What I thought would be a nice, quiet couch sit at DIA has turned into a 24 hour layover in Anchorage, Alaska!
I leave later this evening, get to spend the night and most of tomorrow in Anchorage, and then work the redeye back to Denver. I'll be back in Denver by about 6AM. What is so cool, aside from the fact that I'm going to Anchorage, is that I'm having dinner with a couple that Greg and I met in Germany, who now live in Anchorage, and who we haven't seen since 1990!
I still have several hours on the couch, but I need to go "shopping" for a sweatshirt or sweater (seeing as how my sweater is sitting on my washing machine at home) since it's 65 degrees in Anchorage...and I need to buy a hostess gift for my friends as a thank you for the dinner they'll be feeding me tomorrow.
Life is good!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Silly Me!
How the heck did I predict what would happen to me when I got back to DIA on Monday? Yes...I got released to my 10 hours of rest. And then on Monday night at around 9:15PM, crew scheduling called me and gave me a 9:37AM show time for a turn to LGA. Of course! Silly me!
We were on our Airbus 320, so there were four flight attendants, instead of the usual three. One of the flight attendants was one that I had flown with before and had "issues" with, but all four of us worked well together as a team. It was actually a very enjoyable trip!
But did you know that there are businessmen traveling to/from LGA that have NEVER been told that they could not get up and use the bathroom when the seatbelt sign was illumnated? And those same businessmen have NEVER experienced traffic or weather delays going to/from LGA? Wonders never cease!
I am enjoying my day off - catching up on paperwork, as usual. Crew scheduling just called me, and I get to spend tomorrow, my first of five duty days, sitting on the B shift couch! Yippe skippy yay yay yay! DIA...here I come!
We were on our Airbus 320, so there were four flight attendants, instead of the usual three. One of the flight attendants was one that I had flown with before and had "issues" with, but all four of us worked well together as a team. It was actually a very enjoyable trip!
But did you know that there are businessmen traveling to/from LGA that have NEVER been told that they could not get up and use the bathroom when the seatbelt sign was illumnated? And those same businessmen have NEVER experienced traffic or weather delays going to/from LGA? Wonders never cease!
I am enjoying my day off - catching up on paperwork, as usual. Crew scheduling just called me, and I get to spend tomorrow, my first of five duty days, sitting on the B shift couch! Yippe skippy yay yay yay! DIA...here I come!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Repeating the Past?
My two days off went by entirely too quickly...
Yesterday, I got chosen for the A shift on the couch. Yes, from 6AM until Noon, just like last week. And then today I get to fly to Houston for the night, and return early tomorrow morning. The only difference from last week is that this morning's showtime is 10:35AM instead of 6AM. Whew!
I'm sure hoping that they assign me to another trip when I return to DIA tomorrow, instead of sending me home for 10 hours rest and THEN assigning me to a turn on Tuesday, my last day of duty for this block of days. My poor car is overdue for an oil change...
Yesterday, I got chosen for the A shift on the couch. Yes, from 6AM until Noon, just like last week. And then today I get to fly to Houston for the night, and return early tomorrow morning. The only difference from last week is that this morning's showtime is 10:35AM instead of 6AM. Whew!
I'm sure hoping that they assign me to another trip when I return to DIA tomorrow, instead of sending me home for 10 hours rest and THEN assigning me to a turn on Tuesday, my last day of duty for this block of days. My poor car is overdue for an oil change...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Song for You
My Five Days of Duty
(sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas")
by Susan Moore
On my five days of duty,
my company gave to me:
a Crowne Plaza night in OKC.
On my five days of duty,
my company gave to me:
two ready-reserve couch sits,
and a Crowne Plaza night in OKC.
On my five days of duty,
my company gave to me:
three different flight crews,
two ready-reserve couch sits,
and a Crowne Plaza night in OKC.
On my five days of duty,
my company gave to me:
four drives to Denver,
three different flight crews,
two ready-reserve couch sits,
and a Crowne Plaza night in OKC.
On my five days of duty,
my company gave to me:
five early show-times,
four drives to Denver,
three different flight crews,
two ready-reserve couch sits,
and a Crowne Plaza night in OKC!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Too Exhausted to Be Exhausted
Well...I should have knocked on more wood. Crew scheduling called last night and assigned me to a MSP turn with a 5:50AM showtime. So off to bed I went. I woke up to Greg gently shaking me and telling me that it was 3:20AM...HUH?!?! I set the alarm on my cell phone...but realized that I had set it for 4:10AM. WHAT?!?! Why the heck did I pick that time? I honestly don't know why I did that. Had Greg not woken me up, I would have either missed my trip or gotten a "late show" penalty. Thank you, sweetie!
Our flight to MSP was less than half-full and we were almost full on the return flight. The B flight attendant was #3 on the seniority list, and the A flight attendant was tall, like me! We all worked well together and I enjoyed the flights. There was a group of 7 women heading to Aspen - they had me take their picture and then they took my picture. There was another group - all family members traveling together - and they had an especially enjoyable time teasing me. It made the time go by quickly.
When I got back to DEN, crew scheduling had me sit on the couch for a couple hours because all the Noon - 6PM people were all being sent out on trips. Since I had been working since 5:50AM, there wasn't too much they could do with me, so they sent me home at 2PM. But before I left DIA, I took a "power nap" for 10 minutes so that I wouldn't fall asleep on the way home. Listening to lively CDs helped, too.
Once at home, my fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I vaguely remember sleeping for an hour or so on the couch at home, with Kodi licking my face and arms trying to get me to wake up and play! But it didn't work!
I am still on duty tomorrow, and I suppose that crew scheduling could give me another turn - but I sure hope they pass me by and let me just hang out at home and enjoy a day at home!
Our flight to MSP was less than half-full and we were almost full on the return flight. The B flight attendant was #3 on the seniority list, and the A flight attendant was tall, like me! We all worked well together and I enjoyed the flights. There was a group of 7 women heading to Aspen - they had me take their picture and then they took my picture. There was another group - all family members traveling together - and they had an especially enjoyable time teasing me. It made the time go by quickly.
When I got back to DEN, crew scheduling had me sit on the couch for a couple hours because all the Noon - 6PM people were all being sent out on trips. Since I had been working since 5:50AM, there wasn't too much they could do with me, so they sent me home at 2PM. But before I left DIA, I took a "power nap" for 10 minutes so that I wouldn't fall asleep on the way home. Listening to lively CDs helped, too.
Once at home, my fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I vaguely remember sleeping for an hour or so on the couch at home, with Kodi licking my face and arms trying to get me to wake up and play! But it didn't work!
I am still on duty tomorrow, and I suppose that crew scheduling could give me another turn - but I sure hope they pass me by and let me just hang out at home and enjoy a day at home!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Keep the Bags Packed!
My day off (Friday) was a bit hectic. I had errands to run, phone calls to make, and laundry to wash. I don't even remember all that I did. But it was all over too soon. At dinner that night with some friends, I received a call from crew scheduling telling me that I had been assigned to the A shift (6AM until noon) on the couch for Saturday morning. So back home and to bed I went.
The shift on Saturday went smoothly, and I was with my classmate Crystal and friend Michael. We had a nice time catching up and visiting, I worked on the internet, listened to my "In the Heights" soundtrack CD (I figured out why it wasn't working right) as I read along with the songbook. Crystal told me that I was singing out loud...oops. I didn't mean to do that. At least no one told me to shut up!
I got to go home after my shift, and then later that evening I found out that I had been assigned to a SLC turn and an OKC overnight with a showtime of 8AM on Sunday morning. I can't even remember that last time I was home and able to go to Church on Sunday. Oh well...
The good news was that I was going to be flying with one of my buddies, Darol, who I had never flown with - we had a really good time. The passengers, for the most part, were great! There was a guy in the back who liked my finger wagging when Darol said that smoking is not allowed on board - he asked me to repeat it as I was heading to the back of the plane...his wife said that he really enjoyed it the first time I did it too. I had another guy in the exit row who evidently was Mr. Know-it-All, and kept nodding his head during my safety briefing of the exit row. And then when we were landing, he kept wanting to close the exit door window shade, even though the other FA, Melissa, asked him twice to open it - the sun was in his eyes. Boo hoo hoo! I came along a second later and he still didn't open it. So I told him that if we have a landing emergency, he needs to be able to look out that window to see what is going on...he was rolling his eyes. Then I said "Think about the Hudson River landing, OK?" That seemed to get through to him that this is an important issue. Sheesh.
Today I got into Denver at around 7:40AM and got released to my 10 hours rest. So I went home. My rest period ended about a half hour ago, and so far *knocks on wood* I have not gotten an assignment for tomorrow...could I actually be able to stay home?!?!?
One problem I encountered was that my eBags roller bag handle broke! Greg fixed it for me, but we think it's just a temp fix because he says that there's a broken spring and a bent piece of metal. I called eBags, since this was my second one - I bought it in 12/08 - and they told me that they no longer carry roller bags!!! So, to honor their warranty, they issued me a full refund (less s/h). Not bad. But now I have to figure out which bags Frontier is recommending...i.e. getting discounts on. It's not the biggest problem ever encountered in life, but when you have to actually CARRY bags instead of rolling them, and it's 95 degrees and humid outside, it makes you want to drop everything and buy one of those cute polka dot roller bags in the airport gift shop!
The shift on Saturday went smoothly, and I was with my classmate Crystal and friend Michael. We had a nice time catching up and visiting, I worked on the internet, listened to my "In the Heights" soundtrack CD (I figured out why it wasn't working right) as I read along with the songbook. Crystal told me that I was singing out loud...oops. I didn't mean to do that. At least no one told me to shut up!
I got to go home after my shift, and then later that evening I found out that I had been assigned to a SLC turn and an OKC overnight with a showtime of 8AM on Sunday morning. I can't even remember that last time I was home and able to go to Church on Sunday. Oh well...
The good news was that I was going to be flying with one of my buddies, Darol, who I had never flown with - we had a really good time. The passengers, for the most part, were great! There was a guy in the back who liked my finger wagging when Darol said that smoking is not allowed on board - he asked me to repeat it as I was heading to the back of the plane...his wife said that he really enjoyed it the first time I did it too. I had another guy in the exit row who evidently was Mr. Know-it-All, and kept nodding his head during my safety briefing of the exit row. And then when we were landing, he kept wanting to close the exit door window shade, even though the other FA, Melissa, asked him twice to open it - the sun was in his eyes. Boo hoo hoo! I came along a second later and he still didn't open it. So I told him that if we have a landing emergency, he needs to be able to look out that window to see what is going on...he was rolling his eyes. Then I said "Think about the Hudson River landing, OK?" That seemed to get through to him that this is an important issue. Sheesh.
Today I got into Denver at around 7:40AM and got released to my 10 hours rest. So I went home. My rest period ended about a half hour ago, and so far *knocks on wood* I have not gotten an assignment for tomorrow...could I actually be able to stay home?!?!?
One problem I encountered was that my eBags roller bag handle broke! Greg fixed it for me, but we think it's just a temp fix because he says that there's a broken spring and a bent piece of metal. I called eBags, since this was my second one - I bought it in 12/08 - and they told me that they no longer carry roller bags!!! So, to honor their warranty, they issued me a full refund (less s/h). Not bad. But now I have to figure out which bags Frontier is recommending...i.e. getting discounts on. It's not the biggest problem ever encountered in life, but when you have to actually CARRY bags instead of rolling them, and it's 95 degrees and humid outside, it makes you want to drop everything and buy one of those cute polka dot roller bags in the airport gift shop!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Where in the World is Toes-in-the-Sky?
Being pumped up by the complimentary passenger on my MCI to DEN flight on Monday was an awesome feeling! But I had to bring my mind back down to reality and figure out if I should stay in Denver on Monday night, or if I could risk going back home...because I am on duty until Thursday night at midnight.
I kind of compromised. I did spend the night at my friends' house, but at around 1PM I decided that crew scheduling wasn't going to call (silly me) and I started driving back to COS. Well...guess what happened?!? They called right after I drove over Monument Hill and was heading into the Springs. By that point, Greg wasn't even going to be home, and I'd have only about 3 hours to spend at home, so I turned around and went back to my friends' house to freshen up, relax and then change into my uniform.
Little did I know that this would turn into a 4-day adventure. The call sent me out to a Detroit overnight - I replaced a flight attendant who called in sick from the trip. I had a good time working with the crew, and had wished that I could continue on their trip with them to Dayton. Well...when we reported to the Detroit airport yesterday morning, crew scheduling called and told me that I'd be doing a Dayton overnight when I got back to Denver! And yes...it was with the crew that I had just flown with. I had just emailed a suggestion to the Scheduling Committee asking if they could keep the current reserve on a trip instead of replacing them with someone off the couch - I'm wondering if they incorporated my suggestion, or if it was just a coincidence.
So now I'm in Dayton...but with a new B flight attendant (the one from the Detroit trip called in sick and was replaced with a reserve), and the Captain originally assigned to the trip came back (he must have called in sick for the Detroit overnight) - but we still all worked well together. We're in a Crowne Plaza in downtown Dayton, and if I ever get off the computer I'm going to walk around town a bit...but that's a big IF.
When we landed in Dayton last night, it was close to 1AM, and I tried to "wind down" for bed and finally got to sleep at around 2:30AM. For the past two evenings, leaving Denver has been a real pain - tons and tons of aircraft lined up on the runway waiting to take off - both evenings it took close to 30 minutes! All this is due to the big storms that have been rolling through Denver each afternoon, and to the fact that one runway is closed down for repaving.
I had an unaccompanied 14 year old minor - a boy - on my flight to Dayton, and boy...did he have an attitude! Sheesh. Sunglasses, pulled-down pants, smart mouth. I would have liked to have taught him a few manners! Instead, he gets seated next to a guy in his 20s with big holes in his ears, piercings and tattoos. They spent the entire flight engrossed in conversation. Something tells me that the kid is going to be getting his ears done soon! But the sad thing is that his Mom wasn't at the gate waiting to pick him up. I'm hoping that she was just outside security ... otherwise, that could explain some of the "attitude" I witnessed!
When I turned on my phone in Dayton, I had a message from crew scheduling assigning me to a Dallas overnight when I returned to Denver today. It'll be with a new crew, because this crew does a San Diego victory lap and then they're done. But I am still on duty through tomorrow - but this is great, cause now I know where I'm going and what I'm doing through all the days of this duty block!
I get Friday off, and then I start another five-day block of duty on Saturday. I hope it goes as smoothly as this block did...
I kind of compromised. I did spend the night at my friends' house, but at around 1PM I decided that crew scheduling wasn't going to call (silly me) and I started driving back to COS. Well...guess what happened?!? They called right after I drove over Monument Hill and was heading into the Springs. By that point, Greg wasn't even going to be home, and I'd have only about 3 hours to spend at home, so I turned around and went back to my friends' house to freshen up, relax and then change into my uniform.
Little did I know that this would turn into a 4-day adventure. The call sent me out to a Detroit overnight - I replaced a flight attendant who called in sick from the trip. I had a good time working with the crew, and had wished that I could continue on their trip with them to Dayton. Well...when we reported to the Detroit airport yesterday morning, crew scheduling called and told me that I'd be doing a Dayton overnight when I got back to Denver! And yes...it was with the crew that I had just flown with. I had just emailed a suggestion to the Scheduling Committee asking if they could keep the current reserve on a trip instead of replacing them with someone off the couch - I'm wondering if they incorporated my suggestion, or if it was just a coincidence.
So now I'm in Dayton...but with a new B flight attendant (the one from the Detroit trip called in sick and was replaced with a reserve), and the Captain originally assigned to the trip came back (he must have called in sick for the Detroit overnight) - but we still all worked well together. We're in a Crowne Plaza in downtown Dayton, and if I ever get off the computer I'm going to walk around town a bit...but that's a big IF.
When we landed in Dayton last night, it was close to 1AM, and I tried to "wind down" for bed and finally got to sleep at around 2:30AM. For the past two evenings, leaving Denver has been a real pain - tons and tons of aircraft lined up on the runway waiting to take off - both evenings it took close to 30 minutes! All this is due to the big storms that have been rolling through Denver each afternoon, and to the fact that one runway is closed down for repaving.
I had an unaccompanied 14 year old minor - a boy - on my flight to Dayton, and boy...did he have an attitude! Sheesh. Sunglasses, pulled-down pants, smart mouth. I would have liked to have taught him a few manners! Instead, he gets seated next to a guy in his 20s with big holes in his ears, piercings and tattoos. They spent the entire flight engrossed in conversation. Something tells me that the kid is going to be getting his ears done soon! But the sad thing is that his Mom wasn't at the gate waiting to pick him up. I'm hoping that she was just outside security ... otherwise, that could explain some of the "attitude" I witnessed!
When I turned on my phone in Dayton, I had a message from crew scheduling assigning me to a Dallas overnight when I returned to Denver today. It'll be with a new crew, because this crew does a San Diego victory lap and then they're done. But I am still on duty through tomorrow - but this is great, cause now I know where I'm going and what I'm doing through all the days of this duty block!
I get Friday off, and then I start another five-day block of duty on Saturday. I hope it goes as smoothly as this block did...
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Spontaneity is the Name of the Game...
There I was, sitting innocently on the couch, listening to another reserve complain how she had been assigned a turn to Kansas City at 3PM, after sitting the couch for six hours and then waiting around for another couple hours...so what did she do? She decided to call in sick.
Then what happened? The crewroom phone rings and it's for me. And guess what crew scheduling gave me...the turn to Kansas City at 3PM. That's when they told me the other flight attendant had just called in sick...and I was next in line. Lucky me! I did ask them what the heck was going on, and she said that they were running out of reserves, and they were having to send everyone out. It sounds to me like #1. they need to bring back the furloughed flight attendants and #2. they need to find out if this was a "sick out."
The best part of all this was that I was able to visit with my friend, Kelly for a few hours! It was so good to see her and catch up. She's also a good sounding board for me when I have "issues." So it was a very productive afternoon. She was being sent out on a 4-day trip - and she was exhausted. But she and I both agreed that there are usually reasons that we get assigned to the trips we get.
And that turned out to be SO TRUE. One of my fellow flight attendants and I talked and learned that both our daughters (both named Jennifer Marie) live in NYC and are in the design field. Her Jennifer is 25 and has a design business with her boyfriend who is a graphic designer. They do all kinds of design work - CD covers, etc. and have two interns working for them in three month shifts! So we exchanged information, and maybe one of these days my Jen can work for her Jen!
And even though I was exhausted, I made the best of it. I did my job well - I interacted with the passengers, made everyone comfortable, got everyone seated and bags stowed overhead so that we had on-time departures...and then when we arrived back in Denver, a guy walked by me and said "You are very good at what you do!"
All I'd like to say is "To the flight attendant who was so nasty to me on my last trip, please read the last sentence of the previous paragraph. And I have only one thing to say to you...Nanny nanny poo poo! :-P"
Then what happened? The crewroom phone rings and it's for me. And guess what crew scheduling gave me...the turn to Kansas City at 3PM. That's when they told me the other flight attendant had just called in sick...and I was next in line. Lucky me! I did ask them what the heck was going on, and she said that they were running out of reserves, and they were having to send everyone out. It sounds to me like #1. they need to bring back the furloughed flight attendants and #2. they need to find out if this was a "sick out."
The best part of all this was that I was able to visit with my friend, Kelly for a few hours! It was so good to see her and catch up. She's also a good sounding board for me when I have "issues." So it was a very productive afternoon. She was being sent out on a 4-day trip - and she was exhausted. But she and I both agreed that there are usually reasons that we get assigned to the trips we get.
And that turned out to be SO TRUE. One of my fellow flight attendants and I talked and learned that both our daughters (both named Jennifer Marie) live in NYC and are in the design field. Her Jennifer is 25 and has a design business with her boyfriend who is a graphic designer. They do all kinds of design work - CD covers, etc. and have two interns working for them in three month shifts! So we exchanged information, and maybe one of these days my Jen can work for her Jen!
And even though I was exhausted, I made the best of it. I did my job well - I interacted with the passengers, made everyone comfortable, got everyone seated and bags stowed overhead so that we had on-time departures...and then when we arrived back in Denver, a guy walked by me and said "You are very good at what you do!"
All I'd like to say is "To the flight attendant who was so nasty to me on my last trip, please read the last sentence of the previous paragraph. And I have only one thing to say to you...Nanny nanny poo poo! :-P"
Back to the Couch!
Well, life as I know it is back to normal. All our company has left - we had the in-laws for two weeks, Jen was home for three weeks, and my niece and nephew just left after being here almost a week. Jen's room (a.k.a. the guestroom) is looking pretty empty.
Today is day 1 of 5 days on duty, and I got assigned to the A shift on the couch at DIA. So, here I sit, on the ready, in case anyone needs my professional expert assistance pre-boarding an aircraft!
And I have already been called this morning, which provided tons of fun so early in the morning. I pre-boarded a 7:10AM flight to Las Vegas and had lots of excitement! I was the C flight attendant, so I got to ensure that everyone's stuff was stuffed into the overhead bins and under the seats.
Also, I got to deal with passengers unhappy with their seats...there was one woman in row 1 who was VERY upset because she recently had knee surgery and had booked herself in seat 1C so that she could keep her leg extended. BUT, "someone" had moved her from that seat and put her in 1A. She was highly and mightily upset! I pointed out to her that she would not be able to extend her leg into the aisle if she had an aisle seat - it would impede passenger egress and it would block our lovely carts going up and down the aisles. So she huffily said "Fine. I'll just sit here and if my knee gets messed up, I'll let the airline know!" Fortunately, I was able to convince two other passengers in row 2 to swap seats with her and her friend - after I explained to the woman that she'd be able to extend her leg under the seat in front of her. Crisis solved. I promised the two new Row 1 people free tv for being so kind, but I forgot to give it to them before I left the plane! Oops.
My second lovely experience was with a young 20s guy in row 16C. He was being "smart mouthy" with his Mom and Grandma, and as he was getting ready to sit, I told him to pull up his pants and that I didn't want to see his underwear (his entire butt was exposed). He told me that he'd show me what he wanted to! I told him that I didn't think so, and that he had better behave. He then plugged himself into his iPod and said "I'm tired of listening to your voice." In the meantime, his Mom and Grandma shushed him up. It's a good thing that I wasn't continuing on that flight...he might have tripped me!
And I just heard the story "behind" pulled-down pants (no pun intended). A co-worker just told me that it is a prison thing - guys wear their pants down if they're "available." Interesting...
Today is day 1 of 5 days on duty, and I got assigned to the A shift on the couch at DIA. So, here I sit, on the ready, in case anyone needs my professional expert assistance pre-boarding an aircraft!
And I have already been called this morning, which provided tons of fun so early in the morning. I pre-boarded a 7:10AM flight to Las Vegas and had lots of excitement! I was the C flight attendant, so I got to ensure that everyone's stuff was stuffed into the overhead bins and under the seats.
Also, I got to deal with passengers unhappy with their seats...there was one woman in row 1 who was VERY upset because she recently had knee surgery and had booked herself in seat 1C so that she could keep her leg extended. BUT, "someone" had moved her from that seat and put her in 1A. She was highly and mightily upset! I pointed out to her that she would not be able to extend her leg into the aisle if she had an aisle seat - it would impede passenger egress and it would block our lovely carts going up and down the aisles. So she huffily said "Fine. I'll just sit here and if my knee gets messed up, I'll let the airline know!" Fortunately, I was able to convince two other passengers in row 2 to swap seats with her and her friend - after I explained to the woman that she'd be able to extend her leg under the seat in front of her. Crisis solved. I promised the two new Row 1 people free tv for being so kind, but I forgot to give it to them before I left the plane! Oops.
My second lovely experience was with a young 20s guy in row 16C. He was being "smart mouthy" with his Mom and Grandma, and as he was getting ready to sit, I told him to pull up his pants and that I didn't want to see his underwear (his entire butt was exposed). He told me that he'd show me what he wanted to! I told him that I didn't think so, and that he had better behave. He then plugged himself into his iPod and said "I'm tired of listening to your voice." In the meantime, his Mom and Grandma shushed him up. It's a good thing that I wasn't continuing on that flight...he might have tripped me!
And I just heard the story "behind" pulled-down pants (no pun intended). A co-worker just told me that it is a prison thing - guys wear their pants down if they're "available." Interesting...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Mom Swap
On Monday, my sister accompanied her two kids on a flight from DCA to DEN using my buddy passes! I took over her Mommy duties, and then she attempted to use a buddy pass on my airline, as well as her flight benefits on her airline, to get back to DCA. But there were no seats available. So she ended up in New York City and spent the night with Jen...but didn't exactly assume my Mommy duties! She arrived at around 11PM, took Jen out to eat, then to a comedy club, then to an Irish bar. Jen didn't get back to her apartment until 5AM. I can't say I would have done the same - but my sister is younger, crazier, and was kid-free that night! More power to her!!!
In the meantime, I brought my sister's kids to our place in Breckenridge. The kids were pretty tired from their early morning flight, so we kind of sat around and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had hamburgers on the grill (thank you, Matthew!) and corn on the cob. The kids enjoyed the pool and lots and lots of cable TV!
Matthew and Natalie enjoying our deck at the cabin.
Natalie sipping on a full-strength Coke (aren't I a great aunt??!?).
Matthew (not wanting his picture taken) relaxing on the deck.
Yesterday, I took them to the top of Keystone Mountain via the gondola. Boy...did we notice the altitude! We walked around a bit, took some photos, did a wee bit of treasure hunting, and headed back down the mountain.
Matthew and Natalie with the North Peak of Keystone in the background.
Matthew and Natalie with Lake Dillon in the background.
Woo hoo! Natalie standing on snow!
Matthew standing on a snowpile. It'd be a bigger deal, I guess, if they came from somewhere that didn't have any snow...but Virginia is not one of those places!
Natalie on the gondola ride back to the River Run base area of Keystone.
Natalie and Matthew on the gondola ride back down Keystone Mountain.
I had to bribe the kids to get them to pose for this photo...the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was located just behind this cutout. We ate dessert before lunch!
After eating a lunch of grilled hamburgers (thanks again, Matthew!), we went to Breckenridge to walk around. I thought for sure that the stores, river, and/or scenery would be of interest to teen and a tween, but they didn't seem too enthused. So we drove up to Breck's alpine slide, and I was the one who wasn't too enthused - the last time I rode on that I left a lot of skin on the slide track. But had the kids wanted to ride on it, I would have sucked it up and gone. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be that interested in it (thank goodness!).
So, back to the cabin we went - where the kids had some pool time, some tv time, a dinner of soup and bread provided by "mi Zuppa," and then more tv time! At one point, Natalie came downstairs to watch the big tv because Matthew was making her watch a documentary about WWII on the little tv upstairs!
I need to relax and realize that vacations are supposed to be spent relaxing and rotting brains!!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Ya Win Some...Ya Lose Some!
Before we left OKC, we each got a call that we were no longer doing a Las Vegas turn. Instead, we were all assigned to a Seattle turn...the good thing is, that we'd be paid more at a Holiday Pay rate! Woo hoo!
But, the plane we were supposed to take was delayed by bad weather (a daily afternoon occurence in Denver it seems), and we didn't take off until around 8PM or so, and didn't make it back to Denver until 1:15AM. It was a long day.
It was made even longer by one of my co-workers who decided that I needed some "counseling" when we arrived in Seattle. It turns out she had been compiling a laundry list of things I had done and said to her during the trip and she let me have it with both barrels. When she finished, I was a bit shell-shocked. Was I really an unhappy, harsh, stiff, critical, nasty, boring rule-following, sexist, nail-biting, age-discriminator? Wow. I thought I knew myself better than that...
But, the plane we were supposed to take was delayed by bad weather (a daily afternoon occurence in Denver it seems), and we didn't take off until around 8PM or so, and didn't make it back to Denver until 1:15AM. It was a long day.
It was made even longer by one of my co-workers who decided that I needed some "counseling" when we arrived in Seattle. It turns out she had been compiling a laundry list of things I had done and said to her during the trip and she let me have it with both barrels. When she finished, I was a bit shell-shocked. Was I really an unhappy, harsh, stiff, critical, nasty, boring rule-following, sexist, nail-biting, age-discriminator? Wow. I thought I knew myself better than that...
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Manhattan Beach Revisited
On Thursday, I started a 3-day trip. We had an Omaha turn and a Los Angeles overnight. Unlike my most recent trips, this one has late shows - sleeping in (ahhhh) and storm delays (boooo). I actually got my butt out of bed yesterday morning so that I could take the trolley to Manhattan Beach for a couple hours before it was time to head back to the airport. Here are a few of the sights that I saw...
A kid dragging her sibling through the sand...
Beach bikes!
The bath house (watch out for old guys in Speedos...).
The pier.
The shoreline.
Fish tacos at Wahoo's - Delicious!!!
A sign of the times.
Lovely colors.
Cactus garden.
I'd move in today if they'd let me.
Another sign of the times?!?
Fish pond at the home of the witches.
Front door.
Just in case you couldn't see/hear the ocean.
These guys are hanging outside my hotel window serenading me!
A kid dragging her sibling through the sand...
Beach bikes!
The bath house (watch out for old guys in Speedos...).
The pier.
The shoreline.
Fish tacos at Wahoo's - Delicious!!!A sign of the times.
Lovely colors.
Cactus garden.
I'd move in today if they'd let me.Another sign of the times?!? Fish pond at the home of the witches.
Front door.
Just in case you couldn't see/hear the ocean.As usual, the overnight was too short. Next time I might explore the shops in Manhattan Beach (all very high-end), or maybe go to one of the malls that have trolley stops. Or maybe I'll just stay at the hotel pool and read a good book - a much cheaper option!
On the way back from Los Angeles, we encountered bad weather in Denver (of course) which delayed us about 20 minutes or so. Right after we landed as we are taxiing to the gate, a passenger rings their call button. I made the announcement to ring the call button again if there was an emergency... "Ding!" So I jump up from my seat, run to the row with the lit call button and ask "what is your emergency?" The guy in the aisle seat pointed to the girl in the window seat and said "She's got another flight to catch!" as the girl is holding up her next ticket. I looked at the two of them and calmly said "I'm sorry, but that is not an emergency!" I was incredulous. I got up at a time when I was supposed to be seated, just to find out that the girl had a connecting flight - as did 81 other passengers, too! I calmly told her that if we were late, chances are her next flight was delayed, too. Sheesh.
Also, a passenger had to check his guitar and it was put in the belly of the plane - it was in a semi-soft case. He asked the "C" flight attendant if he could have the guitar brought up to the jetway so that he could hand carry it to his next flight...unfortunately, that is against TSA rules. My question is "if the guitar is so important to this gentleman, why didn't he put it in a hard case?" Arrive at the airport...check brains along with luggage. Ka-ching!"
Our next flight was from DEN to Oklahoma City, where I am now (I am listening to the tornado warning siren, but don't see anything out my window...should I be worried?). This flight should have been a breeze...but we left an hour late due to weather delays in Denver. I did not get to meet the CPT or FO before the flight, because they were the last to arrive on the plane. I am now learning that early-morning show trips are better in the summer - you get to where you're going before the bad weather hits Denver! Live and learn.
These guys are hanging outside my hotel window serenading me!But I had a very nice evening planned at my hotel - one of my former classmates, Janel, from my flight attendant training now lives in Oklahoma City as she attends training to become an Air Traffic Controller! Her boyfriend, Jared, happened to be in town too, so the two of them came to my Crowne Plaza (it sounds so nice to say it) hotel room with a few beers in hand, and we spent a couple hours catching up! It was SO GOOD to chat with Janel - she was one of my buddies in class, and I was devastated to see her leave several months ago. It was also good to chat with Jared - I had never really spoken with him. Really nice guy!
Now it's back to Denver for us - on a Lynx flight! Then we'll have a couple hour sit in Denver and then fly a turn to Las Vegas. If everything stays on schedule (which I doubt because of the afternoon storms), we'll be flying back to Denver during the time that fireworks are going off across the country...it could be an interesting thing to see!
Happy 4th of July!
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