columbus

I got sent out on a trip yesterday which took me to CMH. We worked the flight there and then deadheaded back. The take off was pretty exciting since we are experiencing 30-40 mile/hour winds. So I am hanging out in my HI hotel room talking to Janene and my friend Carlos calls. He is at the same hotel so we ended up going out with a guy that drove an hour and half to come and see him. I am sure that he enjoyed me being the third wheel. It is halloween weekend and let me tell you, the gays sure like to dress up. I spent the night checking out guys, having a few drinks, dancing with the date so Carlos could cruise, and chit chatting with the masses. My favorite costume of the night was a slender black man wearing a Rupunzile like wig (blonde and to his calves), a box of Godiva chocolates around his neck, black high heels and a fox tail covering his...well unit. And that was it, nothing else. He had a rockin' body though. He was "Lady Godiva". On the way back to the hotel we saw a White Castle and yelled until the date pulled over. I got my first experience with the tiny burgers, they gave me heartburn and I laid in the back seat wishing the boys would stop fighting about the damn directions and find the hotel. Gratefully I got an extra hour of sleep this morning and got to sleep on the way home.

loraine

I have decided to take my destiny of meeting a good guy here from fate and give it a little nudge by joining eharmony. I was speaking with Dave May about being unable to find someone to hang out with that doesn't give me the he-be-jebes. I will admit that I am very picky in what I find attractive and who I would consider dating. The fact that you would have to align all these wants I have, my heart being open, being in the right place, right time, someone who finds me attractive and whose heart is in the right "mindset" as well. So the other night the girls helped me do my profile, it took about an hour. I received a few matches right off the bat so I sent them five predetermined questions to see what happens. Wish me luck or at least some more good date stories.

Speaking of stories, you know how I am always good at attracting crazies...This pretty cute guy asked for my number on the way home from Portland when I went to pick up George. His name was George as well. So he calls, I can't go out because I was on call, then he texts, and texts, and texts. Finally I stopped texting him back because I got irritated about his pushiness. He calls me several weeks after the communication stopped from a restricted number demanding to know when I was free and going to go out with him. I got off the phone and then texted him that I didn't want to see him and if he wanted to know why it is because of his pushiness. Get what he text me back, "When I c something or someone that requires a closer look, i become voracious 4 more information. I didn't mean 2 b so agressive, i have recently re-entered the dating scence so forgive my assertivness. Ultimately, i pity your loss. Much love to George (my girl), goodbye Loraine!" That is not even my name jackass!!

take off

The up side to this job is that it is not that much work. The downside for someone who likes to be productive, is that there is not a lot of work. After having six days off from flying an assignment was dropped into my schedule. I had to refer to airportcode.com to find out where they were sending me. I memorized 180 city codes for training, these were not among them. I regonized as a charter flight, however and speculated that is was a college team going somewhere to play a game. I was correct. We headed up to Syracuse to pick up the football team and take then to CVG. I was able to sit up in the cockpit for take off and we wrapped around the Hudson in order to see the Statue of Liberty and the city line. These boys were very demanding and like children while I was offering candy. They were a lot of fun but had a hard time having shit flicked back at them. BTW, the head coaches wife is from Oregon...small world. There were onlly six people on the plane for the ride back and I took a nice nap in first class seats, after I had eaten candy, ice cream, cheese and crackers, and drank gatorade. I woke up just as we were beginning our decent and wandered up to the cockpit to watch the landing. Those boys work hard up there with all the calls, buttons, and aligning the plane in the clouds. It was so cool to watch!

Today they are sending me to CMH and then deadheading me home tomorrow. I have racked up 15 hours of deadheading this month and am two hours short of my guarantee to get paid for them. I only have the 30th to fly those two hours as I have Halloween off. Well, I best hop in the shower and look pretty for my second trip to Ohio.

oregon

Going home always has it's negative and positive sides. The negative is that I long to be there all the time, to be with my friends, sit in the park, eat great food, have my own, beautiful space, and...it's Oregon for Christsake! The positive is that I get to get away and renew my love for home, I get to see my friends and celebrate their lives with them, I got to sit in the park and enjoy the beautiful fall colors, I was able to have down time in my loft, I got to sit on 23rd with a favorite friend and drink milkshakes, I spent the day with my favorite friends and renewed my strength to carry on. The beautiful thing about these friends of mine is that sometimes I don't have to say a word, it is just being with them that makes my life at peace.

I am now back in Jersey and awaiting a trip from crew scheduling, it is getting pretty late so the chances of working today are slim. I have offered to make dinner for my girlfriends here and we are going to watch movies, and enjoy laziness while it is avaliable. I have motivation to not sit around and eat junk because I leave for the Bahamas in 13 days. I am so looking forward to the sun, the wedding, and hanging out with the Nener. No offense, Nichole...I don't think we will have much one on one time!!

B, M, and I went to our first diner last night. Jersey is apparently known for them. The portions are huge (no wonder why these people are too), but it was good to experience something new. Let me tell you though, nothing I order will come close to how amazing the Kobe steak from Ringside was.

mets

Just got back from my two day trip to have my heart broke by the Mets. It is not necessarily that I am a Met's fan, I just wanted the chance to watch a world series game. I doubt I will be sent to Detriot of St. Louis for a two day layover.

I got the call at 2230 telling me that I shouled probably go to bed. My check in wat 0445 or what I like to refer to as o'dark thirty. My sleep was only an hour and half long before my alarm went off at 0300. I was given a load pairing which means I go from plane to plane helping out crews. My first flight was to IAH, and because of the crew, I worked first class aisle. It was great because a. I enjoy first class, and b. the galley guy was the most laid back guy I have ever met, I had to explain to him what he needed to prepare. Any woo ended up chatting with him on the jumpseat and confirmed that he was straight...not by any actions, just conversation. So I gave him my number at the end of the flight while we was waiting for me at the end of the jetway. We'll see what happens. So I get to IAH and hold up in the Mariott for ten hours sleeping and subconsciencely listening to the thunder hit right outside my window. I went to catch my next flight to PHX which was two and half hours delayed which pushed my crew rest into illegial. What that means is that I didn't have to work a 15 hour day, I just had to work and eight hour day and got home in time to watch the fifth inning on.

Tommorow is airport alert, or what I call sleeping in the crew room.

home

I returned from SEA this morning to the freezing cold tempetures very willing to get off the plane. The passangers were strange complaining about the air saying it was making them sick. I had two pukes, one lady who wanted two seats and had to deal with the agents on whether or not she was going to stay on the plane. It was a very long trip. I felt bad calling B to give me a ride home at 0600 but the sweetheart she is, she came willing. I went and grabbed a bid packet and sat in the cold waiting for her arrival. I checked my messages and found out that a dear friend (my strength in coming to Portland) is having a baby and moving to Seattle. I also found out that my "big sis" got engaged. Both of these friends once dined with me once a month to catch up on life. I sat on my rollerboard and tears flowed freely. I can't believe how much I am missing at home. B joined me in tears on the ride home as we expressed our frustration with our situations here. I climbed in bed for much needed sleep and set my alarm for 1430 so I could get up and watch the Duck game. I called a bar with satelite and got my gear on. I was feeling better after some rest but after driving to six different bars, my heart was broken when Applebees found the game but didn't have the chanel ordered. I am now here watching up to the minute stats wishing I was home. Home at the game, home celebrating huge life things with the people I love, home with those I owe my time to, home with my friends, my family, home where I can have a beer while I watch the game, home where I can feel at home.

Before I left I expresed concern to Anne about when I came back everyone would have moved on with their lives. She gave me the perfect response of "that will happen whether you are there or not". I understand and it made me feel better until those message. I wish I could be there to celebrate the moving on.

"blooood"

It went like this. B and I decided to go to Hoboken for the day to check it out. We asked the sub guy for directions and we were on our way. The turnpikes, parkways, and routes of the NE make absolutely no sense. They fade into other ones with no warning and on top of the confusion, have the audacity to charge tolls. I would say we left the house around 1330 for our adventure which took us past Giants stadium three separate times. We had to stop at Starbucks for a little refueling up north even though we needed to be heading east. Around 1630 we arrived at the small town which reminds me of the Pearl only with a view of the Manhattan skyline. We stopped by our classmates adorable apartment and hung out watching MTV. We ended up going out to Mexican and since I had to work the next day I only had two drinks. At 2100 I called C to have her look up my trip the next day. I had a 1430 check in, with that information I informed her we would probably not make it home that night and I prompty ordered another beer. We moved our party to a great bar, Maddisons, and I drank and danced with the girls even though there was no dance floor. Some of the girls faded away but B and I held strong. Next thing I know, a glass breaks and my foot is bleeding everywhere. I am not as phased as I should have been but I do remember standing on one leg, saying "blooood" over and over again. Men came to my rescue with towels while my friend who caused my bleeding went off to get herself, not me another drink. The gentlemen asked me if I wanted to go to the ER and I said no, I wanted to dance so let's just wrap it up and how about another drink. Twelve hours later, I sit on a plane working until 0200 wishing I had not drank so much. My stomach is grugerling, my head hurts, and I am unable to do my PA's intelligently. And my damn foot is still bleeding.

My trip following my hang over has been a tough one because of all the ups and downs, weather, turbulence, and flights getting in late. My schedule was as follows home-DFW-IAH-SAT-layover-IAH-SAT-IAH-SEA-layover at the Red Lion (currently here)-home on the red eye.

Still not back to my normal, if I even know what that is, self.

chicago

I am in Chicago and I am drunk. I woke up this morning in Miami and dead-headed to Newark to sit around for three hours. When we finally made it MID our crew was picked up in a limo and driven downtown. Our long layover is at this amazing hotel in the heart of the city called the Palmer House. The lobby is like something you would see in Venice and the rooms are so quaint. When I reach my room, I immediately turn on the tv and look for the Duck game. No dice, there is regional action only. I meet up with the pilots and head to a sports bar next door. I ask them to change one tv to the Duck game from the Mets playoffs and they deny me. I eat my steak and drink my wine say goodbye to the pilots and hop in a cab. I am told that Timothy O'Tooles is where I need to go. I arrive in time for the second half and saddle up at the bar with a Guiness next to a Tennesse fan. I cheer loud for the few plays that go our way and drink more beer. After watching the Mets reach the next stage of the playoffs, I retreat back to the hotel and think for a few minutes that I should crash the wedding in the hotel. Common sense takes over at midnight and I rest my head on the down pillows which surround me.

chill

There is a chill in the air, you know the one which you feel when during a football game or the post season of baseball. It is the chill that has one reaching for a blanket as they read a book on a day off. My day off was wonderful, sleeping in till noon and just lying around the house. I had good intentions to get laundry done, go to the bank, and the market. None of those things seemed as important as my down time with my book. I am reading A Million Little Pieces, I realize that I am a year behind the craze but it is an excellent book. C and I just hung out on our matching chairs with George in between us and read. We finally got out of the house to get something to eat and pick up B from her turn. We also went and saw All the King's Men this evening (still without a shower), excellent movie. As we were driving to the nearby town for some civilization, I had this huge desire for Christmas and the warm feelings that once exsisted with the holiday. I remembered how it felt to look at lights on Christmas Eve after dinner out with the rents. It made me sad but at the same time hopeful, hopeful in building new holiday memories. I guess that this is my coming to terms with living here. I will be glad to get my car out here to have freedom and go explore some more of this state that I am trying to make my home. My car will give me the ability to find a much needed gym. I am not getting fat, I am losing my self esteem...something gain from going to the gym on a reguiar basis. Change is in the air and it is for the better.

Got a three day trip, no red eyes like the last one was chalked full of. This one takes me to YYZ, MIA, MDW, and ORD. I am just hoping to find a tv between trip to watch the Ducks continue their winning streak. p.s. flew with a Sooners fan (captian) and he wasn't to happy to have me and my Duck gear in his cock pit, excuse me, the new "p.c" word is flight deck.

military charter

I think I had the best day of my flying career thus far. I was assigned to a military charter which took troops home from Kuwiat to Kentucky. We got the short leg. The hassel of running back and forth between gate 55 and 68 in the unfamilar B terminal was a bit annoying but once that 777 pulled up and the troops came off to stretch their leg, tears were instantly in my eyes. It was my first time on the triple 7, working that is. It such a huge plane with the perspective of an FA. I was in charge of a door, the manual safety demo (our ISM has no clue what he was doing), and the mid galley. There was so much food on this flight and I just walked up and down the never-ending aisle offering things to everyone. Our two hour flight ended in a flat area of nothing but black hawks, buildings, and old planes. We were invited in to join the ceramony welcoming the troops home. When our large crew walked in, the crowd cheered for us. The troops marched in and the crowd went crazy along with all of us. It was such an emotional experience to watch them be reunited with their families and to see the babies which were non-exsistant when they were deployed. We got a chance to hang out while our flight was delayed for two hours. I got my picture taken in the engine of the 777 and then we ate first class meals while lounging in the first class section and running up and down the aisles. Our captain was so great and sang songs over the intercom. I was able to sit in the cockpit for take off and he let me turn on the auto-pilot button. So techicnally I was flying the plane. I felt like a kid up there with all the pictures I took and all the questions I asked.

On the way home flying 43,000 feet, a light caught my eye and then another. I cupped my eyes and looked out to see the most amazing lighting show I have ever seen in my life. This show was about 50 miles from us and followed us all the way home, As I sit here now, at home, the lighting is flashing through the windows and the thunder is almost shaking the house. Besides the Yankee game being delayed, it has been an amazing day.

A special thank you to those who have volunteered their lives to protect our freedom. Welcome home boys, and thank you.