Six Degrees of Separation

They say there are six.  Degrees of separation, that is.  Sometimes I don't think there are that many.  And other days, I think there are about a thousand.  Today, the degrees of separation were not even in existence. 

I was working a San Francisco to Seattle 9:20am departure.  I was at the L1 forward boarding door welcoming 124 lovely folks on board.  (And their numerous oversized bags as well....did I mention "numerous"?)  When what to my wondering eye should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.  No, wait, that's not right.  I'm thinking something else......  But what was coming through the door was a very nice gentleman smiling at me and pointing.  "Hey, I know you!"  He went on with "I was wondering if I was ever going to be on one of your flights......I read your blog!"  He was as excited as I was.  And I think we were both quite surprised.  Irony.  Out of the blue.  Complete happenstance. 

And the story is made even more random because neither of us live in the Bay Area nor in Seattle.  He lives way out in the Northeast United States.  Visiting family.  Working.  But, wow, what a morning.  I was able to feed and water Bill.  A Bailey's Irish Cream and a snack.  It's the least I could do.  Bill, I loved meeting you.  You made my day!

March Madness

I've taken the plunge. I needed just one more Apple product. That's the way they operate, you know....."You just have to have it."  And on that note, I will be getting it -- my very first iPad.  The New iPad Third Generation arrives at my house this next Friday.  I'm hoping it's the right choice.  For traveling.  I'll leave my laptop at home.  But the lack of a full-size keyboard on the iPad is concerning me a little.  We'll see.  I am very excited, though.  And I've done a nice job of tempting LoverBoy as well.  He's all of a twitter and going down the "Well, I can't find a decent cover for my iPad 1 so maybe I should sell my old one and get a new one so that I can find a cover for it" trail.  Because all of that makes perfect sense.  In the Apple world it does. 

My new glasses have arrived.  My first progressives -- yeah yeah yeah, I know it takes some time to get used to them.  Btu I'n huving a ibt of a difiucullt tyme seying throussh thenm.  I think they look pretty good but you'll have to be the judge of that.  It is my first online glasses ordering.  I used a company called Lookmatic.  Great customer service.  More than happy to do whatever it takes to make it right.  I'd recommend them.  The top half for distance is great....especially at night....much more crisp and clear.  But the bottom reading half is a mess....I'm not sure if it's a matter of me getting used to them or not.  But my older straight reading specs were much better. 

The Flight Path Debrief program for flight attendants is on a roller coaster ride at this particular point.  You remember...the program the took me to Seattle for 69 nights last year.  That I devoted hundreds of hours to helping design.  Along with 23 others.  Thousands of hours and dollars to develop a top-notch grade A program is now in flux.  Do we want it?  Should we revise it?  Let's just say that I'm tired of corporate politics.  Let's just say that I'm tired of non-flight attendants thinking that they know what's best for flight attendants.  I know, I know....be flexible, nimble, open minded.  I'm trying.  But I'm more than definitely happy to be back flying full time.  Away from the office.  Away from the fray of office and corporate life. 

There's a new girl in town....and she's sitting on top of our condominium...up on the roof.  She's a Davis Vantage Vue weather system.  You can now see the weather for our area...our building!....right on the internet.  You'll see the new badge on my blog...upper right-hand side.  That's the weather for our building.  Sort of fun.  And the internet link to it is here:  http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KORPORTL191.

We're putting together details of our upcoming trip to Ogunquit, Maine, at the end of April.  We'll be staying in a B&B in Ogunquit and then visiting our friends Wil and Fritz for a couple of nights.  We're also working on details for Bear Week in Provincetown in July.....year four!  And I see a road trip maybe next week to Boise for just me and Mason....to see the parents and sister.  And maybe help sis get a new laptop up and running.   We saw The Descendents last night.  Great movie.  I had no clue what it was about or even who was in it.  That's the third Academy Award nominee that we've seen -- in addition to The Help and The Iron Lady.  Sounds like all movies have to begin with the word "The" nowadays. 

Meet My Virtual Friend Maureen Walsh

I'd like you to meet my virtual friend Maureen Walsh.  She lives in Walla Walla, Washington.  The delicious, sweet onion place.  Known for their increasing wine country as well.  I say "virtual" friend because we've never met.  But by golly, we've been awfully awfully close.  Last night for example.

We had finished a 14-day of training new flight attendants at our Flight Operations and Training Center near the SeaTac Airport and were back at the airport for our flight to Portland.  We had an extra hour so headed to the Pacific Marketplace for some delicious pasta.  Sat down.  Enjoying. And I'm staring across the table and right over to the neighboring table.  At this woman.  I knew her.  I just knew I did.  I stared and stared at her.  I think she knew it.  Man, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where.  But more than even knowing her, I knew some story about her.  Something personal.....something about her family, crying or a heartfelt story of some sort.  But I couldn't place her.  A passenger of mine?  Neighbor?  TV personality?  Gosh.  I just kept staring and even followed behind her as she headed toward the gate areas.  It really bothered me until about halfway home, inflight.  THAT'S IT!

Maureen Walsh is a Republican congresswoman from Walla Walla, Washington.  About three hours drive to the east of us.  And I knew her story because I'd heard her story.  Recently.  A few weeks ago.  And you'll hear her story below.  She is one of those folks that I admire.  She is well deserving of honor and recognition.  For her ability to come to beautiful conclusions in her life.  For looking out for the equal rights of others.

So, I've never meet Maureen Walsh from Walla Walla, Washington.  But gosh, I was damned close.  Really, really close in fact.  I'm disappointed that I didn't take the step to walk six feet over to her and say hi.  I really would like to have given her a big old hug and thanked her.  For her life.  Her dedication.  And love.  Oh, and her inspiration too.  And her dedication to people over the task. 

Afterglow

Good lord.  Who would have known that turning 50 would be such a crazy time.  It started out with almost 20 folks at Happy Hour on last Thursday evening.  Migrated to a quieter 6-person coffee on Friday morning.  An even more quiet and lovely 3-person dinner and 5-person movie ("The Iron Lady" which I loved).  And a 32-person bash on Saturday night hosted by our good friend Alan.  And concluded on Sunday with a 12-person brunch and a 25-person Pizza and Piano evening at our condominium.  I had phone calls, text messages, emails, "likes" on FB, and wall posts on FB (truly, about 150 of them!) -- from so many of you...and from England, South Africa, and Paris.  And I was able to have my very first, live phone call with a longtime reader of my site....the infamous Anne Marie in Philly.  She made me feel so good about turning 50!  The picture speaks for itself.  Cards, cards and more cards.  With sentiments.  And thoughts.  And reflections.  And memories.  Really good stuff.  Thanks to you all.  My friends.  I appreciated all of your attention so much.

I feel like Mrs. Rich Bitch right now with my state and federal tax returns plus our company's annual performance payout.  I've asked for it all in rolls of pennies.  It has already been nearly spent.  On things like Mason's teeth cleaning, a new home printer, and setting aside some for our annual trip to Provincetown, Massachusetts, this July for Bear Week. 

I'm heading to Seattle tomorrow for a day of helping out in yet another brand new class of flight attendants.  I help teach the Services Training day -- food, beverages, carts, how to pour drinks and be nice to people day.  It's always a lot of fun....but oh so tiring.  And the perception is always so strange -- turning into classroom training what I have spent 17 years of my life actually doing in flight.  Strange.

The month of March will return me to overnight trips at work.  I've been mainly doing turns...where I go out and right back home instead of staying overnight somewhere.  I haven't done an overnight away in months -- probably since last November or so.  That's one of the great things about my job -- the flexibility, the change, the variety.

February is truly one of my favorite times of year.  For more reasons that just my birthday.  I love the gentle edging up of temperatures -- we hit 62 yesterday.  The crocus are already up and blooming.  And the daffodils and tulips will follow shortly.  The pink of the flowering cherry trees has been around for about two weeks already.  I really dig our temperate climate without giant extremes of hot or cold.

The Letter

So, here's the deal.....I've spent a good portion of my last year helping design a project for my employer.  Flight Path Debrief for Flight Attendants.  I've mentioned it more than once here.  Honest to god, hundreds of hours.  All last summer spent in an office in Seattle.  Several hundred ideas, suggestions, "spaghetti on the wall" as we've called it -- tossing out ideas and thoughts and what may or may not work.  It's mandatory training.  The morning portion is all-employee -- 150 employees from all work groups.  The afternoon sessions are broken out into one's own division....mine being Flight Attendants.  And it's the afternoon Flight Attendant piece that I've helped design and am now an occasional facilitator.

It's playing out very, very well.  There have been a lot of laughs and plenty of tears as we FAs learn things about other areas of our company.  Things we don't typically know or are a part of.  There are some parts that are introspective....from both a professional and personal level.  Examination.  Looking inside.  I like it when people are functioning at their best as human beings.  And that's where this program is designed to take us.  It's part historical.  Part motivational.  And there is this little section that we've called "The Letter."  It's no longer being used.  But we tested it with a wide variety of test groups for many months.  We modified it, changed it, softened it, soothed it.  We changed our facilitator notes and what direction it was that we wanted FAs to "go" in their minds and hearts.  Honestly, it was a great piece.  A prodding piece.  A poking piece.  Made to make us think, consider.  And I like that kind of thing -- that keeps me well rounded, thinking, using my head, and propels me forward.  But clearly not all FAs like that sort of thing.  I've already made it clear that we are an unusual group.  Set in our ways, don't like change, demand flexibility, picky, get irritated by things like "I'll have a black coffee."  Only to be met three rows later with a wave of the hand and a "I'll need a cream and four sugars."  Those things continue to confound the wise.  We exist in a world of shallow talk and chit chat with passengers.  Nothing overly indepth.  Surface.

So when a piece like "The Letter" is presented, we're taken aback.  Shocked.  Surprised.  Which is exactly what the piece was designed to do.  But it was intended to lead us in a positive direction.  Not a negative direction.  The section played out quite powerfully in a positive way to most.  "Life changing, powerful, really made me consider, etc" are a few of the comments.  But then there is this group of folks who are stuck.  In the past.  With what has happened to them over the years.  The victims.  With having been down this "company kool aid" trail before.  They don't like management.  They don't like people with good attitudes.  They don't like coworkers who are friendly or go out of their way to help others.  They live with an "Us" and "Them" mentality.  And for those folks, the letter incited rage.  Upset.  Anger.  Two wild extremes depending upon the type of person The Letter was presented to.

The Letter was a fake letter which explained that our company had been purchased by an investor.  Assets were to be liquidated.  Employees could reapply if they cared to.  No one's jobs were preserved.  It said nothing about "You're fired" or "You're a bad employee."  But, you see, that's how we FAs work.  We think we know better.  We exist in a land of rumors and half-truths.  We are not well connected to an accurate line of information.  The funny thing is that about 95% of the negative comments came from those who had not even attended the program yet.  Rumors.  What they thought they knew.  What they had heard from others.  That's what they based their reactions on. And that I do not respect nor place any value on. 

Really?  Seriously?  You haven't even experienced it yet and you're already red faced and irritated?  Is that really the type of human being you are?  Umm humm.  It is.  The Letter was designed to encourage a "What Would You Do" sort of dialog.  What would you do tomorrow if this happened to you today?  Who would you tell first?  Do you have a plan?  Are you prepared?  It was to encourage ideas and thoughts from others.  To help us get ourselves in line if we are ever purchased, or merged, or or or.

So, I made a Facebook entry the other night saying that I was facilitating Flight Path the following day and how excited I was to do so.  My first and only comment was from a coworker who has never once made a comment on my FB page.  But with regard to this, she did.  I didn't like the comment, felt it rude and inappropriate for someone else to be making on MY page with MY excitement about the following day.   Most of us would never do that.  But that's the way she works.  I removed it and messaged her to tell her why I had done it.  Here is the dialog:

ME:   Hi there. I removed your comment about the "Stupid Firing Letter." I felt it personally offensive. I helped develop the Flight Path program. I'm 100% invested in it. And it's tough to hear those sorts of half-cocked, uninformed comments from those who haven't even been to the program yet. I'm more than happy to chat anytime about the letter or anything else in the program. The letter had nothing to do with being fired. That's what rumors do for our lives. They create an unbalance, unfair, air of negativity that is not based on truth. Let me know if you have any questions.

HER: You weren't here in 85 when I received an unfair, negative letter to come back to work or I WAS fired.Unchanged in my opinion and what seems to be the same of an overwhelming majority of people that have gone to your mandatory program,Also a letter from our CEO (Bruce Kennedy)that we were all a bunch of ingrates and we were lucky to have a job instead of a Christmas card or bonus.You say I'm uninformed but maybe it was ____ and your team that were uninformed about how touchy this letter would be.I've run this idea by family friends that run corporations and they were appalled at this idea of trying making an employee feel grateful for their job by "picturing their life without this job. "So I feel your attack is personally offensive, as well-Respectively yours-

"Respectively yours"?  Really?  So, I went to bed.  I tossed and turned.  Upset.  By her blue-collar bully ignorance.  The uninformed who think they know it all.  Those who actually know 10% but speak like they know 110%.  And she continued to message me because I was in bed and failed to respond to her as quickly as she thought I should have: 

HER:  Nothing?Would you like me to form it in a question? It's obvious that you have gotten alot of heat for this but do you honestly feel that none of the negative feedback is valid?

The Letter section has been changed.  Redeveloped.  And it is working just fine.  Good dialog.  Good discussion.  But definitely lacks the punch and power of The Letter.  It was just way too far to ask some folks to travel in their heads.  They just couldn't do it.  Most of us could, a vocal minority could not.

So that's how my week's gone.  How about yours?

Flight Attendant Boot Camp

A rare look inside my world.  This is the room, the aircraft mockups, the trainers that taught me what I know today.  And it is also the room that I now have the occasional opportunity to actually stand in front of the room and teach others how to be a flight attendant.  I hope you enjoy as much as I did.  This is where I spend my time, my energy, and efforts.  People I love and now call my family and friends. 

Flight Attendant Boot Camp Part I

Flight Attendant Boot Camp Part II

Back in the Saddle

Oh, listen to me....saying "back in the saddle."  Like I've ever been in one.  Well, now wait...that's not entirely true.  Once.  North of Kona...in Hawaii.  At the Kahua Ranch.  My one and only venture on a horse.  Old Sampson.  He had gas and they put me at the back of the line.  But today, I'm back in the saddle in the virtual sort of 2012 way.

We enjoyed a fantastic week-long New Year's Adventure including two evenings of The Middle reruns and another of Absolutely Fabulous reruns.  There were two entire days where we didn't dress or put on shoes.  Passed around the champagne bottle at midnight.  And wrapped up tight on the two days that we ventured outside to both Hudson and Saratoga Springs, New York.  Such great towns.  You know, everything on the East Coast is so much older than it is out here in the West.  It seems more historic.  More blue collar.  More rough, tough, used and worn.  And we enjoyed one evening with as many of our Albany, New York-area friends as we could gather.  And Enterprise Car Rental gave us a 2012 Mazda CX9 with 300 miles on it.  Rode like a beauty on the Mass Pike.  We had a fantastic week.  And now we're home.  Picking up the pooch from his boarding place this morning.  (BTW, can you even believe that there are those that believe I talk about Mason incessantly?  I've been accused of being consumed by him and, apparently, talk about him nonstop.  Psht....).  Oh, and one more thing before I go.....I watched two movies during our six-hour flight from Boston-Portland last night....Dolphin Tale and All the President's Men.  I only cried a few times (in the dolphin movie, not the president movie). 

We've got a 12th Night gathering tomorrow night, I have my very first Cardiologist appointment next week to hopefully put my adventurous mind to rest about issues that I don't even think are really there (nothing to worry about as far as I know).  I'm also back into my facilitation schedule for our company's Flight Path Debrief for Flight Attendants session and will be facilitating in all of our bases over the next year.  We are in high-level talks about our travel schedule for this year...planning vacations, crossing destinations off our list, adding others, fantasizing about others.  And, yes, my 50th half-century birthday is in six weeks.  So, we're in preparation for all of that birthday President's Day weekend (you did know that I celebrate with the President's each year, didn't you?).

I always love this time of year.  Fresh starts turn me on.  New things make me feel good.  And my mind mulling over things that need to go...and things that need to start.....

Tick Tock, Tick Tock......

Tick tock tick tock.  The last remaining hours of 2011 are in front of us.  I can't believe it....but I say that every year.  Don't we all?  I spent six months of my year nearly not flying but, instead, working in Seattle at our Flight Operations Building creating and developing what is now termed Flight Path Debrief for Flight Attendants.  It's an amazingly positive and powerful program designed to make us not only better flight attendants but, more importantly, better human beings.  It's required training.  It's turned out quite well.  I am also an ongoing facilitator for the program and will be off and on throughout 2012.  It was a fantastic opportunity that I'm thankful for. 

Do you realize that it's possible we may have a President named Newt.  Or Mitt.  Seriously?  Newt or Mitt.  Sounds more like a law firm.   Anyone who tells me that they were caught off guard in an unexpected moment and were not able to gather even a scant 10,000 signatures in their very own home state has no business being President of the United States.  What?  You didn't know when the primary was?  You didn't know that you actually had to gather the signatures and turn them in?  I'm confused.  And it sounds like you are too, Newt.  Moving on.....

We're departing Wednesday evening for an all-night flight to Boston where we'll rent a car and head westward to Albany, New York, for a week.  To kick off the New Year in good style with good friends.  Last time we did this the temperature hovered a few degrees above zero, the wind blew, and the snow drifts prompted multi sessions each day of snowblowing.  I'm hoping for something just a bit better.  And did I mention that we've secured First Class seats for the Seattle-Boston flight?  Umm hum.  For sleeping purposes.  One can't find themselves driving the Mass Pike in the winter without having a proper night's sleep. 

We're enjoying the Christmas Eve dinner leftovers again tonight.  No complaints here.  We enjoyed the holiday working together.  One more Orange County turn again tomorrow morning and then I'm off for a week.  This time of year always makes me reflective.  Well not me, per se....but my thoughts.  I like to improve.  I like to consider ways of leading my life differently.  I'm just that way.  I hope you'll find a great way to carry yourself into 2012.  What's it going to be?  Cheers!

And The Summer Drags On.....

Holy smokes folks....the last waning days of August are upon us.  As usual, I can't believe it.

I've been sequestered in a windowless room in Seattle for most of my summer.  Designing.  Planning.  Creating.  Crafting.  Thinking.  A lot of fun.  A ton of work.  For the first time in years, my mind is keeping me awake at nights -- something I have forgotten, a detail that needs to be done.  A program for flight attendants on Who We Are, How We Fit, and Why We Matter will roll out in October.  If I disappeared from the Design Team today, it wouldn't matter -- I've taken a backseat and my value is minimal.  I spent about 50 hours on a very nice, introspective brochure to be used in the program...called "Being the CEO Of Your Life."  It's been trashed and won't be used.  What a waste. 

I'm playing Hanging With Friends on my iPhone regularly....something I've never done in my life.  I am not a game player.  But for some reason, this has consumed me.

I've seen numerous trees around town with those hints of yellows and reds to them.  Ah oh.

My required annual flight attendant Recurrent training is coming up in a few weeks.  "Heads Down, Stay Down!"

I haven't read any blogs, commented, or even been here on my own site since May.  Lordy be.

Hubby and I are going to Palm Springs for five days in early October with a bunch of friends.  Should be a nice time.

My seniority at my very own Portland flight attendant base has dropped starting September.  I'm 20 less senior than I used to be.

Bored in Seattle

It is becoming clear to me, again, that my mind thinks in ways that other's minds do not.  I was always bored in school.  Boring.  No interest.  Could have been a straight-A student...but was more than satisfied with Bs, Cs, and even some Ds.  It meant nothing to me.  I was not challenged.

I have spent the last three months working in Seattle for several days a week.  Putting together a 4-hour flight attendant training project for my employer.  I've enjoyed it.  But it is painfully clear to me that I expect more of myself, and others, than they expect of themselves.  I want more.  I think in ways that others do not.  I am not satisfied with status quo.  I do not want another corporate training project or things that can be achieved elsewhere.  I have finished developing a piece for the program called "Becoming the CEO of Your Life."  Many, many hours of work.  And a very nice product.  Challenging.  Expecting introspection and personal work on the insides.  Expecting more.  Wanting more. Wanting participants to dig deep.

But I've been slapped on the hands.  Nope....too personal.  Can't do that.  We had something else in mind.  "Let's bring it back to boring" is what I've surmised from the comments.  So, for one more time in my life, I've been disenchanted with knowing that people simply are happy with status quo.  With medium.  With being good....not great or exceptional.  With being afraid of asking more of people or pushing buttons that may very well be uncomfortable.  So I'm back to middle ground.  Boring ground.  Nonchallenging ground.  Again, just like in school, I'm bored.

Jaunty July Juxtapositions

(For the record, NO, I have no idea what the title means...so don't ask....the words are far and above me, I know not their meaning....nor care to.  And on that note, I pass you along to the rest of this delirious post......)

Well well, it's the 4th of July.  No, not just a date on the calendar, but the birth date.  Happy 235th birthday, US of A.  You've come a long, long way.  And you've got a long, long way to go.  Let the sparklers, watermelon, and bar-b-ques begin!  It is one of my more favorite holidays.  I love the community feel, the whole front porch and backyard gathering romanticism of the day.  The sunshine, the outdoors, the after-dark colors in the sky.  It should have been my own father's 80th birthday.  But he didn't make it past age 62.   I think he'd still be full of vim and vigor if he were alive today.

Friday will see me on my way to the Northeast Coast of the US.  Provincetown, Massachusetts, for Bear Week.  Year three.  We stay in a home that used to house the rail master.....Provincetown is at the far tip of Cape Cod....and the yard next to the house we stay in was the turnaround point for trains.  And the railmaster lived in the home we now stay in.  The town is filled with thousands of good looking men who either are bears, cubs, otters, dolphins, or some other form of animal.  Don't ask.  It is a busy week filled with all sorts of activities from morning until late at night.  A couple of things are on my list this year that I have not done in years past:  Spiritus Pizza with hundreds of guys at 1am and the boat shuttle out to the Long Point lighthouse that sits, quite literally, at the last piece of land on Cape Cod.  I can't wait.  Plus, I have tickets to see Pam Ann for a one-night-only show. 

I'm continuing to put in a ton of work hours on a special, ongoing months-long project developing training for our flight attendants.  I've really had to get my head around the thinking, plotting, planning, writing, developing piece of this whole thing.  I've been out of practice on those sorts of things for years.  Serving drinks year in and year out can lead one to a soft brain.  The piece that I'm crafting is Being the CEO Of Your Own Life.  Taking charge, being the boss, not being the middle manager of....you.  Just you.  Your choices, your decisions, your reactions.  It has been through redraft after redraft already -- and I imagine that process will continue until the mid-September rollout.

We finally have a bit of summertime temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest.  I'm telling you, there's nothing like the mornings and evenings -- with the blue skies, light breezes, and all of the amazing natural beauty that our area offers.  I did try to get out to Sauvie Island one of our two clothing-optional beaches last weekend.  The Columbia River water levels are super high right now which led me to having to wade through more than two feet of water just to reach dry ground.  The mosquitoes were something else.  But I did enjoy a few hours of sunshine.  I'm more than looking forward to more trips to the beach as the summer progresses.  Our other beach, Rooster Rock, is well under water for at least a few more weeks.  Here's a map that I developed a few years ago.

Summer Begins Today

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. 

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.

Wriggle to Create Heat

Just when you think you've seen or heard it all......I was working the "C" position this morning from Portland to Orange County.  "C" position is the back galley.  On a Boeing 737-700 aircraft.  A had seen a large group in the boarding area...maybe 20 or so teenagers with obligatory adults along to tame the errant young tendencies.  So the first guy on board is wearing a green Portland Timbers t-shirt and heads to the back galley.  Seemed like a nice enough guy, friendly, chatty.  And he says to me....."Hey, my wife is going to kill me....she said for me not to come back here and ask you this but I told her I was going to do it anyway......is there any chance you'd go up and warm up my seat for me before I sit down?"  I told him to just let his wife watch this.....I marched my tender, yet silly, little early morning self up to his row, asked him which seat was his and sat down in it.  I wriggled around a little....."to create friction and heat," I told him.  His wife was looking at me like I was about as far out of my ever lovin' mind as one mildly delusional flight attendant could possibly get.  He sort of liked it.  "Yeah, like that.....okay, that's good," he says.  And I got up and left.  His wife staring.  He and I giggling.  In my 16 years....that's a first. 

The End of May

• Glee.....I could have done without it.  More and more throughout the season, I am less enamored with the little kiddie Glee clan.  Some of the scenes are so contrived and don't seem real with little rich, pretentious white kids performing them. 
• My sister is coming to Portland for Pride.  It will be her first ever Pride.  She's going to help us out in our company's booth at the festival and march in the parade with us!  I'm wondering if it will be wet or dry. 
• We're going camping for one night with some friends way out East of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge.  Out where it is sunny and dry.  (Portland averages 37.5 inches of rain per year.....The Dalles receives only 14.5 inches.....)
• I have been able to assist in the training class of brand new flight attendants.  Our first new FAs in three years.  
• I am finalizing plans to attend Bear Week in Provincetown in July.  
• I have a friend who performed CPR on an 83-year-old man on one of our flights the other night.  The flight diverted to an alternate airport.  The man passed away.  
• We have friends moving into our building today.  They have had their eye on one of the last units remaining to be sold in our condo building.  Today, it becomes theirs!
• Clear, concise communication is hard to come by.  
• Two gay men were beaten up while holding hands in downtown Portland.  Amazing, considering that it happened here.  Except for the fact that Portland pretty much welcomes all sorts of folks -- and this is the byproduct. 
• We are struggling to get more than one single day of sunshine so far this season.  Keep your fingers crossed.  We did finally break 70 degrees. 
• The cemetery next to our condo is getting all primped and trimmed for Memorial Day. 

San Diego Zoo....Mixed Emotions

Yesterday, I visited the San Diego Zoo for the first time since 1968.  Wow.  That's been a while.  I was on a longer layover with my hubby and a good friend so we decided to really make a day of it.  Did you know that Diet Cokes actually cost $5 at the Zoo?  I thought it was for a six-pack, not a single drink.  Silly me.  But in spite of having a great sun-filled day, I left with mixed emotions.  I know that being the animal activist that I've migrate toward in my old age, I should not have paid the money to visit this zoo nor any other one.  I know that placing animals in captivity should not be supported.  I know that paying giant amounts of money for t-shirts and sodas at the zoo is just plain old not right. 

The zoo had a sign with a picture of each animals on the front of each exhibit (or listen to me...calling it an "exhibit" when it was nothing more than a cage for confinement....).  The little signs were all the same.  And they each rated the animals on whether they were endangered or not.  Many were.  In addition, I noticed heavy advertising, signs, pictures and public relations crap that were intended to tease me into thinking that the Zoo is a "green" place for animals -- that they are doing everything possible to make sure that the animals are well taken care of, tended to, needs dealt with, etc.  But, as with all of these sorts of things, I immediately questioned the Zoo's intentions.  I think that any business who is going out of their way to advertise to me what a good, green, earth-friendly, animal-caring place they are probably isn't such a place at all. 

I stood in front of the elephant exhibit watching two elephants swaying back and forth.  Each of these two were by themselves -- not with each other nor with the rest of the heard.  And swaying.  Back and forth.  Left and right, right and left....for as long as we were there.  And I said to my Zoo partners that I'll bet that the swaying is a byproduct of them being in captivity.  Yes sir, it is.  Check it out.  In addition, I didn't see a whole lot of animal caretakers around.  I did see a few.  Very few.  For the most part, "people" were absent from the scene -- unless it was to sell expensive food, treats, t-shirts, kettle corn and the like. 

Probably the highlight of the day was at the Hippopotamus pool.  Momma and 15-day-old baby!  Amazing...and right straight in front of us on the opposite side of the glass.  Apparently, they are not natural-born swimmers because momma was teaching the baby how to swim....herding the baby around the pool and nosing it up to the surface for air.  Something like this......it was really, really something else.

I know that in many cases, the animals are actually more well off in the zoo than in their natural habitat due to poaching and other unnatural happenings.  But in spite of it all, I've been thinking a lot about the fabrication of real life at the zoo.  It left me a little bittersweet.  For the lack of natural, free-roaming territory to enjoy. The captivity issue.  The children running and yelling and creating stressful situations for the animals -- there were actually signs on many of the cages warning us to not yell or not harass the animals....that it stresses them and makes them nervous.  I just felt sorry for them.  There's got to be a better way to educate our children, our world, than peddling expensive novelty items in gift shops and charging $5 for ice cream and locking up animals in cages.  It didn't feel natural at all. 

The Depth of Human Interaction

Do you remember Lila from the movie Latter Days?  She was the gracious restaurant owner played by Jacqueline Bisset.  If you haven't seen the movie, you should.  But the movie isn't what I'm here to chat you up about today.  It goes beyond the actress, the role, the part she played.  It is her spirit.  The energy she exhibited.  The heart she showed.  How she opened up herself, her business, her life.  To help the boys, others, and to make people feel good.  She believed in something more, something positive, something even, perhaps, ethereal.

I think I'm drawn to that type of person because I wish I were more that way.  I try to be, believe me.  But I don't always succeed.  Occasionally, gasp, I lose my way.  I have this feeling that I will be working on it for the remainder of my life.  I'm such a hard old crusty bastard sometimes.   I don't think it's one of those things that will ever be fully achieved.  But continually focused on for reminding myself of who I am and who I am not.  It keeps me humble and god knows I could use a little of that.

My friend Rhonda is that way.  A devoted, devout positive person.  She cares for others.  Honestly, deep down, from the core of her being.  You feel good being around her.  Being a flight attendant brings about those opportunities to fly with a variety of people.  Some you get to know and fly with frequently.  Others are more flash-in-the-pan sort of folks...you fly with them once and may never again.  And some you never, ever want to fly with again.  Today, I had an unexpected surprise to meet Jan.  From our Los Angeles base.  Jan had that big smile on her face from the moment I went down the jetway and entered the airplane.  She was right on it.  No drama, no negative, no ill habits, no hating of the company, no doom and gloom.  She had shed it all for today, at least.  She opened up her arms and gave me a hug.  Now, remember, I had never seen her until that moment in time.  Even if I'd wanted to, I couldn't have a bad attitude being around Jan.  She was one of those deep souls.  Not superficial.  And I can spot surface, shallow BS a mile away.  She had clearly experienced in her life things that created her.  She had struggled and hurt and recreated her life in a way that helped make her who she is today.  We chatted about marriage, past lives, our mutual time together in Boise (we actually lived in the very same apartment complex back in Idaho in the early '90s....).  She laid out her life out for me to see.  She was diving deep.  I had to practice those skills that go deep, far beyond the borders of being nice because I'm a flight attendant.  You just never know what any particular day is going to bring you. 

I'm convinced that as much as people irritate me many times that I actually need these irritants to make me, remind me!, who I am.  Who I am not.  And who I need to be.  Life is so short.  And much of it is shallow.  But today, I got a little depth.  A little soul, and human culture.  And I'm thankful.

USS Midway

We have two of them this month.  Two San Diego overnights with each other.  We've been trying for several months to get them.  But with our quite average flight attendant seniority here in Portland, we have failed until now -- and I can't wait until we bring in more senior crew to Portland.  For crying out loud, we'll be even worse off than we are now.  But this month, we held two.  The trips are one flight down in the morning, all day in San Diego, spend the night, and then one single flight home the following morning.  I've had plenty of SAN layovers but hubby has not.  I've been anxious to explore the city with him. 

So yesterday we landed (after an inflight medical emergency....ugh....), changed our clothes as quickly as we could and headed out.  We ventured down to San Diego's picture-perfect waterfront.  Past the world's oldest active sailing ship the Star of India and down to the USS Midway.  I knew we wanted to go but I had no idea how amazing our afternoon would be.  I also had no idea how my little bouts with claustrophobia would be tested.  We spent our entire time watching our heads and feet.  The ship is filled with 60 self-guided audio points of interest.  Plus, the flight deck filled with 27 restored aircraft.  And then there's a separate tour of The Island -- the little piece of the ship that sticks up above the flight deck and houses the chart room, the ship's Bridge, and the aircraft navigation areas.  WAY up above the ship and water down below.  We checked out the ship's brig -- for those bad boy sailors.  The mess halls, the officers quarters, the sick bay complete with operating rooms and dental facilities, the laundry rooms, the bomb elevators, and the chapel.  I swear, I'll bet there was a serious need for the chaplain on the ship.  With the teeny-tiny quarters and no place to escape or relax.  I couldn't imagine being under the deck of this monster for more than a very short time.  I mean, seriously, this isn't a cruise ship.  In fact, life under the flight deck was the safest place to be.  You didn't have any reason to come above deck unless you were part of the flight team.  The flight deck is dangerous -- you cuold be chopped into pieces by a propeller, blown overboard by jet blast or a wind gust, burned in a fire, or hit by an aircraft trying to land or depart.  The ship was the largest in the world when it was built in 1942.  968 feet long. 

And I thought of my dad.  And my father in law.  Both Navy men.  I recounted the many, many stories that they've both told me throughout the years.  I remember the story from my father in law about a Japanese kamikaze pilot flying straight into the deck of his ship in the Pacific Ocean.  And I remember my own father telling about the food on ship, bunks so close that he couldn't even turn over without his shoulders hitting the bunk above him, about holding on to pipes while he showered to avoid being thrown around.  And I remember him returning home from his Naval Reserve duties -- and unpacking his sea bag full of dirty clothes and always a treat of some sort for us kiddies.  Today, I have one of his original pea coats -- one that he wore while on duty as a Signalman Second Class on some ship, somewhere.  I stared and looked and thought yesterday.  I saw the uniforms on display and remember him proudly wearing the blues and whites.  And the hats.  And the polished shoes.  He loved his Navy time.  He was proud.  He was friendly.  He did the job he was supposed to. 

So, that was our first San Diego trip together.  Oh, one more cool surprise -- we did get to see the #74, the USS John C. Stennis departing the port too.  She is one of the Navy's newer models of aircraft carriers.   And we also got to enjoy dinner at one of Little Italy's best -- Filippi's Italian Food.  And today we're sporting little sunburns on our pale faces and necks.  What a day.  I think we're going to the San Diego Zoo or Sea World next time. 

Beginner's Wings

Gosh, it's been a while since I've had to.  But I sort of remembered how.  And I think it went okay.  You see, for the first time in three years, we are hiring new flight attendants.  Two classes of 55 in each class.  After 9-11, the airline industry went into the hole.  At one point, there were 100,000 jobs lost in the airline industry.  It's come back, to some degree.  We are successful -- dare I say, one of the top-notch in the industry when the financials, on time, awards by various groups, and customer service pieces are included.  Combined with the fact that we have been understaffed for a year or more, it is definitely time to hire.  Our reserve flight attendants have been completely overworked, used, abused, and reused.  We have junior assigned senior crews far more than should ever be necessary.  (Junior assigning is when the company catches you at the end of a regularly scheduled trip and tells you that you're being junior assigned to work on your day off....you don't have a choice....you are required to go.)  We have quite a few people out with serious illnesses such as cancer and our on-the-job injury rate isn't great because of lifting heavy passenger bags and turbulence injuries.  All of that to say, our staffing is not where it should be....and so the new flight attendant classes are in session.  Thankfully. 

I was asked to help teach in the new class this last Thursday.  Services training.  All about the food, drinks, beverage carts, napkins, coffee, using a beverage tray, making cocktails, all of that crap.  The stuff I've been doing many times a day for 16 years.  It is so embedded in my life now that I forget that this is a whole new world for these new kids on the block.  But they aren't really kids.  They range in age from close to 21 up to....oh, maybe 50 something.  Guys, gals, the whole works.  All dressed up and playing nice -- because they have to.  They are being watched, evaluated, like hawks.  Attitude, smiles, what types and how many questions they ask, negative attitudes, tardiness back from lunches and breaks, talking or texting during class...it's all being recorded.  Everyone is in dress attire.  No one is late.  It's not permitted.  They are studying every night for five solid weeks.  And they do training flights on the weekends.  Like today ----

So, this morning, my buddy Todd and I just happened to be the working crew from Seattle to San Jose -- 1 hour 33 minutes at 35,000 feet.  I was the Senior Inflight Service Director Stewardess working First Class.  And we had two of our new trainees assisting us on board the flight.  Barb came to help me work First Class.  Grace worked in the back cabin.  They were awesome.  Didn't miss a beat.  They did their equipment preflights to make sure that things were working -- like oxygen bottles, evacuation slides, whether we had over water rafts on board or not, flashlights, life vests at each jump seat, etc.  I mean, seriously, this was Barb's first time ever working First Class...and she did it like a champion.  Didn't miss a beat.  Smiles, organized, drink orders taken, food delivered, refills, trays picked up, pilots fed and watered, announcements made, doors open and closed appropriately, lights on and off.  All perfectly.  I was so proud of them.  It's a huge, steep learning curve.  And it takes times like these to remind me of how far I've come.  It's so good to have freshness.  Newness in our lives.  The energy of younger, newer, people.  It felt great. 

I hugged them both goodbye and told them what a great job they had done.  And that I was looking forward to seeing them "On the Line" as we say.  We all need new experiences in our lives, new challenges, new education, new activities, reminders to keep things alive and fresh.  What a nice reminder for me today.  My wings occasionally get tarnished a bit.  Their wings will be sparkling, pretty and brand new. 

If You Think I'm Sexy....

If you want my body and you think I'm sexy come on honey let me know.....la la la....1978, Rod Stewart.  I thought I saw Rod walking along Congress Street in Austin just last night....but then I realized it was some guy(?) on his way to the club on a Saturday night.   We departed Austin early this morning for our 3 1/2 hour flight to San Jose.  A few seats open but nearly full.  It will come as no surprise to you that I've run into all kinds of characters in my life as a stewardess.  But today gets a whole chapter all to itself in my book of life.

The guy was big.  Maybe 275 pounds or so.  And tall with a couple, or three, jiggly chins.  Sneakers untied, no socks.  And a yellow shirt that smacked of the south, a conservative well-worn one.  With little funny golfers on it.  Maybe from some southern department store back about 1987 or so.  He was probably in his early to mid 40s.  He never told me...despite the fact that he asked my age and refused, refused I say!, to believe me at 49 years old.  "Nuh uh," he kept saying.  He hung around the galley.  For a really, super long time.  Now, we flight attendants are not known for enjoying people in our galleys.  Its our space, lots going on there, and we like to chill and enjoy a coffee after the service is complete.  But today was not going to play out that way.  He blathered on about life in Austin, how he'd moved there to go to school after playing in the NFL for six years with the Green Bay Packers.  He had a wife with no further information beyond that.  He wanted a vodka and cranberry but his credit card had been declined earlier this morning when he'd tried to use it to upgrade to First Class -- "I was supposed to be in First Class," he tells us.  So, we scanned his card anyway and gave him his cocktail.  Instead of returning to his seat, he kept on chipping away at the intimacies of life.....all 275 pounds of him smack dab in the middle of our galley.  Me on one side, my friend Cathy on the other.  I kept on trying to sneak glances at her around his expansive mid section.  But it was hurting to bend my neck that far around him.  He brought out his iPhone and showed us his music selection -- U2, Eric Clapton, Rush.....others.  "I used to smoke pot and listen to Rush."  He was from "Pennsyltucky," as he put it.  The back hills of Pennsylvania.  But with Cathy being from North Dakota and me from Idaho, neither of us had any compelling reason to think we were any better.  I made up the state "PennsyltuckyIdakota" and we all had a giggle.  Another cocktail for him, please....now we're up to four vodkas.  I tell him that there is an open seat in the exit row and maybe he'd be more comfortable there.  But, I ask him, do you think you'll need a seatbelt extension?  Because they are not allowed in the exit row.  "So, are you calling me fat?" he asks, laughing.  Nope, I'm not...I'm simply asking about seatbelt extensions before you try to sit in the exit row.  So, and I swear to god it happened just this way, he grabbed a handful of that belly in both hands, jiggled that bad boy belly like Santa Claus, looked straight at me, and asked "So, do you think this is sexy?"  Oy vey.  I gotta get outta here.  Another cocktail for him. 

And he continued on about salaries and jobs and such -- wondering who was the bread winner in each of our families.  Cathy said she flies minimums and that her husband brings in more than she does.  (Seriously, are we really having this conversation with a perfect stranger ?)  I sort of skirt the issue and try to change the subject.  "I think I'll go and pick up trash," I say as I slither past his sturdy frame into the aisle.  I stand in First Class for a bit, waiting, waiting, waiting for him to clear out of the back galley.  I finally end up there again.  I sit down on my jumpseat and gather the Sunday morning paper with a cup of coffee.  He begins to sit down next to me....but I diverted that by telling him that nobody is allowed to sit on the flight attendant jumpseat.  "Oh, well maybe I can buy you a drink then....." as he turns to my coworker Cathy, pulls out that (previously declined) credit card and says to her, "Can I have a drink for myself and one for Arnie too?"  Oh lord god jesus and mary, I about evaporated.  She explained that we are not allowed to drink on the job.  And then he heads back into uncharted conversation territory with the questioning again about who is in my family and who the bread winner is.  I say that we both make about the same amount.  "We, who?" he wants to know....."Are you married?"   So, if you're willing to encourage that conversation with me, I'm more than willing to have it.  "Nope, I'm not married....they don't let the gays marry in this country," I tell him.  "I have a partner," I tell him.  "Oh, a dude partner?" he asks.  Yes siree, a genuine honest-to-goodness dude partner!  "Oh, I'm all cool with that," he continues.  Once again, I'm looking for a way out so I grab the aforementioned trash bag and head out leaving Cathy in the back galley (again) with him.

I stood in First Class for the longest time.  Waiting, watching, watching, waiting.  He returned to his seat and waved at me.  I waved back.  I finally ventured to the back galley and Cathy turned to me and said, "You'll never believe what he said about you....he said he thinks you are sexy." 
I blushed.