Confusion all around

Kevin and I had what is becoming our weekly time to hang out....We talked about a lot of things....Apparently I have him very confused as well. One day at a time, right?

First date, Hollywood, second date, San Francisco!

Dating is a new thing to me. I didn't do it in high school (just one boyfriend....for two years). I didn't do it in college. I certainly didn't do it while I was teaching in PNG! =) This was not by choice; no one expressed an interest in me. Then I became a Flight Attendant....Oh the mystery, glamor, and flattering polyester with its magic love dust! All of a sudden the numbers came....I wouldn't give out mine, so they gave me theirs. I'm naturally friendly....does friendly = flirty? I think my friendliness is sometimes taken the wrong way. Oh well. That's the way I am. I drink decaf coffee and get asked all the time if I've had a little too much caffeine! Funny huh?

So....naturally, when guys started to show an interest in me this past year, I've been flattered. None of them have been quite right though....One thought we were soulmates after we'd been talking for about three weeks and kinda....no REALLY....freaked me out. Many were looking for something I wasn't going to give them. Then there were those who were good guys, but for one reason or another, things just didn't work out. Part of me wants to give up completely, and part of me wants to try another one....What if....? Always the what ifs.

Allow me to process for a minute. This most recent one caught my eye back in October. I was flying a local, and working my last leg from LAX to Tucson. A gate agent came onto my plane (which they rarely do), and said, "We were just wondering if you have a boyfriend...." We? I looked past him to four ramp agents on the tarmac. One of them was the guy who had caught my eye. He was standing there with both arms up, crossing his fingers. I thought it was hilarious. I answered no to the gate agent, who then proceeded to look at my left ring finger....I played along, held up my hand and pointed to my finger for the rampers to see, while I shook my head. The cutie crossing his fingers started jumping up and down. The gate agent said, "We were wondering if we could have your number so we can take you out" to which I responded, "We?
Do I get to go out with all of you, or do I get to pick?"

I didn't see that guy who had caught my eye again until March. Kevin came and chatted with me after I'd loaded my plane from LAX to Palm Springs one night. I wasn't sure if he was the finger-crosser, and asked if I'd seen him before. He said he didn't think so. He gave me his number, and I sent him a text a little later on. We texted for a bit and he eventually called me up. During one of our phone conversations, I mentioned the October scenario and asked if that was him....He goes, "That was you!!?!" and we had a good laugh about it. =)

The following week I finished a two-day trip, and had to sit ready reserve at the airport when I got back (where I have to be on the plane in 20 mins if I'm called). I had jokingly said to Kevin that he should come and hang out with me, since he had the day off and could get through security. He ended up coming over to the airport just a bit before I was off duty. I thought we'd hang out for an hour or two, but we ended up hanging out for the rest of the day. First we went to the Grove in Hollywood. We grabbed something to eat, walked around, window shopped, and had a drink. Then we went to Griffith Park and looked around....The entire time we had lots of fun and some really good conversation. We ended the evening sitting in Kevin's car watching the planes land at LAX and talking. It was great!

Kevin called me to make sure I got home ok that night....by the time I got home it was after 1am. He also called me the next day. And the next. And the next....several times....=) In our conversation that first afternoon/evening we hung out, we talked a little bit about previous relationships. I told him about my recent experience....that guys don't want to hang out with me a second time because they realize that I'm not easy....that guys say we'll go out again, but don't follow through....that they usually just blow me off. So Kevin was different from the start, in that he hung out with me for so long, had some good conversation with me, and actually called me afterwards....several times! Oh, he also paid for everything....actually took me out! Just a few things that you'd think should happen, but it doesn't always work out that way.

Since we work for the same airline, we both have flight benefits....So we decided to take a trip to San Francisco. I was on call Wednesday, and off Thursday and Friday. Kevin was off Wednesday and Thursday. So after I didn't get called Wednesday, we went to LAX to get on a flight to SFO. Everything looked great, until we got there and found out our flight was canceled. We listed ourselves on a different flight, but when we got to the gate we found out that we were numbers 69 and 70 on the standby list. Next option, Oakland. There was room for one of us, and we didn't want to split, so the gate agents rolled us over to San Jose. After hanging out at the airport for a bit, we got on!
From San Jose, we had to get a pricey shuttle to our hotel near SFO....Then grabbed some dinner.
The next morning we got up, went to breakfast, then made our way to downtown San Francisco! We walked around a bit, took in the culture and fun San Fran has to offer, then stopped for some DELICIOUS clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls.


We walked around and hung out in the city for a few hours. Kevin bought us matching bracelets so we could remember our trip....awwww....;-)

Then we had to get back to the airport to try to catch our flight, which we did, with no problems this time. =)
What's next? I have no idea. I have made a good friend who is a lot of fun to hang out with and makes a great travel buddy. He is different. We talk a lot. We have good conversation. He is not afraid to hold my hand or even kiss me in public....something new and different for me!! He is not afraid to be completely stupid and silly in public! He calls....until his phone got wet and died right before our flight back to LAX. =/ He has me completely confused....!

Done processing for now....until next time.... =)

Life on Reserve, Part 2....Why Dad gets confused....

A day on reserve....

Wake up. Check your phone. (Make sure you haven't missed a call from Crew Support.) Check your email....

messages, eTrip (see if they scheduled you anything without calling you about it yet), MySpace, Facebook, etc. Check your phone. Take a shower. Get dressed. Get something to eat. Check your phone. Go to sleep. The next day you may change it up by eating before you take a shower and get dressed. Or you might not even bother getting dressed....

On a day off, you put on your uniform and travel.... =)
And that, is life on reserve. This is what we live for!!! ;-)

Which one of us is working?

My Job(s.....)

Life on Reserve

The airlines, like any industry, has its own terms and lingo. In case I haven't explained it before, let me give a quick refresher course....

• Flight Attendant: (note: we are no longer referred to as a stewardess or steward) =) an individual qualified to perform safety duties and deliver customer service in the aircraft cabin....gets to wear polyester to enhance his/her appearance (another note: our primary purpose is to be there for the passengers' safety....and then it's all about "Coffee, tea, or me?")

• deadhead: transportation of a crewmember (flight attendants or pilots) from one point to another to cover a trip/return to base

• reserve: schedule is built by the company with days a flight attendant will be on reserve (on call) and available for duty, and days off (this is me!)....I'm on call from 5am to 5pm. Depending on the airline and how senior your base is, you could be on reserve anywhere from a few months to more than 10 years. It's like being a substitute flight attendant. The answer to the question on everyone's mind....YES, we are paid a guaranteed number of hours each month, regardless of how much we fly.
  

• line holder: schedule is built by the company comprised of trips for the given month, as days off (this is what we all want to be) =)....it will happen eventually!

• turn: a round trip, i.e. LAX-DFW-LAX

One more note on how the pay works. We are paid for flight time only - door close to door open (this is called block-to-block). For example, we could be on duty for 11 hours in a day, but only have 7 hours of flight time....those 7 hours is what we're paid. We do get per diem as well, a certain amount for every hour we're away from our base (or domicile), and that helps with the lattes and lunches. =) So being on reserve can work ok, even if you're not called to fly, but having a line is much better, because you can work more hours, and get way more per diem....it definitely adds up!

Being based out of LAX, I have only flown locals so far. (A local is a trip that starts and ends at your domicile in the same day....no overnights in other cities.) Last Thursday I flew a local with a Denver crew on our CRJ 700. LA-Salt Lake City-Denver-deadhead back to LA. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as one of my students used to say! I got to the airport early, so decided to grab some tea from Starbucks....as I'm walking down there, a man stops to ask me how to get to Continental....as I'm talking to him, an attractive young gentleman wearing that amazing polyester walks by me and throws his hand in the air in a sexy wave....it is none other than Jason Parks. He was doing a Dallas (DFW) turn (were you paying attention when I told you what a turn was??). I invited him to join me at Starbucks, which he did, and then we both went on our way into the friendly skies.

I decided to take the train to the airport, because they had scheduled my trip ahead of time, and I could plan on when I was going to leave and give myself plenty of time to get there, saving myself some gas money! In the afternoon when I got back to LAX, I went outside to catch the shuttle to the train. It was pretty full....when I got off the shuttle, Jason got off as well! Well, that made my day, seeing him twice! And it was extra nice to have someone to hang out with on the train, instead of having a guy who doesn't speak English sit next to me, tell me I'm beautiful, and ask if we can exchange numbers!

I came home and let my dad know I would be off the next two days....sometimes he gets confused about when I'm on reserve and when I'm off....I'll tell you why in my next post....stay tuned for "Life on Reserve, Part 2"!

Keeping Resolutions at the Queen's Palace

Remember where I was talking about New Year's resolutions a couple posts ago? My only resolution this year was to travel internationally, and I did it February 1st!!! =) When I got my transfer to LAX, I was given 4 moving days, which happened to back up to 2 of my scheduled days off for February. 6 days off in a row....enough time to go overseas! I had a week to decide where I was going to go. I checked the loads to Australia (you know I had to....). Oversold. Loads to London....wide open both ways! I got in touch with Richard, a friend of mine from high school who is in that area and asked if he'd be around. He said yes, and asked if I needed a place to stay. I love the perks of having gone to an international school. Friends all over the country and the world! =) So the day after Mom and I made the drive from Tucson to Orange County, I went to LAX and got on a flight to London Heathrow. Five seats across to myself in Economy Plus....I was too cheap to pay the taxes in Business or First Class....they took great care of me anyway, of course!
We were an hour early getting into London, so I had to wait a little while for Richard to come....I wandered around Heathrow and met Sam, a guy who had been on my flight from LA. Black, British, and a doctor, working in New Zealand and just back in London to visit for two weeks. It was just funny, cos all my girls told me they were sure I'd meet a black guy in England....didn't expect to meet one that soon! ;-) Richard picked me up, and we fought traffic from people going to a big rugby match, but finally made it to the train, which took us to the football game Richard and his family (brothers, Peter and Phil, Peter's wife Gilly, their uncle, cousin, uncle's friend, and Richard's girlfriend Bekah) had planned to go to. Definitely a cultural experience! And if you don't know, football in that part of the world = soccer for Americans. It was Wimbledon vs. Torquay....fun....cold!! Kinda cool though, because you just stand the entire time - all of one team's supporters stand on one side, and the other team's supporters are on the opposite side. Lots of chanting and getting riled up!
I stayed up as late as I could, but the jet lag was getting to me....Slept GREAT that night! Sunday the guys got up and went to church. I skipped out and slept until after lunch. We spent a lazy afternoon at home, then Richard and I caught a movie (Cloverfield) that night.

On Monday Richard and I took the train into London (they live in Guildford, just outside of the city). He had to go in to work, so I met up with the lovely Kirstin, who lived with us for a few months in PNG in 2004. Awesome to catch up with her again! And she was a fabulous tour guide!

Getting a phone call from a hot black man in a "red telephone box"

Kirstin & Buckingham Palace

Big Ben
taking a ride in a double decker bus

Early that evening, we met up with Richard again. Kirstin had to get home....=/ so we said goodbye to her then went and grabbed a cup of tea while we waited to be able to meet up with Greg, a friend of ours from high school. He is Australian, but recently moved to London to find work. We went to a Spanish restaurant, had delicious food, drank sangria, and caught up on the last 8-10 years!

Tuesday Richard and I went for a look around Guildford. We walked along the street lined with shops and street vendors, and went to see the castle in town. What I love about that part of the world is that there is so much history there! I can't imagine the lifestyle people had hundreds of years ago....but some of the things I saw provided me with a slight glimpse. Fascinating.

On Wednesday morning I flew back to LAX. Fortunately there were no problems getting on the flight, and I got five seats to myself again, giving me the chance to rest! I was on call at 5am Thursday morning....but did not get called until Saturday morning a week and a half later. =) I guess it's a slow month for flying! At least I can enjoy being at home. Who knows where I will go next? I'm always up for another adventure!!! Wanna join me?

Propellers and a Road Trip

Not long after I got my transfer to LAX, I was assigned my second IOE, on our Embraer 120 Brasilia. IOE = Initial Operating Experience = more training! See, we have jets and the turbo-prop planes, but we only have the turbo-props in some of our domiciles. In Chicago and Tucson we only have the jets, but LAX has turbo-props, affectionately known as "the bro," so I had to be trained on it. At the end of January, I deadheaded on a flight up to Salt Lake City with my roomie Morgan as my flight attendant (she is amazing!!!) =) and started my IOE the next morning.

Morgan and I at the TUS crew lounge

It was an interesting experience flying on the 30 passenger Brasilia, a different feel than the jet for sure! I had a great crew to fly with, and a very chill and laid back instructor. Our trip was supposed to start out with a round trip from Salt Lake City to Sun Valley, Idaho. We found out that we couldn't fly into that airport because of weather, so were diverted to Twin Falls. They were going to bus our passengers between the two airports... fun fun. When we got to Twin Falls, we were grounded because a blizzard came through SLC and shut the airport down. Got back to SLC an hour late, and then found out that our round trip to St. George had been canceled. That meant we got to hang out for 6 hours at the airport! Fortunately things had cleared up a little by the evening, and we did our scheduled flight to St. George where we spent the night. Bright and early the next morning we flew back to SLC, did a turn to Casper, Wyoming, and we were done!

EMB-120 Brasilia

After my IOE was done, I deadheaded back to Tucson, and felt like our 50 passenger jet was huge! The Brasilia doesn't bother me, but I can't say I'm in love with it like some people are. And I'm definitely not in love with Salt Lake City. One of our Tucson captains was in SLC the same time as I was, and sent me a text message saying he hated Puke Lake! Yeah, me too. =)

(Captain) Mark, me, and Ben (another FA) outside our crew lounge

We LOVE Rosie! Our TUS administrative assistant

(Captain) Andy took Melissa and I out for lunch before I left... he is awesome!

Mom flew in to Tucson late on January 30th and spent the night at our apt. I am SO thankful for her!!! (Love you Mom!) =) She helped me finish packing up my stuff so we could actually get some sleep before making the drive from Tucson to our house in California. I was on call on the 31st, so we hung out in the morning, then around noon started packing up the car. We stopped by the crew lounge to say bye to Rosie, and ran into Mark there as well. Then we began our 7 1/2 hour trip to California! God is good, we had no problems, and we got home just in time for the season premier of Lost. Crucial.