Festive Holiday Decorations

I moved into my apartment a month before Christmas 2010. My mother bought me two festive kitchen towels, and a red frosted candle with an "A" on it. I highly protested any sort of holiday fare that year, and ever since, due to an extreme lack of storage. Recently, my mother gave me these bad boys. And I have to admit, I kind of love them. I never quite fancied myself as a "Martha" or Stepford-esque. Apparently, evidence proves contrary.

And no, I do not display them both at the same time! One's February and the other March.

Pink Eye Fail

This month I've been back and forth, teaching in two of our facilities. My first round outside of the EWR, I had a severe cold and then got a cold sore. Two visits to the clinic. I powered through and managed to do as best as I could to still be a part of the team and work hard.

And now this week, I've got pink eye. I'm so sad. I'm being shipped back home later tonight (I have to wait for a flight with open seats) and of course my optometrist isn't in the office again til Monday. Awesome. The worst part is I selfishly put my class and coworkers in danger because I'm contagious. It's taking the wind out of my I'm going home sails.

My couch, here I come.

Via iPhone

Fan Mail: The Interview

I got this job just over five years ago and good interview advice is still the same. Smile. Be confident, well-dressed, and well-groomed. Always dress professionally in a suit. Women should wear hose and heels; men should be clean shaven with professional hair. Hair that's acceptable on Wall Street, not Haight Ashbury. Gum is never a good idea. While you should be prepared to answer the interviewer's questions, perhaps you should have a few questions to ask. Know a few things about the company before you get there.

An even better person to ask is The Flying Pinto, and you can start right here. Pinto's a great resource for people who are interested in the career, beginning the interviewing process, and provides great camaraderie for us flying veterans as well as industry insider looks for those peering in from the outside.

Best of luck to those of you out there who are getting ready for the interview, beginning initial training (Barbie Bootcamp is hard!), and even well wishes to those of you on probation. Because yes, you're STILL new.

Epic Love Songs

Happy Belated Valentine's Day from my 17 yr old self. 10 years later, and I still absolutely love this cover... and the rest of the Pop Goes Punk albums...

New Hire Fail

There was a group of new hire flight attendants in our training center to get their hands on with equipment to maintain their qualifications. It's required of all reserves who are based elsewhere. As a junior stew, I get excited to see new, shiny faces and tell them how happy we are that they're here and welcome them to the company. This particular girl said she came out online December 24, and was very quick to tell us that a new class came out online last Saturday, one today, and every week til June... so she wasn't new anymore.

I politely smiled and walked away.

There are a zillion things I SHOULD have said... like aw, that's cute - good luck with that attitude out online. I've been here for five years and you're still on probation for another five months.

I don't know where these new hires get this false sense of awesomeness... enjoy reserve!

Resolutions Win

I just got home from teaching in one of our satellite training centers. We walked in to find that Group A had played a little prank on us, and we spent the rest of the week plotting our revenge. There was great camaraderie between us and I'm so thankful to have been with such talented, family-orientated instructors. I'm in Group B so we go back one more time and get the last laugh on A. Unfortunately, however, I spent the week holed up in my hotel room when we weren't teaching; I had, and still am, overcoming quite the cold. The only advantage was I had plenty of time to sit and think about what needs to get done in terms of my infamous five resolutions.

I'm trying hard to put these five things at the forefront of my life; accomplishing these things will only make me more successful and satisfied. Being sick knocked me down and let me sit and think about how to make better financial decisions. Apparently spending more than you make is not one of them. I logged on to my primary financial institution's website to discover that they had a budgeting tool available, allowing you to choose which categories best fit your lifestyle (ie: rent, not mortgage) and then what the budgeted amount should be for the month to then classify all debits and expenses. This month will be different because I'm not spending it home doing the usual routine and while we do get reimbursed for our travel expenses, its not exactly what I'd call a timely operation. It's a pretty cool tool to use, and a great habit to get into. It's also making me excited to save for the future and stop squandering now. There are only so many treats (shoes...) one deserves...

Up next on the priorities list is studying German for a half hour every day.

Bombay Bicycle Club - How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep

New favorite song... Enjoy!