I'm on a wifi-enabled jet, and so I thought I'd post my first official blog from the sky! I only have my little iTouch, since I've been dealing with complete laptop FAIL this month (hence, the book is back burnered tho' I did manage to get it saved before the crash and then the nasty virus.). (And on that topic, I think there will actually be a special place in purgatory for people who create and unleash viruses upon the world. End of rant.)
Anyway. So it's December...which has ironically always been my favorite month. I guess it wasn't that ironic~growing up in the land of sun and perennially mild weather. But that was just the first half of my life. The rest of it has been spent living in snowy winter climes, with dark mornings and evenings...and I don't really love cold dark days. But I have always loved the festive feeling of the month, and the hope of happy moments it seems to bring. While I was a kid I didn't relish having my birthday right before Christmas, these days it doesn't matter somehow. So while you'd think I'd prefer a nice June, hot July, or even a scorching August, for me, December is still the best month of all. The End.
This has been a year of trying to live by my motto at the top of this page~"Come What May And Love It"...and doing so has been part of the happiness I've enjoyed. I'm excited to embrace my 2011 motto...which I'll reveal in January. I've also been pondering what my honest goals for myself are for the coming year. It's going to be a fantabulosa year!
Well, time to land. Bye!
Grateful for
1) commuter privileges
2) friends and coworkers
3) free wifi!
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Yesterday was TEAONUI
Teaonui [tay-ow-new-ee] ~ noun
A Tahitian given name meaning "Dawn of an important day".
Teaonui is my darling nephew's middle name, but it also aptly describes yesterday.
For anyone who has any doctors or future doctors in their lives, I recommend reading "An Insider's Guide to the Biggest Week in Medical Education" which explains Match Day with great humor and clarity.
It was a very busy day too...which is why I just now added a photo to yesterday's post. Between the Match ceremony brunch and the match dinner in the evening, we picked up Bunch and Gator from their schools and took them to a frozen yogurt shop. After allowing them as many toppings as they liked (we never splurge for toppings), I asked if they wanted to enjoy their yogurts first before we told them the news. "NOOOOO!" thy both insisted. So Doc laid it out: "We're staying here. For all of it. We're not moving at all."
It took a moment to sink in, but they were so happy! Both had assumed we were moving for sure.
At the ceremony when Doc first opened the envelope, any disappointment at not matching at our 1st choice in Boston for the coming year was immediately tempered by the fact that we knew our kids would be thrilled about staying put. Especially Gator. He's been praying for months and months that we wouldn't have to move. Bunch had a more adventurous attitude about it, and was looking forward to parts of it in a way, but she's very happy to just stay here, too.
When we read the letter, I confess that tears sprang to my eyes. Part of it was probably just relief. Relief at knowing our future and having the ability to make plans is huge. And in that moment, my huge mental "Thing's I'm going to Have To Do" list just simply evaporated. No packing. No finding renters, or a place to rent, planning the details of two transcontinental moves in a year, or dealing with utilities, registering for schools, finding music teachers, doctors, dentists, etc.
But a tiny bit of those tears was due to the things that won't be now, either. Like living near the ocean and the amazing natural beauty of the area (I watched the sun set in Boston on Tuesday and rise there on Wednesday morning and was filled with peace and anticipation about more moments like that). Or getting to know the friends I made there better. I really liked them.
And my WORK! I was SO excited about not commuting by plane to get to work for a year. To have the luxury of just getting in my car and driving 20 minutes to the airport when I need to be there was so appealing. Especially after last weekend when I had to leave a day earlier than planned to make sure I'd get there because of canceled flights the next day, and then my flight was canceled, so I was scrambling to find ANYONE with an empty seat to any southern California airport that I could jump on. Ten hours after leaving home, I finally arrived, exhausted at the Orange County airport.
A dear friend offered to let me stay at her place, but she had to work early, so she enlisted her boyfriend to pick me up and drive me to LAX for my flight the next morning. We were about 40 minutes from LAX, in the far left lane of the 405 freeway, when there was a tremendous BANG and this happened:
After quick silent prayer and heartfelt plea for help, a tow truck arrived in record time, a kind stranger at the tire store offered to drive me to Long Beach airport, and from there I hopped on a shuttle to LAX and made it before the plane arrived.
All that just to get TO get to work.
It's not like that every time obviously, but you can imagine now why I was looking forward to just living at my crew base for a year.
But apparently we're meant to stay put, and I'm fine with it. Doc will have a much harder year at the program he matched into...it was his last choice out of all those he interviewed with in terms of the program, but he ranked it 2nd because it's here, and unless we lived by a crew base, moving would only make things harder for all of us. So we'll work it out, month by month, and soon we'll be looking back on the next year just like we have these past four years, and wondering at how fast it passed by.
As for today, it's the first day of the rest of our lives here. Time to run a few errands that I've been putting off, and then I think I'll start finally turning this house into a home. Our real home. More on that later...
Grateful for:
1) The kindness of all the people I met in Boston last December. I'm sad we won't get to be neighbors and better friends.
2) All the happy support we got yesterday. A special thanks to each of you bloggy readers, known and unknown, for all the feedback and good wishes. You're the best! ♥
3) Since we're staying, and thanks to Doc's parents, we're going to get new carpet!!! Goodbye nasty, ripped, stained, dirty, snagged carpet that I've just always tried to make peace with.
A Tahitian given name meaning "Dawn of an important day".
Teaonui is my darling nephew's middle name, but it also aptly describes yesterday.
For anyone who has any doctors or future doctors in their lives, I recommend reading "An Insider's Guide to the Biggest Week in Medical Education" which explains Match Day with great humor and clarity.
It was a very busy day too...which is why I just now added a photo to yesterday's post. Between the Match ceremony brunch and the match dinner in the evening, we picked up Bunch and Gator from their schools and took them to a frozen yogurt shop. After allowing them as many toppings as they liked (we never splurge for toppings), I asked if they wanted to enjoy their yogurts first before we told them the news. "NOOOOO!" thy both insisted. So Doc laid it out: "We're staying here. For all of it. We're not moving at all."
It took a moment to sink in, but they were so happy! Both had assumed we were moving for sure.
At the ceremony when Doc first opened the envelope, any disappointment at not matching at our 1st choice in Boston for the coming year was immediately tempered by the fact that we knew our kids would be thrilled about staying put. Especially Gator. He's been praying for months and months that we wouldn't have to move. Bunch had a more adventurous attitude about it, and was looking forward to parts of it in a way, but she's very happy to just stay here, too.
When we read the letter, I confess that tears sprang to my eyes. Part of it was probably just relief. Relief at knowing our future and having the ability to make plans is huge. And in that moment, my huge mental "Thing's I'm going to Have To Do" list just simply evaporated. No packing. No finding renters, or a place to rent, planning the details of two transcontinental moves in a year, or dealing with utilities, registering for schools, finding music teachers, doctors, dentists, etc.
But a tiny bit of those tears was due to the things that won't be now, either. Like living near the ocean and the amazing natural beauty of the area (I watched the sun set in Boston on Tuesday and rise there on Wednesday morning and was filled with peace and anticipation about more moments like that). Or getting to know the friends I made there better. I really liked them.
And my WORK! I was SO excited about not commuting by plane to get to work for a year. To have the luxury of just getting in my car and driving 20 minutes to the airport when I need to be there was so appealing. Especially after last weekend when I had to leave a day earlier than planned to make sure I'd get there because of canceled flights the next day, and then my flight was canceled, so I was scrambling to find ANYONE with an empty seat to any southern California airport that I could jump on. Ten hours after leaving home, I finally arrived, exhausted at the Orange County airport.
A dear friend offered to let me stay at her place, but she had to work early, so she enlisted her boyfriend to pick me up and drive me to LAX for my flight the next morning. We were about 40 minutes from LAX, in the far left lane of the 405 freeway, when there was a tremendous BANG and this happened:
After quick silent prayer and heartfelt plea for help, a tow truck arrived in record time, a kind stranger at the tire store offered to drive me to Long Beach airport, and from there I hopped on a shuttle to LAX and made it before the plane arrived.
All that just to get TO get to work.
It's not like that every time obviously, but you can imagine now why I was looking forward to just living at my crew base for a year.
But apparently we're meant to stay put, and I'm fine with it. Doc will have a much harder year at the program he matched into...it was his last choice out of all those he interviewed with in terms of the program, but he ranked it 2nd because it's here, and unless we lived by a crew base, moving would only make things harder for all of us. So we'll work it out, month by month, and soon we'll be looking back on the next year just like we have these past four years, and wondering at how fast it passed by.
As for today, it's the first day of the rest of our lives here. Time to run a few errands that I've been putting off, and then I think I'll start finally turning this house into a home. Our real home. More on that later...
Grateful for:
1) The kindness of all the people I met in Boston last December. I'm sad we won't get to be neighbors and better friends.
2) All the happy support we got yesterday. A special thanks to each of you bloggy readers, known and unknown, for all the feedback and good wishes. You're the best! ♥
3) Since we're staying, and thanks to Doc's parents, we're going to get new carpet!!! Goodbye nasty, ripped, stained, dirty, snagged carpet that I've just always tried to make peace with.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Boston
It was snowing sideways when we landed in Boston tonight. Big, white, heavy flakes racing past the windows as if they had something very important to get to. Our customers were a bit shocked at the sight...having left Fort Lauderdale, FL only 2.5 hours earlier...some were wearing only shorts and tank tops.
It is very possible that next summer my family will be moving to this area...it's Doc's first choice for Transitional Year programs and at this point it's unlikely that another program will attract him more. We'll find out in March where he matches for both TY and Residency (they're two different jobs.)
Living near Boston for a year would be an adventure we would all enjoy I think. For one thing, we have a flight attendant crew base here, which would mean that for the first time in almost a decade as a flight attendant, I could drive to and from work, instead of commuting on a plane to another city to start work. That's a huge plus for me, and the family.
Boston and the surrounding area has lots of history, with many interesting things to see and do. And the program here has the added bonus that Doc would be home a lot more than any other program he's interviewing at.
We talked to Bunch and Gator about change. How change is inevitable, but that it can also be a good thing. We learn and grow through change. Some changes aren't "happy" ones...death of a loved one, illness, accident, injury, job loss, losing, failing, moving, etc. But we learn so much from those experiences that we wrestle our way through. Most important, we learn that we can do hard things.
Moving would be hard. We don't know anyone near where we'd move. We'd have to make friends (good change), find new doctors, dentists, schools and church. Leaving behind belongings, deciding what we need to have and what we can A) donate, B) throw away, and C) store for a year while we're gone is a lot of work. But those are good things to do anyway.
Then again, we could end up staying in Salt Lake. Three months will tell, but no matter what happens, one thing is certain, and that is that life constantly changes.
Grateful for:
1) Pandora.com Their Christmas stations are the end all be all for holiday music.
2) Good co-workers. Priceless when you're on a four-day trip.
3) One more flight before I'm done for 2009!
It is very possible that next summer my family will be moving to this area...it's Doc's first choice for Transitional Year programs and at this point it's unlikely that another program will attract him more. We'll find out in March where he matches for both TY and Residency (they're two different jobs.)
Living near Boston for a year would be an adventure we would all enjoy I think. For one thing, we have a flight attendant crew base here, which would mean that for the first time in almost a decade as a flight attendant, I could drive to and from work, instead of commuting on a plane to another city to start work. That's a huge plus for me, and the family.
Boston and the surrounding area has lots of history, with many interesting things to see and do. And the program here has the added bonus that Doc would be home a lot more than any other program he's interviewing at.
We talked to Bunch and Gator about change. How change is inevitable, but that it can also be a good thing. We learn and grow through change. Some changes aren't "happy" ones...death of a loved one, illness, accident, injury, job loss, losing, failing, moving, etc. But we learn so much from those experiences that we wrestle our way through. Most important, we learn that we can do hard things.
Moving would be hard. We don't know anyone near where we'd move. We'd have to make friends (good change), find new doctors, dentists, schools and church. Leaving behind belongings, deciding what we need to have and what we can A) donate, B) throw away, and C) store for a year while we're gone is a lot of work. But those are good things to do anyway.
Then again, we could end up staying in Salt Lake. Three months will tell, but no matter what happens, one thing is certain, and that is that life constantly changes.
Grateful for:
1) Pandora.com Their Christmas stations are the end all be all for holiday music.
2) Good co-workers. Priceless when you're on a four-day trip.
3) One more flight before I'm done for 2009!
Monday, March 2, 2009
another day, another month
Marching along are we?
February passed altogether too quickly for my preferences. I haven't been very good about blogging, and honestly it's like part of my brain is just not developed or something, because I see other women who have UBER busy lives yet they manage to bang out inspiring, insightful posts on a very regular basis. I don't know what's wrong with me when my darling punks trot off to school every morning, and Doc heads off to battle diseases, accidents and injuries...or at least learn how to, and I can't even toss out a measley crumb to the clamoring masses. Yeah, there are clamoring masses of you. The almighty Google hath declared it.
I actually have been writing a little bit, but not blog writing. I know, I know. It's hard to believe that I ever hold anything back from this little patch of cyber space, but in reality there is a lot that I write that just isn't fit for human consumption. So rather than run on and on, I opt for radio silence. Trust me, you're grateful. If I didn't restrain myself, you'd all become afflicted with blogging bulemia and have to purge. Never a pretty sight.
So now it's time for The March Good News Moment! Guess what kids? Doc was inducted into the AOA, which is apparently a pretty significant honor according to my friends who are doctors always tell it to me straight. About 5% of the medical students make the cut each year. According to the official website, students are picked not only for their "high academic standing, but as well for leadership among their peers, professionalism and a firm sense of ethics, promise of future success in medicine, and a commitment to service in the school and community."
If you know Doc, then you already know that this list defines him, and how he approaches medicine, so it truly is a well-deserved honor, and we're all really proud of him. By we I mean me. And Bunch and Gator are pretty psyched too...because it just means there's one more accolade to recommend him as The Best Candidate for the one radiology spot in the residency program here. And we none of us are interested in moving again if we can possibly avoid it. So here's hoping. He will be putting his application package together in the next few months, and sending it off September 1st. It's going to be a dizzyingly busy and expensive year for him.
Speaking of busy. As has been the case every March for the past 8 years, I'm heading to Orlando, Florida for my annual re-certification as a flight attendant. It should comfort the travelling public to know that flight attendants must go through all the safety, emergency evacuation, and medical drills annually, and make sure we still know our stuff. If we don't pass, we can't fly. Since I was hired this time of year, this is the month I always have training.
Now some people are jealous that I'm going to Florida, but lets just set the record straight: I fly across the country, arrive at about 9pm, go to the hotel, and then I have to be at the training facility at 7am EST. Which is 5 a.m. my time. My van to the facility will leave at 4:30 a.m. my time, which means I'll be getting up aproximately 3:30 a.m. my time, and then spending the entire day trying to yawn unobnoxiously and fighting to stay awake during the lecture portion. We finish at 7pm, and go back to the hotel and then take an early flight out the next morning.
So no, I won't be chillin' with The Mouse. Or going to any of the fabbo attractions in the area. I'll be evacuating a plane in 60 seconds, one that is filled with simulated smoke, while you see fire flashing out the windows as the structure shakes (it's actually a fabulous training tool. Love the trainer!)
And I still have to put in my regular flying hours in addition to the training. So I'll be away a little bit more this month than usual. Here's hoping no one gets sick while I'm away (like last month!), and that I'll qualify for another year of employement by the end of training. I always worry about this kind of thing. Cause a lot rides on it, not the least of which is that it's the best job I've ever had and I totally love it..
Something more interesting next time...I promise!
February passed altogether too quickly for my preferences. I haven't been very good about blogging, and honestly it's like part of my brain is just not developed or something, because I see other women who have UBER busy lives yet they manage to bang out inspiring, insightful posts on a very regular basis. I don't know what's wrong with me when my darling punks trot off to school every morning, and Doc heads off to battle diseases, accidents and injuries...or at least learn how to, and I can't even toss out a measley crumb to the clamoring masses. Yeah, there are clamoring masses of you. The almighty Google hath declared it.
I actually have been writing a little bit, but not blog writing. I know, I know. It's hard to believe that I ever hold anything back from this little patch of cyber space, but in reality there is a lot that I write that just isn't fit for human consumption. So rather than run on and on, I opt for radio silence. Trust me, you're grateful. If I didn't restrain myself, you'd all become afflicted with blogging bulemia and have to purge. Never a pretty sight.
So now it's time for The March Good News Moment! Guess what kids? Doc was inducted into the AOA, which is apparently a pretty significant honor according to my friends who are doctors always tell it to me straight. About 5% of the medical students make the cut each year. According to the official website, students are picked not only for their "high academic standing, but as well for leadership among their peers, professionalism and a firm sense of ethics, promise of future success in medicine, and a commitment to service in the school and community."
If you know Doc, then you already know that this list defines him, and how he approaches medicine, so it truly is a well-deserved honor, and we're all really proud of him. By we I mean me. And Bunch and Gator are pretty psyched too...because it just means there's one more accolade to recommend him as The Best Candidate for the one radiology spot in the residency program here. And we none of us are interested in moving again if we can possibly avoid it. So here's hoping. He will be putting his application package together in the next few months, and sending it off September 1st. It's going to be a dizzyingly busy and expensive year for him.
Speaking of busy. As has been the case every March for the past 8 years, I'm heading to Orlando, Florida for my annual re-certification as a flight attendant. It should comfort the travelling public to know that flight attendants must go through all the safety, emergency evacuation, and medical drills annually, and make sure we still know our stuff. If we don't pass, we can't fly. Since I was hired this time of year, this is the month I always have training.
Now some people are jealous that I'm going to Florida, but lets just set the record straight: I fly across the country, arrive at about 9pm, go to the hotel, and then I have to be at the training facility at 7am EST. Which is 5 a.m. my time. My van to the facility will leave at 4:30 a.m. my time, which means I'll be getting up aproximately 3:30 a.m. my time, and then spending the entire day trying to yawn unobnoxiously and fighting to stay awake during the lecture portion. We finish at 7pm, and go back to the hotel and then take an early flight out the next morning.
So no, I won't be chillin' with The Mouse. Or going to any of the fabbo attractions in the area. I'll be evacuating a plane in 60 seconds, one that is filled with simulated smoke, while you see fire flashing out the windows as the structure shakes (it's actually a fabulous training tool. Love the trainer!)
And I still have to put in my regular flying hours in addition to the training. So I'll be away a little bit more this month than usual. Here's hoping no one gets sick while I'm away (like last month!), and that I'll qualify for another year of employement by the end of training. I always worry about this kind of thing. Cause a lot rides on it, not the least of which is that it's the best job I've ever had and I totally love it..
Something more interesting next time...I promise!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Ho Hi, Ho Hi, I'm off again Me-Oh-My!
It's Friday again, and I am dashing around trying to get it together in time to make my flight. Yes, off to work I go.
This time it's a red-eye to Oakland-connecting to Boston. Tomorrow I'll spend the day in lovely downtown Boston, a half block from the Commons. I like our hotel there...it's old and historic, with the tiniest little bathrooms and barely enough space to walk around the bed. But it's classy and beautiful, and there's a fabulous grand piano in the lobby that you might just find me banging away on in the middle of the night...when no one is around but the reception desk personnel. Last time I was there I ran in the park on a misty, drissly morning and it was fabulous. That was before the fractured toe...which hasn't caused me pain in a few weeks as I've taken a break from street running and switched to the elliptical and stair master machines in the gym. Perhaps tomorrow I'll give real running another try. I just wish I had a friend there to chill with...what's the point of a 24 hour layover without a buddy?
Sunday I return to Salt Lake City and layover here (yay!), and Monday I fly to Chicago. I'll be home Tuesday.
I apologize for not posting in the past few days. It's been a terrific week, but I've had a lot going on. I can't wait to share all the details of our T5 event on Monday. I'll write as soon as I can next week. Maybe I'll even post tomorrow from Boston!
Either way, it's a great day out there everyone. Enjoy the weekend!
This time it's a red-eye to Oakland-connecting to Boston. Tomorrow I'll spend the day in lovely downtown Boston, a half block from the Commons. I like our hotel there...it's old and historic, with the tiniest little bathrooms and barely enough space to walk around the bed. But it's classy and beautiful, and there's a fabulous grand piano in the lobby that you might just find me banging away on in the middle of the night...when no one is around but the reception desk personnel. Last time I was there I ran in the park on a misty, drissly morning and it was fabulous. That was before the fractured toe...which hasn't caused me pain in a few weeks as I've taken a break from street running and switched to the elliptical and stair master machines in the gym. Perhaps tomorrow I'll give real running another try. I just wish I had a friend there to chill with...what's the point of a 24 hour layover without a buddy?
Sunday I return to Salt Lake City and layover here (yay!), and Monday I fly to Chicago. I'll be home Tuesday.
I apologize for not posting in the past few days. It's been a terrific week, but I've had a lot going on. I can't wait to share all the details of our T5 event on Monday. I'll write as soon as I can next week. Maybe I'll even post tomorrow from Boston!
Either way, it's a great day out there everyone. Enjoy the weekend!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hi Ho, Hi Ho...
...it's off to work I go!
So later this afternoon I will get on a plane and fly to CA where I will start work tomorrow morning. I had hoped when I picked this trip that I'd be able to find another flight attendant who willing to work tomorrow morning's flight to SLC. One thing we can do in our jobs is get out of either the 1st or last leg of a trip if we have someone else willing to work it for us. If I'd succeeded, I'd be able to just meet the crew here in SLC tomorrow when they land, and continue the trip from here. As it is, I have to commute out tonight for my 6:00 a.m. report time tomorrow. Alas.
This will be the first time since Doc started rotations in the hospital that I'm out of town while the kids are in school. Last summer they were thrilled every time I left town because they were able to go to their cousin's house and just stay the whole time. Their aunt and uncle are complete rock stars. But school renders that option less feasible because of the distance.
So I've rigged up a combination of solutions for their care this weekend, and am crossing my fingers that everything will work out. Then I get to lather rinse repeat next weekend when I do this same trip.
I love my job. I really do. And we all really love the benefits (including my buddy pass recipients. BTW, still haven't heard from the winner of this past week's Give-Away. Ern?? Ern, you there?). But every time I fly, it's a bit of a workout to arrange and prepare everything in advance. For the past seven years it's always turned out fine. But having Doc gone at 4ish in the morning certainly adds a little twist 'o lime to the complexity of child care.
This Monday I have a few hours in NYC which is really exciting because I'll get to experience history in the making (isn't that happening with every passing moment?) as my airline open the doors on one of the world's most innovative new air terminals! There's a crew member event and luncheon, followed by a press event and formal ribbon cutting ceremony with the media & "local dignitaries", and then a cocktail party with some mystery singer who had "one of the summer's top 10 hits". I have to fly out before it's over, but how fun to have a layover during this! A layover when I should be sleeping mind you (I land at dawn after flying all night and leave again at 5 pm), but I'm just going to suck it up and go into deep hibernation when I get home. At least till 4pm when the kids get out of school.
So that's my weekend plan. What are you doing?
So later this afternoon I will get on a plane and fly to CA where I will start work tomorrow morning. I had hoped when I picked this trip that I'd be able to find another flight attendant who willing to work tomorrow morning's flight to SLC. One thing we can do in our jobs is get out of either the 1st or last leg of a trip if we have someone else willing to work it for us. If I'd succeeded, I'd be able to just meet the crew here in SLC tomorrow when they land, and continue the trip from here. As it is, I have to commute out tonight for my 6:00 a.m. report time tomorrow. Alas.
This will be the first time since Doc started rotations in the hospital that I'm out of town while the kids are in school. Last summer they were thrilled every time I left town because they were able to go to their cousin's house and just stay the whole time. Their aunt and uncle are complete rock stars. But school renders that option less feasible because of the distance.
So I've rigged up a combination of solutions for their care this weekend, and am crossing my fingers that everything will work out. Then I get to lather rinse repeat next weekend when I do this same trip.
I love my job. I really do. And we all really love the benefits (including my buddy pass recipients. BTW, still haven't heard from the winner of this past week's Give-Away. Ern?? Ern, you there?). But every time I fly, it's a bit of a workout to arrange and prepare everything in advance. For the past seven years it's always turned out fine. But having Doc gone at 4ish in the morning certainly adds a little twist 'o lime to the complexity of child care.
This Monday I have a few hours in NYC which is really exciting because I'll get to experience history in the making (isn't that happening with every passing moment?) as my airline open the doors on one of the world's most innovative new air terminals! There's a crew member event and luncheon, followed by a press event and formal ribbon cutting ceremony with the media & "local dignitaries", and then a cocktail party with some mystery singer who had "one of the summer's top 10 hits". I have to fly out before it's over, but how fun to have a layover during this! A layover when I should be sleeping mind you (I land at dawn after flying all night and leave again at 5 pm), but I'm just going to suck it up and go into deep hibernation when I get home. At least till 4pm when the kids get out of school.
So that's my weekend plan. What are you doing?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Being Part of The Industry
One of the questions people (naturally) ask me most often is how they, their daughter, niece, spouse, best friend, etc. would also go about becoming a flight attendant.
While I would love nothing more than to bring a fresh slew of fab BFFs on board to share the joy, the fact is it's a pretty zany industry to break into these days.
As I mentioned in my previous post, when I started I was hired as a job share with my friend M. We both had to work at least one flight a month, but we had to fly 70 hours between us. That's air time. As also mentioned previously, air time hours are counted when the aircraft door closes. So when we're on the ground, delayed for any reason with the door open, or during boarding/deplaning etc., that doesn't count towards our minimum hours.
But sometimes you meet fun people, or famous people, and it can be very rewarding. Knowing this bit about me makes my job look pretty sweet. And it is. I can totally understand why people are interested in following suit.
For the first 3 years, M and I were partners. Then one day the company let us know that they were doing away with the job share program, and that from then on we job share partners would all be part-time FA's, and that we'd now have to work a minimum of 35 hours each, per month. So with much sadness M and I were separated from each other and no longer had to coordinate our schedules and lives. They don't hire part-timers off the street now. You have to be hired full-time, and then (again, based on seniority) you may have the chance to fly part-time in the future.
But getting hired is the kicker. While the ratio of applicants to positions available when I got hired was about 60/1 (which seemed incredibly tough), things are different now. It's about 1000/1 at my company, and I'm sure it's similar elsewhere. In recent months there have been countless thousands of layoffs at other airlines. Seems like every day we are informed about another round of pilots or flight attendants being let go somewhere. While my own company has never yet had to lay anyone off, we definitely feel the impact of the turbulent times in air travel. And my heart just aches for the stress this has put on families and individuals just trying to keep afloat out there.
For the applicant who actually DOES manage to land the much-coveted position, their experience will be vastly different from mine. They will be on reserve for eons. Reserve flight attendants are guaranteed 10 days off each month, but those 10 days aren't necessarily consecutive. In fact it's probably more like one day here, one day there. Which may be fine for them, if they live in their base. But if, like me, they are commuting from home to get to their base to start work, that would be a nightmare. They wouldn't ever get to go home. If you work Monday, have Tuesday off but have to be back first thing Wednesday, you really just can't go. You're stuck. So that's a trick.
Also a new hire today wouldn't get to pick which city they were based in. My company has 4 different crew bases in four different states, and you could be required to start/end work in any one of them. Again, it's all determined by seniority. So when you first start and you're the bottom of the totem pole, you go where the need is, and work whatever trips no one else wanted out of that base. Which means every holiday and weekend and bummer trip (except for when another flight attendant calls in sick on a sweet trip and it's assigned to you). And you learn how to manage your time pretty efficiently. Living out of a suitcase better appeal, because that puppy will never ever be put away!
You also probably shouldn't have any personal life. Spouse and kids? It would be very difficult to have a family as a new flight attendant unless you live where you're based. But on the other hand, it'd be good to have a spouse, especially one who can keep you afloat for a while till you are off reserve and can pick up more hours, because even though new flight attendants start making $20 an hour where I work, you're only guaranteed 75 hours of pay per month (or more if you happen to fly more than that). Doing the math you can see that $18,000 a year isn't a whole lot to survive on.
Want to know something sad? 1st officers, you know the pilot in the right seat? Well I've met 1st officers from some other airlines who were making only slightly more than me when I met them! Which was really kind of sad, since they actually put a lot of effort into preparing for their job compared to me. Anywho, I digress.
So it would be handy to have a spouse who was supporting the family's financial needs during the early years while you are flying a ton, making peanuts and climbing in seniority.
Unless your airline is on a hiring freeze. Which mine currently is. Which most currently are. Because if you just got hired and are smack dab at the bottom of that totem pole waiting for them to hire the next batch of flight attendants who will bump you up a bit, there is nothing worse than a hiring freeze.
So becoming a flight attendant today is a grand idea if you
If any of the following describe your situation, perhaps another career would be a better fit:
Just remember, If it's your dream, there will be a way for you to make it your reality! That applies to any facet of life!
♥
While I would love nothing more than to bring a fresh slew of fab BFFs on board to share the joy, the fact is it's a pretty zany industry to break into these days.
As I mentioned in my previous post, when I started I was hired as a job share with my friend M. We both had to work at least one flight a month, but we had to fly 70 hours between us. That's air time. As also mentioned previously, air time hours are counted when the aircraft door closes. So when we're on the ground, delayed for any reason with the door open, or during boarding/deplaning etc., that doesn't count towards our minimum hours.
But sometimes you meet fun people, or famous people, and it can be very rewarding. Knowing this bit about me makes my job look pretty sweet. And it is. I can totally understand why people are interested in following suit.
For the first 3 years, M and I were partners. Then one day the company let us know that they were doing away with the job share program, and that from then on we job share partners would all be part-time FA's, and that we'd now have to work a minimum of 35 hours each, per month. So with much sadness M and I were separated from each other and no longer had to coordinate our schedules and lives. They don't hire part-timers off the street now. You have to be hired full-time, and then (again, based on seniority) you may have the chance to fly part-time in the future.
But getting hired is the kicker. While the ratio of applicants to positions available when I got hired was about 60/1 (which seemed incredibly tough), things are different now. It's about 1000/1 at my company, and I'm sure it's similar elsewhere. In recent months there have been countless thousands of layoffs at other airlines. Seems like every day we are informed about another round of pilots or flight attendants being let go somewhere. While my own company has never yet had to lay anyone off, we definitely feel the impact of the turbulent times in air travel. And my heart just aches for the stress this has put on families and individuals just trying to keep afloat out there.
For the applicant who actually DOES manage to land the much-coveted position, their experience will be vastly different from mine. They will be on reserve for eons. Reserve flight attendants are guaranteed 10 days off each month, but those 10 days aren't necessarily consecutive. In fact it's probably more like one day here, one day there. Which may be fine for them, if they live in their base. But if, like me, they are commuting from home to get to their base to start work, that would be a nightmare. They wouldn't ever get to go home. If you work Monday, have Tuesday off but have to be back first thing Wednesday, you really just can't go. You're stuck. So that's a trick.
Also a new hire today wouldn't get to pick which city they were based in. My company has 4 different crew bases in four different states, and you could be required to start/end work in any one of them. Again, it's all determined by seniority. So when you first start and you're the bottom of the totem pole, you go where the need is, and work whatever trips no one else wanted out of that base. Which means every holiday and weekend and bummer trip (except for when another flight attendant calls in sick on a sweet trip and it's assigned to you). And you learn how to manage your time pretty efficiently. Living out of a suitcase better appeal, because that puppy will never ever be put away!
You also probably shouldn't have any personal life. Spouse and kids? It would be very difficult to have a family as a new flight attendant unless you live where you're based. But on the other hand, it'd be good to have a spouse, especially one who can keep you afloat for a while till you are off reserve and can pick up more hours, because even though new flight attendants start making $20 an hour where I work, you're only guaranteed 75 hours of pay per month (or more if you happen to fly more than that). Doing the math you can see that $18,000 a year isn't a whole lot to survive on.
Want to know something sad? 1st officers, you know the pilot in the right seat? Well I've met 1st officers from some other airlines who were making only slightly more than me when I met them! Which was really kind of sad, since they actually put a lot of effort into preparing for their job compared to me. Anywho, I digress.
So it would be handy to have a spouse who was supporting the family's financial needs during the early years while you are flying a ton, making peanuts and climbing in seniority.
Unless your airline is on a hiring freeze. Which mine currently is. Which most currently are. Because if you just got hired and are smack dab at the bottom of that totem pole waiting for them to hire the next batch of flight attendants who will bump you up a bit, there is nothing worse than a hiring freeze.
So becoming a flight attendant today is a grand idea if you
- love to serve others
- love living out of a suitcase
- don't mind cleaning up vomit, urine, blood and other biohazzards
- can handle wacky hours (red-eye flights, long days, etc)
- like sitting around a lot
- are a quick study (after all, you do have to get through the training to even start...which is pretty intense. Learning the aircraft(s), Medical, Safety etc...to say nothing of the rules and regulations governing your work as set forth by the FAA. Every new class has a few who just can't hack it and fail out.)
- don't have any restrictions on where you can live
- have a sugardaddy or sugarmomma who can keep you in yer drawers and supply you with your monthly pallet of chocolate (for medicinal purposes only of course!) while you creep slowly upward in the ranks
- love travel
If any of the following describe your situation, perhaps another career would be a better fit:
- "I ain't touching that" is something you might utter (referring to any substance that could possibly be found in a lavatory, galley, seat back pocket, or seating area)
- Old people annoy me
- Young people annoy me
- Babies shouldn't be allowed to fly
- I turn into a pumpkin at midnight
- I can't wake up before 8 a.m.
- I hate instant oatmeal
- I personally believe that US Americans shouldn't be allowed to have carry on luggage
- I can't live on less than $50 a day
- There's no place like home
- Sudoku makes me insane
- Someone sneezes and I'm down for the count with pneumonia
- "Mouth-to-mouth? Not on your life!"
Just remember, If it's your dream, there will be a way for you to make it your reality! That applies to any facet of life!
♥
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Where were you?
Seven years ago today, I had just returned home to my babies a few hours before from New York City, where I was based as a flight attendant.
My phone rang and my MIL was on the line, relief palpable in her voice when I answered. "You're Home!" she said. "Have you heard the news?"
I hadn't, but turned on the TV just in time to witness an aircraft plow into the second tower of the World Trade Center. Like the rest of the country, I stared in horror, riveted in front of the set.
Then the towers started to implode. Who could have foreseen that? Commentators started throwing out numbers of victims--seems like they were predicting upwards of 35,000-50,000 deaths.
Thankfully they were way off in their estimates. Almost 3,000 people died that day, and in the aftermath who can calculate how many people's lives have been decimated because of the events put in motion by the attacks. It's changed much in our world, especially for those in the military, and the airline industry.
So where were you when you found out about the attacks? Have those events changed your life in any way?
♥
My phone rang and my MIL was on the line, relief palpable in her voice when I answered. "You're Home!" she said. "Have you heard the news?"
I hadn't, but turned on the TV just in time to witness an aircraft plow into the second tower of the World Trade Center. Like the rest of the country, I stared in horror, riveted in front of the set.
Then the towers started to implode. Who could have foreseen that? Commentators started throwing out numbers of victims--seems like they were predicting upwards of 35,000-50,000 deaths.
Thankfully they were way off in their estimates. Almost 3,000 people died that day, and in the aftermath who can calculate how many people's lives have been decimated because of the events put in motion by the attacks. It's changed much in our world, especially for those in the military, and the airline industry.
So where were you when you found out about the attacks? Have those events changed your life in any way?
♥
Saturday, August 16, 2008
You Know You're A Flight Attendant When...
- You eat a 4-course meal standing at the kitchen counter in 30 secs.
- You search for a button to flush the toilet.
- You look for the "Crew Line" at the grocery store.
- You can pack for a 2 week trip to Europe in 1 roll-aboard.
- All of your pens have different hotel names on them.
- You NEVER EVER unpack.
- You can recognize pilots by the back of their heads- but not by their faces.
- You can tell from 70 yards away if a piece of luggage will fit in the overhead bin.
- You care about the local news in a city 3 states away.
- You can tie a neck scarf 36 ways.
- You know at least 25 uses for air sickness bags- none of which pertain to vomit.
- You understand and actually use the 24-hour clock.
- You own 2 sets of uniforms: Fat and Thin
- You don't think in "months" - you think in "bid packets".
- You always point with two fingers.
- You get a little too excited by certain types of ice.
- You stand at the front door and politely say "Buh-bye, Thanks, and "Have a nice day" when someone leaves your home.
- You can make a sentence using all of the following phrases: "At this time", "For your safety", and "As a reminder".
- You know who's on the cover of In Touch, People, and Star magazines
- You stop and inspect every fire extinguisher you pass, just to make sure the "gauge is in green".
- Your thighs are covered in bruises from armrests and elbows.
- You wake up and have to look at the hotel stationary to figure out where you are.
- You refer to cities by their airport codes.
- You're a Fire Fighter, Baby Sitter, Referee, Chef, Nurse, Security Officer, and a server all in one!!!
- Every time the doorbell rings, you look at the ceiling.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
It's official...
...I'm completely, utterly, hopelessly, and detrimentally off any kind of schedule whatsoever. Take your pick: exercising, eating, sleeping, working...they're all completely whacked. Heaven help me when my alarm goes off in just 5 hours.
And indulge me for just a moment. This Comfort Inn in West Palm Beach is hands down the lamest crew hotel I've ever stayed in. No gym. No restaurant. No lounge. No sidewalks to run on. No local businesses. No room darkening shade. No room service. No soft pillows. Nothing nearby to do. No shuttle service to anything but the airport. Just shabby, tired rooms in an old, worn out building out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by offices.
I'm not a fan.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled whine-free programming. While I attempt to fall asleep.
And indulge me for just a moment. This Comfort Inn in West Palm Beach is hands down the lamest crew hotel I've ever stayed in. No gym. No restaurant. No lounge. No sidewalks to run on. No local businesses. No room darkening shade. No room service. No soft pillows. Nothing nearby to do. No shuttle service to anything but the airport. Just shabby, tired rooms in an old, worn out building out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by offices.
I'm not a fan.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled whine-free programming. While I attempt to fall asleep.
duh...
I'm in Florida now. You'd think after all these years of flying, I'd realize that if your cell phone rings and it's Crew Services calling, 99.9999% of the time you'll regret answering. It's never good news.
What can I say? It was the middle of the night, I was sleep deprived, and suddenly had the thought that maybe they were calling as a courtesy to let me know that the flight I was going on was delayed, and that I should stay at my nice hotel longer. Cause maybe they're new motto is "Crew Services. We're Thoughtful Like That".
But no. Rather than just deadhead in a regular customer seat from NYC back to California (pay-protected for my missed trip too, mind you) and have the day off today and sit reserve tomorrow, which is what I was supposed to be doing, they assigned me to work today.
So now I'm in Florida, and am working tomorrow too.
But suddenly, a new contender has emerged...
What can I say? It was the middle of the night, I was sleep deprived, and suddenly had the thought that maybe they were calling as a courtesy to let me know that the flight I was going on was delayed, and that I should stay at my nice hotel longer. Cause maybe they're new motto is "Crew Services. We're Thoughtful Like That".
But no. Rather than just deadhead in a regular customer seat from NYC back to California (pay-protected for my missed trip too, mind you) and have the day off today and sit reserve tomorrow, which is what I was supposed to be doing, they assigned me to work today.
So now I'm in Florida, and am working tomorrow too.
But suddenly, a new contender has emerged...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
It's CRAZY out there man!
I just spent a glorious NINE HOURS on a plane, on the ground, in Portland ME, with the aircraft door open. (Significant in that flight attendants only get paid when the door is closed...all that time on the ground when we're boarding/deplaning/cleaning/waiting to shut the door = volunteer service time. It's just how the system is set up...but sometimes it really bites you in the hiney). I had the pleasure of serving the unfortunate passengers who happened to pick today to fly into to NYC.
It was unfortunate for them, because the T-storms in the area meant we were on an ATC ground hold with the departure time pushed back little by little till we’d eventually spent an entire day waiting for clearance to shut the door and take off...all while hoping they didn't just cancel our flight at the end of it all. But fortunately for our customers, they had my Rock Star Crew serving them. Seriously! I'm working with two terrific flight attendants that I'd never met before this trip, and they're as good as it gets.
Then there were the pilots. In terms of service, I've never seen their equal in the pilot world. They were out there with us the entire day, answering questions, looking things up online, loaning their cell phones and making calls on our customer's behalf. They got pizza ordered for everyone (ie: the customers) to eat, collected trash and kept people updated with the latest , ever-changing information. They were outstanding.
It's days like today when people's true colors really make an appearance. Some people are civilized and sensible about disappointing situations for a finite amount of time before they just blow a gasket and lose it. I know in their rational moments they don't actually think that I, a mere flight attendant, have any real control over the weather. They don't actually believe I'm tight with Zeus, and could call in a favor or two to help things roll along their merry way. But you wouldn't know it from listening to some of them.
Anyway, I literally didn't sit down at all during the entire day, so right now I need a foot massage SO bad! But I don’t get one. I do get to go back to the airport and hop on another plane in six more hours though. Lucky!
Oh, speaking of stars. (I did mention the word star.) Yesterday I had a bona fide famous person on my flight! People always ask me if I've ever flown any celebs, and yes, I've had a few. But I'm about as savvy as a door knob when it comes to the Who's Who thing. Seriously. Once we had a completely sold out flight, but there was one man sitting in a row by himself. The gate agent said to me "you can't seat anyone in row three, because the gentleman there purchased all three seats so that he'd have the whole row."
I know that there are a number of customers who do this, under the rationale that three seats on my airline actually cost less than one business class seat on another one. So they get more space, and three tv's all to themselves. 3x the snacks. Whatevuh floats your boat.
Anyway. So we're flying across the country and every time I pass this man's row, he seems to have some small favor/request of me. Which is fine. Plenty of customers are like that, and I'm happy to help. Makes them happy, keeps me employed, and the time flies (ha! Time flies. I've always been brilliant with the metaphors).
Back to Mr. Seats 3 A, B & C.
"Excuse me Miss" he says to me as I'm passing his row in the aisle. "I've got a sandwich in my bag..."
"Oh, would you like me to get your bag down for you?" I offered.
"Oh, no, I've got it right here. I just wanted you to have it." he says, pulling his bag up onto the seat next to him.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Sir", I replied as sincerely as possible. "But you don't have to give me your sandwich."
"No, I really want to. It's a great sandwich. I've got two of them. They're from a terrific deli in Manhattan" he continues pulling them out of a bag and offering it up to me.
Not wanting to seem ungracious by refusing his kind offer, I finally relented and accepted his sandwich and retreated to the galley where my co-workers were sitting.
Now I should mention that we used to get crew meals on our flights, but on that particular day my connecting flight was running late, and I hadn't had time to grab my meal before heading out. I was on a red-eye turn (fly, land, deplane, clean, board, then fly right back across the country) so there were many hours to go. And I get tired of the chips and cookies, as you may imagine.
So I said to my co-workers, "You know the gentleman in row three? The one sitting by himself? Well, he just gave me a sandwich. He says it's from a really great deli in Manhattan, and he had two of them and just hated to see it go to waste. Of course normally I'd never eat a sandwich from a customer (I'll let you guess all the reasons why not), but I'm really hungry, and he seems like a pretty nice, normal guy..."
My co-workers are just staring at me this whole time. "You mean Montel?" one of them says.
"Huh?" was my eloquent reply.
"That's Montel. Montel Williams. You know?"
Uh, nope...
"He's got a TV show...the Montel Williams Show" the other FA said, looking most unimpressed.
"You could sell your sandwich on e-Bay" the first FA said, laughing at me.
Just one of my more brilliant moments. Anyway, so yesterday I flew from coast to coast with a celebrity sitting in the front row, facing me. It wasn't till we were about an hour away from landing that the pilot calls me on the phone and says "do you know who that guys is in front of you?" (FYI, the pilots have cameras in the cockpit to see what's going on in the cabin.)
I look at 1B. "Nope" I tell the phone.
"It's Justin Long", he tells me.
Still nothing. The name isn't doing anything to jog my memory. So the pilot rattles off an impressive list (from memory) of this guys work, but it just isn't registering.
Then my fellow flight attendant confirms that he recognized him too, but needless-to-say, I didn't get tacky and start asking for autographs or anything. But I DID get off the plane and look him up at IMDB from my crew lounge, and sure enough, there he is. A genuine celeb! I discovered that he's the voice of Alvin in the latest Chipmonk movie...among other credits.
And only then did I realize that I've actually spent HOURS watching him on You Tube...because I just LOVED this ad campaign. It's pretty funny stuff...and Justin is really adorable in them. Poor guy. Word on the street is that he just broke up with Drew Barrymore this past month. Ahh well, Drew's loss. Even though I've always thought celebs hooking up with other celebs was a formula for disaster. It's like they pick fame and media attention over the chance to have a happy life with a real person. I don't get that. At all.
So there you have it. Two of my celebs on flights stories. Now I really need that foot rub! Or a few winks. ♥
Friday, April 4, 2008
If it wasn't obvious...
...I didn't get out of my trip today. I made it back with one hour to spare before I would have turned into a proverbial pumpkin for today.
Then I forgot to check in for todays trip...something we have to do before every trip. So I was awakened an hour before my alarm, with that sick, panic feeling you get when you see a cop's blue lights in your rearview. My phone was ringing and went to voicemail before I could answer it...and then I had to figure out what number I needed to call to beg for mercy and not write me up for my negligence. Nothing like adrenalin at dawn.
I'm dashing off on #3 of 4 flights today. Had 10 minutes in the terminal with free wi-fi so I thought I'd keep all you devoted readers posted.
The good news of the day so far: My flight crew* have promised to dash off the plane and get me some food from Chili's when we stop in Vegas. So I've got that to look forward to. And also, we had a few singing crewmembers on board our flight. They were recently selected by TLC to be part of a new show that is starting up, and they were flying to meet the producers now. Since we were having a happy, lighthearted kind of flight, I broke with tradition and sang a song for everybody that I made up. It was very short and went like this:
We are your cleaning crew,
Oh don't you know
So give us all your trash
before you go.
The applause was deafening!
Ta ta!
*the official term for pilots
Then I forgot to check in for todays trip...something we have to do before every trip. So I was awakened an hour before my alarm, with that sick, panic feeling you get when you see a cop's blue lights in your rearview. My phone was ringing and went to voicemail before I could answer it...and then I had to figure out what number I needed to call to beg for mercy and not write me up for my negligence. Nothing like adrenalin at dawn.
I'm dashing off on #3 of 4 flights today. Had 10 minutes in the terminal with free wi-fi so I thought I'd keep all you devoted readers posted.
The good news of the day so far: My flight crew* have promised to dash off the plane and get me some food from Chili's when we stop in Vegas. So I've got that to look forward to. And also, we had a few singing crewmembers on board our flight. They were recently selected by TLC to be part of a new show that is starting up, and they were flying to meet the producers now. Since we were having a happy, lighthearted kind of flight, I broke with tradition and sang a song for everybody that I made up. It was very short and went like this:
We are your cleaning crew,
Oh don't you know
So give us all your trash
before you go.
The applause was deafening!
Ta ta!
*the official term for pilots
I’m Losin’ It
A short list of all the things I lost yesterday.
A short list of all the things I found yesterday:
- The PA Announcement Booklet that belonged to my co-worker. He loaned it to me since I didn’t have the new one yet.
- My mind…when I forgot to check in for my trip this morning on time (!) Bad bad bad!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
A mini day in the life
A friend of mine did an hour-by-hour post of a day in her life right now, and then tagged me to do likewise.
My camera battery is dying, so I've only got a few little shots of my day today, but thought I'd give you a peek into A Day In My Life As A Flight Attendant. This is obviously VASTLY different than my non-flying days.
First off, I work part-time, generally 3-4 days a month. I'm currently between flights on day two of my four days in April.
Here is my messy hotel room. I had a scant few hours of sleep in NYC last night, and am always in a rush to make it to our van to the airport for the first flight of the day.
This is at JFK. I was waiting for my order to be ready at the restaurant in the terminal, so I stopped into the Hudson News store and tried on some cute sunglasses. Like em? I did, but didn't get them.
This is during my flight. We had a full boat going to CA, including a pretty big celebrity.
Steven Spielberg is a really nice guy, and agreed to pose for a photo with me at the end of our flight.
Okay, it's actually Mike Spielberg, his younger, better looking brother.
(Okay, it's not even a Spielberg. But he gets mistaken ALL THE TIME, especially when he's wearing his baseball cap.)
Right now I am waiting at the airport for my next flight. It's delayed...so what was going to be an almost 3 hour "sit" between flights, is currently slated to be delayed one hour. If it were delayed 2 more hours, I would be what's called "illegal" to fly tomorrow's trip (not enough rest between trips), and they'd replace me with another flight attendant. But bonus, I am paid for the trip I missed anyway!
But that's not likely to happen. I'll keep you posted when I can...but I don't get that much time online when I'm flying.
Here's me and a random pilot...I don't know his name, and I don't know why my head is all tilted over weird either. It's probably the effect of flying to so many cities the last day. We're in the computer area of our crew lounge. If my camera battery weren't about to die, I'd retake the pic. Yes, I'm actually that vain!
Tonight, I will land (hopefully after 12:05 a.m.!!!) back here. Then, because my sister is a total rock star and is generous enough to host me during my monthly trips, she'll collect my worn out bod and let me crash at her place. Then if I'm not lucky, I'll get to lather, rinse and repeat the past 2 days again...and head home to see the fam after that. But maybe we'll be delayed! But probably not.
I guess, for our customer's sake, I don't really want us to be delayed. And also, this airport has a curfew, and if we land after it, we pay big money in fines to the city. Just today the 2nd major airline of the week announced it was closing it's doors. With the departure of Aloha Airlines and ATA from the airline scene, thousands of my industry fellows are having a lot of stress right now. (and it's gonna be really tough to fly to HI anymore! boo hoo!) I feel for them. So if I get to fly tomorrow, that's a good thing too. Just wish I had my camera charger with me!
Hope you've enjoyed this little slice of my workin' life.
My camera battery is dying, so I've only got a few little shots of my day today, but thought I'd give you a peek into A Day In My Life As A Flight Attendant. This is obviously VASTLY different than my non-flying days.
First off, I work part-time, generally 3-4 days a month. I'm currently between flights on day two of my four days in April.
Here is my messy hotel room. I had a scant few hours of sleep in NYC last night, and am always in a rush to make it to our van to the airport for the first flight of the day.
This is at JFK. I was waiting for my order to be ready at the restaurant in the terminal, so I stopped into the Hudson News store and tried on some cute sunglasses. Like em? I did, but didn't get them.
This is during my flight. We had a full boat going to CA, including a pretty big celebrity.
Steven Spielberg is a really nice guy, and agreed to pose for a photo with me at the end of our flight.
Okay, it's actually Mike Spielberg, his younger, better looking brother.(Okay, it's not even a Spielberg. But he gets mistaken ALL THE TIME, especially when he's wearing his baseball cap.)
Right now I am waiting at the airport for my next flight. It's delayed...so what was going to be an almost 3 hour "sit" between flights, is currently slated to be delayed one hour. If it were delayed 2 more hours, I would be what's called "illegal" to fly tomorrow's trip (not enough rest between trips), and they'd replace me with another flight attendant. But bonus, I am paid for the trip I missed anyway!
But that's not likely to happen. I'll keep you posted when I can...but I don't get that much time online when I'm flying.
Here's me and a random pilot...I don't know his name, and I don't know why my head is all tilted over weird either. It's probably the effect of flying to so many cities the last day. We're in the computer area of our crew lounge. If my camera battery weren't about to die, I'd retake the pic. Yes, I'm actually that vain!
Tonight, I will land (hopefully after 12:05 a.m.!!!) back here. Then, because my sister is a total rock star and is generous enough to host me during my monthly trips, she'll collect my worn out bod and let me crash at her place. Then if I'm not lucky, I'll get to lather, rinse and repeat the past 2 days again...and head home to see the fam after that. But maybe we'll be delayed! But probably not.I guess, for our customer's sake, I don't really want us to be delayed. And also, this airport has a curfew, and if we land after it, we pay big money in fines to the city. Just today the 2nd major airline of the week announced it was closing it's doors. With the departure of Aloha Airlines and ATA from the airline scene, thousands of my industry fellows are having a lot of stress right now. (and it's gonna be really tough to fly to HI anymore! boo hoo!) I feel for them. So if I get to fly tomorrow, that's a good thing too. Just wish I had my camera charger with me!
Hope you've enjoyed this little slice of my workin' life.
When you have high hopes
Have you ever planned for something, and then when it didn't work out you were far more distraught by it not happening than you should of been, simply because you'd planned on it?
On Tuesday I had an appointment for a haircut at this nice Aveda salon. They have a "New Artist" side, and a "more experienced artist" side of their salon. The new artists have all been doing hair for years, but are just doing a master's program at Aveda. So getting a cut from a new artist is really affordable, with the added bonus that you don't have to endure the SuperCuts kind of experience to get your hair done. The other stylists are all priced higher, based on experience.
So I need a haircut. I need one bad. In fact, everyone in my entire family needs a haircut. We're all wearing hair long enough so as to not need hats in the cold. In fact, for a while now I've been calling Doc my own "Dr McDreamy", and he confided this week that one of his other classmates has also started referring to his longer locks by calling him "McDreamy". He has promised me that we can do a styling session and use product on it some night, and then take pictures before he cuts it, since he's never had hair this long before, and isn't likely to have it this long anytime in the near future. You can bet I'll keep you posted on that.
But I digress.
So I made the appointment. I was so exited to go. I got there, put on my smock, and then for some reason, felt inspired to just casually ask, to, you know, verify that they had indeed scheduled me with a new artist...only to find out that actually, I was scheduled with a regular (expensive) stylist. She was considerably more spendy than I was willing to pay for a haircut. They didn't have any new artist openings that day. As this was no April Fools joke, I left without my haircut. And then suddenly it seemed like my hair was simply MUCH MUCH worse than I think it would have seemed, had I not been anticipating finally getting that cut.
But on the way home I stopped by the Salt Lake Running Company, and they video taped me running and fitted me for some shoes that will hopefully make my efforts to become a runner successful`...or at least possible. I know that the shoes are only part of the key to it. But if I sustain injuries, you can be sure I won't be successful, so I bit the bullet and bought the shoes, and hope I can stack the odds of success in my favor.
So pardon me now, but I'm on a layover in NYC at the moment, and if I'm going to get a run in at all today, I have to go now. Because not only do I still have to deal with my aforementioned HAIR, but for the rest of the day I'll be on a plane full of people, who hopefully won't all decide to vomit a lot. Like everyone who ate at the cheap "all you can eat" buffet in Las Vegas on their way to the airport last night. You might as well have just renamed the place "Vomit Airlines". It takes a lot to really gross me out, but it was bad.
Toodles!
On Tuesday I had an appointment for a haircut at this nice Aveda salon. They have a "New Artist" side, and a "more experienced artist" side of their salon. The new artists have all been doing hair for years, but are just doing a master's program at Aveda. So getting a cut from a new artist is really affordable, with the added bonus that you don't have to endure the SuperCuts kind of experience to get your hair done. The other stylists are all priced higher, based on experience.
So I need a haircut. I need one bad. In fact, everyone in my entire family needs a haircut. We're all wearing hair long enough so as to not need hats in the cold. In fact, for a while now I've been calling Doc my own "Dr McDreamy", and he confided this week that one of his other classmates has also started referring to his longer locks by calling him "McDreamy". He has promised me that we can do a styling session and use product on it some night, and then take pictures before he cuts it, since he's never had hair this long before, and isn't likely to have it this long anytime in the near future. You can bet I'll keep you posted on that.
But I digress.
So I made the appointment. I was so exited to go. I got there, put on my smock, and then for some reason, felt inspired to just casually ask, to, you know, verify that they had indeed scheduled me with a new artist...only to find out that actually, I was scheduled with a regular (expensive) stylist. She was considerably more spendy than I was willing to pay for a haircut. They didn't have any new artist openings that day. As this was no April Fools joke, I left without my haircut. And then suddenly it seemed like my hair was simply MUCH MUCH worse than I think it would have seemed, had I not been anticipating finally getting that cut.
But on the way home I stopped by the Salt Lake Running Company, and they video taped me running and fitted me for some shoes that will hopefully make my efforts to become a runner successful`...or at least possible. I know that the shoes are only part of the key to it. But if I sustain injuries, you can be sure I won't be successful, so I bit the bullet and bought the shoes, and hope I can stack the odds of success in my favor.
So pardon me now, but I'm on a layover in NYC at the moment, and if I'm going to get a run in at all today, I have to go now. Because not only do I still have to deal with my aforementioned HAIR, but for the rest of the day I'll be on a plane full of people, who hopefully won't all decide to vomit a lot. Like everyone who ate at the cheap "all you can eat" buffet in Las Vegas on their way to the airport last night. You might as well have just renamed the place "Vomit Airlines". It takes a lot to really gross me out, but it was bad.
Toodles!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The sun isn't up yet...
...But I still am.
Hello from the lovely city of Boston Mass!
I should mention here that I am a flight attendant. I've been off for a year on a sabbatical that my company offered to some of the crewmembers. I began this blog whilst off, and can't remember if I've ever mentioned this fact before.
Anyway, I just flew all night. My trip started in Boston at 2:40 in the afternoon, and we went to San Jose CA and then back to Boston. It's 5:30 a.m. and I'm in my hotel room waiting for them to start serving breakfast in half an hour before going to bed for a few hours. Later this afternoon after I wake up, we fly to Florida.
During the flight to CA, and again on the return flight, we encountered the most turbulence I've flown in for many years. Just hours of sustained moderate chop, with moments of groovy bumping around. It doesn't phase me to fly through turbulence, I don't mind it in and of itself. It gets a little annoying to try and serve drinks etc., and I feel bad for the customers who are freaked out of their gord. But I figure it adds an element of spirituality to the flight...more people praying to their various gods than usual. So that's all good.
Being that this is my first trip back in the skies after a 12-month hiatus, it's almost like the first flights when I became a flight attendant back in 2000. There have been a number of changes in how we do things during the past year. Because of this, I intentionally bid for to be the #2 flight attendant for this trip, so that someone else would be in charge. I'm grateful I thought to do that. My crew consists of myself and two lovely women, and they've been really great about updating me on all the changes.
Last night we stayed in downtown Boston, at the historic Park Plaza Hotel. It's only a block from Boston Common, which is an amazing park. There is a grand piano in the lobby, and when we checked in at 1:00 a.m., someone was playing it. The woman at the desk told me that it was one of their security guards, and that sometimes late at night he played. I asked if anyone was allowed to play it, and she said yes. So I changed out of my uniform, and took my journal down and sat in a corner to listen. He was really good, but after a bit, his radio squawked, and he had to go do something for his work. So it was my turn! :-)
It was about 2:00 a.m., and pretty deserted. This is a good thing, because I love to play, but it's primarily just an outlet for personal rejuvenation. I don't really know how it works, but I just get something from playing that I've never gotten from anything else. I've never studied piano, and I lack the technical skills of the kind of musician you'd customarily hear performing. But I do a fair job on a few songs. Enough to pass muster at 2a.m. in a deserted hotel lobby at least.
Before I knew it, the security guard's task was completed, and he returned to find someone sitting on his bench! But he wasn't upset, rather, he asked if I'd mind playing the number I was making up when he came back, while he played around with it on the upper keys. I warned him that it wouldn't be the same, because I was just making it up as I went along, but he didn't care. So we ended up just jammin' on the piano in the lobby for over an hour, messing around with different melodies and improvising on themes. He was a far superior musician, but it was still a lot of fun. I could have played for a long time, but at last I had to catch a few winks. I don't know his name, but to all the piano men out there, thanks for the music!
And to my darling bunch, who will be awake in the next couple hours and who will get online like she does every morning and who will read this post: HI! I love you! I Hope your catapult project turned out great, and I can't wait to see the finished project. Have a great day, and give Daddy & Gator a hug from me. Keep one for yourself, too. I miss you sweetheart!
Time for breakfast!
Hello from the lovely city of Boston Mass!
I should mention here that I am a flight attendant. I've been off for a year on a sabbatical that my company offered to some of the crewmembers. I began this blog whilst off, and can't remember if I've ever mentioned this fact before.
Anyway, I just flew all night. My trip started in Boston at 2:40 in the afternoon, and we went to San Jose CA and then back to Boston. It's 5:30 a.m. and I'm in my hotel room waiting for them to start serving breakfast in half an hour before going to bed for a few hours. Later this afternoon after I wake up, we fly to Florida.
During the flight to CA, and again on the return flight, we encountered the most turbulence I've flown in for many years. Just hours of sustained moderate chop, with moments of groovy bumping around. It doesn't phase me to fly through turbulence, I don't mind it in and of itself. It gets a little annoying to try and serve drinks etc., and I feel bad for the customers who are freaked out of their gord. But I figure it adds an element of spirituality to the flight...more people praying to their various gods than usual. So that's all good.
Being that this is my first trip back in the skies after a 12-month hiatus, it's almost like the first flights when I became a flight attendant back in 2000. There have been a number of changes in how we do things during the past year. Because of this, I intentionally bid for to be the #2 flight attendant for this trip, so that someone else would be in charge. I'm grateful I thought to do that. My crew consists of myself and two lovely women, and they've been really great about updating me on all the changes.
Last night we stayed in downtown Boston, at the historic Park Plaza Hotel. It's only a block from Boston Common, which is an amazing park. There is a grand piano in the lobby, and when we checked in at 1:00 a.m., someone was playing it. The woman at the desk told me that it was one of their security guards, and that sometimes late at night he played. I asked if anyone was allowed to play it, and she said yes. So I changed out of my uniform, and took my journal down and sat in a corner to listen. He was really good, but after a bit, his radio squawked, and he had to go do something for his work. So it was my turn! :-)
It was about 2:00 a.m., and pretty deserted. This is a good thing, because I love to play, but it's primarily just an outlet for personal rejuvenation. I don't really know how it works, but I just get something from playing that I've never gotten from anything else. I've never studied piano, and I lack the technical skills of the kind of musician you'd customarily hear performing. But I do a fair job on a few songs. Enough to pass muster at 2a.m. in a deserted hotel lobby at least.
Before I knew it, the security guard's task was completed, and he returned to find someone sitting on his bench! But he wasn't upset, rather, he asked if I'd mind playing the number I was making up when he came back, while he played around with it on the upper keys. I warned him that it wouldn't be the same, because I was just making it up as I went along, but he didn't care. So we ended up just jammin' on the piano in the lobby for over an hour, messing around with different melodies and improvising on themes. He was a far superior musician, but it was still a lot of fun. I could have played for a long time, but at last I had to catch a few winks. I don't know his name, but to all the piano men out there, thanks for the music!
And to my darling bunch, who will be awake in the next couple hours and who will get online like she does every morning and who will read this post: HI! I love you! I Hope your catapult project turned out great, and I can't wait to see the finished project. Have a great day, and give Daddy & Gator a hug from me. Keep one for yourself, too. I miss you sweetheart!
Time for breakfast!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)