Sittin' and Waitin'

Just as I had hoped, I was released to my one day off when I returned from Orlando! Yippee! That turned my 1 day off to 1 and a half days off by the time I got home. Nice. Of course, I spent that 1/2 day sleeping on the couch, catching up from the sleep I lost while traveling.

And I am happy to announce that on my day off on 1/5 that I actually got to go to a Bunco party! I have been trying for 19 years to join a Bunco group - but the only group I knew about was evidently above me in "social standing." I served as a substitute several years ago - it was held at one of the mansions at the top of the Broadmoor. Very elegant. Lots of alcohol and food. I had a wonderful time, but was never invited back. Was it something I said or did? Was my soap not strong enough? Oh well. I have moved on and accepted that it's just not meant to be.

Recently, I was surprised that one of my good friends, Coleen, told me about a Bunco group that she's joined - and their next meeting was on 1/5 at her house. YAY!!! The other ladies were awesome - so very nice and not at all social-climbers. Let's see, there was Ellen, Diane, Lynn, Sherry, Yona, Jenny, Jan, Coleen, Tina, me, and Karen. YAY!!! I remembered all their names! We ate snacks, drank margaritas, and played three rounds of Bunco, followed by one game of "Left, Right, Center." I won nothing, but it was so much fun having a "ladies' night out."

I was starting five days on duty the following day, so I bid for the Noon-6PM shift on the couch since there weren't any trips available that matched my schedule. It was an okay shift - I didn't do much except for cleaning the microwave, straightening up the tables, chairs, and computers, and then pre-boarding one flight to DCA. The only thing that I HAD to do was the pre-boarding. The rest was all "busy work" that I did for myself. At the end of my shift, I heard those magic words, "you are released to your 10 hours off."

Then yesterday, the phone did not ring ALL DAY. Nice. I worked on a couple different projects, ran to the grocery store, and then bid on the A shift (6AM until Noon) for today (since there was nothing else to bid on). So...here I sit. Some of my former neighbors will be on the concourse today - so I'll spend some time sitting with them while they wait for their flight to Nashville!

The talk on the couch, of course, is who will be moving to Milwaukee to man our new base starting on 4/1/10. Of course, the senior mamas wouldn't move - they're set in their ways and don't want new adventures. I've heard that several reserves are considering it - those that have no ties in Denver, or those who commute from other places. It just wouldn't work for me.

I have found that the MKE airport is 94 miles from my friend's home in Wheaton, IL - and I currently drive 91 miles each way. But all the MKE flights will be turns to start. So that means that I'd be driving back/forth everyday. And then having to commute to/from Chicago/MKE from Colorado Springs. Nope. That'd make this too much like a job!!!

So I will do my time on the couch, smile and keep a good attitude, and ignore the naysayers and "the sky is falling" flight attendants. And, of course, I do all this because this is STILL the easiest job in the world, and it's awesome when the crew members and passengers are all on the same wave-length.

One last tale before I sign off - when my flight from Orlando landed in Denver, I escorted an elderly gentleman who was pretty much blind to his wheelchair at the doorway of the aircraft. As we walked, he mentioned how tall I was, how I could probably beat him up, and that maybe I'd be interested in spanking him! What a lucky girl I am!