Is There A Doctor In The Twp?

There's something seriously wrong with me.

I miss domestic.


More like I miss airplanes; I haven't seen the inside of one in over two weeks.

Weekend Update

1. I got the iPhone. I investigated the new Storm, not nearly as cool.

2. I have found Fictitious; his name is Edward Cullen.

3. drinking + texting = so not a good idea

4. When I do shots, my pinkie waves at full mast as if it were high tea with the queen. Awesome. Oh, and I love Jager.

5. Not a single trip has gone out with a reserve in days, which makes me feel pretty good about only having 45 hours for the month. That's probably as much as you worked last week.

Embarassing PJs and Snow

Last Christmas I was given a pair of women's flannel pj's and though cute in the privacy of my own bedroom, it would be terribly embarrassing to be seen out in the world wearing them. Last night I wasn't feeling too swell and decided that aforementioned pjs would do just the trick to make me feel better. I'm glad I decided on them because when I pulled the curtains and blinds to let the light in, I was greeted with a winter wonderland. Snow had covered the bare trees, coated the tree house, the flakes were falling down so serenely. I'm not always a fan of Jersey, but mornings like today sure as hell make it worth while.

According to Hurricane Schwartz, this winter is going to be a rough one. Santa, I think need another pair.

Reserve Does Suck!

Last weekend I had a date with a true Big Kid; he came complete with automobile, mortgage, and even a suit for those fancy occasions. I couldn't help but reflect on my current situation. I can barely afford to drive (I did pay $1.82 for gas today, and that's not even the cheapest in South Jersey), I live at home, but more importantly, I'm on reserve. Reserve is something that I've been struggling with since I got the job; everyone keeps telling me that it gets better and your life will completely change once you get a line. Though we are hiring next year, its not going to up my seniority that much to make me a permanent line holder, which is my current goal in life. I feel like dating is impossible on reserve and complicates things that are already complicated to begin with (I'd like to extend a big thank you to the super sluts who put out on the first date, are non-discriminatory serial daters, who have single-handedly destroyed any modicum of decency, morality, romance, and chivalry that used to be known as courting... way to lower those standards!). What I'm getting at is that I've decided to learn a language. Not only will learning a new language fulfill this burning desire to exercise my brain, but its the express train to the magical land of holding a line! Moreover, I can date boys who speak said language and drink the local brews, and we all know how I feel about boys and beer... yum!

Buying Bread From a Man in Brussels

I went on call Friday; having failed to successfully pick anything up, I was assigned Brussels on Saturday. I was feeling rather shitty all week, but took a crap ton of airborne, vitamin C and "non-aspirin" (thank you AS!) and kept on trucking. I was senior opted out of my position, so I had to work BusinessFirst aisle instead of partying in economy, which I haven't done since August. I like the Brussels trip because you get in so early, and was asleep by 9. I was rudely awoken around two by the maid service outside my door. At this point it dawned on me that I could only see out of one eye and that the other was all crusted over - pink eye! This is the second time that I've woken up on a layover with pink eye like symptoms. I spent the rest of my day lounging, I went to the gym for the first time since I was domestic. I didn't make it to my favorite kebab place - the Sultan of Kebab across the street. I figured it would be healthier to have my ham sandwich, and I couldn't bear the thought of having to go outside. I caught another hour of Ewan McGregor's Long Way Down on BBC1 which is almost as exciting as Holly Oaks. I finally fell asleep at midnight and woke up promptly at three am. I tossed and turned for the rest of the night and just as I was beginning to get my body's natural shot of melatonin, it was time for the wake up call. Got ready, went downstairs for chocolate croissants, and found out that our aircraft was being downgraded - meaning two of us were going to have to deadhead home! We get on the wee plane, and the ISM makes it all the way to the second most junior person on the trip - and he choses to deadhead! I told him it was his right as he was senior to me, but I was sad. I wanted to sleep for another 8 hours and not feel like ass crap anymore. Instead, I get to sit at home for the next two days on ready reserve trying to fight this hacking cough and now double pink eye. Heaven forbid I get pink eye and not somehow manage to get it in the other eye too... but hey! It could always be worse - and what goes around comes around bitches!

Lord, I Was Born a Traveling Man

I spend a lot of time listening to music on my commute to and from the airport, which is roughly an hour and half. On my way home from my last trip (Oslo! it was amazing, I must go back), I was listening to one of my all time favorite albums and it finally dawned on me why I loved it so much. The album, entitled Something To Write Home About by The Get Up Kids, is all about leaving. Leaving is my favorite thing to do, especially when you get to come back. Its exciting to leave your house and go to Europe for the weekend or fly across the country for a date; there's also a certain excitement in returning home. The greatest songs, love or otherwise, are all about it: the glorious adventures and dreams of leaving and sorrows and desires of having to leave or wishing to be home.

"Everyplace around the world... we're coming to America!"
Neil Diamond

"Hold me like you'll never let me go, cause I'm leaving on a jet plane"
John Denver

"If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?"
Lynard Skynard

"Big old jet airliner don't carry me too far away cause its here that I got to stay"
Steve Miller Band

"Come tomorrow I'll be on my way back home"
Get Up Kids

"She says Idaho is calling you home"
The New Amsterdams

"The hardest part has yet to come, when you will cross the country alone"
Death Cab For Cutie

"You can forget all your troubles forget all your cares and go downtown"
Petula Clark

"Come fly with me, lets fly lets fly away"
Frank Sinatra

"Please come to Boston for the springtime"
Dave Loggins (this one totally came from Mom... its circa 1974)

"Another aeroplane, another sunny place, I'm lucky I know, but I wanna go home"
Michael Buble

Miss Liberal? No, Miss I Have Job Security...

I voted for President Elect Obama for a multitude of reasons; the most important to me was job security. I found this article on the USA Today aviation blog discussing the impending Obama presidency on my industry. So what does Obama mean for those who fly?:

That's the question tackled by Bloomberg News, which writes the election of Barack Obama could mean higher labor costs, less overseas outsourcing, no changes to foreign-ownership laws and fewer route auctions.

Analysts and union officials suspect the Obama administration could act on a variety of labor initiatives that could work to the advantage of airline unions. Andrew Steinberg, a former transportation assistant secretary under President George W. Bush, tells Bloomberg he thinks some potential labor-friendly actions under the new administration could prove "significant" in giving unions leverage in talks over wage increases and work rules. On that note, Ed Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO's transportation trades department, tells Bloomberg: "We would expect an Obama administration would live up to its strong commitment to not only support, but strengthen, the collective bargaining right of workers."

Elsewhere, Bloomberg says that while labor groups may get a boost, airlines may now find "it easier to protect New York flights with Barack Obama as president. … A Bush transportation priority this year has been to auction off as many as 10% of airlines' takeoff and landing rights at the three major New York airports, where flights are capped to curb delays. The Bush administration says the auctions will boost competition." However, Bloomberg claims a majority of Congress members oppose that plan, and Roger Cohen -– president of the Regional Airline Association –- tells the news service that he thinks Obama won't be as "driven by ideology" on the subject and may choose not to spar with lawmakers.