I'm Tired

I had to wake up at 2:20AM (Denver time) in Dayton, OH to get ready for my 5:20AM shuttle to the airport. I made a BIG MISTAKE and fell asleep while watching TV when I got into my hotel room yesterday. When it was time for bed, it was VERY HARD to go to sleep - I'm paying for it now.

This morning's flight was easy as pie. Everyone was in a great mood, we left DAY early, and we arrived in DEN even earlier! But I wanted to pass on some comments I heard from other crewmembers on the crew bus to the parking lot this morning.

- A passenger asked the flight attendant for a diaper for her baby. When the flight attendant said she didn't have any, the passenger asked if she could ask all the other passengers if they had one. How/why does one travel without being properly prepared for their baby, their own personal hygiene needs, etc. Really?

- On a flight from Branson, MO to Salt Lake City, UT approximately 99% of the plane were passengers who were at least 100 years old. The flight attendant removed the big fluffy coat from the overhead bin, and asked whose it was. A little old man said it was his, and said, "I'm entitled to my overhead space." The flight attendant tried to explain the the passenger about putting the larger roller bags in first, and then followed by putting the coats in the overhead. The passenger looked at the flight attendant, pointed his bony, crooked finger at her, and said, "SCREW you!" His wife hit him and told him to shut up, while the other old ladies expressed dismay from having heard such insulting language! Whatever happened to treating women with respect? The same flight attendant said that when she later asked him what he'd like to drink, he pointed that long bony, crooked finger at her, and said, "I don't want ANYTHING from you!" Really?

The Difference a Day Makes

On the second busiest travel day of the Thanksgiving holiday, my flights were on time (if not early), and everyone seems to have been in a great mood! Halleluiah!

On the way from Seattle to Denver, we had the Akron University Girls' Basketball team, who had just won their game. And then from Denver to Dayton, we had Miami University's Hockey team, who had just won a tournament. Lots of happy, but tired athletes today.

The nastiness of the infamous three passengers last night is all but forgotten. Today, passengers approached me off the airplane while I was walking from one gate to another, or waiting for the hotel van, and told me that I was so funny or that they loved the chocolate chip cookies that I served! It makes me happy.

I flew with another brand new flight attendant this morning from Seattle to Denver - she, too, agrees that this is the easiest job in the world. She has such a good attitude, she's easy-going and happy - I told her that she is an awesome addition to our company. We need to get rid of the tired and worn out flight attendants and bring in more like the lady I flew with this morning. It's so refreshing!

And here I am in Dayton, OH for the night. I had hoped to go out walking once I got here, but it's rainy! I forgot that it rains for hours and hours here (well, anywhere in the east). I'm so used to storms that blow in, rain hard, and then blows right back out! So instead of taking a long walk, I decided to turn on the boob tube and I promptly fell asleep! Now it's past 9PM and I have to be up at 4:25AM. Argggh! But I have one leg home tomorrow...and I'll probably promptly fall asleep on the couch when I get home!

A Long Day

I am on the 4th day of 6 days of flying, and until today, it had been wonderful! I actually got to go out to dinner with my baby girl and her hubby on her 23rd birthday! We went to one of the most wonderful steak houses that I'd ever been to...The Old Homestead. I had an 18 oz. filet mignon, and OMG. It was incredible! But, as always, it's so tough to leave my daughter in NYC. You'd think that I would be used to it by this time.

Our flight from LaGuardia to Denver was fairly uneventful. Most everyone slept, which made my job even easier! While we were inflight, the boys needed to come out of the flight deck for a potty break. And guess what? They couldn't get out of the flight deck! The door was "stuck." They tried and tried, and we finally called them to ask what the heck they were doing! That's when they told me to push against the door. I did so, and almost lost my footing as the door swung open. Well, once we were on the ground, that broken door caused our flight to be delayed!

The bad news is that the part we needed was in Arizona. Then there was talk of downsizing us to an A319, but then we'd have to kick 19 people off the flight and how would we choose? So they decided to wait for another plane to come in and we would take that new plane - we left 3 hours late. People started boarding the flight with an "attitude," and I told them not to be mad at us! It was a mechanical, clean and simple. Things happen.

I thought the flight went really well - there were some very nice people on board who took the time to tell me how great we all were, that I had a great sense of humor and that my sound effects during my safety demo are great! As his reward, I gave the gentleman a dozen chocolate chip cookies! But towards the end of the flight, I came across a row of people who were VERY UNHAPPY. There was a couple with a baby and a guy sitting next to them. The baby cried most of the flight, so the parents were frustrated and the guy was irritated beyond belief. They all told me that they hated my airline and would NEVER come back. I expressed my sorrow to them. The guy felt that it was horrible that we did not have the part in Denver that was needed to fix the plane. Well...that's what happens when your company gets bought out by another. Things change. The couple was pissed because their kid had been inconvenienced for 6 HOURS. There weren't enough ticket agents, so it took forever to get their bags checked, and get through security. And their poor child was exhausted. And he screamed. And screamed. And then he screamed again. But it was all OUR FAULT. Haven't these people ever heard of Benedryl?

Anyway - as I left those angry passengers and walked back to the forward galley, lots and lots of passengers told me how great of a job we did, especially considering the circumstances. That was JUST what I needed to hear! We continued to hear more of the same during the deplaning. EXCEPT for the mom of the screaming baby. All she wanted was my name. Lovely. Just lovely. I seriously doubt that she'll be writing me a complimentary letter.

So, to blow off steam, I walked to our hotel - I walked at my own pace and just enjoyed the cool, crisp evening. I plan on writing my report about the "incident" just in case she follows through and complains about me. I can hardly wait.

When I got to my room, the last thing I wanted was to be around more people - so I ordered ROOM SERVICE! I don't normally use it, but I really did not want to be around people anymore. So I've now finished my clam chowder, creme brulee and Coors Lite! Yummy yummy yummy! But soon it will be time to go off to bed - we have a van scheduled at 5AM. Tomorrow, we'll fly back to Denver and then continue on to Dayton, OH - the place where I was scheduled to spend 49 hours over Thanksgiving! Thank God I got out of that and was able to spend an amazing day with family.

So now I'm taking my last sips of beer and it'll soon be time to go to sleep!

Pay it Forward...

I was pleasantly surprised to find this handmade card in my mailbox today - it's from the girl whose plastic box went missing. I sent the box and its contents to her - and she was sweet enough to send me this card!


Front of Card



Inside of Card

So...to those co-workers who told me that I'd never find her missing plastic box, I say, "You won't be successful if you don't try."
 

Random Thoughts...

I was lucky enough to have a bunch of days off in a row - I had originally planned to go with Greg to a jet rally in Mesa, AZ but he decided not to go because of a "plane crash" issue - and I decided to go visit a good friend in California. This good friend is suffering from cancer. The big C. It's nasty. I came in on Friday morning, and she had had a chemo session on Thursday. She had gotten a "new cocktail" and it was hitting her hard. My job was to get her to sit down and do nothing. Fat chance.

This woman has a very busy life, and she's not going to let cancer (her third battle with it) get the best of her. She has multiple businesses that she owns and she essentially has two full-time jobs in addition to her own businesses. On Friday, she was bouncing here and there, doing work in her home office, answering calls, running to the toilet, then answering more calls. She finally settled on the couch.

Cancer is nasty. The treatment is nastier. Her whole body was aching. Her newly shaven head was throbbing. I made a pasta dinner and a salad - she enjoyed them, but then lost both a little while later. On Saturday, she was still aching. I kept her on the sofa most of the day and forced her to relax. We watched movies - "The Little Black Book," "Sister Act," "Eat, Pray, Love" - and tons and tons of detective/crime shows. So many murders...so little time. I am convinced that she's studying up to be a serial killer, and I'm sure she will NEVER get caught.

Today she was feeling a bit better, so we ventured out to a flea market where she sells stuff, and stayed for a little while - it was chilly and starting to rain, and she does not want to get sick. Her immune system is nonexistent right now. Then we spent the rest of the day at the house. She's feeling a lot better today, but dreads her next chemo session tomorrow.

She is very fortunate to have a "surrogate daughter" who practically lives with her - the daughter's mom died a couple years ago from breast cancer, so she knows exactly what to do and loves keeping my friend company. My friend also has a son nearby, but he's tied up so often keeping the businesses running, attending to his own wife/child, and like me, he probably doesn't know what the heck to do. Her other son lives on the east coast, just started a new job, is newly married and is unable to come out on a regular basis. I'm sure it is very tough on him.

What do you do for someone who is so sick? My whole purpose of going was just to keep her company and hang out. I brought magazines, my laptop, and just kind of hung out. I've become a demon on "Words with Friends" on FaceBook. I did tell my friend that I have no clue what to do for her. And she never really did tell me any specifics. I was just THERE.

I'll be leaving in the morning - time to get back to my bills, etc. and get ready for my next trip that leaves on Wednesday. I will be flying Southwest again - last time I checked there were lots of seats available so I should be able to get home just fine.

I've been doing a lot of praying, and requesting other friends to pray for my friend's recovery, too. Why is there cancer in the world? I tried to keep my friend positive and happy, which was a lot easier to do today than it was the first two days of my visit when she was feeling so sick. And these treatments - chemo. Makes one sick to their stomach. And then radiation, what will most likely burn and blister her skin. Really? I guess those treatments are still more beneficial than the alternative...

On to a better topic - I got the reserve schedule for December that I expected. Woo hoo! There were seven of us who dropped down from being lineholders, and for the month of December will be at the mercy of crew scheduling. Oh boy. I did not get all the days off that I requested - I'm in the process of trying to trade days. I get only 11 days off a month while on reserve (this month I have 15 days off), so I need to use them wisely. I did get 12/20 through 12/26 off. That's when Jen and her dog Liza come home, followed by her husband James and his mom Deniece who arrive on 12/23. I'm excited that Jen has chosen to have a tradition of a "Colorado Christmas." And I will be able to fully participate and prepare for it! That makes me very happy.

THE LAST PARAGRAPH WAS CENSORED AND
REMOVED FROM THIS BLOG.

Back Home Again...

I made it through the 4-day trip unscathed (almost). Sometimes it's difficult to bond with a crew - there are so many personalities. Especially when the crew likes to stay up until 3 or 4am while hanging out at the bar! On this trip, I was SO EXHAUSTED the first night - I'm not sure why - so I didn't join the crew downstairs. On the second night, I wanted to get a good night's sleep so that I could be "fresh" to meet up with my good friend, Sheila. But I heard that the B flight attendant went out to a bar, and it was a very uncomfortable situation. What USED to be a crew hangout was now a gangsta' rap bar - he was the only white, and no one would talk to him, call a cab for him, or call the hotel van. I am very glad that I did not venture out with him! Our last night was too short of a layover to do anything - thank goodness.

But it's interesting to watch the dynamics of the team. Let's just say that I did not feel accepted by the Captain - was it because I didn't come down and party until 3am? If it was, then that's just too bad! I don't like hangovers and I could barely stay awake on the plane! I got along fine with the First Officer and the A flight attendant, too. But the B flight attendant was puzzling to me. He was a "glass is bone dry" kind of guy. Someone would make a comment about our company's recent 3Q webcast, and he would just turn the hope and promise upside down and make it into something negative. Those kind of people just drain me. But this time I actually confronted him! It turns out that he has "short-timer's syndrome" - he'll be quitting in June.

On another of my flights, I got high praises from three passengers! Two ladies sitting by a window saw what they thought to be their bags sitting on a belt loader on the ramp. They called me over, I relayed the information on to the gate agent, and supposedly the Captain went downstairs to check things out - but he didn't actually go over to the bags. That would have rested these ladies' fears. But no, he just spoke with a ramper - at no time did they see anyone take a second look at the bags. Really? How much time would that have taken? Instead, I had to calm their fears and tell them that we needed to "trust the system" and "I'm sure everything will be alright." During the flight, I gave them each a customer service card with my name and employee number. I told them that if the bags were not at the baggage carousel to be sure and give customer service my information - I'd explain what I tried to do in Denver. As they, and the woman sitting behind them, got off the plane I was thanked profusely for my attempt to calm their fears. I haven't heard anything, so I am hoping that the system worked and they were reunited with their bags!

I sometimes wonder why other flight attendants don't get these kinds of requests - or is it that they get them and they ignore them. I guess I'm pegged as someone who cares. That could be a good thing, but I realize that it could be a very disruptive thing, too. It makes me feel good to be able to figure things out, to let them know that the airline has the best intentions.

I did get to experience one of the great benefits of this job - I got to visit with a very dear friend of mine on my Atlanta layover. We have been friends since we were 9 years old in the 4th grade - that's about 46 years ago! And the last time I spent any time visiting with her was 16 years ago! Every once in awhile we'd chat via email or talk on the phone, but when we got together we just picked up where we left off! She is a true forever friend.

For December's bid, I actually voluntarily dropped back down to Reserve. Yes...I did it voluntarily. There is no way that I would be able to get Christmas off while holding a line, so I made the hard decision to be abused by Crew Scheduling for a month. Jen, James, Liza and James' Mom, Deniece, will all be coming out to Colorado for Christmas, and I wanted to be here. The line assignments came out yesterday, and sure enough, I got reserve. There were eight of us lineholders who dropped down, and I am #6 from the top. That means that I should have Christmas off, as well as the days surrounding it. I'll look at it this way - I'll have lots of time to read while sitting on that sexy black leather couch! Hopefully, I'll miss all the craziness of the month by being off on the days it'll occur. I feel strongly that this was the right move for me - I want to be with my family.

Ups and Downs (No Pun Intended...)

I'm on the third day of a four-day trip, and I'm ready to be home. I don't think the captain is fond of me - but you know what? I don't really care.

Yesterday, we were boarding our flight from Denver to Atlanta, and I had a bit of a problem with a nasty passenger. This guy had placed a couple straw hats in the overhead bin and then went to the back galley to schmooze with the B flight attendant. I removed the hats and asked the passenger to hold onto them until the roller bags had been loaded into the bins. the guy started getting upset, and told me that there wouldn't be any space left if he waited. He also said he has just taken four flights, and this was the FIRST time someone moved his hats. I apologized and explained that I needed the space, but would be glad to put them up later. That wasn't good enough for him.

During this time, a couple passengers placed smaller bags in the overhead bin, and I told the man that there was some space for his hats. He called me a control freak, and told me that he didn't want me telling him where to put his bags. I asked him to quit being difficult, and he talked back and asked me not to be difficult. I didn't think he was being serious, but then when I told him again to put the hats in the overhead, he started yelling at me and he dropped the f-bomb. That was it. I was done.

I called up front and asked for help. The captain came back, got my story, and took the passenger off the plane. He asked if I'd be okay with the guy back on the plane. I said as long as he behaves himself and apologizes to me.Well....he was interviewed by a bunch of Denver police, the gate agent later told me that he expected trouble from this guy, and then the police let him come back on the plane! Really?

Once he was back on, he didn't say a word to me. No loss. When he went back to the bathroom, he slammed the door going in and slammed it when he came out. He was just obnoxious. But no one would kick him off. It really frustrated me.

Then today, I got to visit with a very close friend of mine who I've known since I've been in the 4th grade - we hadn't seen each other since 1977 - it was definitely a high!

The Search for the Plastic Box

When I returned from Vegas yesterday morning, I turned on my cell phone - no messages. So I headed over to the General Office (GO) to see if I could smooze my way into getting the "plastic box" from Lost & Found. The front desk woman, Deborah, put me in touch with the guru of the Lost & Found, Dennis. Yes, he had the box! Within 5 minutes I had it in my hands - I was so excited that I almost cried!

Before I left the GO, I decided to look inside the box to see the seashell necklace...it wasn't there! Oh no! All kinds of scenarios starting flying through my head - someone stole it, it was never in there in the first place. I was heartbroken. Just as the girl said, there were lots of MAC cosmetics. There was also a bracelet made of plastic beads and a leather strap bracelet.

I called the girl on her cell phone with the good news/bad news and asked her to call me back.

That was yesterday. I haven't heard a word. Does that mean that she found the necklace elsewhere in her luggage/purse and she's too embarrassed to tell me? Or is she too upset that the necklace wasn't in the box?

I may never know. I'll send her stuff to her today...knowing that I tried my hardest.

Good Things Happen to Good People

 Back in September I had an amazing thing happen...I was on my way to see Jen and James to celebrate James' 30th birthday. I had a very large Bed Bath & Beyond bag filled with stuff - a wrapped gift for James, my work sweater, a doggy coat for Liza that I got at a craft fair, a loaf of Jen's favorite bread, several dozen chocolate chip cookies to give to the firemen by Jen's apartment, and an airline blanket sealed in a plastic bag. And guess what I did?

I lost it. I carried it to/from St. Louis, and then all the way to New York City. BUT, I left it in front of the LaGuardia Airport terminal when I loaded my bags onto the hotel van. I realized it on the way to the hotel, and the van driver drove me back to the airport as soon as we got everyone off at the hotel. We literally got back to the hotel within 10-15 minutes of when I left the bag, but it was gone when I got back. I was so sad.

I showed up at Jen & James' apartment the next morning empty-handed...well, I did stop at McDonald's and bought Egg McMuffins for all! But I was so down that I had lost everything. It was all replaceable - but I couldn't believe I'd been that stupid. I kept beating myself up. That was on Saturday.

On Monday evening when I called Greg to say hello, he told me there was a message on our answering machine. It was a woman calling from Connecticut...she told me that she had picked up my bag at LaGuardia, tried to turn it over to security, but they would not accept it. So she took it home with her. Her goal, she said, was to reunite the bag with its owner. I must have left a paper in the bag with my contact information - thank God that I did!

I called her back the next morning and we had a nice chat. She wanted to drive the bag back down to Manhattan, but I didn't want her to go out of her way. Instead, she offered to mail it to Jen & James' apartment - the place it was intended for. And guess what? She did! I later sent her a card with some cash for reimbursement for postage, and I included a few Colorado goodies. It was amazing to know there are still good people.

So now it's my turn to pay back that kindness. Last night, a girl in her late teens/early 20s got on my flight to San Diego. Her eyes were puffy and red, and tears were still streaming down her face. Unfortunately, I was tied up with another passenger who had left her cell phone in the waiting area...but during the flight, I learned that the girl was distraught because she lost a small plastic box. In it was MAC makeup and a necklace made of shells.

The makeup was no big deal to her - but the necklace was very special. Her Dad had passed away only days before, and the necklace was one that her mother had made for her father, and he wore it all through college. Her Mom had just given her the necklace as a remembrance of her Dad.

For some reason, this girl tugged at my heartstrings. I think it was because the loss of her Dad was so fresh, and I still miss my Dad so much. I told her that I would do whatever I could to try and find that box for her.

So this morning, when I had a short layover in Denver, I found one of the gate agents that had worked my flight to San Diego. I told her the story, and she did a little research for me before I left on today's flight to Las Vegas. She found someone who found a small plastic box in the gate area, and that this person turned it over to the Frontier Lost & Found this morning. She included the phone number for that office!

So when I arrived in Vegas, I called the number. But unfortunately, when you call, you're told to send an email or leave a voice message. So I did both - it was after 4pm in Denver when I did, but I'm hoping that tomorrow morning they read/listen to my messages and call my cell phone to tell me that they have the box. Then I'll run home, box it up, and send it to the girl. And, of course, I'll call her to tell her it's on the way.

Please keep your fingers crossed - I'm hoping that it'll all work out. I know how much the momentos I have of my Dad mean to me - I'm hoping to give that shell necklace back to her Daddy's little girl.

Is it Really November?!?

Obviously I'm not doing such a good job of blogging these days...I guess I've been too busy on Facebook playing Words with Friends! I guess I do have a bit of a competitive streak in me after all.

I can't remember when I posted my last entry (and I too lazy to go and look), so bear with me if I repeat myself. I've pretty much had "a line" at work since July - it's truly "a whole new world." I know when and where I'm going ahead of time, I can plan my life around my schedule, I can swap, drop and trade trips - it's awesome! HOWEVER...I'll be voluntarily going back on reserve for December so that I can be home for Christmas. Jen, Liza, James and his Mom will all be coming for the holidays, and it'd be horrible if I wasn't home to share it with them!!! So...in less than a month I'll get to know that sexy black leather couch again, I'll be called in the middle of the night to take an early morning flight to Kalamazoo, MI (no...we don't fly there), and I'll be worked to death because all the senior mamas decided to take the day off. Heaven forbid they work what's on their schedule! I dread it...but I will make the best of it!

I've tried to get at least one long overnight in DCA (Washington DC) and LGA (New York City) each month - it's been fun to have lunch with my high school girlfriends, to visit with my in-laws, and of course, to visit with Jen and her hubby, James, and my granddogger, Liza! I see them most often - at least once or twice a month! It's worked out well!

Twenty-seven years ago TODAY Greg and I walked down the aisle together at St. James Church in Falls Church, VA. I can't believe it's been that long. We've had lots and lots of fun times, some really sad times, we've each grown and changed, but we're still hanging in there!

Something really cool happened on one of  my recent trips (but I can't remember which one...) - I was sitting in the Captain's chair in the flight deck (he was taking a potty break), and a little ways in front of the plane there was a flaming star (meteorite, space junk, whatever) falling and then it burned out. Wow! The First Officer saw it, too! It was SO INCREDIBLE to see. And, of course, when I came out of the flight deck and told the other flight attendants, one of them asked if I'd gotten a picture! Well...

I've been in Vegas a lot recently - first time for fun, and then the last two times on layovers. The second time I was there, I was with a very generous captain. He had been treating us to snacks all during our 4-day trip - McDonald's snack wraps, ice cream, Arby's Cheddar Beef sandwich, breakfast burritos - you name it. When we got to the Hard Rock Casino, we all went our separate ways to play our favorite games. I lost pretty quickly (I had won over $300 the previous week by putting $20 in a penny slot machine), and as the other ladies lost their money we gravitated back to our sugar daddy...oops, I meant captain. We all took turns on his video poker game, and then headed over to a blackjack table where we took over the entire table! The captain gave us each four $5 chips, the dealer gave us tons of helpful hints, and we each won some money! It's fun playing with someone else's money! Soon it was curfew time, and the captain said we could keep our winnings, but we gave him all the chips we had - I think we made him a little bit of money. It was so much fun! What a great crew!

There is such a difference between a good trip and a bad trip, and the crew has a lot to do with that. We don't need to spend 100% of our free time together for it to be good. But we do need to be able to get along and work together. Not too long ago, I flew one leg with a male flight attendant, and he kept calling me a "control freak" - I finally got mad and told him that HE was the control freak and that he needed to quit calling me names! When I mentioned this to another FA, she told me that he is one of the biggest control freaks that she's ever worked with! If I never work with that guy again, it'll be too soon!

I'll try to post more as I go along - I've had some really wonderful experiences with crews that I want to remember, and this is the best way to do that.