A Bit of This and That

I am sitting in my hotel room in Chicago, trying to remember what I did since my last post...I wonder if other professions have this problem of not remembering where they were and what they did?

Let's see...on Tuesday, I spent 45 minutes in Tampa. The other flight attendants were kind of senior - it was interesting how on certain things they'd follow the rules to the "T", but in other things they did their own thing. Go figure how they determined what was worth risking an FAA fine and what wasn't worth it.

I had Wednesday and Thursday off, so I crammed everything I could into those two days. Lunch with friends, dog grooming, laundry, paperwork, phone calls, etc.

On Friday, I was assigned to the B shift on the couch. On the way to the airport, I saw my life flash before my eyes. A half of a house was being towed on I-25, and it had a guide car with it. At one point, the house and the guide car swerved into the left lane of traffic to avoid hitting a state cop on the right shoulder who had pulled over a speeder. The problem was that they cut off a semi and several cars that were in the left hand lane. All I saw was lots of black smoke from the semi's brakes, and lots of brake lights. I was pretty far back, but we were all going 80 MPH, and I slammed on my brakes, wondering if I was going to slam into the back of that nice mustang in front of me. Fortunately, I was able to stop, and then watched as the SUV behind me tried not to hit my rear end. I swerved into the right lane in front of the truck (which was now stopped, as I'm sure he was checking his underwear). No one was hit, but everyone woke up, I'm sure!

After I finally got to Denver, I ended up being pulled off the couch after about an hour or so - a flight attendant did not show up for her trip to Kansas City, so I, being the ready reserve with the lowest hours, got to go! The crew was delightful (have I ever used that word before to describe the crew?). When we arrived at the hotel, another flight attendant and I went to the hotel gym. She started running on the treadmill while I walked...after two miles of walking, I called it a day. Especially since I hadn't attempted any serious form of exercise in quite awhile. No sense in overdoing it. Also, the CPT came into the gym carrying a bucket of beer, just to tempt us. It worked for me! After a solid 1/2 hour of exercise, I went and sat poolside with the FO and CPT and enjoyed a nice cold beverage and some good conversation.

When I went to my room to settle in for the night and get ready for an early showtime in the morning, I saw that crew scheduling put me on ten hours rest after my arrival in Denver, and then had me assigned to a Chicago overnight. Hmmmmm. I had never seen that before. In trying to decide whether to stay in Denver for my 10 hours rest or return back home, I realized that I needed to go home. I have the ability to remotely access my home computer from my laptop, but it wasn't working. So I decided to drive back home during my 10 hours rest and fix my computer. (Greg and the boys were in Ft. Collins flying R/C planes this weekend, so I couldn't ask him to fix it...) While at home, I decided to take a nap, do a bit of laundry and just hang out.

Before I knew it, it was time to head back to DIA. I got there a bit early, and was able to visit with some of my classmates - Kelly K, Pat, LuEllen and Sherri. Time well spent! Then I reported to my gate, where the rest of my crew was flying in from somewhere and I joined them for the Chicago overnight. Had we had a longer layover, I'd be spending time with relatives, but it's a short one and I needed sleep. As it was, I slept for NINE hours. Unheard of.

Soon, it'll be back to Denver and wondering what's next in store for me... I am still on duty tomorrow, but there are NO TRIPS listed on the trip board. Hmmmm. Maybe it'll be a quiet day at home!

Deja Vu

Yesterday morning, when I woke up in my Albuquerque hotel room and looked out the window, I got this incredible sense of deja vu. I recognized the truck stop in the distance, the mini-mart/gas station across the street, and the Ramada Inn behind the mini-mart! I could visualize walking from the back of the Ramada Inn around to the front, then around the mini-mart's fence, and going into the mini-mart to buy (what else?) Diet Coke in a can and ice for the cooler! What I was remembering was a trip that Greg, Jen and I took to Phoenix several years ago during Spring Break, and we stayed the night in ABQ on the way down.

The hotel that my airline uses is a lot nicer - the staff there is wonderful to us - they give us two drink coupons for use in the bar, a free breakfast buffet (that has someone there to make any kind of omelette that you can imagine), and beds that rival those of the Sheraton. Nice, huh? This was my first layover in ABQ and I got assigned to it (and a turn to Cabo San Lucas earlier in the day) with a 6:11AM wake-up call from crew scheduling (after having gone to bed at around 2:30AM or so after my trip to NYC). Fortunately, the crew was wonderful! We all went down and had drinks and snacks before bed, and then met up in the morning and had breakfast together.

The rest of the crew continued to Las Vegas for an overnight, but I was released to my RPP (whatever that stands for) day - cause I had been assigned to jury duty for today! I got there early, parked in the small juror parking lot, reported for duty at 8AM, and then was dismissed at 11AM. They called about 50 people for trials - and the rest of us were sent home. I am actually very disappointed. I would love to serve on a trial - the video they showed at the start of the morning explained it all - this is the basis of our freedom!!!

Oh well. Maybe next year. When they released me, I had to let crew scheduling know so that they could add me back to the list of available flight attendants, and I was told that chances are good that I'll be called. I'm hoping not. I'm enjoying being home...however, if they want to give me another ABQ overnight, I'll be there in a flash!

All Good Things Must Come to an End...

Jen and I have spent this week sweating like pigs in NYC...! It is very, very hot here!

Jen finished her petsitting duties yesterday afternoon - Alice continued to be PsychoDog. She chewed everything she could, including our arms, legs and fingers. But during one of her "down times" she looked like an angel!

I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday at Alice's apartment - including during a thunderstorm that blew through Manhattan! In fact, it was the worst storm in recent memory - causing at least $1M of damage in Central Park! And it blew right past my 19th story windows - shaking them, rattling them, hitting them with strong winds, hail and rain. Nasty! I even lit a candle to make sure I'd be able to see if the power went out (it didn't).

On Thursday, we started hanging out at Jen's place again, and then we finished up her doggy duties before reporting for work. I got to watch the show, "In the Heights" for the third time and still enjoyed it immensely!!! And it was a special night...the creator of the show, Lin-Manuel Miranda, gave his Dad a walk-on part for that night's show - it was a surprise for his birthday! Lin's family was there to cheer Dad on! It was awesome to watch!

After Jen finished working at the show, we had to rush over to another theatre (and I do mean RUSH) to get there before the show started at 11:30PM. It was a once-a-month show, kind of an improv-type show, and it was so much fun! The stars of "Shrek the Musical," Brian D'Arcy James and Sutton Foster, made guest appearances in a couple skits, as did the girl who's starring as Anita in West Side Story, and a guy who used to be in "The Drowsy Chaperone." But the most awesome guest star was the guy who starred as the Phantom for 10 years on Broadway in "The Phantom of the Opera!" He sang one of the main songs from Phantom in a "Mad Libs" kind of version! It was sooooo funny!

And to top off our lovely evening, as we headed home in a taxi, we were stopped at a stoplight and saw an old guy walking towards the street, wearing nothing but an old undershirt over his pregnant-looking belly. Hmmmm. We both did a double-take to make sure that we saw what we thought we saw.

So now we're in the countdown to me leaving...*sad face.* I was originally going to try and get on one of our flights today, but both were pretty solidly booked (good news for us!). So I called JetBlue and listed myself on tonight's flight - which gets me back to DEN by 11PM. I start being "on duty" at midnight. Hmmmm. That's cutting it close, huh?

Before I get on this evening's flight, I have to call the Colorado Springs court to find out if I'll need to report for jury duty on Monday morning! If I do, I'll have two available duty days at my airline, a day of jury duty, and then one more day of duty. But if they don't need me, I need to let my airline know, and then they might assign me to a four-day trip. As usual, my life is just filled with spontaneity and flexibility!

After searching high and low for quite awhile, I FINALLY found this lovely jar of white fluff at D'Agostino's in NYC. It was gone in no time, I'm sad to say...

Happy Birthday to Me!

One of the big benefits of this job is the travel...especially when I travel on my days off. I saved up a bunch of days and flew to NYC on the JetBlue redeye early Sunday morning.

The first thing that I did was SLEEP. After that, Jen and I went to the Longacre Theatre to see "Burn the Floor" with guest stars Maks and Karina (from Dancing with the Stars fame). It was awesome to watch!!! I couldn't take any photos of the show, but I snuck a photo of the chandelier...

After watching the show, we went grocery shopping to stock Jen's pantry and supplies, and then went out for a quick bite to eat. We tried a place called "Burgers and Cupcakes" that is only a block from her place - the turkey burger was delicious and the onion rings were probably the best that I had ever had! Yummy! What was even more fun, was that it was kind of late when we were leaving the restaurant, and the waitress gave us four cupcakes in a "to go" box for free! Since you can't serve stale cupcakes, they gave some away to us! Good thing to remember for the future...

Jen, waiting for Mr. Right to come along.

Yesterday, Jen started her first petsitting job for an adorable shiba inu puppy named Alice. It's been a really good experience for her so far...pee and poop aplenty! There's a lot that goes into having a puppy, and that's what she's learning.

Alice in Riverside Park.

Alice and Jen cuddling on the sofa.

We're staying at Alice's apartment, since it is 70 blocks north of Jen's apartment, and she needs to be let out/fed three to four times a day. It's a very nice 4-bedroom w/study apartment on the 19th floor with windows everywhere!!!

Jen's apartment could fit into the living room/dining room area!

Very nice, open, sunny room with a tiny balcony.

View out of the north-facing windows.

View from the balcony towards the northwest (and the Hudson River).

View looking east. It's a rough life, I know.

To celebrate my birthday, we had dinner at Scarlatto - my favorite Italian restaurant in NYC. Their Ravioli di Zucca is to die for (pumpkin ravioli). Then it was back to Jen's apartment to pick up a few things and on to the Upper West Side for an overnight at Alice's place.

Oh My Achin' Back!

On Sunday, I got chosen to sit on the couch from Noon until 6PM. And then I, along with the two other lovely ladies flying the couch with me, got selected to work an overnight to Milwaukee at 7:20PM. One of the ladies, Glenda, was a classmate of mine and her employee number is one number different than mine (and her last name is the same). Our trip went well, but on the way there, I realized that my lower back was not doing well...

I had spent my day off Saturday doing errands and then doing a bit of work in the front yard. I felt fine on Saturday night, and okay on Sunday when I was sitting the couch. But on Sunday night on the flight to Milwaukee, I started having a hard time straightening up after I stood up. I was the flight attendant in front of the plane, so the passengers got to see me in my struggle. As the flight progressed, I got stiffer. By the time we landed in Milwaukee, I had a real hard time pulling my roller bag behind me and walking.

I pretty much went to bed as soon as we got to the hotel. The next morning, I was stiff and sore!!! I tried doing all kinds of stretches, exercises - anything that would help me stand up straight. I even stood in the shower with the spray on my lower back for a good fifteen minutes! When it was time to take the van back to the airport, I had already called crew scheduling to let them know that I wouldn't be able to do the Orange County turn after I returned to Denver...my back wouldn't let me.

My fellow flight attendants were awesome! They picked up my bags for me, helped lift whatever I needed lifted, etc. It was so good of them to pick up my slack! I owe them a heap of thanks!

So I went home on Monday afternoon and have been there ever since...I had Tuesday and Wednesday off, and spent the days getting chiropractic adjustments, energy work and massages. I ended up taking Thursday, today and tomorrow off, too - I figured that it's not too safe having a flight attendant who cannot stand up straight!!! Fortunately, I am starting to be more flexible this evening...yippee! I have Sunday through Friday off next week, so by the time I return to work, I should be as good as new!!!

And speaking of good as new, my airline got great news yesterday! We are not being bought by Southwest Airlines (all they wanted to do was take us apart and bury us)...and Republic Airways won the auction and we will operate as normal under their umbrella! That means I still have a job, and maybe we'll actually start hiring new flight attendants soon!!! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

It's Already Been a Week?!?!

Where the heck did this past week go?!?! I was in Alaska one week ago today, and left there on Friday night.

Crew scheduling gave me 12 hours of rest on Saturday after I returned from the redeye from Anchorage, and then assigned me to a Spokane, WA overnight with a short layover for Saturday night. I was so exhausted that I slept all the way up to our 10AM van time to go back to the airport. I look forward to returning to Spokane (this was my first time) when I have a longer layover and can do a bit of exploring. The following pictures are a few that I took from my hotel window...

When I returned from Spokane on Sunday, they had me sit on the couch at DIA for a few hours and then put me on a Nashville overnight - it was a blast! CPT John and FO Tony were awesome. Earlier that evening, CPT John became a grandfather for the third time, so he took us to the hotel bar to celebrate! We ended up sitting outside on the patio and talking until 2:30AM. It was a very fun evening with them and Laurie, one of the other flight attendants.

On Monday, when we returned from Nashville, the entire crew except for FO Tony, had a turn to San Jose that was delayed...lots of delays because of the Denver weather. We got home after midnight on Tuesday morning - which was my only day off. I tried to run as many errands as I could, do laundry, repack my lunchbox, etc. and then get a good night's sleep.

I was assigned to the 6PM-midnight couch at DIA on Wednesday, and ended up going on a Seattle overnight with my two fellow couch-sitters (who also just happened to me my classmates) Kelly and Ros! If it wasn't so late by the time we got to Seattle (around 1:30AM), we could have done something fun before our 1:30PM van back to the airport. But I chose to sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

I'm back at home today, on duty, and *knocks on wood* my phone has not rung. So I've cautiously worked on small projects that can be dropped at a moment's notice. I bid on an RNF for tomorrow - and I got it! That means that I have a SATURDAY OFF! Woo hoo! I'll be back at duty now on Sunday at 12:01AM. So until then...

Alaska Pictures

My crew waiting for the van to take us to the hotel at 10:30PM.

A float plane outside of the hotel at 11PM.

Another float plane outside the hotel.

A view of the lake at 11PM.

A nice polar bear in the hotel lobby.

A grizzly bear with dentures in the hotel lobby.

Some other unfortunate animals hanging out in the hotel lobby.

The Portage Glacier.

Another view of the Portage Glacier - note the iceberg to the right of the photo.

An iceberg outside the Portage Glacier Visitors' Center.

Portage Glacier.

Portage Glacier.

Portage Glacier Visitors Center.

Smokey the Bear and me at the Portage Glacier Visitors Center

The Bear and Raven in downtown Anchorage.

The Legend of the bear and raven.

Downtown Anchorage.

A mini-float plane outside an Anchorage theatre.

A close-up of the teddy bear pilot (with a hula boy on the dashboard).

An Awesome Few Days . . !

What can I say? It has been a lot of fun recently. My 24 hours in Anchorage was awesome! The hotel has animal trophies everywhere, is on a lake, and float planes are within walking distance of the front door.

I was able to connect with my Germany days friends, Connie and Kerry. They were both busy during the day, but they lent me a vehicle to go out and explore! So I took a drive to the Portage glacier (and on the way there saw a grizzly bear frolicking with seagulls out near the water), and took a walk around downtown Anchorage. Not at all what I was expecting - a lot smaller.

Then Connie and Kerry had me over to their house for dinner - it was an awesome meal of salmon, and the conversation was just as comfortable as it was 19 years earlier! It was a very good evening, and I hope to come back and spend some quality time with my friends.

The flight back to Denver was looooooonnnnnnnng. Over five hours. It would not have been so bad had I not had a nasty passenger on board. He was in the last row and asked me to have the passenger in the row in front of him to move his seatback forward. I told him that that passenger has every right to recline her seat, and he got mad at me because he couldn't recline his. I told him that that was the problem with the last row. Then he asked for my name and employee number. I know that I wanted letters from passengers, but I wanted NICE letters! I had to write a report telling my side of the story. We'll see if he follows through with his threats.

After Anchorage, I got released to my 12 hours rest - I decided to drive home and catch some sleep, but things kept waking me up...the Jehovah's Witnesses tried to convert me, a neighbor called to invite us to a party, and then crew scheduling called, assigning me to an overnight in Spokane! I was so exhausted from Anchorage... it was a long night. Once I arrived in Spokane, I fell into bed and slept for about 8 or 9 hours!

Before I went to bed, I checked my schedule and saw that they assigned me to an overnight in Nashville for tonight. Then when I return to Denver on Monday afternoon, I'll do a turn to San Jose, CA and be back in Denver by midnight. Thank goodness that I have Tuesday off!

The only problem is, is that I can't remember the last time I had a Sunday off and was able to go to Church! Also, we have neighborhood potluck dinners for our Church, and I haven't been to one of those in forever! I had hoped to go to the one tomorrow night, but it looks like I'll be in the air going to/from San Jose.

I will be posting my few Anchorage photos later tonight or tomorrow, and I took a couple from the hotel window in Spokane. I'm looking forward to returning to both places and spending more time exploring.