train wrecks

Have you ever felt like you are watching a verbal train wreck? Last night I attended a friend of mine's Christmas party and witnessed two train wrecks. During the fist situation I was simply a bystander. We were all standing around talking and this guy was trying to flirt pretty hard core with another girl. He kept putting his foot in his mouth by saying such gender stereotypes about women and hinting that he thought this girl fell under those stereotypes. Now he has meet her a couple times, but doesn't really know much about her. In my opinion, he was basing most of his thoughts on the way she looked and presented herself. He would make such arrogant statements and kept offending her, but thinking his statements were valid. He said he was 29, but I think he was acting like a 17 year old. Simply because she is a cute blonde, doesn't mean he should assume she is an airhead. She is a very smart woman with a good job and in my opinion she is totally out of his league. I rather enjoyed seeing him put his foot in his mouth over and over again.

Later on in the night I was able to see a train wreck fist hand. Just a little back story on the party, most attendees were married or in committed relationships so being a single female, I was in the minority. My fiend had told me about this one guy who was coming that was recently single. She said he was a pilot that we worked with and lived in the neighborhood. She said he was a nice guy but seemed to display some gay traits so she wasn't sure but thought maybe his eccentric tendencies could be explained by him being a metro sexual. He was one of the first guests to arrive and I tried to make small talk with him, but he didn't seem very interested. Later in the evening this couple and a "Scottsdale Lite" (Now I'm stereotyping but typically this means possible botox/boob job, lots of money she also appeared to be a bit of a cougar)and from the minute she walked in he was glued to her for the rest of the night. It was rather humorous to watch especially when she was leaving and they did the exchange phone numbers dance. Later in the evening I happened to be standing near him, so I started a conversation. Very general, not too depth, but somehow he asked me how much longer I thought I was going to keep flying. I immediately answered probably another twenty years or so and he said Why? I quickly responded, well how long do you think that you will keep flying and he said till they make me retire. I asked why should it be any different for me. He said that THIS JOB was never meant for a career. I explained that I love this job for the flexibility and the ability to have as much time off as I needed when I have children some day. I strongly believe that some flight attendants are able to spend more time with their children even with flying then I would with a 9-5 Monday through Friday job where Id barely be home in time to feed the kids and put to bed. I thought of all people, he as a pilot would understand. I was so offended, but totally called him out and boy did that feel good. I am so sick of people thinking that once we have kids, that we have to stop flying. Did we somehow morph back to the 50's? Now don't get me wrong, it will be tough especially right now when I have no senority and can't even hold a set schedule, but it's not impossible. Shortly after I defended myself, I excused myself from the conversation. I think what frustrated me the most was that he didn't see anything wrong with his point of view and didn't apologize for making himself look like a arrogant chauvinistic pig. Just wait till we fly together one day and he needs to use the Lav, he just might have to hold it till we land.

Niagra Falls

I had a fantastic four day trip this week which included a 32 hour layover in Toronto. I have always wanted to drive to Niagra Falls, but have never had a long enough layover that wasn't in the middle of the winter. This time I was determined to make the trip with or without my crew. Unfortunately I had a very lame crew who were fuddy dudds and didn't have any desire to make the quick trip. I had thought about going on one of the casino trips to the falls for a cheap ride and prevent a rental car. I missed one bus by minutes and the next one wasn't for an hour, so I had time to check out the price of a rental car. Lucky for me I was able to get a great price on a rental from Avis (right across the street). I called my fellow flight attendants and Ted decided to go along for the venture. Now I need to tell you about my co-worker Ted. He is 76 years old and still working full time as a flight attendant. He was very nice and pleasant to be around, reminded me of my grandfather. On the hour drive to the Falls, he told me story after story after story. I politely listend waiting for him to get to the point of the story and sometimes it never happened. Well we finally made the trip to the falls, and it was amazing! It was a beautiful day the sun was shinning, and I barely needed a jacket. A beautiful rainbow loomed above and I really wanted to search for the pot of gold at the end. At one point there was even two rainbows above the falls. We got pretty wet standing above the falls, but I was able to get a couple great photo's.

skydiving

My friend Erin decided last year on her birthday that she wanted to go skydiving before she turned 30. So this week was her 30th birthday we drove to Eloy on Monday only to find out that it was too windy to jump. We were all really bummed, but rescheduled for Sunday. So Sunday we again made the trek to Eloy, and this time we were successful. Erin and I requested the cutest instructors and camera men and Linnette asked for the craziest ones. My instructor or guy holding my life in his hand was Adam. And I have no clue as to the name of my camera guy cause I was too nervous when he told me and couldn't quite understand him with his accent. We signed our life away and watched a video on Monday so Sunday we were able to just roam around before it was time to get strapped up and ready to go. This was a bit scary as every couple minutes, more jumpers where coming out of the sky...the anticipation growing in the pit of my stomach. OMG am I really doing this? Or is this just a crazy dream? I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Adam introduced himself and started getting me set up for the jump. He gave me some instructions and said not to worry cause he would tell me it all over again before we jumped. Then we were all geared up and ready to go jump out of a perfectly good airplane. We climbed into a trailer and then transported to the runway. Adam and I were first on the plane and thus also the last ones to jump out of the packed plane. I watched as we gained altitude and didn't really get nervous until it was time to start scooting to the edge of the plane. Erin was the first to jump, then Linnette and finally my turn. I didn't really have a chance to even breathe before we were at the edge and out the plane. Then we were falling faster and faster, I was so excited that I screamed and screamed and screamed. One of our friends said he could hear me screaming all the way on the ground. We jumped out at 13,000 ft and he could hear me screaming from the ground. I'm glad that the camera man didn't record sound on my video because all it would be is me screaming and yelling OMG! Almost every picture my mouth is wide open cause I'm screaming. Surprisingly I wasn't screaming because I was scared but out of excitement. It felt like forever before he pulled the shoot, but I think it was only a minute or so. It was so exhilarating and time seemed to go in slow motion. Once Adam pulled the parachute, it was so quiet and peaceful. Adam asked if I wanted to have some fun and so we did tricks all the way down. Landing was pretty easy and left me wanting to jump back in the plane and do it all over again. Shortly after landing, our photo's and video were ready. The whole experience was over so quickly and left me wanting more. I'd love to jump again, but I'm not ready to go solo anytime soon(if ever). Here are some of the pictures from my jump.

Life never goes as planned

My heart is crushed because I just found out that my dream of buying my very own house has died. Long story short I helped my sister with some loans for college by co-signing and now due to those loans I can't be approved for a house loan. I thought it was going to be a simple process of her consolidating her loans and taking me out of the picture. However with the economy the way it is, this isn't an option. I have great credit and without her debt I would be approved for a respectable amount that right now could buy an awesome house. I had been looking at all these houses online and mentally decorating my new place. I was getting so excited about the possibility of having my OWN place and affording it ALL ON MY OWN! Being a single woman, making little money, I never thought this would have been an option by myself. Sure I thought that some day when Mr Right and I got married, we would eventually buy a house together. As a single woman, I was ecstatic to have the ability to achieve this statue by myself. Now I am so upset because I was going to be a self sufficient woman and achieve home ownership all on my own. I feel like not only am I missing a great opportunity for an investment in my future, but also I'm stuck in limbo. If I look at the other spectrum maybe all of these obstacles are being placed there for a reason, maybe I would be making a huge mistake purchasing a home. What if I loose my job? What if I want to be carefree and take off, this would trap me here. Sometimes I wish I could just get a glance at that crystal ball or the key to the choose your own adventure books so I could have an idea as to where each decision is going to take me. Well I have no idea as to what I am supposed to do, but I welcome the adventure and hope for the best.

The joys of sitting hot!

Sitting standby at the airport can be so much fun! It seems unreal that I am paid basically $8.50 for five fun filled hours of good old airport appreciation time. I usually end up spending more than I make due to sheer boredom. Here are some of the things I will do on a "hot" shift to kill the time.

1. Search the internet for a couple hours. (Unless the wireless internet isn't working which happens often)
2. Watch a movie or two or three. We have a tv room and recently they added a dvd player. Now if they would only upgrade the 1970's couches to something a bit more comfortable or is that asking way too much?
3. Eat. Normally I'm really good at eating out of my lunchbox, but for some reason the food I brought is never as good as the temptations in the airport. I guess on a normal trip I don't have five hours to contemplate if it will be Chilli's or Paradise bakery. After all I deserve a hot meal every now and then.
4. Sleep. It would be nice if we had an actual sleep room, but we don't so if you can manage to tune the complaining fa's out or turn your ipod up to dangerous decibls you might be able to knock out an hour or two by sleeping.
5. Read a book. I've found that I can't concentrate in a room full of distractions so if I want to read, I have to find a quiet place which doesn't really exist in this airport.
6. Walk around the airport. I get a sheer joy out of walking around and then laughing at passengers. Sometimes I'm laughing as they run through the airport frantically trying to make connections or just their plain stupididty.....Why does it seem that people check their brains when they go through the metal detector? Sometimes I feel like I have this magnetic pull to passengers that seem to want to stop right in front of me.
7. Spend money: Many gift shops, tempting pastries and coffee at starbucks, books and cards in the book store, plus the $10 place always has some enticing jewlery calling my name.
8. Call people. I enjoy catching up with friends and family, but only if I can find a private place as to not disturb others. I get so annoyed with people who are so loud on their phones and show no respect for others who might be subjected to their phone conversations.


Well I'm two hours in and now I'm going to kill some time by eating. What temptation will call my name today? Only three hours to go....

UMM can I get a sheet?

Either I have been working way too much and my patience is thin or people are just jerks.

Lately I have getting the most cranky and crazy people on my flights. I must have this signal telling people to be nasty to me or ask me stupid questions. Last week I worked this flight to Vegas and all the passengers hated me for some unknown reason. One lady with her three kids had her lap child laying in a bassinet on the tray table. I kindly explain that she is not allowed to have the baby on the tray table and she looks at me and says "well what if I drop my baby while I am sleeping?" Like this is my problem and who the hell drops their baby? Then another passenger later in the flight asks me for a blanket. I explain to her that it will cost $7 and she says fine. When I got to the galley where we keep the nap sack, I forgot and started talking to my co-workers. A half hour later another passenger requests a nap sack and I realize I forgot to take the nap sack to the previous passenger. Rushing up I apologize for my mistake and she tells me that she no longer wants to purchase. "So you don't want the blanket?" "No I waited 2 hours and I can stick out the rest of the flight" Then twenty minutes later she begrudgingly asks my co-worker to purchase it if she promises it won't take her two hours to bring it back to her. Ok lady it wasn't two hours try thirty minutes and if you were that uncomfortable, get off your butt and come back and ask for one or ring your call button. I know I made a mistake but she had no right to be such a bitch about things. Later in the flight she asked for a beverage (even though we had just finished going through the cabin but she was sleeping) I refrained from telling her it might take me 2 hours to get back to her. Then my last conflict with a passenger on our flight to Vegas happened with a first class passenger. I happened to be in the front of the cabin when Mr 4a rings his call button. I ask him if I can get him something and he tells me no just tell Nick (the first class flight attendant) that I need him when he has a second. WTF why can't he just ask me for whatever it is that Mr 4a needs? Nick comes up and gets him his meal then decides he needs to kill some time hanging out in the flight deck. (Its a long ass flight and everyone is sleeping) I hang out up front while Nick is in the flight deck in case anyone needs anything. I decided to stop by and see if Mr 4a wants me to take his food tray away. He tells me no, then a minute later when Nick gets back he immediately takes his tray and is told "Can you tell your crew members to stop bothering me" WTF I was just trying to help am I not good enough to take your trash. Mind you all of this happened on the same flight and only to me...I was working with three other crew members and only I get the crazies?

Now today I just flew from Vegas to Orlando and had another batch of mean crazy passengers. The one that really takes the cake is when a passenger asks me for a blanket and I again explain that its not free and she just stares at me and asks well do you have sheets then? Ya absolutely we charge for the blankets but the sheets they are free. WTF who are these crazy people, I want summer to be over so all of those non frequent fliers will leave and my seasoned travelers will be occupying my aircraft. Thank goodness I have a whole 32 hours before I have to get back on a plane with these crazy people.

I'm keeping my job for now atleast

After careful consideration I decided to not take the voluntary leave and let fate decide if I was going to be furloughed anyway. Luck will have it that I was saved and able to keep my job. Unfortunately about 180 of my co-workers were not as lucky and will loose their jobs at the end of July. I feel really bad for my co-workers and hope for some form of hail Mary from the Union.

So I guess for right now I will continue my working frenzy (between the two jobs) and hopefully I don't get too burnt out. Now the big question: do I go back to the possibility of buying a house or condo? Or will I be close to getting layed off in six months. I won't be so lucky if they do another round of furloughs considering I am about 18 people from the bottom.

Changes

So I found out about a week ago that I might be loosing my job effective August. US Airways is laying off 300 flight attendants in PHX and LAS and if they don't get enough volunteers, I will be involuntary furloughed. I need around 93 flight attendants above me to volunteer and then I would be the most junior reserve flight attendant in PHX. This got me thinking as to what I would do during my time off. I could be out for as little as 4 months to 16 months or indefinitely. I have been flying for over 6 years but unfortunately only about 3 here which is why my job is in jeopardy. My fist reaction was crap what in the world am I going to do? This puts a huge road block in my plans to buy a house or condo...even if I made the cut, how long will that last? Could I loose my job in six months? I can't in good faith buy a property with the chance of loosing my income. So then I got to thinking about the possibility of teaching English in a foreign country for a year. If I volunteer I get to keep my seniority and longevity during my time off. If I don't volunteer and manage to keep my job, I would never be able to get any day off that I might need thus making my life pretty miserable. I'm not sure if I can handle another four years of reserve without some type of break. After doing some research, I think that South Korea would be my best bet because they pay the best and have a low cost of living. Many past teachers have reported saving $10,000-15,000 during the year...how awesome would that be to have a huge savings account when I come back home.

I will have to quit RedLobster before I am laid off so that I can collect unemployment until I start teaching. I plan on taking the month of August off and do a bit of traveling around the states to visit my friends and family that I have neglected over the past year due to my second job and lack of time to travel.

I am scared to death to take this huge step, but I think in my heart this is the right decision. I am so stressed and hope that this is the right choice. I think this could be an awesome opportunity to travel to a part of the world I have never been plus experience a new culture. If anyone has any information on agencies they recommend, please let me know.

Trips in May

I took three trips in May for vacation and had a blast. First stop was Puerto Vallarta Mexico with Erin and Sara. We were a bit nervous about the swine flu scare but had a fantastic time at our all inclusive resort. It was nice to relax and enjoy some much needed sun and drinks with some great friends. (I am already ready for a repeat trip)

Next stop was Vegas with my brother and Dad for my birthday. It was a bunch of fun even though I didn't win (but didn't loose too much). Al even treated me to see Pen and Teller for my bday. I love Vegas and going with my family was such a treat!

Then we had Katie's graduation festivities at ASU. It was such a hot day, but we escaped the heat by staying in the concession stand area. The President gave a very eloquent speech and was worth the long wait in the heat. We had her real commencement the next day and went out to dinner to celebrate. I am so proud of Katie now hopefully she can get a job.

Later that week, Katie and I set off to Zurich Switzerland via Philly. We had a bit trouble getting on the flights and ended up missing our connection forcing us to stay in Philly. On the plus side, Katie had never been to Philly, so I was able to show her around the city. The next day we boarded a really open flight (we each had our own row) to Zurich. We arrived on Monday and found our way to a hostel with only a few wrong turns. We changed and headed out to see the city...turns out that all of the museums where closed because it was Monday. We finished our tour of the city by 1 and had no idea as to what to do for the rest of the day. We made the fatal mistake of taking a nap and so we were a bit jet lagged the rest of the trip. On the plus side we found four H&M's within walking distance and heck ya we went into each and every one. We decided to head out of Zurich the next morning and head to Interlaken. Wow it was an amazing scenic trip and we loved Interlaken. We took a bus, three trains, and three gondolas to get to the top of the mountain. Wow what a view it was breathtaking. I don't think any picture could do it justice. After two days in Interlaken, we went to Lucern for a last stop before heading home. Even though it was a really quick trip, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed Switzerland and its beauty.

Going back to work was rather challenging and I'm already ready for my next trip.

tap tap tap tap

I am in PDX and wake up in confusion...

OMG...what is that sound? Is someone locked out of their room and trying to wake the person up to let them in? Why isn't the noise stopping? Seriously what is going on its 7am and I just went to bed 5 hours ago...I still need to sleep and the noise will not end...UGH!

After 15 minutes of constant tapping or knocking, I finally call the front desk to have them send up someone to investigate the issue. I am certain some maniac is trying to brake down a door. I have already glanced in the hallway through my peephole and can't see anyone, but surely this must be the reason for the disturbance. The front desk lady chuckles and informs me the noise is coming from their friendly woodpecker....WTF. Apparently they have a woodpecker who visits their hotel and they can't do anything about it because its an endangered animal.

I was so frustrated but luckily after I called, the bird stopped for about two hours and then like clockwork came back about every hour or two for about 20 minutes. Next time I will request a room as far away from the woodpecker as possible. Moral of the story you may think its a maniac trying to break down your neighbors door when its simply satin in the form of a bird.

What number are you?

I am in ABQ for the second time this month and I don't really mind the overnight my favorite part is the gym that is behind the hotel. It's an actual gym people pay money for and we get to go for free. They have awesome equipment and weights plus a pool. I think its ingenious that the hotel only has 10 channels thus enticing you to make a trip to the gym for a plethora of channel selections. I spent about two hours watching some Law and Order and burning those calories on the elliptical and treadmill. I did use some restraint and avoided the sonic up the street.

Now my biggest pet peeve about this hotel is the bed. Some might think that a sleep number bed would be perfect because you can pick how hard or soft you want your bed. Genius idea however these beds suck and feel like you are sleeping on an air mattress. The first couple times I had a sleep number bed I would spend half the night trying to find my number....I would end up waking up sleep deprived and with a back ache. I have resigned to just leaving it alone at least this way I won't be sleep deprived and have a back ache.

If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend doing so immediately. I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie. Spoiler alert...In the movie the main character's daughter goes on a European trip with her friend. Two young girls talk to this guy in the Taxi line and end up sharing a cab. The whole thing was a setup and the guy arranges their kidnapping and sell into a sex trade. The idea that it was so easy for this man to find out so much about the girls in such a short amount of time without sending any red flags. Its frightening how easy a target they were and I could really see a similar situation happening in any country. I'd like to think that I am pretty conscious of my surroundings and what situation I may be putting myself into, but those girls had no clue.

possible new camera

Here is the camera I am thinking of buying for my birthday present from both my parents and myself. What do you think? It also comes in pink, but I think I've settled on the blue.

Computer malfunction

My computer has been resurrected from the depths of virus HE**. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I tried everything in my power to fix the problem on my own and unfortunately was unsuccessful. I did luck out and my parents were having a computer genius fix their computer problems and he showed me what needed to be done for mine. Lucky me his advise worked and I am now up and running. I am so excited to have a working computer once again. I felt completely lost without facebook, bank monitoring, blog checking, and many other Internet luxuries.

I am currently purchasing a new anti-virus and hope to not have another crippling virus. Plus I plan on backing up all of those important files and pictures that I have yet to back up. Next time I will be better prepared for that little bug. I always thought I was cautious but even I can get fooled and tricked. Beware of anything that says A 360...that is the one that caused me such problems.

Free as a bird

Today was a beautiful day here in the valley of the Sun. It reached about 80 degrees and was perfect time for outdoor activities. When I got home I threw on some sneakers and headed out for a run/jog/walk. Instead of listening to my normal run mix, I decided to put the Ipod on shuffle. My goal was to jog as far as I could without stopping, and I succeeded in jogging about two miles (I'm not sure the exact mileage might have to drive my car the route and check, but I believe it was 2-3 miles). Each time I take this route I've made it further and further without stopping. Today I altered the route in search of a park. I had this incredible urge to go on the swings. Just thinking about the swings brought back wonderful childhood memories. I really enjoyed pumping my legs back and forth to get higher and higher as the wind breezed through my hair. I felt like I was soaring through the clouds with no worries, concerns or stress. I loved this feeling of peace, contentment, joy, and freedom. Any time I am feeling stressed out I am going to my "Happy Place" on the swings. I'm not sure if I am feeling so great because I am finally feeling like my head is above water (bills,etc) or if I've found that sense of peace that has been hidden for way too long. Whatever the reason, I am glad to have this feeling and plan to return to the swings anytime I feel my body drifting away.

Waste or not?

Let me explain first off as all of you know I am single and fly the friendly skies. I've always had this fantasy of meeting the man of my dreams on flight and so I always keep my eyes open. Today I had the pleasure of meeting this cutie, Chris on my flight to Boston. Now from our quick conversation I figured out he is probably a bit younger than I would consider dating but I flirted anyway. We chatted about why he was heading to Boston and where he lived and what he did for a living. I won't bore you with the details, but I was intrigued and hoping to find out more. I bought him a beverage on the flight and hoped that maybe he would come to the bathroom and start another conversation, but unfortunately the one time he went to the loo, I was up front. Then I was hoping he would stop on his way out and ask if I wanted to have dinner or drinks or something because he knew I was just in for the night and he was too. I had even written my phone number on a napkin and had it ready in my pocket in case he asked, but nope either he was too chicken or maybe he has a girlfriend. I get so frustrated when I put myself out there then nothing comes out of it...is it a waste of a good flirt or not? I guess practice makes perfect and if the guy was interested he would have found any way to get my number. Well Chris you missed out! Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

Coincidence or destiny...

So today of all days I was called this morning to fly to Boston for an overnight. I haven't been to Boston in over six months and in two and a half years this was going to be my second long Boston layover. I was pleased with the trip because it was only one flight each day and relatively easy, plus Boston is such a fun city to explore. When I landed I had a txt message from Tobi and a voice message from my mother telling me that Tobi had just arrived in Boston.
(Tobi is a foreign exchange student from Germany that lived with my for a year back in 2000 (?))
Tobi and I are planning on meeting up for dinner. I'm glad he txt my mom today and not tomorrow because I would have already left. This is just too bizarre to be a coincidence I feel like destiny sent me here. I'm looking forward to catching up with Tobi.

I just paid off my car!

Wow what an accomplishment I officially own my HONDA CIVIC. I still had about a year left of payments but with my extra job, I've finally been able to save some money to pay in full. I wasn't really planning on paying it off right now but in a month or so, but I accidentally hit a button on the computer and BAM...car is paid off. The only debt I currently have is my student loans, what a great feeling. Now my goal is to save some money to have as a down payment on a condo or something. I talked to this girl at work yesterday and she told me her parents bought a condo for 38,000. They put 7,000 down and her mortgage and home owners bill will amount to only 300 a month...I could even afford that amount.

No more selling drinks

As of March 1st we will not have to sell non-alcholic beverages! I have mixed emotions on this news...1) I've been enjoying not having to work so much on the flights 2) I've read a bunch more books since we started selling stuff 3)The company has been making a ton of $ and people have stopped complaining. On the other side of the coin, it could be nice to feel like I'm not nickle and diming people. (Sometimes I felt like I should charge them for ice...because surely that was going to be the next step). From a PR perspective I think the company is stupid, their reputation has already suffered and I don't think stopping now will help in the eyes of our consumers. I don't think the public will easily forget. And my biggest problem is that they should have waited till they were ready to implement to make any announcement becasue peopele want the free drinks now, not in a week.

Well I guess I will have to go back to working and not get as much of my reading done...lol.

Weight loss update

I am so excited I finally steped on the scale today and am happy to report I've lost a total of 8 lbs since the begining of the year. I was a little scared to weigh myself after my vacation because I didn't eat all that well and kinda skipped the exercising. I did work forty hours at my part time job the past couple days and ran around like a mad women and had no time to eat. I plan to start working out now that I'm back into a semi schedule. Hopefully I will continue to succeed and achieve my goal.

Vacation Recap

So my vacation is officially over...boo hoo. I go back on call on Sunday with the airline and have already been back to work at my part time job. I had a great time visiting my friends and family and am a bit sad to go back to work that is unless they send me to see more friends or family.

I started my week long tour heading to Atlanta to visit Julie and her family. Her daughter Vivien is 18 months old and I really enjoyed spending time with her. I was lucky enough to get to babysit her while Julie was at work and we had the best time reading books and playing. She is so smart and has just the cutest personality. I always enjoy staying with the Blonk family because I feel like one of the family. I hope to visit again soon because Vivy is just changing too much too quickly.

The second stop was Orlando to visit my cousin Colleen. I had a lot of trouble catching a flight because it was a holiday weekend and everyone else decided to take a getaway to Florida for the Daytona 500. I eventually had to fly to Philly and then to Orlando and arrived 12 hrs later. Unfortunately I missed Friday's Happy hour, but was glad to visit my cousin. The weekend consisted of a trip to see "He's just not that into you" (LOVED IT SEE PREVIOUS POST), Blue Man Group (SO GOOD), and a bit of shopping.


I left Orlando on Monday morning and since the flights were all full, I decided to fly to DC and visit Al. He was off Monday so I managed to convince him to take me to an H&M so I could use the gift card he gave me for Christmas. I love this store and manage to score some great new stuff. We went to dinner in downtown Alexandria and had some ok food (Al liked his, mine stunk). It was a quick visit, but nice to catch up with Al whom I hadn't seen since Christmas.
I flew home Tuesday morning and had dinner with some of my DZ friends at California Pizza Kitchen.
The trip went by supper quick, but I really enjoyed seeing everyone and taking some time off of both jobs. I really needed a little boost to keep me motivated in juggling both jobs.

"He's just not that into you"

This weekend my cousin and I went to see "He's just not that into you" and I really enjoyed the movie. The cast had so many big named people and in my opinion was really well scripted. Although Bradley Cooper was not a good guy in this movie, I have found my new crush. His eyes just make me melt...and his smile is just contagious.

I read the book before the movie and it has been a huge insight into the way that I look at dating. Although we as women try to make excuses for why he hasn't called or whatever other excuse we make for his actions, I think the concept is accurate if he is into you, he will do whatever it takes to be in contact or try to see you.

I hope that other women and men will see this movie and understand that if the person you like doesn't make an effort to see or contact you, he or she is just not intrested and you should save your time and energy and move on.

I'm on Vacation

Yah! I am on vacation from my job at the airlines for 17 days! I do have to work at my part time job for part of the time, but am planning a fun little getaway to visit some friends and family.

First little getaway was the Grand Canyon...see previous post for details.

Next up is Atlanta to visit Julie, Sean, and the lovely miss Vivvy. I will stay with the Blonk family and get to spend some time with the cute little one who has grown so much since my last visit. The one major downside to having a part time job, I haven't had any time to visit any family or friends on my days off since I don't have any.

I plan to jet to Orlando for "Kill Cupid" or "Valentine's" weekend as the rest of you refer to it, to spend with my also single cousin. Many drinks will be had and a viewing of "He's just not that into you" will be a must on the agenda.

I'm planning a girls night with some DZ friends in the Valley before heading back to my part time job and then unfortunately back to flying. This Vacation will be the first in almost 6 years where I have not left the country. I am a bit sad about this fact, but still very excited to see my friends and family. Hey maybe I'll make a Mexico run just to meet the quota...lol.

Keys locked in the trunk

My cousin is visiting AZ for the first time and so I decided to take him up to the Grand Canyon . On the drive up, we decided to stop and do some hiking in Sedona. We hiked a pretty easy trail and really enjoyed the beautiful views. I almost lost my keys on the hike and joked to my cousin how he was never going to make it to the Grand Canyon because we were going to have to spend the whole time searching for my keys in the dessert. Luckily I didn't drop them on our hike and we headed on the scenic route to Flagstaff. We stopped at the Canyon Creek overview and had our lunch. FYI it was a bit chilly with some snow on the ground. I handed my cousin the keys because I was going to the bathroom. As I headed to the car, he was headed towards me. I asked him, "What, change your mind and want to make a pit stop before the long drive?" He says "No, you won't believe this, but I just locked the keys in the trunk." I responded, "Ya right, funny joke, hand me the keys I'm cold and we need to get moving if we are going to get there before sunset." Well it turns out he really did lock the keys in the trunk. We were lucky and the overview had some vendors who had a phone number for a locksmith. About 20-30 mins later we were rescued by the locksmith who spent all of maybe 1 min to unlock my car and earned a whopping $75...wow I wish I could make $75 for about a one minute job.

We didn't let this ruin our trip and were able to get to the Grand Canyon in time for sunset. It was just as beautiful as I remember, but really cold this time of year. We stayed the night and did a bit more driving through the Grand Canyon before heading back to Phoenix.

Not sure if my cousin is going to want to return to PHX because besides locking my keys in the car he also lost his debit card. I told him it could be worse, you could be in a third world country and loose your debit card. My mom advised him to make sure he doesn't lose his license or he might have to drive back to Nebraska, lol. I'll post some photographs of our adventure soon.

Employee of the Month

Tonight I just found out at my part time job I was awarded the Employee of the month for December. Wow barely four months and I'm already Employee of the month, I've been with the airline for two and a half years and not sure they even know I exist...LOL. Now one might wonder what someone gets for being Employee of the month and am pleased to tell you that I will recieve a free dinner and my name goes on a plaque in our restaurant.

How long is too long to wait for the "World's Greatest Pizza"?

My mother had been wanting to try this restaurant Pizzeria Bianco which she had read many rave reviews and had been wanting to try for a couple years. We had attempted to go a couple times, but after hearing the wait was four or more hours and even then we might not get to eat...we always ended up somewhere else. Last Saturday, we were determined to finally stick it out and wait. We arrived around 4:45, and had to wait about a half hour to put our name on the list. We were told that we would get inside around 9:25-9:45....OMG I think my dad is going to blow a gasper when he hears this news he was already complaining about being hungry. They told us we could leave but you have to call and check in every hour to keep your place on the list. We decided to go across the street and get some appetizers and drinks while we waited. I can't imagine waiting in the summer because the heat would just be too unbearable, but we enjoyed a nice cool but not too cold evening. Although we had a bit of a disaster with the cold or non-existent appetizers, we had a nice chat and enjoyed the atmosphere. Eventually we moved in front of the restaurant and chatted with the various other waiting guests. It seemed like every time someone would come and talk to us, that would ensure they would be soon let inside. Finally at 9:30 our name was called and we were able to go inside. By this time we were all starving and didn't need any time to decide what we were going to order. On a side note...my mom was all excited when she found out they had bottled coke and ordered a diet coke to find out that they only have coke because Chris Bianco, the owner, only drinks coke so he doesn't feel the need to stock any other options. We ordered four pizza's and were served quickly. I really liked the "Verde Bianco" and the other ones were pretty good too. All the pizza's are homemade by the owner and he makes each one personally. The restaurant itself is really small the capacity would be about 40 or 50 max. I really enjoyed the food, but not sure it was really worth the four and a half hour wait. I think next time I would get their a bit earlier and plan on making it a night. Plus I would have one person wait in line and the others grab a table inside the bar located next door because by the time we tried to get a table they were all gone. Plus make sure you have a late lunch so your not ready to eat your own hand...lol. And you can also ride the light rail so you don't have to pay for parking...another story altogether...or have to drive home after many bottles of wine.

http://cityguide.aol.com/phoenix/restaurants/pizzeria-bianco/v-101795934

http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/index2.html

A day of Hope for our future...

January 20, 2009, will be a day that has forever touched my heart. Not only is this the day my grandfather celebrated his 80th birthday, it is also the day the first African American man was sworn in as the President of the United States of America. My brother was lucky enough to witness such a momentous occasion, he had many trials and tribulations to reach his sought after spot on the lawn of the Capitol (to hear his account check out his blog: http://alcaniglia.tumblr.com/ ).

I imagine the energy of the crowd and the hopefulness in each man women and child attending such a historic day. As I sit at home watching history take place, I felt a tremendous sense of hope and excitement for the coming years. I feel we have been stuck in this black hole and we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel. I am hopeful for this new chapter in our lives and I understand things won’t change overnight. I am in it for the long haul and I hope Mr. President can live up to the challenge set in front of him. I look forward to seeing his daughters grow up over the next four or hopefully eight years and would love to see the White House through the eyes of a seven and ten year old. I can imagine them playing hide and seek in the oval office or playing in the yard with their new puppy. I really enjoyed reading the letter from the Bush twins to the Obama girls: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123239885943895155.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

I look forward to the years ahead of us and I give my support to our new President, please don’t let us down.

My Nanu (grandfather) turns 80 tomorow

Wow 80 years...I can't imagine living eighty years and living through all the changes through his life. Yesterday we went golfing and I allowed Nanu to beat me although my dad and sister weren't quite as generous...lol. During lunch my mother asked him..."What has been the most altering change over the past eighty years?" His response was the Internet and basically the computer in general. I am so shocked at how knowledgeable Nanu is with the computer. He uses it every day to talk to his cousin and keep in contact with friends and family around the world. I hope that if I ever make it to eighty that I am as mobile and active as him. Everyday he works on his yard pulling weeds, pruning his fruit trees, and in general just keeping his yard looking pretty. After our wonderful steak dinner, we enjoyed watching the Cardinals win their way to the Super Bowl.



What a great day to celebrate, and I look forward to many more years to come! Happy 80th Birthday Nanu.

Heroes on the Hudson…

I want to start out by letting everyone know that I was not flying yesterday, and thanks for all of the concerned texts and phone calls I received. I was working a double shift at my part time job and had a chance to take a break before the night shift. During my break I grabbed my phone and was shocked to have a couple missed phone calls and text messages. Since I had only been away from my phone for a couple hours, I started to freak out and think that something horrible had happened. After scanning the text messages and checking my voicemail, I became aware of the tragic plane crash of US Airways flight 1549. I immediately called my family to assure them that I wasn’t flying and was safe. My brother filled me in on the details of the crash and I was relieved to find out all the passengers and crew survived. I don’t think the whole situation really hit me until later that night when I had the chance to see the many news reports.

This incident has had me thinking and filled with mixed emotions….part of me is sad because I think about how horrible this tragedy could have ended. I think about how each person assumed it would be like any other uneventful flight. I can’t help but think…Would my instincts kick in? Would I have been able to safely evacuate an aircraft full of 150 passengers? Each year in recurrent training we practice planned and unplanned emergency landings and what actions we would take in each situation. We are taught that each time we sit on our jumpseat prior to take-off, we mentally reflect all of things we would need to say and do in the event of an emergency. I don’t think that I have ever really felt like I would need to use that training. I’ve always told myself that the likeliness of getting into a car crash is more likely than being in a plane crash and so I guess I’ve always had this sense of false security. Thankfully flight 1549 landed safely and all passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

As I was saying I’ve always had this sense of invincibility in flying. Now I have had my fair share of mechanical problems and precautionary landings, but I have never really felt like my life was in danger. My biggest fear was having a medical emergency on a flight, and not having any medical personnel to assist. Now don’t get me wrong I have been nervous a time or two about this or that, but never really thought that something tragic or potentially life threatening could happen to me. I guess I have been living in denial and this event has really brought things close to home. I fly for US Airways and on the same type of aircraft regularly, and I have even flown similar routes. Every time I see footage of the crash, my eyes well up with tears. I can’t help but think how tragic things could have ended. I hear all of the stories of the passengers and I can’t help but think of what must have been going through their minds the minutes before the impact.

I’ve noticed how most of the news reports have focused on captain “Sully”. I am impressed with his quick thinking and fantastic landing on the Hudson. I am a bit disappointed on the fact that they have not really mentioned his co-pilot or the flight attendants. The whole crew is responsible for safely landing and evacuating flight 1549. I am so proud of my fellow co-workers and want to thank them for a job well done!

I start thinking about after they survived the crash and what I would do if I was in their place. My biggest concern is how I would contact all of my friends and family. My cell phone is usually in my lunch bag as it doesn’t quite fit in my cute flight attendant uniform without looking like a girth on my hip. I’m not sure about you but the only phone number I know is my cell phone number, the rest are all saved in my phone. I guess maybe I should memorize a couple numbers just in case I’m separated from my phone and need to contact my family. This may sound a bit silly but the next thing I can’t help but thinking about is all of the things that I would need to have replaced and how much it would stink to be separated from my cell phone, I-pod, computer, camera, passport, and credit cards. The rest of the items wouldn’t really be a big deal some clothes, shoes, extra uniform pieces, books, toiletries, etc.

I send all of my thoughts and prayers to the crew and passengers from flight 1549, and I am thankful that everyone made it out safely. I hope that I am never in this type of situation, but I am thankful that I have been given the tools and knowledge to safely survive a crash.

The dating scene....stinks

OK so I've been single for some time now and I unfortunately I haven’t been on that many dates. This being said...I now remember why I have been so reluctant to get out and dive right in to the dating scene. I went out on the worst date EVER...and I'm not exaggerating. Let me explain...I met the guy at a Christmas party and I was a bit sauced so that is my reason for not realizing he was a jerk. The red flags were apparent but I wasn't really paying attention to them because I just wanted to break the streak of no dates. He suggested Valkyrie , which I really didn't want to see but he insisted on that particular movie. Also on a side note...a movie on a first date although pretty safe, not my idea of a great set up for a first date. We agreed upon a neutral meeting place and time to meet. As any girl does before a date I got all primped and dressed up for the big event. I arrived about twenty minutes early to make sure I wasn't late. I txt him when I arrived and he didn't respond...I just figured he was driving and so he would call or txt when he arrived. As the time for the movie was close to approaching I started to think that maybe he was going to stand me up. He finally called about 3 minutes before the movie was to start to say "So did you buy my ticket yet?" I was like um no do you want me to get in line? So here I am waiting in line hoping he will show up before I have to actually pay for the tickets. He arrives just as the people in front of me approach the ticket counter. I step up to the window and order two tickets to Valkyrie the lady says "OK that will be $14" I look at him and wait for him to pull out money and when he doesn’t...I dig money out of my wallet for the tickets. Now did I mention that I didn't really want to see this movie and not only did I have to pay for the movie but we were also going to be late. He says to me as we are leaving the ticket booth "I can't believe you just paid for the tickets" I respond "Well what did you expect me to do...you didn't pull out any money" "Well I expected you to wait a little bit longer and make it really uncomfortable...then I would have paid" ARE YOU KIDDING ME...who does this? Now don't get me wrong I don't mind paying for things on a date, but he went about it all the wrong way. The date didn't get any better from that point on I should have just ordered a ticket to the movie I actually wanted to see and went solo because the rest of the date was a waste. I'll spare you all of the details but here are some of the highlights...no refreshments or popcorn because we were too late....He chose a restaurant I didn't really want to eat at even after I made a couple suggestions....He asked me stupid questions we as flight attendants seem to always get "So have you caught anyone joining the mile high club?" "Do you have a guy in every city?" He just really enjoyed making me feel uncomfortable and if this is the kind of thing I have to look forward to on future dates with other guys, I'm not sure I want to partake. I plan to ignore any contact from him EVER....I guess better luck next time.

The weight loss challenge

Ok so my family is having a Biggest looser challenge to see which one of us can get ourselves back into shape and shed the pounds. I am having a difficult time getting myself motivated. I really want to loose the weight and look good by my b-day in May, but just don't feel like actually doing anything. I need some help getting motivated...any ideas? The biggest problem for me is my funky schedule, and the trials and tribulations of eating out of my lunch bag that is usually packed with the leftovers from our fridge....not always the healthiest choices. I am also just not really motivated to get my butt moving. First off I just need to make it more of a priority and just get going....easier said than done. (As I sit here in my hotel room and avoid the work out room, maybe later...lol) Wish me luck!

30 fun filled freezing hours in Ohio

Here I am in Columbus on a thirty hour layover, with no desire to venture out of my warm hotel room. I have been working a lot between my part-time job waiting tables and flying that I am excited to have an entire day dedicated to whatever I want. I don’t have to think about the pile of laundry I need to do or the cleaning that needs to be done, I can simply relax and enjoy a day of surfing the net and catching up on some good old Law and Order (Doesn’t matter how many episodes I’ve seen I can watch this show over and over…thank goodness for TNT marathons).

I have vacation next month…which means I should have about 14-17 days off in a row for my one week vacation(my 2nd week is in May). Some of you may think that I have vacation every month, which is partially true however since I started my part time job; I haven’t had any free time to travel or even visit some friends and family. I am not sure exactly where I am going to go, but I have a bunch of ideas. I really want to go to Australia, but I am a little skeptical about traveling there by myself and no one seems to have the finances to join me. I would also love to go to Thailand but again I’m a little skeptical about traveling solo. Now don’t get me wrong I have traveled by myself before and if I was going to Europe, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. My friend K talked about going to Peru, but I'm not sure how commited she is and I don't want sometone to flake out at the last minute. So then I was thinking maybe I’d just do a bit of traveling locally to visit some friends in Atlanta, Orlando, Dallas, Omaha, Kansas City, DC….but I think it’s a shame to not leave the country and get my cultural fix. So I guess I’m just going to play it all by ear….and I’ll update when I have decided.