Less than two short weeks ago, I headed to NYC to be with Jen when she had her first wedding gown fitting. We had to postpone the fitting appointment because I could not get into the shower to ready myself for the appointment. Instead, later that day, Jen and James took me to the ER at a local hospital (St. Luke's - Roosevelt Hospital) - I was admitted to ICU early the next morning and got to be "pampered" for a day and a half. Sponge baths, foley catheter, bed pan, IVs in both arms, IV in my neck, NINE bags of fluids, countless antibiotic drips...it was just delightful.
The diagnosis? Sepsis - a potentially life-threatening condition, in which your immune system's reaction to an infection may injure body tissues far from the original infection. As sepsis progresses, it begins to affect organ function and eventually can lead to septic shock — a sometimes fatal drop in blood pressure. Early treatment, usually with large amounts of intravenous fluids and antibiotics, improves chances for survival.
On my second full day, I was moved to a room on the Medical floor and got to enjoy the hospitality for another couple of days - hospital food, crazy patients who try to knife themselves and others, roommates who sleep with ALL the lights/TVs on, all-night IV drips that prevent a person from getting more than 15 minutes sleep at a time, and groups of doctors who roam from room to room checking on the progress of their patients.
I presented an interesting case. Was my sepsis due to an allergic reaction to Bactrim, an antibiotic prescribed by my Colorado doctor? The Infectious Disease doctors did not think so. My entire body turned beet red when I checked into the ER, and stayed that way until the day of my release. There was no itching - just an intense looking "sunburn." Along with that, I had nausea, acid reflux, and no appetite. The doctors seemed to think that my sinus infection, made worse by a stomach flu virus, caused my body to crash. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low - 80/45 and I was fed those 9 bags of fluids along with lots and lots of antibiotics.
I got released after four days of hospitalization, spent a few days on Jen and James' couch to build up my strength, got to attend the wedding gown fitting (Jen is going to be a BEAUTIFUL bride), and then managed to grab the jumpseat on a flight back to Colorado on Saturday.
Why did this happen? How can I prevent it in the future? I have no answers. Kind of scary, huh? I have heard, however, from three others who have had allergic reactions to drugs in the past, and they all had the same sunburn-type rash that I did! Also, I had blood drawn yesterday and all the tests came back normal, including my liver function test. That is GOOD NEWS. My doctor still wants to do a CAT scan of my liver/spleen based on the recommendations of the doctors in NYC, but it appears that all else is good. I just need to finish recovering my strength...and I'll be as good as new!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
I'm Allergic to My Job!
Yes...you read it correctly. I am allergic to the job that I love. Fortunately, I'm only seasonally allergic. Thank goodness. It appears that I have developed allergies late in life, I'm exposed to lots of different environments every week, and I experience pressure changes constantly. Unfortunately for me, those allergy irritations have usually turned into bronchitis before I get treated. On my last flight (LAS to DEN) I started getting a really bad headache in the back of my head as we started preparing to land - it continued to grow and I thought my head was going to explode! It turns out that we all have sinuses in the back of our heads!!! I do not want to experience THAT again! So far this year I've been to the doctor twice, I've followed all her suggestions for allergies, I'm mad and I'm fighting back! (I'm also on sick leave on the couch until the gunk clears out of my head...)
Our newest class of flight attendants has graduated! Yahoo! Twenty-seven new flight attendants have joined us here in Denver. Hopefully, we'll soon "feel" their presence - I'm up to 99 hours for April, and I worked every duty day except one.
That reminds me of a recent conversation in the crewroom - a senior mama was upset because the company is setting the bidding threshold for lines at 95 hours. So that means that everyone is getting assigned that many hours, even if they normally work more/less. The kicker is that they can't drop any trips if the "flight attendant grid" is in the red (not enough flight attendants to cover the couch sits and on-call at home). And lately, the grid is ALWAYS red. However, the new flight attendants may help that situation. Anyway, the senior mama was crying to us - 4 reserves sitting on the couch - telling us that she NEVER works 95 hours! I interrupted her and told her that the reserves have been working between 90-110 hours each month for the past FOUR MONTHS. She then told me that I "just didn't understand" - she getting assignments to places she didn't want to go on days she didn't want to fly. Wah wah. I just looked at her and said, "And what do you think RESERVES get to do? Sheesh. She should seek her comfort elsewhere.
Even though people have told me they would, no one has written in a complimentary letter for me yet. Instead, they tell it to my face. One of the best recently occurred the other day - I parked the cart next to a guy in his 20s as I served a couple rows in front of him. I decided to show off my two-handed pouring style, and he asked me, "Do you like your job?" I looked at him and wondered if this was a trick question..., "I LOVE my job! It's the best job in the entire world!" He then replied, "I can tell - it shows!" What a nice compliment! I'm just "being myself," being silly, but yet being serious when the need calls.
That brings back a memory - in my previous life I was an internal auditor for a food & beverage company. I never sat behind the same desk for more than a couple weeks in a row - I was constantly traveling from one place to another. One of my visits was at Zion National Park. Now, remember that I had all this silliness bottled up inside of me, probably since I was a baby, but this professional job I held didn't let me express that silliness...until one night at Zion. Each auditor was given a little cabin to stay in, and in the middle of the night, I stole all the toilet paper from my room and toilet papered a car that was parked a short ways away. I thought it was a park ranger's car that I was teasing. BUT, the next morning at breakfast, I found out that it was the Head of the National Park Service's car! Oops. No one ever knew, because I was always such a "good girl." But now I'm letting that silliness out.
Since I'm higher up on the seniority list at work, I bid for mostly weekends off in May. Wow. Even if I don't have plans for each weekend, it'll be nice to actually be off from work on the same days as my husband and friends. Woo hoo! At the very least, I'll be able to set up some nice trades, using weekend days as my trading "bait." Life is good!
Our newest class of flight attendants has graduated! Yahoo! Twenty-seven new flight attendants have joined us here in Denver. Hopefully, we'll soon "feel" their presence - I'm up to 99 hours for April, and I worked every duty day except one.
That reminds me of a recent conversation in the crewroom - a senior mama was upset because the company is setting the bidding threshold for lines at 95 hours. So that means that everyone is getting assigned that many hours, even if they normally work more/less. The kicker is that they can't drop any trips if the "flight attendant grid" is in the red (not enough flight attendants to cover the couch sits and on-call at home). And lately, the grid is ALWAYS red. However, the new flight attendants may help that situation. Anyway, the senior mama was crying to us - 4 reserves sitting on the couch - telling us that she NEVER works 95 hours! I interrupted her and told her that the reserves have been working between 90-110 hours each month for the past FOUR MONTHS. She then told me that I "just didn't understand" - she getting assignments to places she didn't want to go on days she didn't want to fly. Wah wah. I just looked at her and said, "And what do you think RESERVES get to do? Sheesh. She should seek her comfort elsewhere.
Even though people have told me they would, no one has written in a complimentary letter for me yet. Instead, they tell it to my face. One of the best recently occurred the other day - I parked the cart next to a guy in his 20s as I served a couple rows in front of him. I decided to show off my two-handed pouring style, and he asked me, "Do you like your job?" I looked at him and wondered if this was a trick question..., "I LOVE my job! It's the best job in the entire world!" He then replied, "I can tell - it shows!" What a nice compliment! I'm just "being myself," being silly, but yet being serious when the need calls.
That brings back a memory - in my previous life I was an internal auditor for a food & beverage company. I never sat behind the same desk for more than a couple weeks in a row - I was constantly traveling from one place to another. One of my visits was at Zion National Park. Now, remember that I had all this silliness bottled up inside of me, probably since I was a baby, but this professional job I held didn't let me express that silliness...until one night at Zion. Each auditor was given a little cabin to stay in, and in the middle of the night, I stole all the toilet paper from my room and toilet papered a car that was parked a short ways away. I thought it was a park ranger's car that I was teasing. BUT, the next morning at breakfast, I found out that it was the Head of the National Park Service's car! Oops. No one ever knew, because I was always such a "good girl." But now I'm letting that silliness out.
Since I'm higher up on the seniority list at work, I bid for mostly weekends off in May. Wow. Even if I don't have plans for each weekend, it'll be nice to actually be off from work on the same days as my husband and friends. Woo hoo! At the very least, I'll be able to set up some nice trades, using weekend days as my trading "bait." Life is good!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Home, Sweet, Home!
It's pretty hard to remember to keep up this blog - at first, there were lots of new things to write about. Then I started traveling and I had funny, or stupid, stories to write about. And then slowly as the months passed, the reserves started working harder and harder. Our days of sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring were over. We started working on every single duty day...usually 19 or 20 a month! And to top that off, when we would work, crew scheduling would try and squeeze every last drop from us and work us between 14 and 16 hours! Exhaustion set in, and when I got to a hotel or home, I glanced at Facebook and email, and then went to bed!
But I'd like to announce that a NEW DAY IS DAWNING! A new class of flight attendants is graduating this week and about 27 of them are being assigned to Denver. WOO HOO! That fact reflected in my May schedule...I was no longer 35 from the bottom of the reserve list. I was more like 62 from the bottom, so I took my chances and bid for weekends off! And guess what? I got every single day off that I bid for. Oh my God.
There is another class starting on May 2 and another on May 28 - after those two classes graduate, I may be a lineholder! And what does that mean? That means that I can bid for the days off that I want, I can put in preferences for the position (A, B, or C) that I like to fly on the plane, I can avoid certain types of flights, and I can maybe even request a few trips that I'd like to fly. I'll be very junior. But what I'm hoping to do is get a schedule, drop everything I don't like, and then pick up trips that make me happy. I'll KNOW IN ADVANCE what I'm doing, where I'm going, and I won't have to answer calls from crew scheduling any longer! Halleluiah!
However, when it comes to the holidays, I very well may drop back down to reserve so that I can have the holidays off. Ah...to have a normal life again. Is it a dream?
For those who are wondering, I still love my job. It makes me happy. I am very good at it. I get to be me, act silly, but still convey messages about safety, help people who aren't feeling well, entertain passengers with stories, etc. I recently flew with two Milwaukee-based flight attendants who had been with the company about a year. It was so refreshing! They are still in the "I love my job" phase, and it showed. The passengers are upbeat and happy, the flight attendants are upbeat and happy, and everything goes really smoothly.
That's unlike what it's like to fly with DEN-based flight attendants. Most have had about 3 years experience now, and there are a lot of burnt-out flight attendants. I've witnessed rudeness, yelling, negativity, bad attitudes - all on the part of flight attendants. Then I have to work doubly hard to keep myself upbeat and happy. Recently, a more senior flight attendant came to me during a flight and asked, "Do you really love this job this much, or are you just acting?" And I could honestly tell her that I really do love this job.
With the new hire classes, my friend EC's new program on virtue, how can one NOT love it? Sure, there are things that can go wrong, but if you don't take it personally, just sit back and relax a little and enjoy the ride, it really isn't that bumpy!
So...as I head towards the end of April, flying at least 100 hours for the third month in a row involuntarily, I know that a better, slower life is just around the corner - I can hardly wait!
But I'd like to announce that a NEW DAY IS DAWNING! A new class of flight attendants is graduating this week and about 27 of them are being assigned to Denver. WOO HOO! That fact reflected in my May schedule...I was no longer 35 from the bottom of the reserve list. I was more like 62 from the bottom, so I took my chances and bid for weekends off! And guess what? I got every single day off that I bid for. Oh my God.
There is another class starting on May 2 and another on May 28 - after those two classes graduate, I may be a lineholder! And what does that mean? That means that I can bid for the days off that I want, I can put in preferences for the position (A, B, or C) that I like to fly on the plane, I can avoid certain types of flights, and I can maybe even request a few trips that I'd like to fly. I'll be very junior. But what I'm hoping to do is get a schedule, drop everything I don't like, and then pick up trips that make me happy. I'll KNOW IN ADVANCE what I'm doing, where I'm going, and I won't have to answer calls from crew scheduling any longer! Halleluiah!
However, when it comes to the holidays, I very well may drop back down to reserve so that I can have the holidays off. Ah...to have a normal life again. Is it a dream?
For those who are wondering, I still love my job. It makes me happy. I am very good at it. I get to be me, act silly, but still convey messages about safety, help people who aren't feeling well, entertain passengers with stories, etc. I recently flew with two Milwaukee-based flight attendants who had been with the company about a year. It was so refreshing! They are still in the "I love my job" phase, and it showed. The passengers are upbeat and happy, the flight attendants are upbeat and happy, and everything goes really smoothly.
That's unlike what it's like to fly with DEN-based flight attendants. Most have had about 3 years experience now, and there are a lot of burnt-out flight attendants. I've witnessed rudeness, yelling, negativity, bad attitudes - all on the part of flight attendants. Then I have to work doubly hard to keep myself upbeat and happy. Recently, a more senior flight attendant came to me during a flight and asked, "Do you really love this job this much, or are you just acting?" And I could honestly tell her that I really do love this job.
With the new hire classes, my friend EC's new program on virtue, how can one NOT love it? Sure, there are things that can go wrong, but if you don't take it personally, just sit back and relax a little and enjoy the ride, it really isn't that bumpy!
So...as I head towards the end of April, flying at least 100 hours for the third month in a row involuntarily, I know that a better, slower life is just around the corner - I can hardly wait!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Opposites
I just got assigned to a high hour 4-day trip starting tomorrow afternoon...so it'll be awhile before I'm back home sitting at my desk. So I decided to jot down a few thoughts before I hit the road...
Opposites. Or should I call it "full circle?" What I'm referring to is life. Back when we were young'uns, our parents took care of us. And now that we're aging, we are the ones taking care of our parents. Mom used to encourage us to get out of the house and go play outside, and now we're encouraging Mom to get out of the house and play outside! When my Dad was ill, my sister took care of all his needs - just as my Mom had taken care of her when she was a baby. All this is truly a part of growing up that I don't like. I want Mom's quality of life to stay good - I want her to have friends, have lunch dates, go to club activities. But she has to want to - we can't force her to do anything since she's an adult.
Opposites. In the early days of our marriage, we had issues with my husband's side of the family. Miscommunication, misunderstanding, and hurt feelings. Somehow we worked through all that and didn't hold grudges. But now the miscommunication and misunderstanding is occurring on my side of the family! I'm afraid to say anything, make suggestions, or say what I really feel. It's so sad. We're preparing for our only daughter's wedding, and instead of everyone being happy for us, we keep running into roadblocks and hurt feelings. Why can't we all get along?
So...I'm having to distance myself and not take these comments and actions personally. And I'm trying to help my daughter understand why things are being said and done, and why people aren't excited and happy for her. But I'm afraid that it's going to harm her future relationship with everyone. It's so sad. But I've got way too many other things to worry about...why can't we all get along?
Lots of great things will be happening soon at my company! One of my training classmates is working hand-in-hand with upper management to change the environment of our company. We are striving to be a company of integrity, where everyone does the right thing even when no one is watching. There are new procedures being instituted, trainings being held and unfortunately, there's lots of griping. Some of that griping is on the internet where anyone/everyone can see. Why would someone do that? Does he not care that management might see what he's said? I was tempted to bring his ranting to the attention of management, but I figured he doesn't need any help hanging himself. So sad. But it's so hard to work with him.
So I will keep doing what I do best - having a good time welcoming our passengers, working with the crew, and just enjoying the heck out of my job. There's lots weighing me down, but the trick is to not let anyone else see that. I keep silently praying and hoping that all goes well - a happy smile is what the passengers want to see...not a worried half-smile.
I am looking forward to this trip - it has late show times, so I can "Sleep in" and wake up on my own. Ahhhhhh. I can hardly wait. First we'll do a turn to St. Louis, then we'll overnight in Seattle. I'm looking forward to a nice bowl of clam chowder in the bar - so good! Then the next day we'll head back to Denver and then on to Detroit for the night. I looked up a friend from high school who now lives in Detroit, but she's already made plans for the day I'll be there. That's okay - I'll hang out at Bob's Big Boy for breakfast! The next day, we'll fly back to Denver and then go back to Seattle for the night...and maybe another bowl of clam chowder? Then on Monday, our last day, we'll go back to Denver and then we have a round-trip to New Orleans! Too bad it's not an overnight! I have one day off on Tuesday, and then I'll be back on for five more days!
It's late, I'm tired, so I guess I'd better sign off for the night...Goodnight!
Opposites. Or should I call it "full circle?" What I'm referring to is life. Back when we were young'uns, our parents took care of us. And now that we're aging, we are the ones taking care of our parents. Mom used to encourage us to get out of the house and go play outside, and now we're encouraging Mom to get out of the house and play outside! When my Dad was ill, my sister took care of all his needs - just as my Mom had taken care of her when she was a baby. All this is truly a part of growing up that I don't like. I want Mom's quality of life to stay good - I want her to have friends, have lunch dates, go to club activities. But she has to want to - we can't force her to do anything since she's an adult.
Opposites. In the early days of our marriage, we had issues with my husband's side of the family. Miscommunication, misunderstanding, and hurt feelings. Somehow we worked through all that and didn't hold grudges. But now the miscommunication and misunderstanding is occurring on my side of the family! I'm afraid to say anything, make suggestions, or say what I really feel. It's so sad. We're preparing for our only daughter's wedding, and instead of everyone being happy for us, we keep running into roadblocks and hurt feelings. Why can't we all get along?
So...I'm having to distance myself and not take these comments and actions personally. And I'm trying to help my daughter understand why things are being said and done, and why people aren't excited and happy for her. But I'm afraid that it's going to harm her future relationship with everyone. It's so sad. But I've got way too many other things to worry about...why can't we all get along?
Lots of great things will be happening soon at my company! One of my training classmates is working hand-in-hand with upper management to change the environment of our company. We are striving to be a company of integrity, where everyone does the right thing even when no one is watching. There are new procedures being instituted, trainings being held and unfortunately, there's lots of griping. Some of that griping is on the internet where anyone/everyone can see. Why would someone do that? Does he not care that management might see what he's said? I was tempted to bring his ranting to the attention of management, but I figured he doesn't need any help hanging himself. So sad. But it's so hard to work with him.
So I will keep doing what I do best - having a good time welcoming our passengers, working with the crew, and just enjoying the heck out of my job. There's lots weighing me down, but the trick is to not let anyone else see that. I keep silently praying and hoping that all goes well - a happy smile is what the passengers want to see...not a worried half-smile.
I am looking forward to this trip - it has late show times, so I can "Sleep in" and wake up on my own. Ahhhhhh. I can hardly wait. First we'll do a turn to St. Louis, then we'll overnight in Seattle. I'm looking forward to a nice bowl of clam chowder in the bar - so good! Then the next day we'll head back to Denver and then on to Detroit for the night. I looked up a friend from high school who now lives in Detroit, but she's already made plans for the day I'll be there. That's okay - I'll hang out at Bob's Big Boy for breakfast! The next day, we'll fly back to Denver and then go back to Seattle for the night...and maybe another bowl of clam chowder? Then on Monday, our last day, we'll go back to Denver and then we have a round-trip to New Orleans! Too bad it's not an overnight! I have one day off on Tuesday, and then I'll be back on for five more days!
It's late, I'm tired, so I guess I'd better sign off for the night...Goodnight!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
March Madness
Where in the world is Susan? I have been all over in the past month and a half - too many places to mention individually. So...I'm just going to write down some thoughts.
I am still on reserve. Fortunately, a hiring event was held last month for two days, and people have actually been hired and start a training class on March 28th! The big question is this...where will they be assigned? DEN or MKE? And I don't think we'll know the answer until the class starts. But there's hope. And hope is a good thing.
We have a new thing called the "Culture Club" - a team of three men who are trying to guide the top management into realizing that the current management style is NOT working, and that a mutual respect, high moral standard type of style. On Friday, our CEO wrote a letter talking about the new program and how he hopes things go. And, believe it or not, a fellow flight attendant made a not so nice comment on Facebook. I replied and said that I liked what Bryan said. But...I was pretty much attacked, and then deleted, and then UNfriended. I did make the comment that if people aren't going to "buy into" the style of management, maybe they should quit and find a company that more closely matches their beliefs. And I'm not talking about any weird, cult-like beliefs - the main focus is on integrity. Doing the right thing, especially when no one else is watching. I know I'm in the right place. The question is, how do I deal with those that aren't.
I have been working on every duty day for the past couple of months. We are understaffed, even though we're being told otherwise. I worked over 100 hours last month - my paycheck was great, but I'd really like to spend more time at home. My "to-do" list is getting longer and longer. The interesting thing is, is that not everyone is working so many days...
Currently, I am in NYC dogsitting my favorite (and only) granddogger, Liza! Jen and James are in Vegas for the weekend attending the wedding of his cousin. Liza and I have spent lots of time at a doggie park next to the USS Intrepid along the Hudson River. It was so fun watching Liza play with all the other doggies. She'd tease them and get them to chase her! When the larger dogs would come in, she'd try and get them to chase her, too! At one point today, she had a dog toy with a treat inside, she was sitting under my bench, and a large dog came over to see what she was up to - but Liza gave out a couple loud barks, and the big dog ran away! It was so funny!
I spent a little bit of time today visiting the Brain Exhibit and the Butterfly Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History - when I got there I realized that I forgot to load the battery into my camera! Bummer! I could have taken some AWESOME pictures of the butterflies. So I guess I'll just have to go visit the exhibit again! Sounds good to me!
I rode the bus to/from the museum and I got to do a lot of observation of NYers. The little old ladies - they got on the bus, sat in the handicapped area, dropped a bag that was on their lap, and yelled out in a loud NYer voice, "SHIT!" The young black girl with the earbuds in, the iPod on full blast - so loud that you can hear the song she's listening to without sitting next to her. The young Asian guy who jumped on the bus, sat down, and finished dressing - putting on cufflinks, tying his necktie - wherever he's off to, it's obvious he's late. The old gentleman who is pushing his wife in a wheelchair - she's all bundled up for the cold weather, bent over, and seems to be "out of it." But her hubby is taking care of her - getting her on and off the bus. Lots of different types of people, all busy doing their own thing. Kind of lonely, though. Don't you think?
In order to have this nice stay in NYC, I've pretty much screwed myself for the rest of the month. I have 5 and 6 day blocks of duty, separated by only one day off. Ouch. I'll have to do as best as I can. So here goes...!
I am still on reserve. Fortunately, a hiring event was held last month for two days, and people have actually been hired and start a training class on March 28th! The big question is this...where will they be assigned? DEN or MKE? And I don't think we'll know the answer until the class starts. But there's hope. And hope is a good thing.
We have a new thing called the "Culture Club" - a team of three men who are trying to guide the top management into realizing that the current management style is NOT working, and that a mutual respect, high moral standard type of style. On Friday, our CEO wrote a letter talking about the new program and how he hopes things go. And, believe it or not, a fellow flight attendant made a not so nice comment on Facebook. I replied and said that I liked what Bryan said. But...I was pretty much attacked, and then deleted, and then UNfriended. I did make the comment that if people aren't going to "buy into" the style of management, maybe they should quit and find a company that more closely matches their beliefs. And I'm not talking about any weird, cult-like beliefs - the main focus is on integrity. Doing the right thing, especially when no one else is watching. I know I'm in the right place. The question is, how do I deal with those that aren't.
I have been working on every duty day for the past couple of months. We are understaffed, even though we're being told otherwise. I worked over 100 hours last month - my paycheck was great, but I'd really like to spend more time at home. My "to-do" list is getting longer and longer. The interesting thing is, is that not everyone is working so many days...
Currently, I am in NYC dogsitting my favorite (and only) granddogger, Liza! Jen and James are in Vegas for the weekend attending the wedding of his cousin. Liza and I have spent lots of time at a doggie park next to the USS Intrepid along the Hudson River. It was so fun watching Liza play with all the other doggies. She'd tease them and get them to chase her! When the larger dogs would come in, she'd try and get them to chase her, too! At one point today, she had a dog toy with a treat inside, she was sitting under my bench, and a large dog came over to see what she was up to - but Liza gave out a couple loud barks, and the big dog ran away! It was so funny!
I spent a little bit of time today visiting the Brain Exhibit and the Butterfly Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History - when I got there I realized that I forgot to load the battery into my camera! Bummer! I could have taken some AWESOME pictures of the butterflies. So I guess I'll just have to go visit the exhibit again! Sounds good to me!
I rode the bus to/from the museum and I got to do a lot of observation of NYers. The little old ladies - they got on the bus, sat in the handicapped area, dropped a bag that was on their lap, and yelled out in a loud NYer voice, "SHIT!" The young black girl with the earbuds in, the iPod on full blast - so loud that you can hear the song she's listening to without sitting next to her. The young Asian guy who jumped on the bus, sat down, and finished dressing - putting on cufflinks, tying his necktie - wherever he's off to, it's obvious he's late. The old gentleman who is pushing his wife in a wheelchair - she's all bundled up for the cold weather, bent over, and seems to be "out of it." But her hubby is taking care of her - getting her on and off the bus. Lots of different types of people, all busy doing their own thing. Kind of lonely, though. Don't you think?
In order to have this nice stay in NYC, I've pretty much screwed myself for the rest of the month. I have 5 and 6 day blocks of duty, separated by only one day off. Ouch. I'll have to do as best as I can. So here goes...!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Rest and Relaxation
Crew scheduling's new motto is, "work 'em until they drop!" It is against their rules to let us have duty days where we used to sit at home waiting for the phone to ring. Now...I had three days left on my schedule and they gave me a three-day trip. It was a good one! Hmmmm...let me see if I can remember where I went. Oh yes! I did a Milwaukee turn and a Phoenix overnight. The next night I did a Dallas overnight, and then we did a Phoenix turn...and I was released to my two days off. The three flight attendants stayed the same during the entire trip, but we kept swapping CPTs and FOs but that was okay.
After my two days off, they gave me a REALLY WEIRD two-day trip. I started out deadheading to Milwaukee (flying as a passenger instead of working the flight), then I worked a turn to LaGuardia and spent the night in Milwaukee. The next morning we deadheaded back to Denver. Weird. The passenger sitting next to me commented on how our planes seem to be filled with other Frontier crewmembers!
Fortunately, I was released to my three days off at 10AM. Yahoo! There was a union membership meeting for a couple hours and then a reserve roundtable meeting. I went to both, and the first one didn't have a lot of new information to report. But the second meeting was a great opportunity to share our feelings about having been on reserve for 3.5 years. We gave a lot of constructive criticism and a lot of good ideas. All this for the union contract that won't be created for another 3-5 years. In the meantime, we're holding on as best we can under the current work rules.
But now I'm off for a few days, and I actually got to go to the cabin in Breckenridge for a couple days with my hubby - believe it or not! We haven't been up here together in FOREVER. He's out skiing, and I'm hanging out with the doggies. It is snowy and cold here, and SUNNY. Yay!
After my two days off, they gave me a REALLY WEIRD two-day trip. I started out deadheading to Milwaukee (flying as a passenger instead of working the flight), then I worked a turn to LaGuardia and spent the night in Milwaukee. The next morning we deadheaded back to Denver. Weird. The passenger sitting next to me commented on how our planes seem to be filled with other Frontier crewmembers!
Fortunately, I was released to my three days off at 10AM. Yahoo! There was a union membership meeting for a couple hours and then a reserve roundtable meeting. I went to both, and the first one didn't have a lot of new information to report. But the second meeting was a great opportunity to share our feelings about having been on reserve for 3.5 years. We gave a lot of constructive criticism and a lot of good ideas. All this for the union contract that won't be created for another 3-5 years. In the meantime, we're holding on as best we can under the current work rules.
But now I'm off for a few days, and I actually got to go to the cabin in Breckenridge for a couple days with my hubby - believe it or not! We haven't been up here together in FOREVER. He's out skiing, and I'm hanging out with the doggies. It is snowy and cold here, and SUNNY. Yay!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Delays, Delays and More Delays
Well, I THOUGHT I'd be back in Denver at 7:30AM on Monday morning. It didn't quite happen that way.
We had a 5:05AM van time at the hotel - at about 4:50AM, I took a quick look at my schedule to see if crew scheduling had given me a turn once I returned to Denver. They didn't, but what I did see was that our 6:30AM flight time for IND-DEN was now listed at 8:30AM.
Instead of going downstairs, I called the CPT and asked if he was aware our flight was now at 8:30AM. He wasn't. So he told me to stay in my room, called whoever it is that he calls to find out what the heck is going on, and then he called me back and tried to reach the rest of the crew. We were now going to take the 7:15AM van to the airport. Yay! The First Officer had to go downstairs to tell the other two flight attendants to go back to their rooms, while the CPT called the limo service to reschedule our ride.
We actually did leave the hotel at 7:15AM - but we still had another 2 1/2 hours of sitting around in the airport and on the plane. It seems that we were waiting for a part, and it didn't arrive until around 9:40AM. Why the heck couldn't we stay at the hotel until that time? And why didn't we get word about this from crew scheduling? We should have been told the night before so that we could have gotten a good night's sleep! It turns out that the part had to be driven from Milwaukee to Indianapolis. I just don't understand.
However, I did enjoy my crew. I fully expected to be given a turn afterwards, but was released to my days off. Woo hoo! I just finished those and got to sit the couch from 6AM until Noon today. It was delightful! I'm now waiting to see what crew scheduling has in store for me for the next three days...♥
We had a 5:05AM van time at the hotel - at about 4:50AM, I took a quick look at my schedule to see if crew scheduling had given me a turn once I returned to Denver. They didn't, but what I did see was that our 6:30AM flight time for IND-DEN was now listed at 8:30AM.
Instead of going downstairs, I called the CPT and asked if he was aware our flight was now at 8:30AM. He wasn't. So he told me to stay in my room, called whoever it is that he calls to find out what the heck is going on, and then he called me back and tried to reach the rest of the crew. We were now going to take the 7:15AM van to the airport. Yay! The First Officer had to go downstairs to tell the other two flight attendants to go back to their rooms, while the CPT called the limo service to reschedule our ride.
We actually did leave the hotel at 7:15AM - but we still had another 2 1/2 hours of sitting around in the airport and on the plane. It seems that we were waiting for a part, and it didn't arrive until around 9:40AM. Why the heck couldn't we stay at the hotel until that time? And why didn't we get word about this from crew scheduling? We should have been told the night before so that we could have gotten a good night's sleep! It turns out that the part had to be driven from Milwaukee to Indianapolis. I just don't understand.
However, I did enjoy my crew. I fully expected to be given a turn afterwards, but was released to my days off. Woo hoo! I just finished those and got to sit the couch from 6AM until Noon today. It was delightful! I'm now waiting to see what crew scheduling has in store for me for the next three days...♥
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Winter Craziness
I had a very nice couple of days visiting with Jen, James and Liza before they headed back to NYC. However, on their last night, crew scheduling struck again...
There was a Spokane stand-up that needed a crew - it was scheduled to leave Sunday night at 8PM. I received a call in the afternoon from crew scheduling trying to junior assign me to the trip. If I had answered the phone, I would HAVE to take the trip. I didn't want to leave on my day off, even though it would have been at overtime pay. So I let voice mail pick up the message.
A few hours later, I get another call from crew scheduling. This time they're telling me that I've been assigned to a Spokane turn, with a show time of 2:00AM. Are they kidding me? My duty start time is 12:01AM, and they're wanting me to hop in my car, drive to DIA, and work a flight? Huh? To fully understand, I call the Inflight Manager on Duty. Let's just say that I didn't hear what I wanted to hear.
So I kissed my family goodbye and headed to DIA. The other two flight attendants were just as bad off as I was. The flight was just a little more than half full - when we got to Spokane and all the passengers deplaned, we turned off the lights and set up little beds for ourselves for a quick hour's nap.
I was woken up by crew scheduling calling me. They said that when I was back in DEN, I was being assigned to a PHX overnight. Let's just say that they kept giving me trips, taking them away, and then giving me others. Finally, I was given a PHX overnight. For real. For sure. No more changing it.
Once in PHX, I get another call from crew scheduling - by this time, I had been awake for 36 hours, aside from the hour's nap that I took on the plane. This time they told me that I was going to do a CUN turn when I got back to DIA. Are they kidding me?!?!? I tried to get them to give it to someone else, but no luck. So I waited until I saw how I felt the next morning, and THEN I called in FAT. Otherwise known as "fatigued."
On Monday, I worked a 13.5 hour day, and they were wanting me to do the same for Tuesday. What am I? A super hero or something? Ha!
I already had Tuesday scheduled off, and then managed to get assigned to the C couch on Thursday (4PM until 10PM). While sitting the couch, I found out that I was awarded a 4-day trip that I'm currently working now - at first we did a turn to ATL, then we had a layover in SLC. Yesterday, we left SLC and flew back to DEN. After that, we went on to San Diego for the night. And now we are in Indianapolis! I surely get around.
The crew I am working with is good, and I'm enjoying getting to know them. But I'm also hoping to be released when I return to Denver tomorrow morning at 7:30AM. HA! I laugh because it is snowing in Denver as I write this. And it's supposed to be snowing when I leave here in the morning.
Before I sign off, I do have to say that my ATL-DEN flight on Friday was weird. Totally weird. There were at least 50 Auburn fans - Auburn is playing Oregon on Monday in the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, AZ. These people were crazy!
And there was a family of 4 that acted weird, too. Of course, they were not seated together and the gate agents were letting us take care of the situation. There were two young girls, a younger boy and their mom. I settled the boy and mom together in one row, and the two girls in another row a couple rows back. Well...those little girls were probably the worst behaved girls I have seen in quite awhile! They were in jammies, were barefoot (even when going to the bathroom), and each and every time I walked by (especially when my hands arms were full). They wanted headphones, they didn't want to sit there, they wanted to know how long the flight was going to be...and the last time I "serviced them" I was collecting trash. One of the girls asked for, "Ice cold water" and I told her to wait until I was done. I was in the back when I finished and stayed to chat for a few minutes. Then the little girl shows up, tells me I had promised her a nice ice cold glass of water....Sheesh! Unfortunately, my employer does not look too kindly on employees drop-kicking children back to their seats. :)
There was a Spokane stand-up that needed a crew - it was scheduled to leave Sunday night at 8PM. I received a call in the afternoon from crew scheduling trying to junior assign me to the trip. If I had answered the phone, I would HAVE to take the trip. I didn't want to leave on my day off, even though it would have been at overtime pay. So I let voice mail pick up the message.
A few hours later, I get another call from crew scheduling. This time they're telling me that I've been assigned to a Spokane turn, with a show time of 2:00AM. Are they kidding me? My duty start time is 12:01AM, and they're wanting me to hop in my car, drive to DIA, and work a flight? Huh? To fully understand, I call the Inflight Manager on Duty. Let's just say that I didn't hear what I wanted to hear.
So I kissed my family goodbye and headed to DIA. The other two flight attendants were just as bad off as I was. The flight was just a little more than half full - when we got to Spokane and all the passengers deplaned, we turned off the lights and set up little beds for ourselves for a quick hour's nap.
I was woken up by crew scheduling calling me. They said that when I was back in DEN, I was being assigned to a PHX overnight. Let's just say that they kept giving me trips, taking them away, and then giving me others. Finally, I was given a PHX overnight. For real. For sure. No more changing it.
Once in PHX, I get another call from crew scheduling - by this time, I had been awake for 36 hours, aside from the hour's nap that I took on the plane. This time they told me that I was going to do a CUN turn when I got back to DIA. Are they kidding me?!?!? I tried to get them to give it to someone else, but no luck. So I waited until I saw how I felt the next morning, and THEN I called in FAT. Otherwise known as "fatigued."
On Monday, I worked a 13.5 hour day, and they were wanting me to do the same for Tuesday. What am I? A super hero or something? Ha!
I already had Tuesday scheduled off, and then managed to get assigned to the C couch on Thursday (4PM until 10PM). While sitting the couch, I found out that I was awarded a 4-day trip that I'm currently working now - at first we did a turn to ATL, then we had a layover in SLC. Yesterday, we left SLC and flew back to DEN. After that, we went on to San Diego for the night. And now we are in Indianapolis! I surely get around.
The crew I am working with is good, and I'm enjoying getting to know them. But I'm also hoping to be released when I return to Denver tomorrow morning at 7:30AM. HA! I laugh because it is snowing in Denver as I write this. And it's supposed to be snowing when I leave here in the morning.
Before I sign off, I do have to say that my ATL-DEN flight on Friday was weird. Totally weird. There were at least 50 Auburn fans - Auburn is playing Oregon on Monday in the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, AZ. These people were crazy!
And there was a family of 4 that acted weird, too. Of course, they were not seated together and the gate agents were letting us take care of the situation. There were two young girls, a younger boy and their mom. I settled the boy and mom together in one row, and the two girls in another row a couple rows back. Well...those little girls were probably the worst behaved girls I have seen in quite awhile! They were in jammies, were barefoot (even when going to the bathroom), and each and every time I walked by (especially when my hands arms were full). They wanted headphones, they didn't want to sit there, they wanted to know how long the flight was going to be...and the last time I "serviced them" I was collecting trash. One of the girls asked for, "Ice cold water" and I told her to wait until I was done. I was in the back when I finished and stayed to chat for a few minutes. Then the little girl shows up, tells me I had promised her a nice ice cold glass of water....Sheesh! Unfortunately, my employer does not look too kindly on employees drop-kicking children back to their seats. :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
Little did I know that all hell was breaking loose in Denver on the 30th! We got back to DEN from SNA about a half-hour late, but then our MCI overnight got delayed about 3 1/2 hours due to a combination of mechanicals and weather. We FINALLY arrived in MCI at around 2AM local time, and found out that our 17 hour layover was being reduced to 8 1/2 hours (the minimum according to the pilots' union contract). Our SAN turn for the 31st was re-crewed, so my fellow flight crew got released when we returned to DEN at noon, AND they got full pay for the flight that got re-crewed.
But...since I'm STILL on reserve, I got assigned to sit on the couch for FIVE HOURS and then do an LAX turn. I was NOT a happy camper when I found out. But after holding a "pity party" for myself, I decided that I was going to have a GREAT DAY...and I did!
The other two flight attendants on my LAX turn were wonderful, friendly, easy to talk to - it was so nice! And I had some crazy passengers on board, too! One entire row of passengers absolutely LOVED me - they thought I was funny! So I gave them comment cards with our website address so that they could make a comment to the company. As everyone was deplaning, another passenger came up to me and told me that I should be teaching flight attendants how to be flight attendants! Wow. That one left me speechless! It was the perfect way to end 2010.
The flight back to DEN was also a good one - I even had one passenger give me a drumroll as I poured the 6th and final drink for his family, without having to ask for any hints as to what they ordered! I stretched my mind to its limit! Woo hoo! When we returned to DEN, the shuttle bus to the parking lot just leaving, but he made a u-turn to come get us! Wasn't that sweet! Seeing how it was -2 degrees in DEN, we really appreciated it.
The drive home was a mix of "tipsy drivers" and icy roads, but I managed to get home unscathed. The only problem I faced was that my windshield washer fluid was frozen - thank goodness there wasn't a lot of crud being kicked up by the drivers in front of me. At one point between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs, the outside temp dropped to -12 degrees! Ouchie wow wow!
I have today and tomorrow off, and I fully expect crew scheduling to call and try to junior assign me (force me to take a trip but with time-and-a-half compensation), but I want to stay home and enjoy the last two days at home with my little girl, her fiance, and my grandpuppy! So I will not be answering my cell phone or home phone unless I know 100% it is you calling!
Happy 2011...
But...since I'm STILL on reserve, I got assigned to sit on the couch for FIVE HOURS and then do an LAX turn. I was NOT a happy camper when I found out. But after holding a "pity party" for myself, I decided that I was going to have a GREAT DAY...and I did!
The other two flight attendants on my LAX turn were wonderful, friendly, easy to talk to - it was so nice! And I had some crazy passengers on board, too! One entire row of passengers absolutely LOVED me - they thought I was funny! So I gave them comment cards with our website address so that they could make a comment to the company. As everyone was deplaning, another passenger came up to me and told me that I should be teaching flight attendants how to be flight attendants! Wow. That one left me speechless! It was the perfect way to end 2010.
The flight back to DEN was also a good one - I even had one passenger give me a drumroll as I poured the 6th and final drink for his family, without having to ask for any hints as to what they ordered! I stretched my mind to its limit! Woo hoo! When we returned to DEN, the shuttle bus to the parking lot just leaving, but he made a u-turn to come get us! Wasn't that sweet! Seeing how it was -2 degrees in DEN, we really appreciated it.
The drive home was a mix of "tipsy drivers" and icy roads, but I managed to get home unscathed. The only problem I faced was that my windshield washer fluid was frozen - thank goodness there wasn't a lot of crud being kicked up by the drivers in front of me. At one point between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs, the outside temp dropped to -12 degrees! Ouchie wow wow!
I have today and tomorrow off, and I fully expect crew scheduling to call and try to junior assign me (force me to take a trip but with time-and-a-half compensation), but I want to stay home and enjoy the last two days at home with my little girl, her fiance, and my grandpuppy! So I will not be answering my cell phone or home phone unless I know 100% it is you calling!
Happy 2011...
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Yummy yummy for the tum-tum-tummy!
I am still sitting on that luxurious bed in my hotel in Orange County, CA - but I did get off it long enough to take a hotel van ride to Trader Joe's and back! I had to look around, but I finally found my Multiseed Soy Crackers - 35 crackers = 110 calories. You can't beat that!
I just got a call from the Captain - we are leaving the hotel at 3PM instead of 2PM. The plane coming in from Denver just left. It was delayed about an hour due to the blowing snow and ice in Denver. But they are now off the ground and on their way!
This is such a nice hotel - we're in the suites section, so we have a bon-bon sofa, a cocktail table, a small eating table with two chairs, a small fridge, sink, microwave, desk, armoire with a tv in it! There's also a nice jetted tub in the bathroom...I have to remember to bring my sea salts with me...
This has been a great morning - and now I've got time for a quick nap!!!
I just got a call from the Captain - we are leaving the hotel at 3PM instead of 2PM. The plane coming in from Denver just left. It was delayed about an hour due to the blowing snow and ice in Denver. But they are now off the ground and on their way!
This is such a nice hotel - we're in the suites section, so we have a bon-bon sofa, a cocktail table, a small eating table with two chairs, a small fridge, sink, microwave, desk, armoire with a tv in it! There's also a nice jetted tub in the bathroom...I have to remember to bring my sea salts with me...
This has been a great morning - and now I've got time for a quick nap!!!
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