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.