It must’ve been love, but it’s over now

I said that I would write from Buenos Aires so here it is. I'm packing to leave. It's been an amazing trip. We haven't stopped going since we got here. I'm exhausted, but have had the time of my life. I'll write all about it either on the 10hour flight home that I hopefully make tonight, or when I recover from my sleep deprivation.

You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em

If you ever have a friend who really wants to have a child and you don't think they're ready make them watch episode after episode of John and Kate + 8. I know it's children in excess, but just watching it stresses me out. It's like having a daycare 24/7 and not getting paid for it. It also seems to me that John and Kate can't stand each other. Good birth control in my opinion.

Today I'm in Grand Rapids. Last night was Augusta. Yes, it's as thrilling as it sounds. I'm back on the 50 which hasn't been terrible, but I'm realizing that I work better when I have someone else to work with. I've been really tired, which hasn't helped me be a super fun fantastic flight attendant. Tomorrow I have five legs. Then I go to my car, dump my work clothes, get my play clothes, and fly to Buenos Aires. Right now I'm still too busy and tired and anxious about getting both Roya and I in first class to be excited. Okay, maybe I am a little bit.

This past week was a whirlwind. I worked a lot, had recurrent training, saw lots of out of town friends, had a real date, and worked some more. Adri and Mo were in town from MA so we went to the laser show at Stone Mountain. I might just be a big party pooper, but I think it's kind of cheesy. I don't like cartoons either though, so that might be part of the problem. It was still lots of good fun seeing everyone and the weather was perfect for being out under the sky. Jamie and Susan also both wandered in from their respective hick states to add to the festiviti. We crashed Adri's house on Friday night and had a 1477 and apartment family gathering.

I had a passenger yesterday who has flown over 2 million miles on Delta since the early 90s. He told me he's been in planes that have been struck by lightning 3 times. I was shocked and amazed. Shocked cause I've known people who've been struck once, but never three times. Amazed cause I have been curious what happens and obviously he wasn't damaged or killed.

Today I ran again. I was really on a roll for a while there. Then the running got harder and the weather got hotter. I've really flaked out. Now I finally finished week 6. It's only taken me a month. It was a 5 minute warm up with a 25 minute run. That's the longest I've run, without stopping, in a long time. Maybe ever. I ran super slow, but I finished it, and now I can at least move on to week 7.

My goal now is to be asleep by 8 or so. Now What Not To Wear is on so I'm not going insane. I'm going to work on a budget - finally. I think that realistically I can have my debt paid off by the beginning of December. Now that the end is in sight it makes me more motivated to do it (hence the microwave meal I just ate).

Hopefully next time I write it will be from about 5000 miles away.

Oh yeah, the concert I worked Saturday night was Kenny Rogers. There were some ladies there who had been to over 1000 KR concerts! It was really sad. I can't imagine who has nothing better to do with their lives than go to his concerts. It was extremely cheesy and his super hot wife came up on the stage with his twin 3 year old boys and they sang some rap song... I can't believe people paid lots of money for that. After the amazing pre-concert that Jamie and Jonathan put on Kenny just didn't impress me :-).

The rest of the story

I know I already blogged once today, but I'm much more awake now. I just got home from having dinner with some of my buddies. It was a good time. It's nice that the older we get, the more open we're able to be with each other. I often dream about what it would be like to be able to be completely honest with everyone about everything. I'm not talking about telling someone their pants really do make them look fat. I mean being able to tell anyone anything about myself and not be worried about what they think. In thinking about this I realize that I probably would have to draw the line somewhere. Some things I don't tell people because I'm ashamed, and if I stopped being ashamed of anything then I feel that would be bad. But other things are good to tell. If for no other reason than for someone to learn from and have a good laugh at my stupid mistakes.

That being said, it was nice to be able to tell my parents something terrible and stupid I did and them not banish me from their house :-D.

I will now tell the drug test story. If you're offended by stupidity, alcohol, drugs, or vomiting you might not want to read it. I would like to preface this by saying that throughout my college years, and especially while I was living in Europe, I was constantly exposed to weed. People offered it to me but I was never interested. It might've been because alcohol was still a new thing to me and enough for me to deal with. It might've been that I'd been raised to think that drug use is not a good way to spend your time or money. That it's not good to let something control your mind. I also saw that all my friends that smoked were dreadfully dull when stoned. All those reasons made me never interested. That is, until one night about 3 years ago when I was sitting around being bored and stupid and drinking and someone offered me a joint. I took it but just took one puff on it, and as Bill Clinton claimed, I don't think I even inhaled. I didn't feel anything spectacular, and that was the end of it. Or so I thought.

During this time I had applied for a job at my current airline. Things began moving at an unexpected pace and within 5 days of my first interview I was going for my second one. After the second interview they gave me some paperwork and told me to go for a drug test. Everyone had already told me that once they drug test you it means you have the job. Then they'd always joke and say "Unless you fail the drug test (thigh slap. ha ha.)" I didn't think I had anything to worry about since it was about a week and a half earlier, but I called said weed provider just to confirm. I was then informed that it can stay in your system for up to 30 days. This is the part where my day starts to get really terrible. Anger, panic, worry, and tears all ascend on me like the plague.

The next person I call is Adri. If she doesn't know an answer, she can find it. I also call Jamie, who at this point I was still only on phone internet basis with (look how far we've come :-D). He's another answer finder. He also works in the same type of field where clean drug tests are a good thing. Between the two of them I'm directed to GNC where I purchase one of those detox drinks. (Side note here: doing stupid things is expensive.) It's about a gallon and grape flavored. I've also purchased a big bottle of OJ and cranberry juice - items also said cleanse one's system.

[Just so you know, as I write this I question why I'm actually telling anyone what an idiot I am. But it's been a while and now at least I can laugh at my own stupid mistakes. I think so anyway...]

I begin drinking these different concoctions. The detox bottle said you have to pee at least 3 times before you take the test. I'm still in my interview finest and am now trying to figure out how I'm going to drink all this and then kill enough time for it to pass through me. It's not as easy as it seems. I went to the thriftstore down the road and wandered for a while and peed some. I was feeling terrible physically. I was feeling terribly mentally cause I was so worried about passing the test and so ashamed of myself for doing something so stupid. My stomach finally took over and decided that enough was enough and my really expensive detox drink, as well as what seemed like gallons of OJ and CJ came back up. I can't imagine what someone would've thought as the lady in the business clothes pukes in the thriftstore parking lot in the early afternoon. I must've been a sight to see :-P.

The puking helped me realize that the nonsense had gone on long enough and I better just take the test. As we can see, I passed and now that is all just a distant, silly memory.

I would say that the moral of the story is not to smoke weed. If for no other reason than because you never know when you'll have a major job interview and need to be drug tested. And if you do, the grape flavored drinks are absolutely disgusting. I also learned that my stomach cannot hold several gallons of liquid and evidently my organs cannot process fluids as quickly as I drink them.

This may be shocking and appalling to some of you. Some may not be surprised. I hope at least you're amused, and can take comfort in the fact that I suffered for and have learned from my mistakes. :-P

I will amend this by saying that Jamie and I were actually real life friends at this point. He reminded me of this because shortly thereafter when I was doing my first trip I went to his house at 6am cause I didn't have a suitcase and used his. it's hard to keep up with how long this joy ride of a friendship has been going on :-).

My eyelids should diet. They’re so heavy...

I just got home from doing a nap. I should probably take a nap since I only slept 5 hours, but I haven't managed to get to that point yet.

I had a productive, busy, hard working weekend, but it was nice. I worked at the amphitheater Fri and Sat and saw some people from the previous concerts. I really like working there and I like the people I serve. It also helps that most of them are really generous. Some lady tipped me for taking her beer bottle up to the bar and popping the lid off of it. I was worried cause when I got in the car Saturday night I counted my money and thought I had lost a twenty. I checked around in the car and even drove back to see if if was where I had parked, but it was gone. Then yesterday when I got in the car to leave my parent's house it was sitting right next to my seat... It made me happy. I hate losing money.

I got my phone replaced a couple weeks ago because the camera on mine had broken and it was still under warranty. Since then I have discovered the key to making my battery last. It seems my phone works much better when it isn't full of pictures. Now instead of barely lasting a day, the battery lasts several days. It's amazing.

Father's day was really nice. My mama, Michal, and I made a big salad with all the good stuff on it that my daddy loves. It was so good. Then we sat around and talked all afternoon. I told them the real story behind my ASA drug test. Now, three years later, it's funny. I'll write about it when I'm not so tired. I figure since my parents know then it doesn't matter who else knows. Church was also really good. There is hardly a Sunday that I leave there without feeling like I learned something and/or was challenged.

I have recurrent training this week so I'll be home every single night. It's weird. Tomorrow I work really late and already have stuff going on most nights, but it's still kind of nice to not be on the road.

Lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did

I don't know any songs about Providence. But I am lying in bed, evidently just like Brian Wilson did - though I'm not sure if he was lying in bed with his laptop.

Yesterday was a day that makes you glad you work for an airline, and makes you hate working for an airline. I spent the first part of the day lounging in Albany, NY. I ran, which made me feel good, but wasn't easy since it's been about a week. The weather in Georgia has been ridiculous for being outdoors. It was cooler in NY but not as much cooler as I would've liked. The change of scenery is nice though. We got back to Atlanta around 7 and were supposed to have a 2.5 hour break. Our plane was late and there was terrible weather surrounding the airport, so long story short, we left the gate about 1:15 late, then took off about 2 hours later. We were in good company though with about 30 other planes hanging out on the runways trying to leave as well. We finally made it to Providence at 2:30am. Hotel around 3:15am.

I've been realizing more and more lately what a role we flight attendants have in making passengers happy or miserable. I knew this before, but after flying with angry people two weeks in a row and now happy people two weeks in a row, it's reinforced. The last few days I've flown with a lady with a crazy deep Texas accent and a British guy. Both have an amazing sense of humor and people always leave the planes happy - even if it's 2:30am. We actually had a fun time on the flight. My crew is great and it makes all the difference in the world. I also seem to be sending off some kind of vibe cause all the old men are really loving me lately :-P.

Last night on my flight I had a lady that I've known since I was born but probably haven't seen in 15 years (Marianne Dias). She was on her way up to visit her daughter, Jenny, who gave me my first short haircut when I was little. I didn't recognize her (I'm not normally on the lookout for long lost friends at 11pm), but she gave me a note cause she wasn't sure it was me. I also met a girl yesterday who is on her way down to Rio for the summer. She said she was planning on going to Buenos Aires at some point so I told her when I'd be there and she might meet us there. These are two examples of why my job is great.

I'll be in Providence until tomorrow morning. I have recurrent next week and have some homework to do before then so that's probably what I'll be doing. And watching the food network. I kinda like these days of forced relaxation.

PS. Since I didn't blog yesterday on the day of, I will wish my wonderful older sister Christine a happy birthday month.

Giant steps are what you take walking on the moon

Considering the amount of sleep I've gotten in the last few days I'm ridiculously tired. It's thundering outside. Hopefully it will rain and cool things down. The heat might have something to do with how tired I am. I also ate a bunch of pizza and icecream a while ago. Talk about falling off the wagon - I've been eating junk, spending money, and not exercising. It's amazing how easy it is to lose concentration on your goals.

I went to the foot doctor today and found out that genetics suck and I get to have surgery on my foot some time this year. Joy has already had it so I'm not concerned about the actual surgery at all. The problem is that, due to the nature of my job, I'll have to take 6-8 weeks off of work. I was pretty sure it was going to happen but now that it has been confirmed I can start figuring the rest out. I'm hoping to do it around the end of the year so I'll be in recuperation over the holidays. This will also give me time to prepare for it physically and financially. Good times. I'm not worried about it though. God has always taken care of me in the past and I know He will continue to do so in the future. It's kind of exciting to me to think about having that much time off work. I just need to find a side job that I can do while sitting or save a lot of money now.

I ran across a good friend from Europe on facebook last night and it's made me remember so many things. I don't usually miss things, but there were a lot of good times had with this person while I was in Madrid. It's hard not to feel a little pain in my heart when I think of it and how it is now so long ago.

I'm waiting for my laundry and trying to think what I should be doing to get ready for my trip tomorrow. And trying to stay awake. Knowing me, I'll be really sleepy until it's actually time to go to sleep. Then I'll be wide awake.

Lazy Sunday evening

This is the second night in a row I have been doing nothing at my own house. It's pretty cool. I forgot what it was like. I was supposed to cater yesterday but I pulled something in my shoulder Friday, aggravated it working Friday night, and woke up yesterday with a really sore neck and shoulder. I decided that recuperation was a necessity. After I got my hair done yesterday I came home and sat in front of the tv with my laptop and some Publix sushi. It was awesome. Then I fell asleep on the couch around 5:30, woke up at 9:30 enough to move to my bed, and stayed there til this morning. Once again, it was awesome.

Today was an equally leisurely day. It's too hot to do anything that isn't leisurely. It's so hot, I sweat while I'm showering. I did strenuous things like go to church, eat lunch with my parents and Michal, load music on Michal's ipod, go to Starbucks with Isabella, and wander around Ross and Target. I found the perfect shade of hot pink nail polish. Well it better be perfect since I spent 15 minutes deciding.

I've also decided that I am doomed to be a boring dresser. The only interesting pieces of clothing I own were passed down to me by someone else (Amie or Molly). I try to get things that are interesting or unusual but always end up with the same old solid color things like white tank tops.

I guess a boring wardrobe suits me since I seem to be limited to super comfortable, super boring footwear. I wore shoes with one inch heels Friday night and my foot still hurts. It made me realize that the only shoes I wear anymore are my Teva and Clarks flip flops, Clarks work shoes, and running shoes. I have an appointment tomorrow with the foot doctor to see if I'm doomed to have the same surgery that Joy had the pleasure of experiencing.

I think I'll go to sleep now so I can stop feeling like I should be cleaning my room.

From the Inn by the Bay

I'm in Portland, ME again. Second time in a week. I love this town. I love the old buildings and houses. I love that it's near the water. Today is rainy and cool. I've been watching seagulls out my window. I love that there are people out walking everywhere. I think the closeness of this area is something I really like about it. I went running this morning. I ran down Spring St. past a lot of restaurants and shops. I feel like I'm part of the life happening around here, even though I'm just running through. Again, I managed to plan (or not plan) my run so on the last 2 minutes of my first 10 minute run I was headed up a huge hill. I had to walk to the top, but did the whole second 10 minute run. I thought about turning around so I could keep running, but once I got to the top of the hill I was glad I didn't. There was a park at the top that looked out over the bay. I could see the boats and islands. The rainyness of the day seems to make everything greener and brighter. There are also a lot of flowers blooming up here which looks and smells wonderful. Once I got to the top of the hill I found a trail that went down to the edge of the water so I could run along and look at all the boats. This type of life, small city on the water, is so different than any that I've lived. I'm still surprised by how many homeless people there are here. After I ran Shane picked me up and we had lunch with Amy. I'm so thankful I was able to swap my trip and be up here.

I'll probably write more during my 3 hour break in Atlanta.