags are in the overhead bins? Thanks....." (oh, good grief.) Shouting: "Free headsets to anyone who holds onto a coat, your purse or small backpack! Free headsets to anyone with a coat in their lap! Get a free headset!"

Later still...

"Someone's in your seat? I'm sorry, we'll get this figured out." I check both boarding passes and one slightly mentally challenged gentleman is in the wrong seat. "Sir, I know he's in your seat but if you wouldn't mind taking his seat a few rows back, I'll be happy to buy your TV for you. Oh, thank you for your kindness. Merry Christmas."

I take care of my briefs, the safety demo, and passenger compliance for take-off. I sit in my jumpseat and discuss the remainder of the flight with my seat-mate:

"Taryn wants to know can we share cashless cabin devices because hers isn't working right."

"Sure. Oh, and we have 8 wheelchairs when we land."

"EIGHT? Holy cow!"

"Yep, and a UM, and a meet-and-assist that doesn't need a chair, plus an electric cart."

"Well, I like verifying chairs with passengers, so I'll go through and do that after service if you'd like."

"Great."

"Oh....with this many senior citizens we're likely to need decaf today, so why don't you go ahead and make a pot."

"Really? Ok."

"If I'm wrong, you can tell me, "I told you so!" (Of course, not a single person asks for decaf)

During beverage service, which goes rather smoothly.....

"Diet Coke.....Diet Coke....Regular Coke....coffee, two creams....orange juice....Diet Coke....tomato juice....tomato juice with lemon slice....water, no ice....coffee, black.....oh, and a water, too.....ginger ale.....oj....Diet Coke....etc." "No, I'm sorry, we don't carry blankets anymore." "Oh, you're going to see your grandchildren? How exciting! Hmmm hmmmm.....hmmm hmmmm....yes, he's a nice son.....hmmm hmmmm....did you want something to dr....mmm hmmm....uh huh...oh, painful feet....that must be awful....mmm hmm.......well, I'll come back and check on you in a few minutes...you're welcome."

I verify all those wheelchairs which reassures them and let's them know their request didn't get lost in the system somewhere: "Will there also be a chair for me in Dayton? In Milwaukee? In Orlando? Will someone be able to push me all the way to the curb where my granddaughter is picking me up?"

And of course - "Yes, ma'am, we've got the chair ordered for you in Denver and in Akron. Yes, I know, you're going to see your grandchildren....Two and half years? They must be so excited to see you, too......mmmhmmmm.....mmmm hmmm....oh, callouses....no wonder your feet hurt so much....mmm hmmm...well, next time just let security know.....sure....mmm hmmm......six months ago? You must miss him terribly.....mmm hmmmm......"

Getting ready to land...

"Can we please just double check your seat back, sir? Thank you. Ma'am, can you please make sure your bag is tucked all the way under the seat in front of you? Thank you. Excuse me, ma'am, but can you please place your bag under the seat in front of you? Yes, I know, but we want to make sure all foot area is nice and clear in case we have to leave in a hurry; we don't want anyone's feet getting tangled, do we? Thank you."

And after landing....

"Good-bye....Good-bye....Thank you....Merry Christmas....Good-bye....yes, ma'am, your wheelchair is right here waiting for you....Good-bye....Thank you....Thank you...Have a good week....You, too, Merry Christmas....Yes, ma'am, just check with the gate agent at the top of the ramp.....Yes, sir, your wheelchair is right here....Thank you....Well, thank you! We enjoyed flying with you, too....Good-bye....You have a Merry Christmas, too, ma'am. Tell your grandchildren hello from me, and be sure and take care of those feet!"

An Eaton Layover in the Middle of Reserve Days

2008-12-16T16:08:00.004-07:00

Once again, I've been on call for 5 days now and I'll have a total of 5 days in the air. No at home reserve days for Kelly, as usual! I'm smiling as I write that, though, because it is December, after all, and flying every day when your rsv days start on Saturday is to be expected I think.

Since my post the other day regarding my SAT turn, I've spent the night in the crew lounge, gone on a Kansas City overnight with a 20 hour layover, a San Jose turn, then home to Eaton for 13 hours before returning to the airport for a 20 hour layover in Tucson. I got home at 4 pm yesterday afternoon, had dinner (at the table, no less!) with my family, went to Hanna's Band Concert, had some (ahem) alone time with my hubby, went to bed at 10 pm and was on the road back to DIA by 5 am this morning. I got to be awake at home for all of 6 hours before heading out again, which is why Erik and I decided it was an Eaton layover. Too funny...

That being shared, today's been sort of a rough day nevertheless. I left my food at home this morning then found out our checking account is overdrawn. Thank goodness I have a little cash in my pocket so at least I can eat as long as I'm frugal about it. Then, after we got to Tucson I decided to enjoy what was only a slightly cool day by walking a mile down the road to Denny's for lunch. By the time I finished eating, however, the day had turn 10 degrees cooler and gotten a lot windier. Brrrr....warmer than Denver, yes, but still cooler than I wanted to walk in. And to add the perfect touch on an already disappointing day, I was just turning (finally) into the hotel driveway when I realized I had left my glasses on the table at Denny's. Crap! The hotel shuttle driver took pity on me and drove me back to retrieve them - God bless him. If he hadn't been willing to do that, I was going to write them up as a loss - too cold to walk another 2 mile round trip!

Hopefully good news is on the way, though: Erik had more cash than I thought he did so he's deposited enough in our account to bring us back in the black, so I can use the debit card for dinner tonight; the whole crew is planning to meet and go to dinner together so I'm hoping that will be fun (and to be honest, hoping the Capt. will buy); and our hotel here in Tucson has a pretty good continental breakfast in the morning, which we will have time to enjoy before our showtime. Yay! I love free breakfast!

And before I go, I just have to share two quick stories from this morning's flight. The first person on the plane this morning was blocking the aisle forever while she took her slow, sweet time getting her things situated. She asked the guy behind her if he needed to get in her row and when he politely answered, "No, ma'am," she continued doing what she was doing, not getting out of the way. At least 30 MORE seconds went by (a long time if you're waiting for someone to sit the heck down) before I said, "Actually, ma'am, I believe he needs to get by you, if you don't mind." She sneered up at me from where she was methodically untangling her seat belt and growled, "Well, then, he ought to say something!" Being the consummate professional I am, I merely smiled and said - while looking at him - "No, no, it's okay! He's waiting very patiently like the gentleman he is. His mama raised him right!" She plopped down and he gave me a grateful smile before finally being free to head to his own seat. During flight, she was pleasant as can be when she asked for her water, but the snarl was back during my final compliance check just prior to landing. "Ma'am - when you're finished with your purse, please make sure you stow it under the seat in front of you for landing, ok?" Big smile. "I PLAN ON THAT, THANK YOU!" Big snarl. Sigh.....

The other funny thing was the couple talking loudly during the safety demo, and I got caught by another passenger as I was trying to hint to them to pay attention. As I stepped forward my 3 steps, safety card in hand, I purposefully swiped it very close to their faces, snapped the seat belt closed and open in front of them, smiled many times in their direction, loudly tapped the side of their seat showing emergency lighting, etc. all to no avail. I finally realized a lady just a row behind them was laughing at my vain efforts. I'm glad she had a good sense of humor about it, and once the demo was done whispered to me how rude she thinks it is when people chatter during announcements. Her comment was one that warms the cockles of flight attendant hearts worldwide: "I know they probably travel a lot and hear this stuff a lot, but what if there is someone nearby who doesn't travel much and is hearing it for the first time?" God bless her, too.

And with this entirely too windy post, I'm off to dinner....Bon appetit!

San Antonio Turn From the Couch

2008-12-13T08:57:00.002-07:00

I started a 5 day block of reserve days this morning with my normal 6 am couch sit on the first day - naturally. Usually I prefer to get sent out off of the couch because it's a better use of my time and gas to just keep going once I'm here.

Today, however, I'm tired and I really wanted to go home and get some rest. Erik and I went to the annual Eaton Fire District Christmas Banquet last night so I didn't get to bed at my normal 7 pm like I'd like when I have an early morning showtime. I went to bed at 10, so I only got 5 hours sleep, not enough for me. Anyway, something must have happened because 2.5 hours into my sit crew scheduling called me with a San Antonio turn, getting back in at 3:30 this pm. Not horrible, thank goodness, but I find it ironic that the one day I really WANTED to go home, I get a little turn off the couch. Oh well, maybe when I get back in they'll send me onto a nice long Salt Lake overnight or something. (Oooo! Or maybe finally Omaha! Wouldn't that be great? Do me a favor: call crew scheduling and beg them not to send me on an overnight when I get back tonight. That way I'll be a shoe-in to go somewhere!)

By the Way - Puerto Vallarta!!!

2008-12-10T18:22:00.004-07:00

I know I already posted today, but also had to say that the other reason I've been neglecting my blog is that on a few days off last week, I got to enjoy those flight benefits again: Erik and I went to Puerto Vallarta!! Yeehaw!

He surprised me with handling all the plans and paying for 2 nights and three days at an all inclusive resort, even down to registering us for the flights and arranging for a baby sitter. We had a fabulously relaxing time. Here's proof:

Just arrived and happy on our balcony with the ocean view.

The pool view from our room.

Beach sunset our first night.

Relaxin' on the beach.

The symbolic Puerto Vallarta statue.

How gorgeous is this!

When we got back, we were so inspired by how much fun we had, we finally ordered passports for our girls, which we'd been promising to do for literally several years. Next time, we'll go and enjoy as a family. I highly recommend it!

Those Promised Pictures

2008-12-10T18:07:00.003-07:00

In my last post I mentioned I had been flying with my classmate, Pat, and what fun we had been having. Things have been busy since we got home, but I'm finally taking a few minutes to post some of the pictures from our trip. Incidentally, crew scheduling kept Pat and me together for one more night after we got back from Spokane: Atlanta! I got to spend Thanksgiving Evening with my best friend, Van, and he and his roommate Mark made a great Thanksgiving dinner for me. The layover was 24 hours, so I got to rest all day Friday at Van's before flying back to Denver. What started out as a couch shift ended up a 4 day trip for Pat and me, then when we got back crew scheduling informed me that I had a Cancun turn the next day - yuck. I had a horrible cold and felt like crap, it was snowing outside, and my show time was a mere 13 hours after I got in from Atlanta so I spent the night in the crew lounge and went to Cancun all yucky and dirty feeling, but I survived.

On to the pictures....

The first bar we visited in Nashville

Pat, Kari and Me

The coolest slide in the world, along the river in Spokane.

Pat enjoying her turn on the slide.

I Love My Classmate Pat!

2008-11-26T18:51:00.003-07:00

I'm on call for a 5 day block this time, beginning yesterday. I was assigned a 6 am couch shift and three hours into it (2 days before Thanksgiving, mind you) my classmate Pat and I were assigned a last minute re-crew to a Nashville overnight. Our other FA, Kari, was a hoot to fly with and a very sweet woman.

When we got to Nashville, we decided we need to go see some live music downtown. I was so excited that someone else wanted to go, as this was my 4th or 5th Nashville overnight and I had never been. We had a great, very inexpensive dinner at a flight crew favorite, Demo's, then wandered down Broadway, poking our heads into bars where the live music sounded interesting.

We started at a place called The Stage, and the band was good enough for us to linger and have a drink. That done, we wandered down to "Legends", but they had a fill-in lady singer who, um....let's just say what she lacked in talent she made up for in courage.

Our favorite spot was empty when we arrived save for two guys sitting over in a corner, enjoying what ended up being a tremendously impressive blues/rock band. I don't understand why the bar was so empty and when I asked the bartender, she said, "They're just filling in for our normal band. And Nashville's not really a rock kind of city." Everyone else's loss, in my opinion. A few people did eventually wander in, included a very inebriated couple. He danced all alone in front of the band, she fell off her bar stool, then he walked out of the bar unnoticed by her. Shortly after he left, she got up to go to the ladies room and when she returned she was totally confused as to what happened to him, and what happened to her coat (which was on the table they were sitting at). Oh, they were almost as entertaining as the band!

We listened to this great band for a long time before we decided we should be smart and call it a day to be bright and awake for our very early show time. I'll post some snapshots later.

Upon arriving back in Denver this morning, we called crew scheduling and right away Pat and I were shipped off together to a 20 hour Spokane layover - not bad. We spent a very pleasant afternoon shopping at a nearby mall, spent way too much money in Bath & Body Works, and as soon as I'm finished posting this we will be on our way to an early dinner at Chili's.

We're as beat as beat can be, but thanks to B&BW, we sure smell delicious! Can't wait to find out what tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, holds for us!

And When Do Those Medical Emergencies Happen? On the Last Leg of a Trip, Of Course!

2008-11-22T09:14:00.003-07:00

Yep, it's a well known airline industry fact - medical emergencies and mechanical problems only happen on the victory lap. Last night on our San Diego victory lap, upon initial descent we had a lady very close to passing out, so we had to get out the oxygen, etc. and start the process of getting info, paging for medical assistance, contacting the pilot and everything that goes along with this sort of situation.. Thank goodness it wasn't a serious emergency, but it was hectic there for a few minutes since all of this happened in the last 30 very busy minutes of the flight. It turns out the lady in question was on quite a cocktail of prescription meds for various illnesses and has a history of seizures and fainting. And the entire family must be accustomed to this kind of thing because even the kids were calm and unconcerned.

Anyway, when I told the husband we would be having paramedics meet the plane to help them out, his response was, "Is this going to cost me a lot of money?" He was bent we were doing that, but I explained to him it was something we had to do and that his wife could always refuse medical treatment, although it would probably be against medical advice. And that, of course, is exactly what they did. They wouldn't even let the paramedics help her off the plane. Hope she's doing ok.

The Latest in Those Semi-Unusual Passenger Situations

2008-11-20T11:22:00.002-07:00

Just a quick update from the road as I sit in the hotel lobby in San Diego waiting for Van to come pick me up. We're going to brunch, then a quick sightseeing trip at Balboa Park.

Anyway, all three flights were routine last night except for these somewhat out of the ordinary occurrences:

The screeching baby from Saint Louis to Denver, followed by a different screeching baby from Denver to San Diego,

The lady who wanted to change her seat, "Because the guy behind me is really tall and his knees are in my back and if I recline my seat I'll hurt his legs even more." (This in the middle of my drink service, initiating an admittedly thoughtful but way too-long discussion over her options.)

The guy who asked for water............"Oh, no ice, please"........................."Can you add a slice of lemon?"........................."And maybe an apple juice, too?".............."No ice in the apple juice, either, please." (Could you maybe ask for that all at the same time, sir?)

The daddy travelling alone with his infant son and pre-school daughter until midnight San Diego time (and who came with us all the way from St. Louis) who wouldn't let his daughter get up out of her seat upon de-planing time in San Diego until she "stopped that whining." Note that all the other pax were off and the FAs were standing in the aisle, bags at the ready, bodies ready to go to our hotel after three long flights. He said that was her punishment for whining, but did he have to punish the flight crew, too?

And lastly, the Federal Air Marshall who scratched my palm with his finger when I shook his hand. EWWWWWWWW.........what the hell?! (I told my hubby, and we agreed it is ok to be both disgusted and sort of flattered at the same time.) :)

What? A Real Trip?

2008-11-19T10:51:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted much lately because I haven't been flying much. Today is the 19th and so far this month I've had 4 couch sits, an OKC overnight, a Tampa overnight, and two turns. I'm at 22 hours and 15 minutes worth of credit. Really quiet!

Well, that's changing, as I just got a 4 hour call out for a 3 day trip: St. Louis turn (will I ever get an overnight there? lol), San Diego overnight, Nashville overnight tomorrow, then a San Diego turn, getting me home at (naturally) midnight Friday night. It's worth 18:55 hours, so in just 3 days I will almost double my credit time for the month. That's hilarious, no matter how you look at it.

Strangely (and happily), Van and his roommate are in San Diego for a couple of days so I will get to see them either tonight when we get in or tomorrow morning for breakfast. That's nice. I like Nashville, too. There's a nice restaurant in the hotel lobby that makes pretty decent food, so I will be sure to enjoy my breakfast Friday morning. (Nope - no free breakfasts on this trip, which is what I'm all about, but a good trip all the same.)

Hello from DC

2008-11-13T05:21:00.005-07:00

One of the perks of being an airline employee is the free air travel - when you can get a standby seat. I have 4 days off this week so my family and I decided to go see our good friend Kate who now lives in the DC area.

After much stress on my part about whether all four of us could get on a DC flight or not, we all made it on board our first flight of the day yesterday morning and were on the ground in DC by 1:30 in the afternoon. Kate picked us up, took us to see her new home and her new church, then we went back down into the city for some evening sightseeing.

It is now 7:30 am on Thursday morning and we have a full day planned for today back down in the city - if I can just get my family to get up and get going! Get up, get up, get up!!!

Good to See You, Sis!

2008-11-06T14:36:00.005-07:00

My last block of Reserve days was 6 in a row and it was a weird ride: couch sit on my first day, a quick Tampa overnight the next then a quick OKC overnight the night after that, winding up with a SLC turn on the last evening. Four trips to the airport in 6 days, for little or no money. Argh...

However, there were two definite happy things: Erik rode along on my SLC turn which cheered me up considerably. And, even though I got in at 10 pm and was out again at 6:30 the next morning, I called my sister in Oklahoma City when I got word of my overnight there and she drove into town to see me -- our first visit in just over 3 years. We went to have a bite and some coffee at a pancake house near our hotel then went back to my room where we proceeded to stay up almost all night talking and talking and talking. I think I finally turned the light off at 3:30 am, only to have my alarm go off at 5:15! YAAWWWWNNNNNN.....

I was so scared they were going to send me on to somewhere when we got back to Denver, but I lucked out - released to my ten hours rest. I was good for hardly anything the next two days, but we had a sweet visit and it was worth it. I will call her again for sure on my next layover, and pray that it's longer than 9 hours so we can get some sleep! LOL

Happy All Saints' Day!

2008-11-01T14:13:00.003-06:00

Well, I can't very well say "Happy Halloween" anymore, can I? I know, it's the curse of being a pastor's wife. Only the ridiculously liturgically educated would actually know today is All Saints' Day...

Anyway, I'm on call for 6 days this block and I got things started off with a bang right away on Thursday with a couch sit, which was very quiet. Then, just when I was looking forward to a quiet Halloween evening at home answering the door for cute little ghosties and pumpkins and Hannah Montanas, I got assigned a Tampa overnight trip - with an entire 9 1/2 hours in Tampa. My show time was at 4 pm, and we only took 79 people with us. We had a very nice crew and the flight was uneventful, which is sometimes a very good thing! One little guy on board was decked out in his Batman costume, so I handed out candy to the handful of kids we had on board. Since they were missing the traditional trick-or-treating gig, I think they really got a kick out of it.

The neatest thing for me was when I went into the cockpit to let the pilots make a trip to the "sandbox", as they call it. The FO mentioned we were paralleling the coastline in the FL panhandle. The sun had already set so it was very dark outside, and the FO started pointing out groups of lights below: "That cluster of lights there is Dothan, AL; that one over there is Panama City; that one back there is Mobile." So amazing! As an Alabama native, I KNOW how far Dothan is from Panama City and it never ceases to amaze me how close together all these cities look from 39,000 feet. Dothan was easily identifiable as a circle of lights, which makes sense since it "famously" has a highway perimeter around it (enter TV commercial here, be sure to imagine southern accent: "Yewe cun fiehnd us awn thu surkle i-yun Dothan, AL"). Also easily identifiable was the "strip" of lights that was Panama City: i.e., the area locally known as "The Miracle Strip" to those of us who grew up on The Redneck Riviera. I bet if the night had been slightly clearer we would have been able to identify my hometown, a mere couple of hours north of Dothan. I also got to wave hello to hubby's hometown of Ft. Walton Beach. Just amazing....

As for today, I am now back home, on my 10 hours rest, looking forward to setting the clocks back tonight so I can squeeze an extra hour in! Happy weekend, everyone!

Home From a Great Trip

2008-10-26T22:04:00.002-06:00

I did get that 3 day trip I predicted after all. The only difference was I got the call at 11:00 pm for a 7:30 am show instead of a 4 am two hour call out.

We started the trip with a San Jose turn then went to Detroit for a quick 10 hour overnight. It should have been 12 hours, but there was a two hour delay in Denver before we could leave. I was happy with the sit because one of my favorite people was sitting the couch and he and I got to have a very long chat.

Detroit hardly counted we were there such a short time, then home to Denver, on to Salt Lake City and back, then to Phoenix overnight. Phoenix is one of my favorite cities for a layover because the bartender downstairs in our hotel is so entertaining. She's very nice if you're nice to her, and holds nothing back if you're a jerk. She's fun to listen to because whatever pops into her head pops right out her mouth with no censorship at all. At least I'd hate to think she actually DOES censor herself. Imagine what she's holding back if she does edit! Four of us from our crew sat in the bar for about 3 hours after we got in last night, trading stories and jokes and laughing, laughing, laughing. Our Captain is the husband of a flight attendant I flew with on a four day a few weeks ago, and he's every bit as nice as she said he is. He's a bit of a smart ass, but he does it with such self deprecating humor and a twinkle in his eye you can't do anything but laugh at him.

This morning several of us met for a long leisurely breakfast at the IHOP then I spent a very pleasant couple of hours by the pool chatting with our first officer - a very interesting woman who spent the first 12 years of her life in Africa. I think she's traveled almost all over the world and has a very interesting world view.

This was such a great trip! Everyone I flew with was tremendous fun. The other two FAs and I spent our whole time busting on each other over every little thing and I love that kind of banter. The C FA and I played our little cute guy game over the beverage cart, which was very busy since during the last two days we carried both the AF Academy Water Polo Team and the AF Academy Boxing Team. Schwing! (Although it's a very sad sign of how old you're getting when you see a cute kid in a uniform and get all maternal instead of hot and bothered. Sigh....)

I am now at 68.26 hours for the month and am thrilled to be home for my only 3 day block of days offall month long.

I really hope my good luck with fun crews lasts. It transforms this job from something that's necessary to endure into something exhilarating and thrilling to do.

It's Quiet....Too Quiet

2008-10-23T20:01:00.003-06:00

October is a slow time in the airline industry. School is back in session, so the UM summmer season is over and families no longer have the time to jet off to see Grandma. Christmas is still somewhat in the future, and Spring Break? Not even on the radar yet.

So all this downtime adds up to some pretty low flying hours for those of us in the Reserve business. So far this month I only have 48 credit hours, which is laughably low compared to how I've spent my last 12 months. Not that I'm complaining. I like being home with my family just as much as I like being on my own in my hotel rooms, sipping chardonnay or a margarita with the crew, or occasionally touring a city I've never visited before.

It still feels weird, though. It's hard to enter a deep sleep when you're on call because somewhere in your subconscious is the fear that Crew Scheduling will call at 4 am for that dreaded 2 hour call out, and you'll sleep right through it. And it's hard to know what project to start next at home for fear that you'll get all those outdated toiletries spread out on the bathroom counter, determined once and for all to go through and organize them only to hear the phone ring.

I often joke that we FAs are never happy: during busy seasons we're whining that we can't ever get a break and get a day of rest; during slow seasons we're stressed about how low our paychecks are going to be - "Oh my God, I have NO per diem this month!"

Still, as I head off to bed tonight, secure in the knowledge that I will very likely get that 4 am call for a 6 am show for a high hour 3 day trip, I'm enjoying this easy slow period in my schedule. Next thing you know, it'll be December and I'll be longing for these nice, quiet days again.

And in the spirit of enjoying that, I think it's time for me to go peel some grapes to eat while I lounge in my bubble bath.

Deja Vu All Over Again!

2008-10-18T10:22:00.002-06:00

Or you could title this entry, "You're taking off in 20 Minutes...Run!"

I was sitting the couch again last night from 6 pm to midnight. I had settled in with my ipod in my ears and was working on a new knitting project when the crew lounge phone rang. "Kelly....Kelly Karas!" Yep - Crew Scheduling. Someone was a no-show for her trip and they unfortunately had just realized it. It was 6:40 and the flight was leaving at 7:00 (sound familiar yet?) - and they hadn't started boarding yet! Oh happy day for the passengers! I grabbed my stuff and literally ran down to the gate for my brand new overnight trip to Houston. Good times, good times.

I am currently sitting in the hotel in Houston killing some time before our 2:30 report time. When we get back to Denver we'll do a Salt Lake turn then home around 9:00 pm tonight. Not too shabby. Plus, I get to fly with my classmate, Ashley. She's a sweetheart, and we've done a couple SLC turns together before. I was teasing her last night that SLC is now "our city."

Just have to mention, though, what a cluster f#@k the flight was! OMG, I was laughing so hard. I don't know if it was the full moon or what, but our one beverage service took us almost the entire hour and 45 minute flight. Ashley started by going through the cabin with the snack service, then we followed with the beverage cart. However, I've never had so many call buttons go off during beverages before with people changing their minds and deciding they wanted snacks after all. Plus, between the three of us we served almost all of our wine and beer and quite a few minis as well. And there were plenty, plenty, plenty of those "and-a" folks, too. Let me give you an example of just what one row of 6 people ordered: a white wine with a sprite; a Coors with a Coke; a water with an apple juice; a white wine with a sparkling water; a red wine; and a Coke. That's 10 beverages for 6 people! Multiply times 23 rows, add two pretty high maintenance UMs in the 17th row and approximately 30 spotty satellite tvs, and that equals three very busy FAs!

The good news (and you know me, I always at least try to close with some good news) is that almost no one was grumpy, just impossibly thirsty! A few folks were pretty bent at their faulty satellite service, but were understanding when we apologized and admitted there was nothing we could do to fix a signal that has problems during it's travel to space and back.

And I forgot to mention: that last red wine? I totally knocked the bottle over onto a sleeping passenger, rudely startling him out of a sound sleep. I was mortified! Luckily, although I had popped the seal on the bottle none of it spilled out, and he was very nice and understanding about the whole thing. I apologized profusely and offered to buy him something of his own for me to spill on him (just kidding, of course), but he kindly only requested a Coke. Just the one drink, sir? My pleasure...

Fall = Arts and Crafts for Me

2008-10-14T12:31:00.002-06:00

I don't understand it, but for some reason the beginning of cooler weather always brings out the crafter in me, God help us all.

Last Saturday at my daughter's volleyball game, her best friend's mom was knitting a vest for her husband and pulling the yarn out of the most beautiful knitted bag I've ever seen. When I asked her if she had knitted it herself, she said that she had, and then she "felted" it, which is what made it look so unique. Well, I had heard of "felting" before, but had never seen an example of it, and now I am hooked! I went immediately to my local library and, upon discovering my branch had no books on felting, immediately requested about a dozen or so from other area branches. Dear Gussie (as my mother-in-law would say), what am I getting myself into? All I have to show for my own knitting talents is half a dozen unevenly knitted scarves, a couple headbands and washcloths, and one teeny, tiny backpack! I haven't even finished the baby blanket I started knitting a year and a half ago for a friend's baby. At this rate, it'll make a nice going-away-to-college present for her dorm room!

I picked up the first three delivered books today, and am just moments away from a warm and cozy afternoon in front of the fire with a cup of hot tea and those books, happily browsing and dreaming about those felted projects I will never, ever do. It's good for a girl to have dreams, though, isn't it?

Recurrent Training is Currently Draining

2008-10-10T19:40:00.004-06:00

I just rolled in the door from my first ever day of recurrent training. We spent the day saving lives in countless ways: evacuation commands during an emergency landing, putting out a lithium battery fire, physically restraining an abusive passenger, evacuating passengers during an overwater ditching, administering CPR to a non-responsive, non-breathing adult, manually releasing oxygen masks from the overhead compartments, "playing with" every piece of emergency equipment on the plane, and even defending ourselves against assault using necessary physical force.

In between all of these, we reviewed how to communicate best with the flight crew, how to evaluate and remove a possibly intoxicted passenger, and how to de-escalate situations with upset and possibly angry passengers.

And to round out our day, we learned what we can do to increase sales of our on-board purchase items.

It was an incredibly adrenalin filled day, but it was really good to review the real reason we are present on those planes. When the poop hits the fan, I am not there to make sure you get a turkey salad or to help you move passengers around so your whole family can sit together. I'm there to make sure you (and everyone else) gets out safely if we have the unthinkable emergency. And thanks to our training, and days like today, I can. And so can my esteemed colleagues. ::pause to pat myself on the back:: I'm old and busted and tired, but I rock!

Happy Birthday Horsie Ride

2008-10-09T11:18:00.003-06:00

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago and my hubby got me a horseback riding lesson from the parents of one of Hanna's friends. I spent about an hour walking, trotting and even loping around (me - who had never gone faster on a horse than a slow walk - loping!) on this sweet boy named Bruno. I was dirty and my knees were killing me by the time we were done, but I sure did love it. And the next day I literally had bruises on my tail bone. What would I have done if my present had been a week at a Dude Ranch?

Daddy, can I have another pony ride?

You're Taking Off in 25 Minutes - Run!!

2008-10-09T11:04:00.002-06:00

OK, Crew Scheduling didn't really say that, but it amounts to the same thing! This past Sunday I got the 6 am to noon shift on the couch. I didn't mind. I got a bonus day on Saturday when I was on call but didn't hear from them, and got to run all over creation with my family doing those Saturday type erranss familes with kids so often have to do. It was a great day full of Crop Walking and volleyball, for sure.

Anyway, I arrived early for my couch shift, feeling well rested and kind of looking forward to the good day. And it was good: Classmate Crystal was sitting the couch with me and we had lots of fun visiting with other classmates and friends who wandered through. Long about 11:55 am I started packing up my stuff, assuming I was going home in 5 minutes, when the crew lounge phone rang: "Kelly Karas!" someone called. Uh-oh. Michael from Crew Scheduling was on the other end. "We've got a 3-day trip for you, tonight in Portland, tomorrow night in LaGuardia, leaving out of gate 34 at 12:25." Yep - LEAVING at 12:25. I quickly printed out my brand new schedule, grabbed my things and hightailed it down to my gate. Gotta stay flexible in this job!

I was happy to be the one to go. If I'm going to get all dressed up and drive all the way down to DIA, then "Put Me To Work" is my motto. Although I would have been happy to go home to my family, I was equally happy to have my 6 hours on the couch become non-taxable per diem, and then to use up the rest of my RSV days with only one car trip down. To me, that's an efficient use of my own personal resources.

The trip was nice, by the way, but unremarkable. Crew was ok and I had a very nice dinner both nights in the hotel with the other 2 FAs. Nice ladies, and in LGA we had a great discussion about ghosts, one of my passions. And the best part of all? No victory lap at the end. We were home by 11:00 am Tuesday and I got released to my days off. I am loving this less busy season, and storing up energies for the holidays!

Told You So

2008-10-03T11:25:00.003-06:00

Well, I did it. I really jinxed it. I didn't get to my voodoo dance fast enough because, I kid you not - five minutes after I finished my last post the other day, Crew Scheduling called. They needed me for a turn that left at 5 pm and returned at 11:46 pm. I was totally wrong about the Sacramento part, though. San Jose, so I was off by a 100 miles or so. What was that I was saying about Flight Attendants being superstitious?

I should say that it was a very nice turn, even if it sucked having to do it the last seven hours of my 3 day RSV block. We had about 15 open seats on the way there and about 80 seats on the way back! Easiest flight I've done in a long time! My favorite part was on the flight back to Denver. We had a service dog, a Golden Retriever named Rocker. He had recently graduated from the Service Animal Institute and was flying to his new home with his new owner to be a Physical Therapy dog. What a sweetie he was! I know he'll be a hit when he starts his new career.

For now, I am sitting in a coffee shop in my hometown, wasting time while Erik attends a funeral. I will help celebrate high school homecoming week this afternoon by attending the parade and the football game tonight, then back on call at midnight tonight for four glorious, excitement-filled days of playing the "What next?" game!

It Must Be the Apocalypse or Something

2008-10-01T10:11:00.003-06:00

Because I've been on call for 2 1/2 days now and haven't heard from Crew Scheduling - not once. It's so weird, not that I'm complaining. I love being home with the family and all that, it's just that this is an unheard of occurrence for me. If, by some miracle, I haven't heard from them by 6 pm tonight I can call them and ask to be released to my days off. Of course, now that I've publicly posted this on the world wide web, I've jinxed it for sure and any minute now my phone will ring and I'll be assigned that 6 pm Sacramento turn I love so very, very much. But that's cool, that's cool. I'll do it with a smile and say, "Thank you, ma'am!"

In the meantime, I think I'll finally get to all those house cleaning duties I've been neglecting for the past two days, hating to get into something only to anticipate being interrupted mid-task.

Speaking of, and I was, I never knew til I started this job how superstitious flight attendants are! We dare not mention how smoothly a flight is going lest we bring about some mechanical or medical emergency with our reckless comment. We also don't thoughtlessly say, "Ya know? I haven't had a medical emergency for months," cuz that's the very moment some poor slob will keel over with a heart attack or something and it will be ALL......OUR.....FAULT.

Sooooo....having committed the sin of saying aloud that I haven't heard from Crew Scheduling, I must now do the anti-hex dance, sprinkle salt over my shoulder, turn in a circle 3 times while reciting my company's mission statement and drop to my knees and pray for the boogey man to overlook me this one time - or else my phone is going to ring any min......

Wait.....do you hear that? Is that my cell?!

They Don't Cover This in Seminary

2008-09-29T19:20:00.003-06:00

So my wonderful hubby is a Lutheran pastor, as many folks already know. He's happy and dedicated, but sometimes it's a stressful job, which comes as no surprise to anyone, right?

There are many rewards to his job and many thankless tasks, too, but the real gems (for me, at least) come from the unexpected and somewhat bizarre things he is sometimes asked to do:

Church maintenance things like unclog a toilet, change light bulbs, hang pictures and change paraments.
Talk to telemarketers on the church phone line, then usually turn said telemarketers down because the church budget is so tight; same with traveling gospel groups that want to perform (for money) during Sunday worship.
Have an hour long conversation with the disturbed (and disturbing) Indian lady who wants someone to remove the demons from her son because the demons are physically keeping them apart.
Find a hotel room for someone from out of town who was just released from the hospital - and then realize you spoke to that same person six months ago, who was just passing through town then, and had just gotten released from the hospital and needed a hotel room for a couple of nights. Hmmmm.....
Remove a used condom from where it had been tied around the church doorknob, and......my new favorite:
Stop by the Dollar Store on your way to teach Confirmation to purchase enemas for an elderly parishioner because they are in too much pain to leave the house, then stop by to deliver said items.

God is good, however: he was not asked to administer said enema. Praise Jesus!

Things Your Flight Attendant is Wondering, Part Deux

2008-09-27T21:17:00.002-06:00

As promised (or forewarned, however you look at it), I am continuing my list of observations from a couple of weeks ago - the one about the really curious and common habits we folks have when we fly on a plane:

Why do some folks/people/passengers....

When coming to the lavatory on the plane hand the FA their used cup, napkin, etc. before going into the lav, especially (it seems) if that FA is grabbing a quick second to gulp down inner. I think it's humorous that people don't make the connection that there's a trash can in the lav that can hold items other than the paper towels they use to dry their hands post-pottying. Nevertheless, 99.99% of people will hand the flight attendants some trash just before stepping into the lav. Isn't that funny?

When deplaning will say good-bye to the Flight Attendants - until a pilot steps out of the cockpit. Then the FAs become persona non grata, and it's all "Great flight!" "Smooth flight!" "Thanks for the nice landing!" Ah....glamorous as we FAs might be, those mysterious bodies behind that closed door are so much more so. :)

Some parents just don't think to teach their children how to interact with other adults - not even basic eye contact and "Hello," much less, "Please," and "Thank you." Until I started this job I had no idea how many kids find it painful, impossible, or not even on the radar to look up at someone addressing them and say, "Sprite, please." I understand it might be a throwback to the don't-talk-to-strangers thing, but I think this is a basic social skill that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. After all, Mommy and Daddy aren't always going to be there to do the thinking and talking for you, and politely addressing someone who's job it is to assist you is such a simple and safe way to begin learning that skill. Besides, it's just polite!

Some folks, even when they've seen you coming down the aisle with that drink cart for the last 15 aisles, can't be bothered to remove their headphones when you get to them. "Would you care for something to drink?" asks the FA. "Huh?" asks confused passenger. "Something to drink?" FA repeats a little louder. "What?" again asks passenger. "DRINK?!" shouts now frustrated FA. "Oh! Well, I didn't know what you wanted," says disgruntled passenger, finally removing earbuds.

Why (and I'm totally stereo-typing here, but get over it!) tiny little skinny 20-something women get on the airplane wearing basically nothing but a handkerchief with a couple of strings of spaghetti to hold it on and then complain the whole flight that they're cold! Honey - no matter where you're headed you're probably changing climates at least a little, and the temperate is unpredictable when you're not in control - think layers!!

Visit to the Cockpit

2008-09-26T18:56:00.003-06:00

On our way to San Diego the other day on our "victory lap", I went into the cockpit with my camera to take a picture of a gorgeous sunset. While there, though, I got to play a little, too. Sometimes, I have to admit, this job is kinda neat. Or at least, I think so.

A Quick Rant

2008-09-25T19:25:00.002-06:00

I'm home from my 4 day now and it was a nice trip, overall: we had a really great crew, and I flew with one of the most genuinely sweet ladies I've ever had the pleasure to fly with. There wasn't a negative comment to be found anywhere in the crew and every passenger request, grump, or gripe was taken in stride with a great big smile. Aahhhh....my kind of folks to fly with. Thank you for the bone, God!

That being said, though, I do have a couple stories to share from this trip regarding needy, rude, entitled and just downright mean travelers.

On our flight to Atlanta from Denver the other day there was a very young baby (about 2 months old) screaming in row 4. And I do mean screaming. Ear screeching screaming. The Captain called from the other side of the closed cockpit door to ask what all the ruckus was about. Seriously.

For me, however, the real problem was when we started drink service and I suddenly had no fewer than 5 people demanding alcohol, and doubles at that! We don't sell doubles, just for the record, but we'll often take folks their second one as soon as we can so they get their second drink, but a few minutes apart. One man, with his finger stuck in his ear and leaning dramatically away from said screaming, angrily groused, "I don't care!" when I told him I'd have to bring his second one back in a few minutes. Another one lightly grabbed my arm as I flew by on one of my frequent trips to the front galley for supplies, then said, "I'm ready for my second one now." He then dramatically rolled his eyes when I told him I'd be happy to bring it to him - as soon as everyone else had an opportunity for their 1st drink. (Sorry, sir, I know it's unfair that those in the back of the plane don't realize it's actually all about you.) A lady snapped nastily at me when I asked her to put her seat back forward for landing. You get the picture....the poor parents felt terrible enough about their disruptive little one; they didn't deserve the nasty sneers and mumbled comments from their fellow passengers. The Mom teared up at the end of the flight when I was trying to reassure her not to feel bad about her child doing something that babies are born to do, at least until they hopefully learn a more efficient way to communicate: they cry. It's their job. They don't do it just to spite the rest of us spoiled adults, and it's the other whiners on board who should be feeling regret at being so cold-hearted......................I know it's irritating when babies scream like that, especially in such close quarters. My ears were hurting, too. It's just that I guess the mother in me remembers how it feels to be in the parents' situation, and can relate.

For this trip my position was to fly the middle of the plane, which I actually enjoy almost as much as the front position because of the interaction you get with said "whiners." :) My back is sore and achy from this trip, however, because of the incredible number of backpacks, purses, sacks, ribbon adorned metal hoops (?), rolling briefcases, overpacked and oversized rollerbags, shopping bags, travel carts, booster seats, car seats, giant stuffed animals, jackets and guitars that were brought on board the plane this week. I "worked" those bins like nobody's business, got cheers from folks when I was able to get a few more bags in an overhead bin instead of having to gate check them, and even a piece of chocolate from a summit member who had watched my sweat-inducing, shirt-untucking, arm-straining efforts to shift items around and make room for absolutely everything anyone didn't want to have under their feet. And I am proud to say that out of 10 flights and approximately 1,314 people this week, we didn't gate check a single bag. Not one. My arms and back hate me, but you're welcome. It was my pleasure.

Rant over, but remind me to tell you the one about the guy in the exit row who blatantly watched TV during my exit row brief......

I Love Long Layovers

2008-09-22T10:42:00.005-06:00

So I got a 4 1/2 hour call out yesterday (during church) for a 4 day trip. It's a high hour trip, but not bad as these things go: 3 legs yesterday, ending in Portland last night with about 12 hours here. Two legs today, ending in Atlanta with 19 hours there. (Woo hoo!) Tomorrow night, two legs, ending in Las Vegas for 14 hours, then on Wednesday another 3 leg day, ending at midnight. Wednesday will be the toughest day, which naturally crew services does on the last day of a long trip.

I'm excited about spending 19 hours with Van in Atlanta tomorrow. We're going to take it easy, then go to my favorite Mexican restaurant in the whole wide world for a late lunch: Jalisco's at Peachtree Battle Shopping Center. I haven't been there in years, but they have the best all white meat chicken burritos I've ever had. Or at least, they used to. I'm hoping they live up to my memory cause damn, they were delish!

My crew is really sweet this trip, with no negativity. The "A" FA is terribly sick and if he's not feeling better today he may call off for the rest of the trip, which I encouraged him to do. He needs to take care of himself. And if he does end up giong home, maybe I'll get to fly with one of my fantastic classmates! That would be cool. If that ends up happening and it's someone I know fairly well, maybe I could convince them to go to Van's with me and make it a real party. (As long as I'm dreaming, why not dream big?)

It's raining here in Portland today, and I had hoped to be able to go and check out some rose gardens this morning, but all in all it's turning out to be a very nice trip so far. If my luck holds, I should plan to gamble in Vegas, huh? LOL

Happy travels...

An Entertaining Moment?

2008-09-17T16:35:00.005-06:00

"Super Mason" (which was how he responded when I asked him his name) was this absolutely adorable 3-year-old little boy in the front row of my last flight. He and his Mom were travelling together and his eyes were harvest moon huge the whole flight, especially during our landing. The "C" FA and I were being goofy and making faces at him during landing and taxiing, and he kept looking at his Mom like, "What the heck is wrong with those ladies?" We told him we were really okay, we were just playing with him and trying to entertain him. I said, "See? Your flight attendants will do anything to keep you happy, even juggle if we have to!" He looked at his Mom like, "What the....? Would you save me already?" and we all had a good laugh.

After disarming our doors, etc., I asked the other FA to wait for the Gate Agent's knock for opening the main cabin door, and I grabbed 3 of those little creamers and began to juggle them - I thought to entertain Mason, who smiled at my antics but only in an "ok-I-will-indulge-the-crazy-lady" sort of way. I forgot, though, that there were others on the plane and was amused - and a little embarrassed - to hear gasps of pleasure and surprise, followed by excited chatter in another language. I had forgotten about the three Asian folks also sitting in the front row. They were excitedly pointing at me while laughing and clapping their hands. Apparently, they found me highly entertaining. "Super Mason"? Not so much.

Bumper Crop!

2008-09-17T16:35:00.002-06:00

Holy cow! Look what happens when you go out of town for four days and nobody remembers to check the garden!

Warm Cookies in Spokane and Union Square, NYC

2008-09-16T22:36:00.002-06:00

I just got back about an hour ago from a 3 day trip; well, make that a 4 day because it started with a couch shift where I got sent on a San Diego turn then got a 5 am call out the next morning. So basically it feels like I started my trip at 6 am Saturday morning but had a 14 hour layover in Denver the first night.

Anyway, I got lucky and had a 19 hour layover in NYC. Another flight attendant and I got up early Monday morning to ride into Manhattan where we visited the Ground Zero site then went shopping and people watching in Union Square. We bought lunch at Whole Foods and had a lovely picnic in the park.

Last night we had an 11 hour layover in Spokane - only time enough for an extended nap. The good news is that we stay at a Doubletree there and they give out warm cookies when you check in. Yum! Nice perk and the bed was really cozy.

I got along very well with the other two flight attendants although they are both political polar opposites from me and spend most of their down time (and a lot of working time, too) complaining about the passengers. Nice ladies and they were very kind to me, but it sure was exhausting keeping a neutral face sometimes.

I'm so tired the room is wobbling like I am still on the plane, so that's all I've got to say for now. I'll post pictures later.

Things Your Flight Attendant is Wondering

2008-09-13T20:02:00.002-06:00

Or you can add this subtitle: "Little Ways to Irritate a Flight Attendant"

Let me preface what promises to be a long post with this disclaimer: I am very tired at the moment. I got up at 3 am to be at the airport at 6 am for a shift on the couch, then got sent on a San Diego turn from the couch, back at 2:30 pm. All in all not a bad day, but I didn't get much sleep last night and it is now 8 pm. Anyway, I'm feeling it now and I really can't be held responsible for what might come out of my feeble brain and hands at the moment.

To continue, as I was waiting for the final descent bells on our last leg today, I decided to jot down a few of the things I've heard Flight Attendants wonder aloud about.

Although none of these things alone is earth-shatteringly horrible, they are all curiously common on-a-plane societal behaviors, and that makes them quirky to me and the sociologist in me can't help but wonder....

Why do many passengers/folks/people:

feel compelled to hand us trash when we have the beverage cart and ask for a beverage when we have a trash bag in our hands?

speak for their spouse. Inevitably, and inexplicably, it's always the spouse you weren't asking, "Can I offer you a beverage?" that will say, "She/he will have a ________." Are these spouses not allowed to speak for themselves, and is there some unwritten law that the spokespouse is not allowed to be the one the flight attendant was addressing?

let their small children bounce on the seats and roam up and down the aisles, then get upset when their child doesn't want to buckle back up?

viciously elbow their sleeping travel companion, jolting them rudely awake, just to see if they would enjoy something to drink? (Um....no, I wouldn't. I was SLEEPING!)

find it a difficult and exhausting task to completely tuck their used paper towels into the trash bin in the lavatory. Instead, they leave their used towel trapped half in/half out of the flap. I mean, really. Does it take that much more effort to make sure it's all the way in and the flap has swung shut?

just HAVE to use the bathroom after the final descent notice - at a time when the seatbelt sign has already been illuminated for at least five minutes and the announcement has been made requesting folks to stay in their seats. They could have gone anytime during their 2 hour flight, or at least just after the captain made the "last chance" announcement, but instead a surprisingly number of folks have dire emergencies after it is no longer safe to be up and about the cabin.

who are diabetic don't always carry snacks or juice with them when they travel - just for unforeseen delays and emergencies. Come on, did you suddenly become diabetic when you entered the jetway? (I know this sounds particularly harsh, but I've dealt with diabetics all my life and I know how especially important it is for diabetics to plan ahead and it's kind of scary how many "diabetics" we encounter that don't plan for contingencies.)

I could go on and on. No, really. I could go on and on! I have at least five more ponderings on my list, but I believe I'll save those for another day.

One positive note to end on: Calilfornia passengers are notorious among the airline industry for being somewhat, um, challenging to deal with, as many of them seem to present themselves as entitled. Well, let the record show that my San Diego turn today was by far one of the best turns I've ever done, and the SAN to DEN flight was the best California leg EVER. I didn't have to serve a single "and a" today! ("And a" folks are people who ask for a _______ and a _______.) Way to go, San Diego!

Off to bed now. Crew Scheduling is sure to call me at 4 am if I don't go to sleep soon.

Next Round of FA Stories

2008-09-11T20:22:00.003-06:00

Have a couple of good new tales from the sky that happened (or I heard about) recently:

1. On a media-crowded flight, one of our frequent flyers stood up (in the exit row), took his pants down and delicately stepped out of them. He then placed them on his seat and made his way - in just his boxers - to the back of the plane. When the astonished flight attendant in the rear of the plane spotted him, she asked him if he was ok. "Fine," said he. "I just got hot." When she told him he'd have to put his pants back on, he agreed without complaint, went into the lavatory and took care of business, went back to his seat, where he put his pants back on and TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT!

2. I spent more than the normal amount of time with a mom and her two young kids on a flight recently. Both kids were adorable, especially the little girl, Ruby, who was around 3. Her big brother had horrible pain in his ears during descent, he had spilled his oj earlier, they needed ear buds for the tv, etc. This is all in a day's work for an FA, so I hadn't considered that I had given them any special attention. It's just what we do, ya know? I forgot that it wasn't all in the norm for little Ruby, though. When they were exiting the plane, she enthusiastically threw her little arms around my legs and gave me the biggest hug ever, huge grin on her face. Made my week!

3. I had a lady on my last trip sitting in the exit row. Another FA observed her with a neck brace on her neck. Some discussion among the three FAs and the gate agent revealed she had taken it on and off a number of times since arriving at the gate and it seemed she never had it on when speaking with an airline employee. Hmm.....Anyway, it wasn't a good idea for her to be physically impaired in even the smallest way and still sit in the exit row. When approached and asked about it, she stated she needed it "only for traveling", but she was perfectly capable of opening the emergency exit, and besides, her husband could do it. It never occurred to her that if there was an actual emergency, her limitation, albeit small, could possibly have dire consequences. And what if her husband was not conscious? She claimed to be a former FA and raised such a stink when we made her trade seats out of the exit row. If she was a former FA she should have understood all of this already. We got witness statements, and got many a chuckle when all of them unanimously agreed the lady was out of line and our employees handled the situation calmly and professionally.

4. All 5 of my crew members almost got run down by an airport shuttle in Kansas City the other morning. A police cruiser was parked where the hotel shuttle was supposed to park, leaving no room for the hotel shuttle so our van driver parked in the "blue zone" intended for the airport buses. The bus driver was so livid at this he laid down on the horn and screeched to a halt just behind us, barely missing two of our FAs and all of our baggage. The shouting match that ensued was not pretty. Hating conflict the way I do, I high-tailed it out of there and ran to security!

5. My new favorite story that happened this week though, is this one: I was coming through the cabin with a trash bag when a gentlemen I was right beside poked me in the arm, then waved his finger in a circle over his tray table. All without saying a word or even bothering to look up from his book. Apparently he was requesting that I clean the used service items off his tray table. A small thing, true, but it can grate on the nerves when one is treated so discourteously without even a nod or a thank you. Especially considering that 99% of folks gather their trash items for you and place them directly into your hands. I just about lost it in front of him I was laughing so hard. At least I can still laugh at it....

Me and Linus are Sittin' in the Pumpkin Patch

2008-09-11T20:15:00.003-06:00

Even though we put our new little raised beds garden in late this summer, we've been blessed with an absolute bumper crop of squash, zucchini, jalapenos, tomatoes and bell peppers. And now our couple of pumpkin plants are really beginning to take off. I'm afraid to look over the fence into the neighbors yard - I'm scared the runners have begun to take over their yard as well! We also have a "volunteer" pumpkin patch in the front yard. We think it's from last Halloween's "vomiting" pumpkin Erik carved. The rain must have washed the seeds down into the yard and now it's got a nice 15 inch round gorgeous yellow fruit on it. I think it's going to be a lot of fun this Halloween to carve pumpkins we grew ourselves - a first for us.

(Susan - these posts are for you!)

If Tagging is the Language of the Oppressed...

2008-06-14T22:10:00.002-06:00

I was studying the box cars on a passing train yesterday and thinking about when my grandfather used to "ride the rails" looking for work during the Great Depression, when this thought occurred to me: If graffiti is the language of the oppressed, then spray paint must be a writing utensil. What utensil did folks use before spray paint? And was there graffiti on train cars back during the Depression? If there was, what would they have looked like?

Things my random brain ponders.

This One Time, On My Flight...

2008-06-13T07:52:00.002-06:00

I know I said this is a blog mainly about my job and I haven't yet posted about my job, but hey! I've been home on sick leave!

Anyway, to stay "on topic" as it were, here are a couple of my favorite stories so far just to get them written down for posterity:

1. There was a woman on a flight to Cabo San Lucas who, when everyone was told they would not be allowed to take open, un-sealed food into Mexico said, "I just bought these Cheerios on the way to the airport and we had some. I can't take these with me?"

"No, ma'am, I'm sorry, you can't."

"But why?!" She was totally confused and dismayed. "Are they afraid we're going to feed it to their people?!"

2. When I was brand new on the job, I was on my jump seat at the back of the plane when we had a rather hard landing in Albuquerque. At least I thought it seemed a pretty hard bump, but what did I know? I was brand new. After the passengers deplaned and while we were cleaning the plane, the First Officer looked at us flight attendants and said, "About that landing just now? Sorry."

3. We were on a routine flight from LAX to Denver, mid-flight, beverage service done, cruising altitude, calm air, etc. Very normal flight. I was standing in the cabin talking to one of the passengers when I heard three dings, then immediately after that three dings again. That is the emergency signal, which is not a good thing to hear! I'm sure my face went white, I looked back at the flight attendant in the rear of the plane who was standing with her chin on her chest and her mouth wide open in shock. I told the passenger, "Excuse me," then ran back to grab the phone to see what the captain had to say. I picked up just in time to hear the captain and the flight attendant in the front of plane say to each other:

"I didn't do it, I thought you did it!"

"No, it wasn't me, I thought you did it! What's up?"

"Nothing, I thought it was you!"

"No, wasn't us!"

etc., etc.

We eventually determined everything was fine and it must have been a gremlin of the plane's systems. After my heart rate died down I went back to the passenger I had been talking to and explained why I rushed off, who naturally was a little concerned. He had a good laugh at my expense because of the very concerned look on my face when I heard those signals.

And lastly,

4. I was standing in the forward galley on a recent flight during de-planing, doing my thing ("Buh-bye! Thanks for flying with us! Have a nice day! Buh-bye!") when a gentleman reached the front, held out a Pringle's potato chip can, and asked me where the garbage can was. Being a superstar Flight Attendant, I said, as I reached and took it from him, "Oh, I'll take care of that for you, sir. I've got the trash can right here." To which he replied, after I had the can in my hand, "Thank you, but be careful. It's full of vomit."

Hanna Rocked the Park

2008-06-12T09:02:00.002-06:00

Although Erik and I've been sick with a stomach bug the last couple of days, we were feeling well enough to go to the ballpark and support Hanna in her second ever softball game. They played the same team they played a week ago in their first game (which Erik and I had to miss) and although they lost last week 14-6, I am happy to report they won last night, 14-5. Hanna had two at bats, and two hits. The first one was a scoring run, but unfortunately the shortstop caught her second one, for a third out, ending the inning. Still and all, we were very proud of her. She did great!

Ouch! Or: Why You Should Read Warning Labels

2008-06-11T22:38:00.003-06:00

So I've been on sick leave the four days I was supposed to fly this week, and if you look to the left you can see why. Erik and I rented a one-man post hole digger last Friday to install a fence around our yard. It's the kind with a small lawn mower engine and after running it for 1/2 an hour or so, we turned it off to take a small break. Word to the wise: when you reach for the pull cord to re-start a motor like that, do not brace yourself on top of the already hot motor! I've never had a burn like this before and God, did it hurt!! If you look very closely toward the center of my palm you can faintly see a mirror image of the word H-O-T burned into my hand. Yeah - go ahead and laugh. The irony of it is funny. Anyway, I should be able to go back to work when I go back on call this Saturday at midnight, but I'll still have to wear a good band-aid to keep from grossing the passengers out.

Hello Again

2008-06-11T18:07:00.004-06:00

This is a re-formatting of a blog I used to have a couple of years ago, "Who Am I To Blog?" I abandoned that blog when I spent most of my time on it complaining about my health. (It was a bad year.)

Now it's a new year, new location, new job and new body. I had gastric bypass surgery (finally!) two years ago, and got a new job to go along with it. I am now a Flight Attendant for a great low cost carrier. It's the strangest job, but the greatest. My hope is to be able to document for friends and family the realities of this job, both the good, bad, hopeful, and frustrating.

I've been flying for 8 months now and have found a new strength within myself I never knew I had: I don't take any crap off people! LOL In spite of what the mass population thinks (including me before this job), a flight attendant's main responsibility is not serving drinks; it's SAFETY. True, we hope nothing scary ever happens, but it does occasionally, and the rules exist for a reason. Now, with my new-found strength, I can nicely ask for people to comply with the rules, and have no qualms about making them when they resist. 98% of folks are truly great, I'm glad to say.

Already, I have some great stories to share. Stay tuned for more, and for updates on my family life.