Lordy kids, I'm so sorry. My summer has started off in a whirlwind and I don't see it changing. I am heavily involved in a work project that takes me out of Portland for two additional days each week for the remainder of the summer....and maybe even longer. That is in addition to my regular flying schedule. Combine that with the fact that I have full intention each year of getting out to one of Portland's two clothing-optional beaches, and I can see that things are not going to quite go the way I'd like them to this summer. And summer here is always relatively short anyway. Ugh.
My Sister is back on her flight returning to Idaho after a nice weekend here in Portland for gay Pride. It was her first Pride ever. She was like a kid in a candy shop! We enjoyed being first in the parade lineup and distributed 40,000 pair of mardi gras style beads. It was a ton of fun. And we helped out in our company's booth at our festival. Rained the first day. Cloudy but no rain the second. And then I had a friend with the audacity to tell me that he hated Pride...always has. That there was no good reason for it. How horrible gay people act during Pride. How Pride does not define our lives. Etc etc blah blah blah. How dare he rain on anyone else's parade. Well, of course it doesn't define our lives or who we are as gay folk. Duh. I'm doing my best to be open, available, and keep an open mind. About Pride and everything else in life. I just didn't like him spouting off on my good fortune or feelings. I had a great weekend and we'll leave it at that.
I have this one day to regroup, do a million loads of laundry, pack for a business trip to Seattle the next two days, and for Hubby and I to get our home back in order. We have left Mason alone for far too many hours the last week. I am departing July 8 for a week in Provincetown at Bear Week with a houseful of friends from years past. And, I'm going to see the one and only Pam Ann while I'm there. That'll be a first for me. And today is the first day of summer. Who knows, we may have more than one 80 degree day this year. Yee haw.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, June 06, 2011
And So Begins June......
Summertime......ugh, maybe, wait for it, perhaps....is it here? Perhaps. We had two days of 80 or more over the weekend....first time since last August. It felt quite good, the warmth on the skin. We ventured 100 miles east of Portland up the historic Columbia River Gorge to camp for one night with our buddies who had traveled from Idaho. They graciously opened up their fifth wheel trailer and allowed us to stay with them. It made camping so so so much easier. We stayed right down on the Columbia River at Maryhill State Park on the Washington side of the river. The river is at it's peak flow right now....super high, super fast because of snow melt and spring rains. The cliffs above the river there are sheer rock, straight up to the farm fields up on top. I suppose they were formed a zillion years ago during an ice age sheering off of sorts or something along those lines. Needless to say, it is some seriously amazing country to enjoy.
I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the most exciting meetings ever at work recently. A meeting that our airline's Maintenance and Engineering Departments holds every single morning, seven days a week, at 8am. The room was filled with about 20 folks who are in charge of our airplanes, maintenance, broken aircraft, engines, parts, mechanical issues, etc. In addition, there were maintenance heads from all over the country on the conference call. It was flawless, speedy, and proceeded like a well-oiled machine as they spoke about this aircraft, that broken plane, this part, that issue, this particular heavy check, etc. I couldn't believe how hands-on and intricate they were. Spot on. Didn't miss a beat. And clearly had the airline's best interest in mind -- getting the aircraft back in the air, safety and professionally. I'm sure my head was spinning in circles as I listened and watched them. It was so cool.
I've pissed off some very good friends of ours. No surprise, is it....Me pissing off people?? My strong opinions and mouth to go with it don't always bode well for others. I'm aware of that. I own that. I can handle that. But, still, pissing off one's friends isn't the best thing to be doing. It was nothing directed at them in particular but spoke to a wider audience. I was standing up for our most junior of flight attendants and simply brought to light some issues that we have going in our work ranks right now. I believe that speaking up for what one thinks isn't quite right -- especially for those who need to be spoken up for -- is the right thing to do. I'm sure that the phrase "It wasn't what you said but how you said it" could easily apply here. Point is that we are all entitled to our own opinions, viewpoints and such. We should make those judgments professionally with a well-rounded and balanced approach. No one else has to agree with us. And we should feel good about that. So now I'm moving on to my stomping out brush fires duty. Man oh man, I've got a lot to learn.
Next week is Portland Pride. My sister is coming over from Idaho for it. It will be her very first Pride ever. And it will my very first time that my sister and I have ever marched in a Pride parade together. Excitement mounts. We're going to be super busy setting up our company's booth at the festival, helping organize the group marching in the parade, and all of that. And with any luck, we won't have torrential downpours to deal with.
Bear Week in Provincetown is coming closer, closer, closer. I have mixed feelings about it but I am going by myself this year. We had decided after last year's trip that we were probably not going to go -- financial, amount of time needed off, and several other reasons. As time went on, Hubby encouraged me to feel free to go alone if I chose to. So I am. But I'm still wondering how it will feel to be at Bear Week all by myself without him. I mean, I will be in a house with a bunch of our good friends .... but Hubby and I have created some great memories of our very own there. It's just going to feel a little different than normal. And, I have tickets to see the one and only, the world famous, Pam Ann who will be performing at Bear Week.
I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the most exciting meetings ever at work recently. A meeting that our airline's Maintenance and Engineering Departments holds every single morning, seven days a week, at 8am. The room was filled with about 20 folks who are in charge of our airplanes, maintenance, broken aircraft, engines, parts, mechanical issues, etc. In addition, there were maintenance heads from all over the country on the conference call. It was flawless, speedy, and proceeded like a well-oiled machine as they spoke about this aircraft, that broken plane, this part, that issue, this particular heavy check, etc. I couldn't believe how hands-on and intricate they were. Spot on. Didn't miss a beat. And clearly had the airline's best interest in mind -- getting the aircraft back in the air, safety and professionally. I'm sure my head was spinning in circles as I listened and watched them. It was so cool.
I've pissed off some very good friends of ours. No surprise, is it....Me pissing off people?? My strong opinions and mouth to go with it don't always bode well for others. I'm aware of that. I own that. I can handle that. But, still, pissing off one's friends isn't the best thing to be doing. It was nothing directed at them in particular but spoke to a wider audience. I was standing up for our most junior of flight attendants and simply brought to light some issues that we have going in our work ranks right now. I believe that speaking up for what one thinks isn't quite right -- especially for those who need to be spoken up for -- is the right thing to do. I'm sure that the phrase "It wasn't what you said but how you said it" could easily apply here. Point is that we are all entitled to our own opinions, viewpoints and such. We should make those judgments professionally with a well-rounded and balanced approach. No one else has to agree with us. And we should feel good about that. So now I'm moving on to my stomping out brush fires duty. Man oh man, I've got a lot to learn.
Next week is Portland Pride. My sister is coming over from Idaho for it. It will be her very first Pride ever. And it will my very first time that my sister and I have ever marched in a Pride parade together. Excitement mounts. We're going to be super busy setting up our company's booth at the festival, helping organize the group marching in the parade, and all of that. And with any luck, we won't have torrential downpours to deal with.
Bear Week in Provincetown is coming closer, closer, closer. I have mixed feelings about it but I am going by myself this year. We had decided after last year's trip that we were probably not going to go -- financial, amount of time needed off, and several other reasons. As time went on, Hubby encouraged me to feel free to go alone if I chose to. So I am. But I'm still wondering how it will feel to be at Bear Week all by myself without him. I mean, I will be in a house with a bunch of our good friends .... but Hubby and I have created some great memories of our very own there. It's just going to feel a little different than normal. And, I have tickets to see the one and only, the world famous, Pam Ann who will be performing at Bear Week.
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