Breaking Necks and Cashing Checks

^^ My classmate from flight attendant training, Annie, once quoted that to me from I believe the comedic film Stepbrothers. It clearly amuses me, even having never actually seen the movie myself.

Today I took a big step in my quest to become a big kid. I paid the rest of the deposit on my four weeks in Deutschland. I also invested in another study guide, courtesy of my sister's generous Borders gift card from Christmas. Now I just have to put in the time to be a solid student for my first day of class, Monday, April 19!!

Seeing as I have the next five days off, I figured what better way to spend them than in Italy visiting my best friend! I'm booked on tomorrow night's flight to Milan and I'll be back Monday. This way she'll feel obligated to come visit me in Germany in a few month's time. Mwahaha.

Lofty Career Aspriations... auf Deutsch

As a reserve flight attendant, we normally only get ten days off a month. Which means you can block them together each month and take a week vacation every month, or a long weekend two or three times a month. Fabulous. Now, if you have vacation during the bid month, you have seven paid days off as well as an extra nine (somehow you always lose a day in bidding) from the line value! If you bid your vacation to be in two consecutive bid months - BAM! An entire four weeks off!

Therefore, this April into May, I will have a month off from work and guess where I'll be? Augsburg, Germany. Ich studiere Deutsch! I have the Rosetta Stone and a few grammar books to bump up the knowledge and I by no means expect to be able to pass the test when I get back to the states mid May. But I'll be that much closer to the speaker base and a line!

For those of you who know me and know when my birthday is - May 12 -I will be celebrating in Munich and you are all more than welcome to join me. May 13 is also a national holiday. Score. Clearly, I've recovered from my pity party yesterday :)

Pity Party

After some Facebook stalking, I have been forced to confront something that I usually choose to ignore: vast majority of my cyber "friends" are like, adults. It would appear to some (ME) that everyone is married or paired off and already has or is currently searching for a house. Like a real ring and a real home. I'm not even from the south or midwest or any of those crazy places where people get married to the first person that comes along, or where houses are close to being affordable.

Guess who's single and collecting minimum guarantee at her airline??? Cue violins.

And I know things won't always be this way. Someday someone WILL like it so much as to put a ring on it. That I'm pretty much going to get a raise every March until 2022, and will be able to buy my OWN house, down the shore of course.

Its just some days it feels like the race has begun and I'm still hanging around the starting line waiting for something to happen. Perhaps if I was a more patient person, it wouldn't be as painful. Or if I knew more people who lived at home. Even worse, if I could accept the things that I cannot change, and work towards changing the ones that I can.

What IS the worst thing that can happen on day 1 of a 4 day?

How about your suitcase can break and the zipper can decide it would like to no longer function?

So I came home from my very last trip as a fancy line holder - I had Frankfurt over New Years. I was on crew rest when the ball dropped in NYC, and we were still in the terminal when everyone was wishing each other a Frohes Neues Jahr in Deutschland. I landed Saturday and spent the rest of the night in my sweats, looking at a list of 25 open nta pairings thinking I was heading to Europe Sunday night. Wrong. I came downstairs at 9:30 and was enjoying my oatmeal, getting ready to start a cup of coffee when my phone rang - scheduling. Whah whah. I had a domestic (DOMESTIC???!!!) 3 day, 30 hours in Raleigh Durham that checked in in exactly three hours, leaving me 45 minutes to shower, blow out my hair, get dressed, packed and out the door. I didn't even bother to put my face on until 5 that night!

My first leg was deadhead to IAH, middle seat row 34. Awesome. I couldn't even pretend it was crew rest and take a nap! I ended up watching Love Happens and honestly, I wasn't impressed. There were two episodes of Big Bang Theory, and that made me happy. My fellow nta reserve and I had dinner in the crew caf, and eventually made our way to the gate. We get on the plane and right before boarding, she realizes that her suitcase won't zip back up. The zipper had completely dislodged from the zipping track and as we all know, suitcases are nothing like a jacket when you can go back to the bottom and start again. What to do??? So we grabbed a few seat belt extensions (obesity in America, it's an issue especially in a place like Texas... where everything really IS bigger!!) and secured them around the width using the handles. Luckily fellow reserve had a nice long black scarf/wrap and used that to seal the top and bottom closed. Had this been my roller, I would have been screwed because there's no handle on the bottom of my Travel Pro, that I've had since training. We made it to the hotel unscathed and off to the mall the next day. She bought a new roller; crisis averted. She said this was her third roller since she started flying; I'm getting ready to purchase a new tote and that will be my third tote bag. I'm thinking I can hold out till the summer when we really start flying again.

I got back to my domicile around 1:30 on day 3 and headed to my Grandmother's house unannounced. That's what happens when you give someone the key. She's not really doing better yet, and has another doctors appointment on the 12th. Talk about a Frohes Neues Jahr.

On The Road Again

My grandmother has been ill for the past two months. I have spent a grand total of four nights at home in my own bed; otherwise I have been at her house on Long Island. I'm currently procrastinating packing for my four day Dublin that leaves tomorrow night and avoiding packing a second bag so when I arrive in Newark Thursday (aka Christmas Eve) I can head straight to Long Island (Grandmother's house... which is over the river but no longer through woods). I'll be back home in my bed Sunday night. The only things I really want with me are all my comfort clothes like old jeans and long sleeve tees; not exactly the fashion statement for such a festive holiday. I keep telling my mother that we should all just wear our night gowns on Christmas like my Grandmother so she won't feel left out. It certainly would make packing easier!

Please keep her in your prayers - she has been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome and is on the long road to recovery.

Merry Christmas!

Twas’ the nights before Christmas and all through the plane,
not a passenger was stirring, so I could explain.

The passengers all nestled, snug in their seats,
with visions of rush hour they had just beat.

Luggage all stowed and belts fastened tight,
just sit back and enjoy a smooth American flight.

To fasten your seatbelt, there’s no need to fiddle.
Just slip in the fitting, pull end tight ‘round your middle.

To unfasten your seatbelt, lift the top of the buckle,
and then you’ll feel free free, to roam ‘round and chuckle.

There’s no smoking this flight, then sign never goes off.
And please keep your belts fastened, until we’re aloft.

And in your seat pocket there’s another surprise,
An illustrated card should emergencies arise.

There are emergency exits all over this ‘craft.
Two in the front and two in the aft.

Along with those exits, there’s window exits too.
Be sure to note which one’s closest to you.

The window exits are on either side.
They are over the wings, which help us to glide.

If the power goes out, there no need to fret,
First white lights, then red lights, to all exits direct.

There is one more thing you’ll want to take note.
Your seat cushions used if you had to float.

Please remove it, don’t set it aside,
place your arms through the straps on the underside.

The oxygen masks, please do take heed,
right above your head in case you should need.

Now watch the FAs so you know what to do,
in case this gold cup drops in front of you.

Stop what you’re doing and pull it down firm,
but don’t stop now there’s still more to learn.

Keep breathing with the base donned over your face,
put yours on first then your child’s face.

The oxygen mask does not inflate,
but the oxygen is flowing, so breathe your normal rate.

No smoking this flight, the sign never goes off.
please keep your belts fastened until we’re aloft.

And don’t be naughty, please do be nice,
don’t tamper with smoke detectors, or we’ll call the Vice.

With your electronics off and your luggage in place,
tray tables stowed and a smile on your face.

So on Dancer, on Prancer, on Donner and Blitzen,
right after takeoff, your drinks we’ll be fixin’.

Now that we’re through with our safety demo of flight,
we wish you all Happy Holiday’s and to all a good flight.

Written by: Nanci Yager, American Airlines Flight Attendant

And a special thanks to Pop Slinger for his original post!

Um... Hello???

To all my aviation readers out there: Why didn't anyone tell me that PVG is NOT Beijing??? Beijing's airport code is PEK; PVG is Shanghai. I didn't figure this out until 11 minutes before I had to be at the gate!

Shanghai was awesome. The air is super dirty and smoggy and irritated my lungs. I went shopping, ate, slept, ate, slept, ate, shopped, napped, showered, ate, and then it was time to get back on the plane.

30 hour three day trips are not my favorite and reek havoc on my body. Three days later and all I want to do is sleep and eat. My next trip is Shannon on the 11th, so I have a few days to recover :)