On the last day of Christmas

It's hard to believe that Christmas is over. I hate how, in an effort to get time off after Christmas, I work all the way up to Christmas thereby missing out on the festivities and cheer. I'm going to try to do things differently next year.

It was a very nice Christmas though. I got off work Tues and headed to the homestead to spend the night. Michal was stringing popcorn, Mama was making pies, Peter was chatting to his friends online, and Joy was blessing us with loud Christmas music. Michal made me cry when she lost the thread off of her needle and didn't realize it until she had threaded a small pile of popcorn straight off her needle and onto the floor. She was amazed at how smoothly it was falling down the thread. :-) J got sent on a trip Christmas eve which meant he was able to spend Christmas day with us instead of sitting ready reserve at the airport. We had a nice breakfast around noon when everyone woke up, and then a scrumptious dinner later when we had room in our stomachs again. I missed having Christine, Scott, and Israel with us, but Christine mailed their presents and that's what really matters :-P.

Yesterday I slept as long as I could, then went out into the crowds to shop with the family. I'm not much of a shopper anyway, but after Christmas is a miserable time to be at stores. I've never seen so many people out. I rediscovered that the younger four children have as different of fashion taste as possible. Peter is always dissatisfied with my plain, comfortable choices. I'm shocked by Joy's wild and bright selections. Michal is 12 yrs younger than I am so I don't expect to like the same things as her. This is why I don't buy clothes for anyone.

After surviving that I headed to the TanJoe manor for pizza and hanging out with TanJoe and Jamie. Tanya's foot seems to be healing well, and gives me hope for the future. She has become quite a graceful hopper.

I decided not to leave for South Africa until Sunday. The flight today had space on it, but there were a lot of standbys and it's hard to tell where I fall on the list. There are only a few on standby tomorrow, and after the month I've had an extra day at home is a beautiful thing. I've been feeling apprehensive about the flight all week. I'm not sure why. I dreamed that I couldn't handle being on a plane that long (it'll take 19 hours to get there including the 1.5 hour stop in Dakar). The other thing that worries me is the thought of getting stuck in Dakar. Some people say they take on cargo there and I could get bumped off. This could be an airline myth... I don't want to find out. So in light of my apprehension I have put zero thought into preparation. I remember the first few times I went it seemed like I put weeks into preparation. I'm wondering if that was necessary, or maybe it was just because I was a novice. I guess I'll find out when I start throwing stuff in my bag later today.

I made some coffee just now using the Jones coffee maker for the first time, and I think I made it too strong. I feel like my head could explode. Is that normal? I'm so put out that I have a barista in my family and I still have to make my own coffee ;-).

I've been doing a pretty good job keeping my room neat. A few things have accumulated on the floor, but a load of laundry and putting the wrapping paper should return it to its previous state of neatness. I'm learning to enjoy it, thereby doing whatever necessary to keep it that way.

I'm off to pack. I'll probably be on a plane or in Africa next time I write (that thought actually gave me a little thrill :-D.)

Finally taking the time

I believe I have just finished my last night of work at work part two. I had considered maintaining a friendly alliance in case I need to work again once my foot heals, but after my experiences the last two week, tonight's being the cake-taker, I'm finished. I work too hard to be treated the way I was treated, and I'm sick of it.

I have worked every single day this month except the last two Sundays. I know there are a lot of people who work harder than I do, but I'm having a pity party right now so bear with me (or stop reading).

Once again I worked in a ridiculously large house. This time, though, the decorations were much more tasteful. I met a DL flight attendant of 37 years who told me she could've gotten me a job there last year. It's tempting to think of the destinations, but I still think not getting hired was for the best. I also think I need to get out of the service industry, but that's another rant for another day.

This week I did a 3 day on the 50. It was pretty decent, but a lot of work. I didn't think my voice was going to make it through that last 5 leg day. I was part of a lot of people getting home for Christmas, which helped me enjoy the trip. One of them was my cousin Neil coming home from UVA. I'm not sure which of us was more surprised to see the other when he got on the plane. It was fun though. A three year old boy told his mother he was going to marry me. We stayed mostly in the southeast for the entire trip and I was reinforced in my belief that passengers in the southeast are friendlier. They smile at me. They make small talk. They acknowledge my existence. It's crazy.

Thursday I got my chipped tooth fixed, and for some reason when I went in there I didn't think about the fact that they would have to numb my mouth. Shots in the mouth make me miserable. Four hours later my mouth was still numb, and because my tongue and throat are already retarded I nearly suffocated on some waffle fries when they kept falling onto the numb side of mouth and getting stuck. My tooth looks beautiful though.

My other excitement for the week was my haircut. It had been a long time and my hair was getting out of control. I love the feeling of a fresh, short haircut.

Last night I did a Montgomery nap. It was about as good as a nap can get. We were on time. I got about 5 hours of sleep. We left there at 5:45am and before we had even taken off a guy started throwing up. I had been warned that he wasn't feeling well so I gave him extra puke bags. He told me he had eaten too much. Honey, does this look like my first flight? How many people eat too much at 5am on Saturday? Do you think I don't know what a hangover looks like? Right... Regardless of his reasons, I have a soft spot in my heart for pukers. He managed to throw up 2 more times before we landed in Atlanta 26 minutes later. I think it's a record.

Tomorrow I get to see Joy, and Peter, J, and Jamie will be home when I get back from my three day. I'm looking forward to it. I still haven't really been able to put any energy into thinking about going to South Africa, even though it's in less than a week from now.

Tomorrow is going to be a good, work-free day.

PS. My room has been clean almost all month.


Currently reading: Treasure Island By Robert Louis Stevenson

The sky is falling

As I left work tonight I saw a shooting star. On the drive home I saw two more. I had also seen one last night. I was starting to think there must be something afoot in the skies. Jamie suggested aliens. As I unpacked my stuff from the car I saw the most brilliant shooting star I've ever seen. I gazed at the sky a while longer and saw 3 more within two minutes. Evidently tonight is the Geminid meteor shower. I wrapped up and went back outside but the cloud were already starting to move over so I didn't see any more. I feel really fortunate to have seen so many beautiful shooting stars/meteors. Though, on nights like tonight I do wish I lived farther away from all the city lights.

One of my favorite memories as a teenager was getting wrapped up in pajamas and blankets, taking a carton of ice cream and lying on the Louis' driveway in the middle of winter to watch a meteor shower with Jenny.

I did work part two last night and tonight. Now that I've paid off my loan I find it extremely difficult to go to that job. Especially when I'm missing all kinds of holiday fun. Last night we had a Christmas party at a ridiculous house. I need to find a way to convey the general oddness of the people there. No one was outright weird, but there were so many little things that made me laugh inside. It's interesting to be invited into people's homes and be the silent observers of their parties and lives.

The hostess last night had about 10 prescription bottles on her kitchen counter, and I have a feeling she had taken all of them. She wore a black sweater and pants outfit. It had gold thread woven throughout. The pants were stirrups. There were odd leaf-like pieces of fabric sewn across the chest and shoulders with huge gold grommets randomly attached. I was amazed that someone who seemed to have so much money could still be dress so ugly. She wandered around the house looking like she had just woken up and wasn't sure why we were there. Every available surface was covered in Christmas decorations. I started to count all the figures but after I got through about 5 feet in the living room I realized it would be too much. The area rugs were Christmas. The slip covers for the chairs at the breakfast table were Santa hats. There was an entire Christmas village set out, as well as three or four other houses and trains. Every available post and banister had garlands and wreaths. Every other step going upstairs had a Christmas themed doll or Santa Claus on it. The yard had three different types of decorations, and the windows on the front of the house all hand some kind of light up word in them. Its making me tired just thinking about it.

Last night I stayed up late talking to Matt who skipped through town, and today I went to Kathryn's Kara's three year old birthday party. It's been a crazy weekend - and it isn't over yet.

A nice break from the cold

I guess all good things must eventually come to an end. My 23.5 hour overnight in Key West has been extended by a couple of hours due to bad weather in Atlanta, but it looks like the plane is finally on the way down here. The bad part is that it looks like we'll be getting to Albany, NY sometime early tomorrow morning.

The last day has been delightful. The weather is amazing. I spent a few hours on the beach earlier. It was really windy, which I love (except when I'm trying to read a newspaper - but I guess that's what I get for trying to read the paper on the beach). The water is full of seaweed which is kind of gross. I had a good time watching the kite surfers or whatever they're called. I also went for a run with my FO. It was the first time I've ever run with someone that I was in better shape than :-D. The rest of the time I've been enjoying my beautiful suite. I think I could live here (in this suite) all winter.

The plane has finally taken off from Atlanta so I'm going to start getting ready.

I've reached that point

The one where I've been cleaning and sorting and throwing away and now I'm sitting on the floor surrounded by things that have no home.

As I look around I see:
- a wallet I don't currently use but holds all my cards I don't use on a regular basis.
- expensive eye drops
- lotions from multiple hotels
- two wooden foot massagers
- a pint glass (okay, that goes in the kitchen)
- a water bottle off the plane
- the remote for my fan which has now been replaced by my space heater
- a cd some guy gave me on a plane
- chapstick, chapstick, chapstick
- scissors
- Tinkerbell change purse
- red scarf I started knitting for my Grandma
- black scart I started knitting for myself
- empty camera case
- camera
- individual packs of Starbucks coffee
- pot holder a passenger knitted for me
- Q-tips
- key for disassembling my bed
- flavored cigars someone gave me
- papers I need to do something about, but can't right now
- my external hard drive
- wax strips that don't work
- wax in a pot that doesn't work
- extra sunglasses

This is giving me a headache, but it has given me a better view of what to do with some of the stuff. Somehow when you write down that something doesn't work, it makes you see that regardless of the fact that it cost $7, you should throw it away. I just started listening to the cd. It sounds like the woman is in a lot of pain. I wonder if being cluttered and messy is something that is ingrained in my DNA - something I'll struggle with my whole life - or if it's something I can eventually change for good. I guess I'll only know if I keep trying.

This is your captain speaking

It's a good thing someone around here is willing to take responsibility and check on our planes/flights. I woke up around 4 but have been postponing actually getting up as long as possible. Finally around 4:30, after I'd checked everything else online, I decided to check on our flight before getting in the shower. Yesterday we had joked about getting snowed in until later today so we wouldn't have to work 5 flights. Turns out someone took care of it for us. Our plane is [sick] and won't be well until around 3 this afternoon. I then called my captain, who in turn called flight control to confirm these shenanigans.

So now that I've been asleep since 8pm I don't know what to do. I woke up around 9pm feeling extremely confused. I thought it was morning and I had overslept. I looked out the window and could only see white so I thought there really had been a blizzard. There was a missed call from scheduling. Turns out I'd only been sleeping for an hour and they were calling because on behalf of another flight attendant who wanted me to contact her about trading my trip.

And that's all I have for 4:53am from Grand Rapids. Over.

Baby, it's cold outside

Snowflakes the size of oyster crackers have been falling, off and on, all day here in Grand Rapids. It seems they should have closed the airport or called in the National Guard by now. That's what we'd do in Georgia anyway.

After almost two weeks of not working this week has brought me soundly back to reality. It seems all I've done is work, with a little time at home for sleep at night. It has been a very productive week though. I have 30:49 flight hours for the week. With the airlines cutting their schedules for the last few months it's been really difficult to get the number of hours I'm used. It would be easier if I didn't have another job, or if I was willing to work every weekend, but I'm hoping and praying that if I'm persistent I'll come up with the hours. I spent the entire afternoon today in front of my computer refreshing our open time pot. This is where all the unassigned trips go, as well as the trips other flight attendants are trying to drop or trade. I managed to get a few things, but it took the whole day.

I went to the foot doctor yesterday before work and scheduled my surgery for Jan. 29. This adds to the pressure of getting more flight time this month. I'm not too worried though. I have to do everything possible, and make sure my priorities are in order, but in the end there is only so much I can do. I'm not willing to give up everything just to get more flight time. I'm not giving up my trip to South Africa or Christmas with my family :-).

When we arrived in GRR I saw a man that I had met on a flight from Toronto earlier this year. It was a bizarre coincidence. Thankfully his was a smiling face, and I'm always happy to see one of those.

I finished "Three Cups of Tea" the other day. It's a book about a mountaineer who has made it his life goal to build schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan in an effort to improve their world. I wasn't completely sold on the writing style. There were too many three syllable adjectives. I felt it silly to describe water in the Himalayas as "alpine blue". But it is a great story and helped me view that part of the world from a completely different (better) perspective. He has been working there for over a decade and the book explains a lot about what their countries are like geographically, the politics and religion (including the Taliban), and what the lives of regular citizens look like (before and during the war). Reading books like this is one of my favorite ways to learn more about a different place. Plus, this man is doing really courageous, heroic things for the women and children there.

I'm hoping to get over 8 hours of sleep tonight. I've been struggling to stay awake since we got here around 3, and since I have to get up at 4am now is an acceptable time for bed. I thought I had gotten over the cold I had around Thanksgiving, but it's either still here, or I have something else bothering my ears, and it's been making me feel nauseated on my flights. Add tiredness to that and it's difficult for me to be a cheerful, happy flight attendant. So now I sleep.

Currently reading : Ancestor Stones By Aminatta Forna

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day

It was raining when I woke up this morning.

It's still raining.

I don't mind because it's warm rain, and the sound is soothing.

I worked at job part two tonight. It was a good night. It was a 50th birthday party in a very ritzy neighborhood. There was an open bar which made the crowd amusing. My coworker was good to talk to.

I'm sleeping on a new mattress tonight. I've been sleeping on a passed down futon mattress for a while now. It was flat and hard but better than my other mattress which I called my taco mattress. It sunk down in the middle and swallowed me up. I feel like Goldilocks - not too soft, not too hard. This one is just right.

I'm going to go enjoy it now.

You'll be wrapped around my finger

It's Thanksgiving Eve.

I feel like I've done a lot today, but most of it has been planning and organizing. Though I don't have much to show for it physically it gives me great satisfaction. I bought a new planner so I can begin organizing next year. I'm not really sure why I like writing all my activities down so much. Maybe I'm afraid if I don't write them down my life will go to pieces. I do know that if I didn't write them down I'd pick up a trip that conflicted with my other job, someone's birthday dinner, a dentist's appointment, or something of the sort.

I've been reading back through my blogs and found one from 9.26.06 where I was thrilled to see gas prices in the low $2.30s. I paid $1.67 the other day. It's a far cry from a few months ago.

I can't get rid of this cold. It's affecting my ability to write a complete paragraph in under 20 minutes. I have sneezed at least 592 times today.

I got new contacts this morning. I can see better. I now have toric lenses in both eyes.

I spent a long time this afternoon talking to Christine about things I could make to take to Thanksgiving tomorrow. She amuses me. I think I'm going to make a broccoli salad that I saw on one of the food blogs she subscribes to.

I feel very tired for no reason.

Yesterday I worked for the first time in 10 days. I just did a round trip to South Bend and to Jacksonville, NC. It wasn't bad, but I'm glad I have another 5 days before I fly again. I'm spoiled.

All my younger siblings are at home. I'm going to go see them soon.

I also have to get the ingredients for the broccoli salad.

I need to go out and get in Thanksgiving mode. My life is so good. It'd be a shame to forget that for one second.

Thanksgiving warm up

After a day of heartless weeding through all my clothes, I now have almost 50 empty hangers and three bags of clothes to get rid of. I decided I was tired of not being able to walk in my room and turned to the person I know who has the least stuff and begged him to help me get rid of mine. It was like having my own personal Stacey and Clinton. He told me what clothes were ugly, which ones didn't fit right, which ones I was too old for, and which ones he just didn't like. It was awesome. There were only a few we disagreed on, and the thrill of getting rid of clothes I never wore won over my sentimentality. I still have a lot to do in here, but huge progress was made.

I'm still dealing with this stupid cold. It's been wonderful to be able to relax and give my body time to get some better. I have to work tomorrow, but it's only a dayline so I'm pretty sure I can handle it.

We had House Thanksgiving on Saturday night. It was amazing except they called J to sit at the airport til 9:30pm, then sent him on a round trip so we thought he'd be back in time for dinner, then extended him to an overnight so he didn't get to be there at all. Molly made a huge turkey. I helped her make a pumpkin and a pecan pie, candied yams, and the best stuffing ever invented. It has sausage, apples, celery, and bread chunks in it. And lots of sage. We both agreed stuffing isn't stuffing without sage. I also made mashed potatoes. We had cosmo champagne cocktails that were delightful.

After we stuffed ourselves silly, Molly taught us the card game Hell. I'd like to blame my miserable loss on my food coma, but Molly is just really good. She also has the advantage of having played it since she was old enough to sit at a table. It's a very fast paced game and involved a lot of yelling, screaming, and threats of physical harm. I believe this game is a prime example of how women are better multi-taskers than men. Most of the guys at the table would sit and stare at one card they were looking for a place for while the whole rest of the game was going on. Our stomachs finally settled enough to eat pie topped with Molly's delicious homeade whipped cream.

I had leftovers for dinner last night and again for lunch and dinner today. I think we just finished off the last of the pie.

Yesterday was coffee with Jersey, church, then lunch with Tanya, J and the parents. After lunch J and I went to Jersey's to play handypersons. I accomplished a grand total of nothing and J got her new tv going. (Okay, I did accomplish something, but it wasn't the main thing I worked on for two hours. The blinds were too short and the screws were too long. Not my fault.)

Now I'm enjoying some house family time. I'm being encouraged to insert random profanity in here to see if someone notices. My roommate doesn't realize how astute my readers are.

this and that

I have started several blogs this week, and usually before I get much written I have lost concentration or fallen asleep. I'm kind of sick right now. I think it's the usual cold/sinus thing. That's probably why I've been tired all the time. I sleep late and still need a nap to get through the day.

I haven't worked since last Saturday, and it's amazing.

Last Sunday we had birthday dinner for my Mama and some of her friends came over. Almost 20 of them actually. I'm proud of myself for not burning anything or poisoning anyone (not that I've ever done either of those things before). I think she had a good birthday, which was the point of it all.

Monday through Thursday were spent in San Diego with Jonathan celebrating his birthday. We mostly hung out with his friend Tarik, but got to see Peter a few times as well. There's much to tell about our fun trip, but I don't have the energy right now.

Today is House Thanksgiving at the Jones house. Molly and I have been cooking lots of good things. I think we've finished all the stuff that can be done ahead of time, so I'm going to take a nap.

Currently reading : Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time By Greg Mortenson

At long last

Today I ended a relationship that I have been in since I was in college.

This relationship began during my freshman year. I was wary at first because of the reputation my acquaintance carried, but I knew if I kept things under control I would be fine. We continued casually through my college years, and it wasn't until I moved to Europe that our relationship truly began to deepen. When I was lonely we found ways to make things better. When I was happy we celebrated together. When I needed to move on, the bus or train ticket was always there. It allowed me to see and do things I could never have done on my own, and the longer I was gone, the more my need for this relationship grew.

What I didn't know, though, was that the hand opening doors and nudging me forward was also the hand that would never be satisfied with what I gave in return. Whenever I made a mistake it was held against me and cost me dearly. When I finally came home, because of the level to which our relationship had grown, I was very restricted. I could no longer do as I pleased. Instead of freedom, I now had a burden. As I lost interest, they gained interest. This continued on through my first year as a flight attendant, and I knew something had to change.

Over the next two years I began putting distance between us. I started to play by my rules and found that when I was consistent, and persistent, my life improved. I wanted to end it sooner, but knew there were things I had to do to be able to stand on my own. At 5:15 this morning, after a lot of hard work and giving up things I loved and wanted, it is finally over.

My credit card debt is now $0.

I can't say I feel relieved, because I still find it hard to believe it's really over. My debt has been a controlling factor in my life for years and years now, so I think it will only really sink in when I start to see my freedom again.

I will always be appreciative of this relationship, because without it I would've never lived in Europe. I would still be hoping and dreaming of the day when I could afford to move, travel, and be free. I still have a relationship with one of his relatives (the car loan guys), but it is much healthier. I'm also glad to know how much I've grown in my relationship with my money over the last few years because of this. I've learned how important it is for me to keep my end of the deal - on time. I've learned how important it is to know the rules and to play by them. I've learned to stand up for myself when I'm being mistreated.

It's been a long, tiring road, and I'm thankful for those who have encouraged me when working two jobs was miserable. I'm thankful that the Lord honored my desire to be out of debt, and made a way for me to accomplish it. I'm thankful to be free.

strong legs and full bellies

I just received a phone call from a man. I had called him earlier, gotten voicemail, and hung up. He called me back, and I asked for the person I was originally looking for. He stated the name of the person whose number I had called - not the person I was looking for. I apologized for the wrong number, but before I could hang up he started explaining how relieved he was because he thought I was a bill collector. The question I have now is why he would call back if he thought I was a bill collecter?

This is the end of a great weekend. Yesterday I ran my first race - the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Strong Legs 10k. I really enjoyed it and plan on doing another before too long. We started at Turner Field and ran a loop that took us north before coming back to Turner. We passed the MLK memorial and quite a bit of the ghetto. As we ran past two soup lines I couldn't help but think how far they would get just on the cost of my shoes and clothing. (Before I could feel bad about it, I remembered that many of them choose to be homeless and live without responsibility.) The hills were challenging but doable. The weather was cold but refreshing. Michal, Jonathan, Angela, Charity, and one of our old friends Sarah ran. Michal had her own personal cheerleader, Claire, and Mama was the team photographer and stuff holder. Michal beat all of us, though I have to be fair to Jonathan and mention that he ran at my pace. Our friend Sarah, who has a 6 month old, was far ahead of me until the last mile. I didn't check the time as I finished and the results aren't out yet, but I think it was under 1:10. It was slower than I'd expected, but I'm beginning to think my Nike+ thing on my ipod isn't calibrated right - so maybe I haven't been running as fast as I thought I was. Regardless, we had a good time. I'm really pleased I did it, and am looking forward to more.

Today is Jamie's birthday, so we had a gathering to celebrate at the Residence a la TanJoe last night. Even after most of us spent the afternoon napping, we only managed to hang out til around 11. I think we are definitely getting old. Joe did a fine job manning the grill, as well as keeping the firepit thoroughly doused in gasoline for all our s'moring pleasure. Tanya made sure we were all fat and happy with potato salad, baked beans, and cheesecake.

I've spent the evening (again) working on my room. It never gets clean. Sometimes I just don't care anymore. After the lovely day at church, and the afternoon with the parents, Michal, and Jonathan, I have very little motivation to do anything except veg. My mama outdid herself again with lunch. We had basmati rice, chicken that had been in the crockpot with mushroom soup so it was really juicy and tender, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, and fresh tomatoes. She cooks the green beans in a wok with garlic and I could eat them until I'm sick. Then Michal made brownies. Mmmm...

It's back to work tomorrow for a 2-day. It's going to be a good week. I have work stories, but I'll save them for another day - maybe tomorrow.

smooth sailing

I had a good day at work today. I don't say that very often so I feel the need to document it. I even did six flights, and it was still a good day. I slept enough last night. The weather was good. Our plane was good. We kept it all day. We were on time all day. The passengers were friendly. There isn't very much more that you could ask for in a day of flying.

Tomorrow it's another early start and four more flights, but then I don't fly again until Friday. I need a few days off. The weekend was great, but way too short.

After I got off work on Saturday I made a quick trip to the dentist's office where Kristen temporarily patched my tooth. I was eating some Nerds on Friday at work when I came across one that was particularly hard. I finally spit it out and saw that it was part of my tooth. It really alarmed me that I'm so young and my teeth are falling apart. Someone suggested I sue Nerds.

Once my tooth was fixed a found some paint to whiten the cardboard squares Matt had cut out. Then I fought with markers (evidently they don't like to write over spray paint) and made the squares into Scrabble letters - B, O, and O. I then made them into sandwich boards, and Matt, Molly and I wore them to a Halloween party. The letters on the back were S, A, and S (not in that order). It was good fun, and everyone was amused.

Sunday was a good day of church and family. Had one of my mama's healthy and tasty meals. Drove a little with Michal. Chatted with my daddy. I'm very fortunate to be able to do each of these things.

I forgot to mention that on Friday in Flint I ran 6.25 mi/ 10k. The conditions were perfect and I felt good. Hopefully I can repeat that this coming Saturday.

San Diego Peter style

This is the abbreviated version of my trip to San Diego:

To see Peter I flew on a plane
the homeless were all quite insane
we ate a burrito
and to the beach we did go
And the sun shone without any rain

If that isn't enough you can keep reading.

I made the flight to San Diego by the seat of my pants. I understand that it's a wonderful place to go, but I don't understand why every flight, regardless of the time of day or day of week, is oversold. Getting on a flight under these circumstances makes me feel like I've gotten away with something naughty, and I can never relax until the plane has pushed back from the gate and I know I'm not going to be caught.

I left Georgia in a jacket, scarf, long sleeves, jeans, and enclosed shoes, and within minutes of landing in SD I was sweating. It was warm and sunshiney the whole time I was out there. It did get a little chilly at night, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. After being in Massachusetts where it was threatening to snow last week, this was perfect. I wonder if the amount of sunshine in San Diego has any positive impact on depression. I can't imagine being depressed in a place like that.

I've been to San Diego quite a few times, but this trip was different. In the past I've always visited Roya - who has a car. Now she and her car have moved to LA. So, this time, our sweet ride was public transportation. It was nice to be able to see the city the way Peter sees it and do the things he does. Using public transportation introduced me to a completely different side of San Diego - the homeless side. I can tell that Peter is getting used to it when he casually mentions "the homeless lady who lives in Starbucks". There are homeless people everywhere, and based on the previous paragraph, I can't blame them. There probably aren't that many big cities in the US that rarely freeze and have sunny days year round.

Everywhere we went there were homeless people. I passed a man passed out on the grass beside the sidewalk when I went running. There was the lady around the corner with the shopping cart and sparkly eye mask who, according to Peter, has breath that can span a Starbucks counter with its foulness. There was the lady on the bus with the crazy hair and odd clothing. She only had a few bags and we wondered where she kept the rest of her stuff while she was riding the bus around all day. It got to the point where I couldn't tell if someone was just dirty, or if they were homeless. One man was wearing shorts and a tshirt and every visible part of his skin was soot covered. Peter said he's always dirty like that. It looked like he'd been rolling in one of the coal bins that San Diegans use to heat their houses during the frigid winters.

Some were begging. Some were just hanging out on the sidewalk. There doesn't seem to be an age limit for being homeless. We passed an RV parked on the street. Its owner had opened the side door, and it was completely full of junk. Evidently this is common as well. I thought that after growing up in Atlanta I was immune to beggars and homeless people, but the size of San Diego's homeless population makes it hard not to notice. I wish I could say I was filled compassion and a desire to help them, but the truth is, I just want to know their stories. I want to know how someone gets to that point. I want to know how they find enough food every day to live. I want to know what they were in their past lives. I want to know why they collect so much trash. Are they riding the trolley on hope that no one checks their tickets? Are they content with their lives as they are? After a few days in the city, I've come to feel that the homeless are as much a part of the landscape as the palm trees and the seagulls.

Speaking of palm trees... Our first stop in San Diego was cleverly named Ocean Beach. We got there late in the afternoon when the light was perfect for taking pictures. We mocked the pregnant couple who was having pictures taken by the pier. The water was cold, the sand dark, and the seaweed was heavy on the beach - quite a change from my last trip to the beach. Ocean Beach seems to be a surfer/tourist town based on the number of surfers, bars, and cheap gift shops. Shopping and people watching is always fun with Peter. We tend to like the same things, and like to make fun of the same things. When it comes down to it, we're snobs and heartless jerks. And we love it. The rest of the day was spent eating burritos and tacos, trying not to get killed on the darkened water front, and listening to Peter sing the Phantom of the Opera in French.

Monday began in Little Italy, where the sandwiches are scrumptious, the delis delightful, and the grafitti grotesque. Phrases such as "poopy pants" were splattered everywhere! We spent a lot of time in an art store imagining things we would draw or paint. Our wandering led us to the waterfront where we wandered more. The boats started out small and dilapidated. We even saw the boat version of the homeless person's shopping cart. As we walked along the water we saw an interesting collection of "trees". According to Peter they were "sculptural renderings based on each artist's interpretation of what a tree could represent". Some of the ones that caught my eye were a swordfish whose scales were made of old cds, a pole with spiral steps that ascended to heaven, a dragon, a swirling music staff without any notes, and a palm tree with surboards for fronds.

The boat gradually got bigger and fancier until we reached the cruise ships. We mocked people who were taking pictures of ships they were going on, and then we took a few. Further around the bay the USS Midway (an aircraft carrier) has been made into a museum. Being an aerosexual, I have a feeling I will visit it before too long. Our goal at this point, though, was to get to the statue of the sailor kissing the nurse. It's so big that I was about the size of her shoe. The statue is on a point of land that sticks out into the bay near the Midway. There is also a Bob Hope memorial, and Peter and I made short work of using the metal statues for our photographic amusement. Did I mention that we're jerks? No hearts - either of us.

We continued to follow our feet to the gaslamp district where we had natural frozen yogurt with raspberries at Pinkberry before catching the trolley back home. It was a beautiful day to be touring an interesting city. We finished the day by watching Amelie.

Tuesday Peter had class so I waited at home while he went downtown. I went for a run, but it was really lame. I think it was because I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since early the night before. Then we went back to Ocean Beach and walked up to Sunset Cliffs where - surprise, surprise - we watched the sunset. The cliffs seemed to be quite the popular place for running. Peter and I discussed walking abreast so they would have to run through the succulents. We discussed a great many deep things such as why the surfers 30 feet below us had skateboards with them and which car full of old people was the smell of weed coming from. Later, in celebration of Peter's one year anniversary in San Diego, we had Thai food.

I tried to catch the red-eye home Tuesday night, but missed it by 2 seats. Six hours later I was back at the airport and ended up getting on the first flight - by the skin of my teeth once again. It's a good thing I like Peter, otherwise I'd never try to non-rev to San Diego again ;-). Wednesday afternoon, dirty and tired, I was met at the gate in Atlanta by J which made me very happy. Even after a funny and fun visit with my favorite little brother, it's nice to be back home. I just wish I could bring the sunshine and Peter back with me.

Mourning the loss of my sugar snap peas

I'm back in Flinchigan. It's not very exciting. But the room is nice, the bed is a comfy king, and they left the veggies out from the manager's reception earlier. Contrary to what one might think, the less I work, the less I feel like working. This trip is such a nice change from last week's though. My last flight attendant was a nightmare. I've worked with plenty of people who were unsocial or who were rude to passengers, but I've never come across someone who was friendly to everyone and at the same time so unpleasant to me. The flight attendant this week is completely opposite, and it's so refreshing.

My work day started around 2 this afternoon with a Cleveland round trip. It's interesting to see how cheerful people are when they're headed home, and how grouchy they are when they're headed to Atlanta to connect somewhere else. After Cleveland we swapped planes and had almost two hours until our next flight. It wasn't until we got on the next plane that I realized that I'd left the bag with two apples, cottage cheese, and an unopened package of sugar snap peas on the last plane. I'm so sad. I was really looking forward to eating it. Especially the peas. They're one of my favorite snacks on trips.

I should be sleeping. I'm in perpetual sleep debt due to.. I guess lack of sleep. When I was in San Diego Peter and I stayed up only somewhat late by CA time, but it was really late for me. Put that on top of a trip that didn't let me sleep enough, and then a trip to Massachusetts where I didn't sleep enough, and I'm still tired. I don't have to get up early again until Monday though, so that's good. I do need to make sure I get up in time to eat the free breakfast and go running in the morning. I bought new earphones today. My old ones seemed to only be playing the bottom layer of all the music. It's really interesting to hear which songs completely disappear without the top layer. It's also interesting to hear only the background vocals. Definitely felt like I was the lead singer when running to those. I am looking forward to trying them out, and also looking forward to pushing myself since it's just over a week until the 10k. I've kind of been a slacker lately, but I can do it.

Speaking of progress I've made, my loan is in the triple digits and if I didn't have to pay rent and eat for the next two weeks, I could pay it all off right now. It's very exciting to know I'll be finished with it so soon. Now it's bedtime.

My body clock is having the last word tonight

I hardly ever get on myspace anymore. There are two main reasons. The first is that hardly anything is ever happening on there. The second is that for some reason half the time I login my browser gets an error and closes everything. It's kind of a pain. I think I'm going to start writing my blog separately from there so if it closes mid-blog I won't lose everything.

Partly because I haven't been on myspace, and partly because I been too busy or too tired, I haven't blogged in a long time. I hate it because there has been a lot going on that's worth blogging about. I'll get caught up one of these days. That's one of the drawbacks of having fun I guess - not enough time to sit around by myself and write.

Since I last wrote I feel like I've been around the world twice. I spent a few days in Amherst, MA with J, Adri, and Jamie, then did a dreadful 3-day trip. Now I've been in San Diego since Sunday. We spent all day today wandering around the city. We started in Little Italy and ended up in the Gaslamp District. The weather is beautiful. We saw a lot of amusing and interesting things.

Peter and I just finished watching Amelie. I believe I have seen it in the past, but can't remember when. It was like I remembered the story as it went, but couldn't remember how it was going to turn out. It's a wonderful, charming movie. I think I'll watch it again sometime. According to my body it is now 2:30, and I'm very tired. I'll write more tomorrow when Peter goes to class and I'm all alone.

A blog about my clothes

Today when we got back from Lafayette, LA it was raining. My (other) boyfriend, the Korean Air 747, was just pushing out of its spot on E, which gave me a thrill from my head to my toes and distracted me from everything else. I got off the plane and went inside to eat for a minute (sometimes it's nice not to be in a tin can). When I came back it was still raining and I saw that my bag was delightfuly perched on the luggage cart in a way that would best allow the rain to reach it. Annoyed, I brought it inside and somehow managed to make it fit into the overhead bin.

Two hours later I got to Ft. Wayne. It's cold here. Not snow cold. Not even frost cold. But it's in the eighties in GA, so 50 something in Indiana kinda hurts. Running outside was out of the question since I only brought shorts and a tank top. I got to my room, which was also cold, and hoped to put on some warm clothes so I could be cozy. Strangely enough, all my clothes had damp spots on them. Even my socks which were supposed to comfort my poor, miserable feet. On top of that, I realized not only did I not bring a shirt with long sleeves, I didn't bring a shirt with sleeves at all. I brought linen pants and flip flops because they take up less space and it wasn't supposed to be cold.

Needless to say, when I met the pilots downstairs to go eat, I was wearing nearly all of the clothes I had in my suitcase. The beauty of it is, they're pilots. They didn't notice that I was wearing my white button up dress (work) shirt over a lavender tank top with wrinkled khaki linen pants, running shoes, and a black scarf (at least my neck was warm). And my clothes had wet spots all over them.

This is the time of year when packing for trips gets really tricky because you'll be in NY one night and it'll be 80, and then you'll be in OK the next night and it'll be 50. You might want short sleeves for one trip and be dying for a coat and scarf the next one. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of carrying around unnecessary things for a few months until it's eventually miserably cold everywhere.

I had good Mexican food at the 421 Club here in Ft. Wayne. My crew is fun and we have a good time being mean to each other. I like this hotel. They not only give you shampoo and conditioner, but also mouthwash, lotion, face soap, body soap, and a shower cap. They also have those coffee makers that make individual cups that I really like. No kings tonight. Just two doubles, but they're really comfy (the one I'm in is anyway) so they'll do. I have to get up at 4:05 and fly five legs tomorrow. Then go to work part 2. It's going to be a wonderful day.

I think I've seen this hill before

I'm experiencing hotel deja vu. It isn't necessarily the style of the room, but all the appliances are identical to the one in Flint. Same off whitish fridge with the microwave with knobs instead of buttons on top. Same exact toiletries and clock with the face that doesn't light up and confuses me in the middle of the night. I'm sure it's the same brand of hotel, but if it isn't a Hampton Inn, I don't usually remember the name.

After five legs on the 50 today, I made it to Chattanooga. It was actually a good day. It's amazing, though, how much self talk it takes for me to make it through a long day at work - especially when I'm flying alone. My pilots are amusing, which helps some. I didn't have any particularly outstanding passengers today, but I did have a few who took the time to chat and be friendly. I'm realizing that if I'm going to maintain my sanity at this job, I'm going to have to accept that people are idiots. I'll have to stop getting annoyed when they ask me the same question over and over and do completely thoughtless things. It's not like me getting annoyed is going to make them stop being that way. I need to learn to be amused instead of annoyed. Watching passengers stop mid-way through a covered, enclosed walkway and stick their heads through the wall to ask if they were going the right way really made me laugh. I couldn't help but wonder where else they thought they were going to go. I'm pretty sure they make those little walkway tunnels to lead you in the right direction.

Yesterday I nearly had my running confidence shattered. I went up to Buckhead and ran with J. First time I've ever run with someone else, but if I hadn't been I probably would've whimped out. I was running a little behind J for most of it and it seemed like every time he'd turn we were heading up another big hill. I couldn't believe how difficult it was. My neighborhood isn't flat, but once I thought about it I realized I usually arrange my route so I'm downhill on the bigger ones. Guess it's time to stop being a chicken. Through the blur of three miles of hills, I saw two people who made me feel a little better. Seeing this father and daughter carry their fluffy white dogs up the road gave new meaning to walking the dog. Regardless of whether you're gasping up and down hills or "walking your dogs", this is the time of year to be outside in Atlanta. The weather makes me feel alive and remember how good life is.

chillin in Flinchigan

Some days it's nice to be stuck in a hotel. There isn't any mess to clean up. There aren't any errands I'm supposed to run. Nothing I have to do. Plus there's a king size bed and a tv in the room - two things I don't have at home. If I said a king size bed in and a tv in a neat room, it'd be three things I don't have at home. It feels good to be forced to be lazy.

This weekend was so busy, but so much fun. I think I tried to cram too much visiting in. Thursday after work I went to Michal's volleyball game which they won. That was followed by pizza at Oz with Mama, J, and Michal. Friday I got my hair did, ran errands in Newnan, and had dinner in east Atlanta with my uncle, Israel, and J. We went to this really great Mexican place. It was all the goodness of Mexican, minus the grease and heaviness. Plus their mojitos were the best I've ever had. The next morning we picked Joy and her friend Elisa up in Marietta and brought her and all her joyful goodness home. I was there long enough to eat a yummy grilled cheese sandwich and Jersey texted me to say she had an extra ticket to the airshow. Now, if you know me, there's not much that can stand between me and some powerful planes. I ran over there and was teased by the planes for a while before running over to S'bucks for caffeine with Isabee. I left there in time to rush home, take a 3 minutes shower, and drive out to the middle of nowhere to play Irish jigs at a wedding. We stayed there all the way through dinner and fireworks. Yes, fireworks. Doesn't everyone have fireworks at their wedding? They should :-) Following the nuptial festivities, my Chinese brother and I met up with some other friends and ventured into the exciting city of Atlanta. We saw a really great band and generally had a fabulous time. Sunday it was back to S'bucks for another dose of caffeine, and then off to church. After church we moseyed on back to ma and pa's house for some home cooking. We tormented J and Elisa with our ridiculous family ways. I think this is enough to make anyone tired.

This morning it was back to work at 6:50am. The morning was uneventful. The passengers were annoying. My other flight attendant is cool. I ran about 4 miles this afternoon. My legs hurt a little. I don't have much else to say. I'm tired. I'm bored. I'm distracted by Family Guy. I have to get up at 3:45 in the morning so I'm going to bed.

much ado about nothing

I went to work Monday prepared to do a 4-day that was long and uninteresting but too lucrative to get rid of. Today it is finally over and except for the first round trip and the last round trip, nothing went according to plan. This has happened before, but I believe this may be the first time it's worked in my favor.

I already explained how I ended up with the surprise Key West overnight the first night. I was able to enjoy sleeping diagonal in my favorite king size bed and showering in my favorite king size shower. The next day we came back early in the morning and, probably due to duty restrictions, having our next overnight taken away from us. So I did a quick turn to Chattanooga and came home. After that I had a crazy productive day. I made a lot of phone calls on my list, rescheduled appointments, cleaned some, ran 5 miles, and practiced my violin. Our internet and cable were also out so M&M and I sat in the kitchen and listened to the debate on the radio. Molly cooked souffles for us looking very much like a 60s housewife.

The next day I didn't have to be back at work til 12:36 so I got up around 8 and did a lot more stuff around the house/room. It felt good to leave for work a little early, and know I had done nearly everything I wanted to do that morning. I was going to run again but it seemed that a monsoon was passing through Atlanta. When I was driving in to work and couldn't see the airport from the road I knew it had the potential to be a bad day. We bumped our way through the weather to Nashville, and then the trouble began. First we were delayed because we were overweight. Then twenty minutes later when we got our weight issue resolved, we got an hour ground stop going back to Atlanta. our captain, in all his captainly brilliance, decided we should push back from the gate so we can be ready at a moments notice. I guess I can't really fault the guy, cause sometimes they do let us go early, but I'm going to anyway because he's the captain and gets paid to be at fault. This ground stop turned into a 2 hour sit on the runway, complete with two crying babies. The passengers were as lovely as can be, but after that long even I was about to lose it. When we finally made it back to Atlanta, 2:45 after we'd closed up in Nashville (it's a 34 minute flight), we found out our Canton/Akron overnight had been canceled. So after playing the scheduling "call back in 30 minutes to see if we're going to send you somewhere else" waiting game, I was finally released to go home. I went back this morning to finish up with a Key West round trip. This one was successful, and I'm glad.

Now I'm off until Monday. I don't even have work part 2. (I don't know if I mentioned that I worked last Sunday at a wedding that continued to reinforce my resolve that if I ever marry, it is going to be simple. None of the stupid fru-fru traditions that everyone hates, but we still do.) I ran 3.5 miles today. I feel kind of lame after running so far on Tuesday, but my legs are still kind of tired from then. I also practiced some more today. I'm playing in a family friend's wedding Saturday, and figured it'd be best not to embarrass us all. It's all Irish music which is a lot of fun to play. Michal has one of her last volleyball games tonight so I need to go get ready for that.

Valley visit

I'm in one of my favorite places right now - the king size bed in the suite in Key West. I could be out tearing up the town, but I'm honestly content to sit in bed and enjoy the comfort of this place. I did go downstairs to the bar by the pool with my pilots earlier to have a beer and enjoy the nice evening, but I couldn't be bothered to stay for more than one. My bed was calling. I was supposed to be in Canton/Akron tonight after doing Knoxville and Key West round trips. We made it to Key West and then had maintainance. Something about the right engine not starting. Thankfully we found it out in between flights so no harm, no foul.

Saturday I returned from one of the most pleasant trips I've had in a while. After driving back from Asheville on Tuesday, I met J at the airport and we flew to SFO. His parents picked us up and about 13 hours after leaving Asheville we were in J's hometown, about 30 minutes north of Napa.

We spent the next few days drinking coffee, eating, meeting friends and family, and enjoying the beautiful valley. I got to see pictures of a pre-30s J, which really amused me. I was also able to hear stories and see the places and faces that were part of the stories I've heard for the last few years. Every morning we went to The Model Bakery in St. Helena, about 15 minutes down the hill from his parents house. Sometimes someone would meet us there. Sometimes we'd see people he knew passing through the bakery.

The towns in this area are quaint and beautiful. The scenery is breathtaking. The last time I was in Napa it was winter so seeing the vineyards starting to change colors was amazing. It's crush time so the smell of ripe grapes was everywhere. I don't know if it's considered a wine country culture, but there were so many interesting things to see and learn being in an area like that. We visited the Castello de Amorosa winery. It's a castle on a hill. I'm not sure all the history behind it, but I know it took 15 years to build and was pretty impressive. The wine samples were pretty skimpy, but it was good and the castle made up for it. I noticed that a lot of the vineyards had rose bushes planted at the end of each row. I need to figure out what that's all about. I'm pretty sure it isn't for looks.

Since I can't very well visit northern California without enjoying some of Christine's food, we made a visit to Concord. She never disappoints. We had lots of cheese, beef short ribs, polenta, and broccoli. I think even poor Scott with his squishy gums enjoyed it (he had major mouth surgery in July). We also visited the Concord farmers market and bought lots of fresh fruits and veggies. It was great seeing part of the California family. It's been too long.

It was a great trip. Cali is starting to cool off. It rained a little the last day I was there. Hopefully it didn't mess up the grapes that were still on the vines. It was nice not to work either job. Nice to sleep as long as I wanted. Nice to be driven everywhere I went. Nice to eat home cooking.

I'm off to bed. Not sure what's going to happen to my schedule tomorrow since I was supposed to be in CAK all day... Stay tuned.

Home sweet away from home

Today is a day that I have to appreciate the type of job I have. I am fortunate enough to be off work and come to my grandparents' house for the last time. They're moving into an apartment this weekend. It's a good thing for them. Maintaining a big house and keeping up with meals aren't things they should have to worry about right now. They're both still in very healthy and I'd like to see them have more freedom and less responsibility. So I'm happy for them.

It's a huge change though, and I don't think change is easy on anyone. They have lived in this house for 17 years. It's the only house I've ever seen them in. Having lost both of my grandparents on my mama's side fairly early on, this house holds most of my grandparent memories. When I was 12 and I came to summer camp, I came here for the week after. I was so homesick at camp that my grandma worried I'd never be able to leave home. It was better when I was here though because we always did something fun. We went hiking and canoeing or went out to see our cousins. There were raspberries in the garden that I could pick and eat - dirty, buggy, warm, and wonderful. They always had something growing outside that Grandpa was busy mulching, pruning, watering or raking. This house is where I learned that asparagus was amazing, and I loved always having olives in the salads. It was nice when I could come up here alone because that meant I got to sleep in the blue and white room. It has a lot of windows and feels exactly like a bedroom should feel.

I'm going to miss this house. We've had a lot of good times here. We've killed at least one or two pinatas in the play house at Christmas time. This is where Joy and our cousin Elisabeth went swimming in mud and came in covered except for the whites of their eyes. I liked taking walks around the neighborhood and talking. This neighborhood is where Joy learned to drive a stick. I made her park on the hill and then start driving. I'll miss Grandma's violet plants in the kitchen window, but I'm pretty sure those will be going to the apartment.

Hopefully the apartment will make it easier for them to do more of the things they love. I'm looking forward to visiting them there soon. I'm sure there will still be icecream in the freezer at all times.

Making a pit stop at home

It sounds like there is a suit of armour banging around in my dryer. I'm guessing that isn't what it is since I usually dry clean mine. I got home from Massachusetts last night and realized that I had a lot of laundry to do and very little time to do it.

I'm going to be out of town until Friday or Saturday, which involves a lot of packing. I'll be driving to Asheville today to see my grandparents before they move out of their house this weekend. Tomorrow I'm planning to drive back in time to catch the evening flight to SFO with J. We're going to be visiting various members of our families.

Today is Adri's 30th birthday. We had quite a celebration for her on Saturday. I must say, the Amherst folks know how to have a bbq party. There is always more food than we can ever imagine eating - except for the potatoes. They didn't last - and more drink than anyone can ever drink. It was supposed to start at 3 but was kind of rainy and dreary so it didn't really get going until later. I've been visiting Amherst for over 3 year and Adri has very generously shared her group of friends with me. Sometimes I am the only American at their parties. It's nice to know that I could visit South Africa, Colombia, Russia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran, Albania or the Cape Verde Islands and know someone there. It was a good time and I think Adri might be realizing how many people love her and think she's amazing. I know I do.

Now it's time to get going. I'm a little nervous about driving in this gas shortage we're having. I think I'll stick to the interstates since I'm not counting on the little mountain towns to have gas. I've also heard they have some in South Carolina. If I do run out I hope it's at least near an airport.

I need a fire extinguisher for my sunburn, but I can’t get to it.

If you were to look in the dictionary for responsible things to do I have an idea of what you might find. Possibly a picture of me, lying on the beach in the full sun, with a bottle of sunscreen in my bag next to me. Oh yeah, the sunscreen (that I hauled all the way from Georgia) is unused and I am sunburned. I even had someone offer me sunscreen and I turned it down. Some things I just never learn...

That was yesterday. I was in Ft. Walton enjoying one of the most perfect beach days I've seen in a long time. One reason I got burned is because I was determined to enjoy the beach as much as possible, since the rest of this trip has been pure torture. I'm exhausted and people are stupid. I had to get up at 3:30 this morning and did 4 flights.

The other day a lady got on the plane. She looked a little granola-ish. Hippy skirt. Leggings, Chunky black boots. Short hair. No make up. She also had her running shoes tied onto the strap of her computer bag. Then she turned around to take her accordian off her back. Sounds like a punch line doesn't it? I commented on what a strange carry on it was. She said she plays in her friends' band sometimes. Interesting. This band is going to Palestine next month to play in a circus. Even more interesting. She is on her way home from visiting her partner in New Haven, CT (totally thought she was a lesbian). He also plays the accordian (guess not). I commented what an bizarre coincidence it was that they both played the accordian (not exactly the guitar or drums). She thought the fact that they shared the same birthday was more of a coincidence (my vote is still on the accordian playing coincidence). I was amused. She makes me feel boring somehow. I want to know how the circus is.

I have a question. Have I been a flight attendant for so long that I think it's bizarre and stupid to place personal belongings on life saving equipment? If I had a dollar for every time I took someone's bag out of the fire extinguisher compartment, I'd be rich. I want to ask them where their brain is. Instead I just take the bag, identify the idiot, slam it into another bin, and give them a death glare. I hope that their hair catches on fire and I can't get to the fire extinguisher because they're stupid bag is on top of it.

I also had a man spill his water directly into his crotch. I'm not sure if he actually spilled it or if he peed himself and claimed he spilled it. And I laughed at him. Is that wrong?

So my trip hasn't been entirely terrible. I'm just tired and sunburned. But I get to go to sleep in a nice bed in a nice hotel, and I'll be home this time tomorrow.

Usually it’s good not to have gas...

It's a weird and confusing sight to drive past gas stations that don't have any gas. Or that only have regular. I know I haven't been following the news very closely, but I don't understand what the problem is. I have enough gas to get to work tomorrow, and back home on Thursday, but it concerns me a little to think that when I get back gas might be even harder to come by. I'll have to investigate the matter.

This was a very busy, but also very good weekend. Friday morning I worked at the job part 2 and catered a breakfast. It was for a business in Ptc and only lasted an hour. It wasn't the most lucrative Friday morning I've ever had, but it at least paid for the pedicure I treated myself to later. After everyone finished eating we also got to help ourselves which was a nice little bonus.

When I got home from the store I ran 4 miles, which is a personal record. It was tough cause it was noon, and despite the cool mornings and evenings we've had, it was still pretty hot. I figured my feet needed some TLC so Molly and I got pedicures and now my toes are an interesting, but lovely, shade of tangerine(?).

Later J came down from the north and we ventured first to F'ville for some browsing, and then down to Newnan for the birthday party of some new church friends. I'm finding out that when you live in the general Fayette/Coweta area it's going to be a really small world. At this party of church friends I met fellow airline employees and old high school sports rivals, and the party was two doors down from the house Jersey just moved into. It's cool to be able to connect different parts of my life and make more friends.

The majority of the rest of my weekend was spent at the Shakerag Art Festival in Ptc where I cooked more corn dogs than any normal person will ever cook in their life. I do have to say that I'm pretty good at it. There are some friends of friends who have a stand and they needed help. It was a really busy two days, and my feet and legs are exhausted, but the extra bucks are good to have.

Aside from all the crazy work goings on, there have been some interesting developments in my life that put a nervous smile on my face. We'll see how that goes... Now I have to pack for a 4 day trip for the first time in what seems like forever. I've been spoiled being home, but I'm going to spend two nights in the Ft. Walton/ Destin area, so it should be a good trip.

runts and sharks

My belly is full of good food my mama cooked. That sentence has a lot of double letters in it. The nice thing about eating her cooking is that even if you eat too much and feel really full, it's a healthy kind of full. Not grease based or really heavy on the stomach. I went to Michal's volleyball game and took her home afterwards. Her team is very good so the matches are competitive and fun to watch.

Last night after work I ventured to the other side of Atlanta for spaghetti and company. I noticed a big ziploc bag of banana runts on the kitchen counter. I learned that this was but a small portion of a gift that was intended to entice an ex fiance to become a fiance again. The dumped one, as part of his plan to win his fiance back, has taken to sending her a quarterly email updating her on his life. He also remembered that she liked banana runts and had 20 pounds of them sent to her. Evidently the sandwhich bag full is what is left after she has filled every canister and container in her own kitchen with them. He claims that they were special ordered, but it is suspected that he hand picked them. I haven't quite processed how this makes me feel. Part of me is amused that someone would send another person 20 pounds of banana runts. Part of me is sad for the guy that thinks this will work. Part of me is sad for the guy who special ordered 20 pounds of banana runts. Part of me is grossed out at the thought of him pawing through bag after bag of runts to get 20 pounds worth. Part of me really likes how simple and runt-free my life is.

Today was my day off work. I spent the night at the girls' apartment last night cause it was late, and slept even later. I had a lovely lunch with one of my flight attendant friends. We talked about South Africa since he went there in February and I'm planning on going back there in December. I think he should either write his stories down, or let me. He went on a shark tour and go to be in a cage as a 16 foot great white was within touching distance. He is the second person I've talked to a lot lately who isn't afraid to take risks. He goes on vacations alone and finds his own fun. Some of the stories he told gave me goosebumps just listening to them.

While on the subject of South Africa, I don't think I've mentioned that I'm postponing my surgery. I didn't know that I wouldn't be able to fly while I was on medical leave. I found out that December is a very lucrative time at my other job. Adri is going home for the first time in seven years, and we've been planning on making this trip together for a long time. Also, I'm getting so close to paying off my debt. After taking all these factors into consideration I decided I would be missing out on too much financially and too many travel opportunities by having my surgery in November. I wouldn't be able to visit anyone around the holidays. I wouldn't be able to buy Christmas presents, and I'd delay paying off my loan. I'll be in a much better place by putting it off for a few months. That being said, if there's anywhere I need to go in Jan-March that involves flying, let me know, so I can plan my surgery accordingly.

I have to be at work to cater a breakfast/brunch (that's what they called it) at 7:30am so I should be asleep. I got my line for next month, and while my overnights aren't fun yet, I got 17 days off. Life is good.

Your friendly question-answering flight attendant

I'm sitting here in the flight attendant lounge at the airport, in my cute, non-uniform outfit, admiring the big bandaid on my leg. You'd think after doing something for 14 years or so you'd get it right, but I still managed to take a huge chunk out of my knee this morning when I was shaving. It reminded me of the time I cut my leg when we were living with the Davis'. Angela and I had gotten in a fight about the remote to her stereo (we were 13) and I got back from the shower with blood running down to my ankle. She was so mad at me she wouldn't even look at me or talk to me even though I was practically bleeding to death. I still have a scar from that. I think this one is going to leave a mark as well.

I've been sitting at the airport for the last two days answering questions about our new bidding system. The problem is, there are too many of us to answer questions and too few questions being asked. I've been pretty amused by the flight attendants in here, but sometimes it gets a little crazy. Right now it's just boring.

This is employee appreciation month so we had Chickfila and chips for lunch and supper. This morning, already knowing about the free sandwhiches, I stupidly bought a chicken biscuit. I'm all chickened out now. The other excitement today is this new thing on our company website where you "spin the wheel" and get points. I won 100 on my first spin, which is quite amazing. To get some perspective, I can get a cd player or 4-$10 Starbucks gift cards. I have to come back and do the same thing tomorrow but I'll be in the lounge on Concourse D, otherwise known as the badabing lounge.

This is so exciting. I'm sure you'll all be waiting at the edge of your seat to hear about tomorrow's craziness.

Never too old for fun

I just got home from the amphitheater. Trisha Yearwood performed the last two nights. I'm not much of a country music fan, but she is talented and put on two good shows. Her self professed affinity for sad songs, songs that allow you to wallow in your misery, reminded me why I can't bear to listen to country music very long. I could handle it tonight while I was working, distracted, and generally happy, but God forbid I listened to that stuff when I was already a little down in the dumps. It'd be game over.

This whole summer of concerts has been really enjoyable. It's really hard work, but it's nice being outdoors (even when it rains, or is so hot my hair is soaked in sweat), wearing shorts and polos, listening to music, and serving people who are relaxed and having a good time. One of the things I really enjoy about these concerts is the general age group. They're young enough to be fun, and old enough to be able to tip well. The music may be a little before my time, but not so much that I don't know some of it. I have been seeing and serving some of the same people all summer, and it's nice when they know my name and say hello even when I'm not waiting on them.

These concerts are also great for people watching. A few weeks ago I saw two couples come in and they all had at least one piece of camo clothing on. Some people look like they just rolled out of bed and others look like they just rolled out of Talbots. I've seen a grand variety of fake breasts and huge diamonds (or is it huge breasts and fake diamonds?? - or both). We are in Peachtree City after all. My best guess is that when these ladies' husbands make their first big bucks these are their first two purchases. But what do I know? Whatever they look like, though, they're a lot of fun.

Last night I was standing at the bar where I usually help out, minding my own business, when I was given the grand tour of one of our customer's tattoos. They started with the four leaf clover on her back, went to the design around her belly button, down to the other design on her hip, and was finished off by her foot being (impressively) placed on the bar so I could see the one on her ankle. She then informed me that the belly button is the best place for a $7,000 diamond when you get divorced. Evidently selling it is a bad idea because you'll never get what it's worth. Plus, if you remarry and he's a poor man, you can still have a nice ring.

Somehow this conversation led to a discussion about third nipples. I honestly can't remember the connection. One of the ladies claimed she had one. After being examined by all we decided it was only a mole on her side. (For those of you who watch Friends, the mole ruling was too late to prevent her from being called Chandler the rest of the time.) The conversation then segued into one between her and her two companions as to whether her breasts were real (they were). The equally endowed friend didn't understand why hers looked so much bigger. Out came the bras and the explanation that a full support, minimizing bra might be the problem. We all recommended Vic's Secret for all her uplifting needs.

This entire time, friend number 3 is denying being friend number 3 and claiming to be innocent bystander number 1. They evidently went to third grade together. Not sure how long ago it was, but Ms. $7k Diamond has grandbabies on the way. There was so much more to the conversation but these were some of the highlights.

The moral of this story for me was that no matter what my age, or where I may be in life, if I surround myself with fun people things always have a chance of being ridiculous and entertaining. I have to get old, but things don't have to get boring.

On that note, I'm being old and boring tonight and going to sleep. It's been a long week and I'm looking forward to a more relaxing coming week.

Sleep calls, and I must answer

Today I was one of "those" flight attendants. The ones who seem miserable and never smile and look like they hate you. It's probably because they do hate you. I don't hate anyone, but I'm worn out and frustrated. I didn't even have it in me to smile. It bothered me because I wanted everyone to know that I really am a nice person. But I couldn't do it. Yesterday was a hellacious day between maintenance issues and weather. We only did 4 of 5 flights but were on duty for 14.5 hours. We got sent home and had to come back at 9am and once again had maintanance. This puts people in a terrible mood obviously. I just wanted to tell them hey, I've been dealing with this for the last 36 hours and I'm more sick of it than you are. Plus there was a lot of turbulence which wears me down after a while. Yesterday I had some nice passengers that really helped me survive the day, but today everyone was mean and rude. I need a massage. I need a few days off. I need sleep.

I'm in Burlington, one of my favorite cities, and I'm in bed at 6pm. I went for a run earlier, but that's about all I can handle. I think I'm going to be happy and feel good when I wake up in the morning.

Oh no he didn’t!

I'm going to take this opportunity to share some of the things that have been said to me in the last few days.

I had a passenger on the way to Gulfport Thursday morning. He was sitting in 3C (left aisle seat). He looked to be in his late 40s. He had a beard that was almost completely gray. He looked European and had a man bag. He didn't want anything to drink or eat. He never spoke to me. He never smiled at me. He looked at me a lot, but I'm sitting in the front of the plane which is directly in most people's line of sight. When he got off the plane he handed me the stub of his boarding pass. There was a note on the back that said "If you could be different and original and call me anytime." Followed by a home and a cell number, and then "I have so much to tell you. Good luck." I'm still confused. That sentence doesn't make sense. An inserted comma might help, but it's still a stretch. And I feel a little offended that he's telling me I should be different and original. I did not call him to find out what he had to tell me.

Later that day I was flying back from Syracuse. I was going through the cabin with a basket of snacks. I got to an old man (white hair) and asked him what he wanted. He asked what the choices were. I told him peanuts, crackers, or cookies. He said he liked the other choices better. Not understanding what he meant, I asked what other choices. His response was "Coffee, tea, or me." He really caught me off guard. I told him that those were not the choices on that plane.

While this is going on in the back, I have a man sitting in 1C right in front of me who seems to be going through a midlife crisis. He is recently divorced. He is non-revving and decided to spend the night in Atlanta instead of continuing on to his destination. He kept asking me what I was doing after work and if I went out anywhere could he meet up with me. I know I'm practically an old maid, but do these men really think that I'm so desperate I'd fall for a man twice my age? And especially one with terrible pick up lines.

Later that night I met up with some of the girls and we went to Twisted Taco. Some guy started talking to me and in the course of conversation he told me he was a Delta pilot. He's in his first year and is flying the 767 doing international stuff. He said it had been a few weeks since they called him for a trip, but he didn't care cause he was getting paid $10k a month to sit around! I was just thinking, honey, that lie might work on someone who isn't in your industry and doesn't know what you get paid, but not me. He would also look me in the eyes every once in a while and say something like "wow". I know I'm not the ugliest thing around, but I also know I'm not going to make people speechless with my beauty. It was all I could do not to laugh in his face and then throw up in my mouth. I told him he was living up to the stereotype of a pilot and he was quick to assure me that he's only a part time pilot. The rest of the time he's in the Air Force. Once again, if you're in the airline industry, you know that the cockiest pilots are the ex-military ones. Double whammy.

I don't understand how these men come up with this stuff. I also don't understand who it would actually work on. I need to meet someone who isn't old enough to be my father, and doesn't use terrible lines and ridiculous flattery on me. If these are my options then I guess it's going to be a long life of single-ness ahead of me.

San Francisco days, San Francisco nights

I saw Chris Isaak in concert last night. It was all that I'd hoped and dreamed it would be - and then some.

To start things off, the tickets were free (instead of $57 each). Tanya, Jonathan, and I got there first (Charity was still on her way and we were hoping Joe would get released from the airport in time to get there) and were waiting for the opener to come on. The lady who runs the show found me, gave two VIP passes to Tanya and me, and told us to hurry and go backstage. I was all flustered and didn't even grab my phone to take a picture. We had to wait in line and as I waited I got really nervous. I wasn't prepared to meet him and didn't know what I was supposed to do or say. Tanya was asking me for names of songs in case she got put on the spot. It ended up not being awkward at all. We walked in, shook hands and introduced ourselves. He was standing there with his drummer and thankfully the lady I know who works there had her camera and took a picture for us. He was wearing a red suit with gold sequins in kind of a flame design on it. Not flashy at all. :-P He's still a good looking man, though I was kind of thrown off by the stage makeup.

From the time the concert started I could see the band was a bunch of guys who like to have a good time playing. Chris (or should I call him Mr. Isaak) has a great sense of humor. He told the lead guitar to play something pretty, and once he started playing he was like I mean something pretty that I know. His nephew was there and he walked up the amphitheater (right past us) to where he was and sat and talked to him. He told him that since he has no kids the nephew will get everything when he dies. He also joked about when the band started playing together 20 years ago and he only had one sequin on his suit. But he said he learned to stand in a way that made is shine the most. The music was great and thrilled my heart. I couldn't believe how excited I got hearing Wicked Games, Forever Blue, and Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing. For the encore his outfit got even better. It was a suit made entirely of little square mirrors. I tried to take a picture but it was just a huge glare.

I have to work the concert tonight and I'm really interested to see if all his funniness is the same every night. I've seen a lot of performers who do things that seem impromptu, but then they do it again exactly the same way the next time. I'll let you know if he's really that funny or if he has a script for it all.

I'm still a little bit giddy about last night. I heart Chris Isaak :-D.

hot pink blog typers

Sometimes I log in to my bank account and check it with the hope that by some miracle there will be a lot more money in there than last time I checked. Silly, I know.

There have been a lot of days since I blogged last. I've been very uninspired. Yesterday I was too busy painting my fingernails hot pink to write anything.

The most amusing thing that happened lately was going up to the Marriot Marquis Friday night and watching all the people there for Dragon Con. Our original plan was to just meet there, hang out for a little while, and then go to dinner. We quickly decided that leaving was a bad idea, and ended up staying there most of the evening. We saw everyone from the gingerbread man to GI Joe. There were characters from every major sci fi movie. Obi Wan taught me how to twirl a light saber. We stood out just by being normal. It was awesome. I would recommend a visit to the Dragon Con area next year.

This week I've had training for a new bidding system we're going to be using. It's awesome because they dropped almost my whole trip, and all I have to do is go to a class two days. Yesterday's class lasted about an hour and a half. I kept thinking the whole time how much better it was than being stuck on a plane all day.

Jamie came in town yesterday so we made a journey out to the TanJoe residence for dinner and hanging out. I cooked dinner for the third time in four days. I really enjoy it. I made Molly's black bean and corn salad. It doesn't sound spectacular, but it is addictive. I could eat it every day. In fact, I think I'll make some more today. It's amazing.

I'm making myself hungry. I'm going to wake Jamie up and find something to eat.

Smelly McEarwaxson

Today is my off day. It feels great. It's Friday, I'm in love. Well I'm not in love, but that's what The Cure seems to think. I'm sitting at my desk that is a plastic file box, in my desk that chair that is the floor, thinking what I shall do today. Mara is keeping me company on davefm, and the sun is shining in the window. I can't believe it finally stopped raining. It was kind of nice, since we need the rain, but I was having to work in most of it which sucks.

Yesterday was the only day this week where work was normal. I was supposed to do three daylines this week - each dayline consisting of two round trips. On Tuesday the FAA's computers decided to go haywire and we ended up just going to Gulfport and back and then sitting at the airport for 6 hous before going home. Wednesday we did a Manchester, NH turn and when we got back they told us a different crew was doing our next round trip. Still not sure why, but we don't ask questions when they're telling us to go home. Yesterday we did a Pensacola round trip, then sat for 3 hours and flew to Portland, ME and back.

I flew with a flight attendant who has been here 3 months, but somehow seems to have infinite wisdom when it comes to being a flight attendant. She didn't understand why I would make a whole pot of coffee for one person. She didn't want to serve until we'd been in the air for an hour because then people would ask for more. I'm not sure if she understands that is her job. Except for emergency situations, that is ALL we are being paid to do. It was mildly, I mean wildly annoying.

I had a man sitting within inches of me who had so much hair and earwax in his ear I thought I was going to be physically sick. I thought I should mention it to him so he could clean it out, you know as a woman and not a flight attendant, but never did. Another one of our flights we played spot the smelly person. It becomes almost a game when you walk through the cabin and get a strong wiff of stinkage and then you try to figure out who it is. I thought I knew who it was and when we were deplaning it was confirmed. The seat he was sitting in still smelled when we went back through. How can people like that not smell themselves??

I slept until 11:30 today cause evidently I was le tired. Now I have stuff to do. At least my room is still nice and tidy. I could still improve it, but it'll do for now. I'm off to enjoy my one day off

a "what I had for lunch" blog plus some incomplete thoughts

I've only flown one leg since last Monday and I'm spoiled. I go back to work tomorrow and am making an effort to remember how I really like my job sometimes. I'll probably be glad once I get there. I should like it simply for the fact that I only have to work three days this week.

Today was a really productive day. I made significant improvements in my room. I can see all of the carpet and my clothes are in order. I think I'll put some art work on the wall so when I sit here in bed I'll have something to look at other than a blank wall. I slept a little late so I didn't do everything I wanted today, but I got enough done so I can feel good about coming back home tomorrow. I didn't run, but it was raining almost the whole day.

I had an impromptu lunch with J and Joe this afternoon which was a nice break from my room. We were reminiscing about the olden days of Peachtree Landing. We had some good times there with our apartment family. Now we're all scattered and married and promoted. We still have fun. It just takes more planning.

After lunch I went to Target and bought super glue so my watch would stop falling off my wrist. Contrary to what that sounds like, I did not glue it to my skin or glue it closed. It has two clasps and the one I've been using for three years is loose. The other is fine. I glued the loose one closed and will use the good one. It's basically too much trouble to return it. I also bought a pegrack to hang by my door so I'm not always losing my purse and keys. We'll see if it helps.

Tonight was small group. We talked about the first two chapters in Judges. It's pretty interesting, though I feel like I need to do a little more homework about the customs and culture of that time period. Some of the stuff might make a little more sense then. I'm beginning to believe that one of the basic qualities of being human is going through cycles. The book of Judges is all about cycles. The Israelites would fall away from God. Bad things would happen to them. They would cry out to God. He would save them. They would get comfortable. Then they would fall away from God again. I feel like my life is a lot like this. Not just with my relationship with God, but with everything. Something becomes uncomfortable. It might be my waistline, my finances, or my relationships. I make an effort, work really hard to improve things, and they improve. Then I get comfortable again and before I know it things slide back to the way they were. This isn't always the case. Some things do change permanantly, or at least improve over time, but I feel like this is so basic to human nature. I have a lot more thoughts about this but I'm still working on them.

I have to leave for work in 8 hours so I'm going to sleep now.

Sunday evening blog addendum

After Peter commented on the fact that he is now the age that I was when Kat and Carson met it made me start remembering. They met back when I had hair almost to my waist. I still weighed 107 on a fat day. I'd never had a boyfriend. I hadn't met W. I didn't wear pants. I'd never been kissed (I'm still waiting til the alter). I'd never owned a car. I still had all my wisdom teeth. I'd never had a crazy roommate - or 15. I don't think I even had a cell phone. My, my, my.... Times have changed.

Another thing I've been thinking about lately is how we spend so much energy worrying about when we want things to happen. I used to debate whether it was better to have children earlier in life or later. Whether it was better to marry early or late. We agonize over potential decisions we'll make, scenarios we imagine we'll come across, all the time forgetting how few things we really have control over in our lives. The other day Kathryn and I were talking about how she was so ready to give birth.. but then she realized how much more hectic things would be once she gave birth. Like we actually have any say in the matter. (I'm not picking on her. Just the example the re-triggered this line of thought.) But I guess we like to pretend we do. Maybe it makes us feel important?

Tonight I ended up hanging out with Matt and Molly, eating ice cream, watching tv, and discussing the statistics in this book about people's marital happiness versus their childrens' ages. It was interesting. I have to go running tomorrow. Oh, and finish cleaning my room.

I'd never been outside of the US either.

hangin round, downstairs by myself

It's Sunday again. After teasing us all weekend, the rain is finally here. It's lovely. There is a small lake in our back yard. I'm trying to figure out what it is about my room that is so depressing. I think it's cause it's kind of dark. It's amazing what a difference picking the clothes up off the floor makes. I should probably do something besides just put them on the bed, but one step at a time.

I made a lot of money at job part 2 this weekend. It was a nice reward for working when I didn't want to. I thought the rain would dampen people's enthusiasm for 38 Special, but I think braving the drizzle made them feel like they were survivors. My legs and butt are sore from walking up and down the amphitheater, but again, that's where the tips make it all worth it.

Yesterday morning I got my hair cut. Then I went to the parents' house. Joy is home for a few days before she goes back to school. She made omlets for us (including an ugly one for the father.) I decided that it was time to have a serious discussion with him about his health. I told him if he acts like he isn't going to live another 30 years then I have no choice but to get pregnant posthaste to ensure that my children know him. It seems perfectly fair - take care of his health or I get pregnant. Nothing unreasonable about that. We saw four deer run through their yard, including two really cute fawns. We also boiled a conch shell Joy brought back from the Vineyard. It was the nastiest smelling thing I've ever smelled. All in all a pretty normal afternoon at the homestead.

Friday morning I did something I've never done before. I went to a dog show. For anyone who knows me they're like you did what? I am, admittedly not the biggest dog fan. But Isabella's mom was showing two of her dogs and Isabella wanted to see her. We had lunch plans already so I just rode along to the show. It was actually pretty interesting. There were so many different kinds of dogs, and most of them were pretty well behaved. I don't think I could've survived more than an hour without benadryl or something, but it was a good time. Something I can check off my life's to do list.

My feet still hurt from work last night. It was crazy. I don't know if I already mentioned this, but one of the ladies that runs the amphitheater gave me tickets to see Chris Isaak the week after next. I'm more excited than is probably reasonable. I don't care. I can't wait to see that show.

Kathryn delivered their second daughter, Charlotte Joy, late this morning. Very happy for them. Crazy that those kids met at my 19th birthday party and are on their second child now... How time does fly.

If I fall along the way, pick me up and dust me off

I'm letting my cereal digest so I don't get a stitch when I run. Running is hard enough without adding stupid little things like stitches.

I'm not supposed to be home right now, but I am. Yesterday morning I left Ft. Walton Beach feeling quite pukey, and the pukiness actually turned into puking, which led to me going home instead of flying all over the place. It's frustrating, but it is what it is. I'm tired of the stress this surgery is putting on me to earn as much and work as much so I can save tons of money. I think I need to give myself a break. I'm doing pretty good.

Ft. Walton was surprisingly nice on Tuesday. We had the entire day down there and spent part of it on the beach. The weather was beautiful with no signs of the hurricane/tropical storm that's hovering around Florida.

The past week has overwhelmed me with sad things happening. It's hard to understand all the terrible things that happen, and it's even harder to know how to be of help to those who are suffering. On Saturday our friend Isabella delivered her son, Ryken, at 22 weeks. He lived for a few minutes. It is heartbreaking and frustrating to not be able to do anything to ease the pain. Thankfully our heavenly Father can comfort in ways we'll never know and it's a reminder to lean more heavily on Him. There have been several other deaths lately and as Jamie reminded me yesterday we need to realize how fragile our lives our and live them to the fullest.

Needless to say, this week has felt sub-par. It's been one of those weeks when I hate my job, though it may just be because it's keeping me away from those I love. Now that I'm home, I'm going to enjoy it here, and let the chips fall where they may.

Saturday morning lounging

It feels good to wake up in my own bed. It also feels good to still be in it at 11:30am. I'm ignoring the voices that tell me to get up and do something. I think I deserve to have one day this week where I lounge.

We left Syracuse yesterday morning around 6:30am and made the long journey back to Atlanta. Except for our trip to Macon it was our 8th completely full flight this week. (When I got a little sass from some guy on my 4th flight Monday, I had to remind him that he was about the 300th person I'd served since 7:30 that this morning so my sense of humor and my tolerance might not been as keen as usual.) It was fairly unremarkable. As with many other flights, I sat within licking distance of 2 people who never once looked at me or acknowledged my presence.

We got back to Atlanta and had to wait about 2.5 hours until our last round trip. I spent half of this time booting up my computer. I think it got a virus. I spent the other half downloading a free virus protector that Adri told me about, and it's doing much better now. We finally made it out to the plane to start boarding for Pittsburgh. The passengers were already starting to come on board when they told us the flight was canceled. I don't know why. The other flight attendant started to get very excited, but I'm a little jaded. I remember what happened the last time they canceled my flight - they sent me somewhere else instead. And after waiting an hour more, that's exactly what happened. It was only Greensboro though, so we still got back on time and it wasn't too painful. Our flights weren't full either which was a nice break from the rest of the week.

There was an older man sitting in the back next to me who had really odd indentions in his skull (he was bald on top). I was dying to know what had happened, but wasn't sure how to ask him if his head was just naturally denty or did something happen. So I asked him about what looked like a scar near one of the dents. Thankfully he was friendly and wasn't offended by my bluntness. He had had a bleeding hematoma between his brain and his skull, so they drilled two holes in his skull to drain it. As I was looking at him and listening to his story I noticed that his eyes were exactly the same shades of brown as mine! They were the opposite of mine, but it was still really neat to see someone else with the same weird eyes. It made me happy :-).

Last night I drove down to Newnan and met with some of my small groupers. We called it craft night, but it was more along the lines of knitting, crocheting, and poster making. Nicole was crocheting a blanket Monday night at small group, which kind of inspired this. I started working on a scarf but ended up helping Kara with a poster she was making for her niece to encourage her to use the potty :-P. We watched the Olympics, ate pizza, and heard about each other's weeks. Two of the girls are school teachers, which I think would feel like doing a flight that was full of children for 7 hours a day. Basically that would be a nightmare.

After that I met Tanya, Joe, and (separately) Jersey at the Mac in Newnan where we also watched the Olympics. It was good to see them since it seems to take a royal effort to get friends together these days.

I think I've lounged enough. I'm going to take on the day.

I’m wasting sleep time trying to think of a title

If I type fast I'll still be able to make my goal of being in bed by 8. What has my life come to... I've had to get up around 4 the last 3 mornings and I'm tired of it. It's sad when you think - if only I could sleep til 5:30.

I'm in Syracuse. I was in Portland this morning. It's nice because it is not hot as Hades here. I went running yesterday and ended up walking most of the way. I don't know what the problem was. Today I managed to run the whole thirty minutes, but had to keep concentrating on how much I liked having muscles in my thighs to counteract the "I hate running" thoughts. I had two cups of instant mashed potatoes for supper tonight. They were good, but I would've rather had a steak, asparagus, brocoli, squash... Real food basically.

The other day a man got on one of my flights. I recognized him and assuming he was one of our pilots I made some comment to him along the lines of what are you up to? Then the more I looked at him, the more I figured he wasn't a pilot (I think he was too old). I had to figure out how I knew him so I asked his name and it turns out he was my boss's boss when I worked for the contractor. I then remembered that I hadn't really liked him when I worked for him so I slapped him... Not really. When I was in Europe I accidently sent an email to him that was meant for a friend of mine. I hope he didn't remember that. He's kind of old so I'm sure he forgot :-P. Small world isn't it?

Today I had a little girl on the flight back from Portland. She was asleep with the top of her head against the back of the seat so her neck was sticking out at an odd angle. Her eyelids were about half open and her eyes were darting back and forth. I couldn't stop laughing - partially cause she looked funny and partially cause it made me remember when Joy was little and used to sleep with her eyes open.

I have more to write but I have too much to do before bed. I'll be home in about 19 hours. Yay.