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.