"on guard!"

“It’s weird this is where we started our night”, I said to the heavy eyed partner in crime next to me as we waited for the next path train. There we were at the 23rd street stop waiting for wait seemed like hours for our ride back to ol’ Jersey. In the name of research we set forth on our journey into the city, the favorite roomie and I. We discussed which stop to enter the city that never sleeps and choose 23rd because we wanted to go somewhere local and have a nice dinner. We walked around Chelsea knowing full well we wouldn’t be getting hit on but we stumbled upon a great restaurant, East of 8th and enjoyed great food and people watching. Our adorable waiter sent us over to another great spot, le Zie, to check out a private room for my birthday and to get another cocktail. From Chelsea we headed to Union Square and popped in on the W Hotel to mingle with the businessmen and grab yet another drink. A meeting with the Bills ended up to be our best bet for conversation especially over the man that came and set next to me. When he walked in, he turned a few heads because he was bearded like Santa Claus but donned a Russian winter hat. He sat next to me and started to talk to me about this that and the other. I found out he was from Israel and then he ask me if I had any questions about his religion. Religion interest me, the different sides and belief so I asked him a few questions which as you may have guessed fueled an heated argument. It was my promotion to move on, and so we did…the clubs that we jointly remember this morning include Japonaise, Underbar, BuddhaBar, Tenjue, and finally Marquee. We rolled around one neighborhood to the next once at the courtesy of a white Escalade. We had pictures with tranies right before the cops were questioning it and told us to go away, we were followed by the Jew but I was safely covered by a kiss from ol’ Bill so he didn’t see me, we bargained our way into clubs, two for the price of one, and had one hell of time dancing and singing George Michael. We were given roses as we were pushed out the door of Marquee around 0400, and deciding that we still had enough energy, we headed over to Cafeteria. Holy cow! that was the best grilled cheese sandwich I ever had! Someone had the brilliant idea to put bacon on it. We sat right next to the table where the SITC gals filmed a scene and accidentally let out horriendce burps much to the dismay of the couple sitting next to us. As we waited for a cab to take us to the neatest path station we fenced with our roses in hand and giggled the whole train ride home.

two thumbs down

Four weeks to go...four more weeks of my twenties. I woke up determined to eat healthy and get exercise everyday until the birthday. I convienced my lazy roommate to go with me and walk down the store to get a salad but we didn't make it to the store because my pocket started vibrating, it was crew scheduling and I was off to FLL. A storm was coming in and our plane left right in time and allowed us to stay the night and come back after the snow had fallen. I stowed my luggage and met the crew, a couple of old ladies and one around my age. The lead popped off and told me that I was pretty new and I would definatly need help in first class. Anyone who knows me could image the look I gave her. Then she has the nerve to ask me if I ever have worked first class. (Bitch, I have workin' it all month!) I said yes and went about my business, no other chit chat was coming from me to her or it would have been nasty. So, miss know-it-all-everyone-else is new and dumb, yah, hum, ah, she is only three months newer than me and ol' dipshit didn't know that we play the comedy channel on the way to Florida, she was looking for what movie to play. Oh, and she had to read her announcements...I have mine memorized. Needless to say we did not get along the entire trip and she recruited the others to hate me as well as they hung out in the back galley, and then watched the Oscars together. What makes it worse is that she is from Oregon. I wanted to tell her not to tell anyone that because I don't want people to think everyone from Oregon acts like that.

shout-out

Boredam on a day off combined with the fact that I don't desire to be home alone with the roomie that drives me bonkers, leads to me getting dolled up and going into the city. The plan was to get a drink and mingle with the afterwork crowd, then catch a cab over to Chelsea to check out this place I want to have dinner on my birthday. Just before five, "I wonder if 19C is in town?" sure enough he was coming back from a meeting in LI. We arranged to meet at The W on Lex. I ended up in the wrong damn place so he had to come and get me and take me over to were he was. Alhtough he is still gorgeous, he is not as heartstopping as I remembered. We talked for an hour and half over wine and then we decided to wander upstairs to the mezziane, after being shewd away from a private event we ducked into a conference room and he kissed me...heartstopping. Not only he is the package, he is a good kisser. Unfortuantly we shewd out of that room as well and he had to get to a work meeting. He walked on the outside of me and got me a cab to my destination.
I got dropped of on 11th and walked up the half block. I tried to open doors to no avail, then a couple came up with reservations and we ponderd together. We tried calling and nothing. Finally we gave up and I followed them to 10th and asked a guy about the club. He said it had been shut down for a bit because some guy died in an elevator shaft. Chris did mention that and I told him that I would steer clear of the ol' elevator then. As I approached a main street, I saw a line for a club called Marquee...in my mind any line is a good line so I jumped into the cue. The guy behind me and I started chit chatting and he end up to know some big shot inside so we didn't have to pay cover and lo and behold, it was free Stoli night. Mind you all I have eaten at the point is Grapenuts and some broccoli. We left after a couple of hours to meet some of his friends in the ironbound. This is a section of Newark, which I drive through every day on my way to work and to be rumored to be controlled by the mob. My hunger must have been given away by the fact I asked his friend, who I just met for a piece of his dessert. Bo, kindly ordered dinner for me and we ate in room with only one other occuppied table. Completely a scene out of the Sopranaos, they were discussing business and my dinner date seemed to know what was shaking. I, on the other hand, kept my eyes down on my plate not wanting to piss anyone off or get involved in a hit of any kind. Anywoo, made it home alright and relived the evening with B, who I woke up while stumbling up the stairs. I listened to my voicemail this morning from Bo, and I can be heard in the background giving myself a shout-out.

colts

The support of the Colts is everywhere you turn, including the capitol building here in Indy. I have spent the early afternoon walking around downtown and taking in the hospitality and enjoying new exploration. I picked this trip up after sitting airport alert in my favorite (they forget you are there) terminal A, and have once again snagged the first class position. Working with me this time is a man that looks like he just came down from the mountain due to his size and the amount of hair on his head and face, he is super nice though. The other is a girl that needed Wednesday off and since I have nada going on and a sure fire way of getting karma is to trade my day off with a girl named Karma. Once again I have late check ins which also mean late arrivals, this evening Austin will welcome us in at midnight but I get another chance to explore a new city tomorrow during the day.

blah

The light in the bathroom of the Holiday Inn in SAT is not doing much to boost my attitude this morning. I am exhausted as we arrived to our hotel at 0130 last night and 1200 the night prior. We are paying for the nice layover by working our butts off for the last three days of the trip. The snow storm in EWR delayed us a bit and found us wandering around for shortcuts around the terminal to avoid the hundreds of upset people waiting for security and non-cancelled flights. A bit of homesickness is creeping in as I received lots of love from my valentines yesterday. I want to be back in the routine of the gym, I want to get a fun pedicure, I want to go to bed when I decide to, I want to be in a routine. Granted I am just tired and ready to make it back home for my one day off tomorrow. My day off that was going to be spent catching up on life is now going to be fabulous, yet unproductive, because my Aussie friend is working a flight to JFK. I am going to meet her in Brooklyn, a place I have yet to go, to have lunch and have some much needed, normal girltime.

The transfer list come out today and the international transfers are to supposed to be rewarded March through May. I am so hoping my name is on the list but I am not trying to get my hopes up too much as I am not really expecting it until April. Still, it would be a pretty great thing to be international next month!!! I am not sure how to find out online so I am going to have to brave the IAH crewroom to look at the sheets and hope not to be writen up for my tights or cute shoes...they are brutual down there.

beantown

Arranging my life around being home at 1600 has paid off once again. I was able to pick up another four-day trip. I had my choice of a long layover in Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Diego, or Boston. Since I have wanted to go to Boston my whole life, I choose the first class position with a 26-hour layover in Beantown. Packed for a day of wandering around in the cold, I left the house this morning bright and early. The sun was just coming up over the Manhattan skyline and it was outstandingly beautiful. I met my crew, jumped on the plane and worked the easiest day ever with a 36-minute flight and only on passenger requesting a beverage. It felt so good to walk past Legal Seafood, where I usually run as fast as I can to grab chowder and make it back to the plane, and walk outside into this historically city. As we drove downtown and I became more giddy by the moment. We arrived at the Park Plaza and I found myself in a quaint room, filled with charm and history. I was planning on working out but I was too excited so I rationalized that I would get my cardio in by walking everywhere. I started off on Newburry Street and checked out consignment stores, boutiques, and shops. I went into a cupcake shop thinking it would be the perfect tide-over until lunch however; there were no cupcakes, just tee shirts and jewelry, very bizarre. Lunch of a lobster roll was recommended by the concierge at SkipJacks. I ordered it unsure of what it was, it turned out to be ½ lb of lobster meat with a light sauce on an open-faced bun. Very delightful along with a champagne cocktail. Shopping continued afterwards, I was able to try on a dress that I had been looking at for my birthday, it is perfect. A small piece of chocolate rounded out the afternoon and now I am relaxing before I meet the crew for happy hour by reading Catcher in the Rye…yes I know it is about time I read it.

I met the crew for a drink and dinner. We ate at Rock Bottom, which I don't believe to be traditional Boston but didn't argue as the captain bought dinner and more drinks. On the way to Cheers, we lost the captain (damn, now we have to pay for our own beer) and the anx-girl who ate her mac and cheese, one noodle at time. So off to Cheers we went, the FO and I. He was cute in a dorky way and after a mug of beer I found out why he was such a dork...he admited to subscribing to Cat Fancy because he wanted to know what his cats, yes pural, were thinking. So for the rest of the trip, he is going to be refered to as "cat fancy boy".

dias quatro

I awoke suddenly and looked at the clock on my cell...damn it, only 13 minutes until my tour bus is here. I grabbed my clothes, threw some toothpaste on my toothbrush and ran out the door. Standing in the reception area, it occurred to me that my clock was an hour fast and I had a heart attack for nothing. I sat in the sunshine for the next hour until my driver arrived. Off I went with a German couple to the canopy. A short, bumpy drive to the top followed by a fifteen minute hike straight up took us to the first platform. I will admit that I had butterflies for a second after I looked at the first cable but the moment I was harnessed in and took off flying through the air like superman, my adrenal was pumping. Nine ziplines in total, it was one of the coolest things I ever did. After I returned, I layed by the pool to work on my tan to at least prove that I have been on holiday. A couple of hours later another bus arrived to take me to San Jose. Five and half hours later thanks to traffic coming into the capitol city, my ears talked off by the three sisters from LA, I arrived at my second hostel. This one is not as nice as the other and I have a bit of hesitation of taking a shower here...yep that kind of eew. I don´t dare leave the hostel either since this is not a nice city to wander out and about in. I have made a new friend from Scotland; she and I just finished dinner at the hostel, I had my first drink this whole trip hoping that it will help me sleep until my 0500 wake up call. I finish my holiday now on the eve of returning back home. It has been wonderful to do everything I wanted to do and prove to myself that I am as adventureous as I pressume to be and to get in touch with me, and of course to meet new friends.
P.O. via Costa Rica!!!

dias tres

A six o´clock wake up, naturally by sunlight, perfect time to catch my bus up to Aernal. A few stops later we are on our way on the gravel road. I dose in and out and listen to the conversations of the couples on the bus. Three hours into the bus ride, we stop for rest, a fourty minute rest where I ate a muy deliciouso taco de pollo. Switching buses and backtracking 20 miles or so, we turn off and start to climb. The volcano is constantly in our site and the lake provides the view for the last part. Five and half hours later I arrive at my 5 star hostel. I am room 2, filled with four bunks and clearly inhabited by three guys thus far, judging from the contents on their beds. I claim a bunk and a locker and lay out by the pool. After a while, I take a walk into town to get some cash and a towel (don´t stay in hostels too often forgot). I walk into the city that seems futurally untouched by Americanism, which is a nice surprise. I find an atm and store to get supplies. On my way back to the room to prepare for my volcano hike, I meet two girls from New Foundland and convince them to take the tour with me.
Do you ever wonder if adults seek out guided tours as a reach for the childhood days of field trips? Our guide was adorable, picture the Costa Rican version of Brian Daly if you will, same mannerisms and him with a tan and an accent. We hiked through the beautiful rainforest with the sounds of rocks tumbling down and monkeys howling. I was able to see a sloth, howler monkey, white faced monkey, and an army of leave carrying ants. After our hike, we watched the sunset and sat face to face with an active volcano awaiting the darkness to fall in order to see the red embers as the cascaded down the mountain. The best part of the evening was when the Canuks and I were lead into a fabulous place to sit in the hot springs, they were every where. The water beat down upon our shoulders and warmed our bodies. I think we sat in every single one in between our time in the pool. A waterslide was our entry into the warmest pool I have ever been in. I swear we went down that slide thirty times before we headed off to the buffet. In one of the eight beds in our hostel room by 2330 but my eyes opened each time the door did. Five boys occuppied the room with us and the one underneath my bunk was the loudest snorer ever. Someone eventually kicked him and he silenced enough for me to get a little shut eye.

c.r. dia dos

After a great nights sleep I finally got up this morning and talked to the receptionist to help me get a game plan for the rest of the holiday. She is muy helpful and booked my transportion and accomadation. I went over to Banana Surf and paid for a lesson in the afternoon and then ate pizza while sitting in view of the gorgeous coast line. Laying by the pool filled up the remainder of my time. I walked over to the shop, put on a tight surf shirt and was off to the beach with my own personal teacher. He taught me the basics about paddling and getting up whilst on the beach and five minutes later we were out in the ocean giving it a shot. I got up on my third try and had many more successful rides than I first anticipated. He would wait for the perfect wave for me then instruct me to go. There were many waves however that were too big and beat the shit out of me while I was laying on the board. After shallowing a gallon of salt water, four perfect rides, and an hour and half of almost perfect rides, I threw in the towel. Just wandered around the rest of the afternoon and took some last minute photos and then back to the villa for a siesta in my hammack. There is something truly wonderful about a hammack. Think I will have some freshly caught fish for dinner at my new fav restaurant.
Tomorrow I catch the bus to Aernal, six hour ride to a beautiful volcano which I will be hiking and then relaxing at a hot springs.
adios for now.

costa rica day one

As I sit in the curve of table designed after a wave, the wave worshipers themselves made their way back from the ocean, boards in hand as the sun began to fade. I chose to eat dinner at a place called Ectera, it came recommended from my adorable hotel here in Talmarindo. Getting up at 0600, making it barely to the plane on time, being repremanded and almost not getting on because I was wearing leggings with a bubble skirt over, napping in out during mimosas, sitting in the sun waiting for the death trap communiter plane, arriving on a runway the size of my old drive way in Klamath, taking a cab with no window roller-uppers, and finally settling in. I walked around this adorable town and down to the beach to feel the warm water hit my feet and the sand between my toes. I met some Americans, one the owner of the restaurant who makes a damn good burger, and a photographer who is pretty damn adorable. I am off to bed to get a good nights rest and then hitting the beach tomorrow for some surfing lessons. It is fabulous to escape the 10 degree weather of NY and great to have enough courage to take this trip on my own...but I sure do miss my drinking buddy!!!

law and order

First a funny story about my flight home from LA. My aisle guy (the one who takes the orders, runs the food, etc.) was a real ass. Straight out of Long Island, ass. That is besides the point. On my flight was the author of a book I think every woman should own a copy of and reference at least monthly, "He is just not that into you". He was headed to NYC to appear on the Today Show. We were talking before I figured out who he was and I was semi-whinning about the disappearance of my favorite winter coat in LAX. He told me it was time to let it go, and my response was that is was hard since it was Banana. Sitting next to him was the boss guy from Law and Order SVU. The back galley flight attendant started gushing at him and wound up with a page from his scripted autographed. With a little more talking, I ended up with one of my own. The best/funniest part of the evening was as I was saying goodbye to my passangers and heading toward my jumpseat in the back, he shook my hand, pulled me close and said, "I think you hooott!".

radisson

"How do you like staying at the Radisson?", was the queston for a man with a rollerboard trailing behind him as I entered the parking lot of the hotel. My kind response was that I was in LA and it was wonderful. He approached me, leaving his bag and told me he stayed in Radissons in Florida. I informed him of my hatred of Florida. He asked why and I told him that people there were assholes. His response was that he was a yankee and he just went there. I told him hee just proved my point as I stepped away from him. He then read my tank top aloud to me and as me about some Roxy club from the 70's, I told him that I was too young to remember and I walked as fast as I could into the lobby of the hotel. What a freak, if he had gotten any closer I was prepared to attack him with the find of the week I held in my hand, fabulous hot pink heels with rhinstones.

Getting up at 0330 EST proves for a very long day when coming the West Coast although sleep was not an option due to the big game. I was on the look out for celebs as we exited the airport and waiting for our van. I made to the hotel and jumped into the shower. Unable to meet up with friend out here, I went downstairs to the bar and watched the game with the crew, well the boys of the crew. Coronas, nachoes, and pizza filled afternoon. By the time the game was through, I could barely keep my eyes open and finally found the sleep I have been looking for days. We head back home this afternoon and the best part about our flight will be the ice cream sundaes and that I get to work first class. Tomorrow I leave bright and early for my holiday to Costa Rica which unfortunatly, I will be traveling solo.

philly cheesesteak

My experiment was sucessful! I was able to pick up a four day trip which allowed me to work first class and to arrive in LA tomorrow in time to watch the Superbowl. It is a great trip and my crew is fantastic. This is the first time I have been so close knit to the fact of having lunch and dinner with them. Sure the other two talk a lot and the pilots are super overly-friendly, but it's great. It did take five hours of flight time to get to SAT yesterday and I had big plans to go and check out The Alamo, however when I got to my room I ended up taking a six hour nap. Today we headed to IAH for some sit time and usual FA chit chat around our Subway sandwiches and then on into PHL. Our layover is only ten hours but I was determined to get an authentic Philly Cheesesteak. Our crew walked the block and a half in 19 degree weather to Jim's place...and omigod, was that a sandwich!!!! If we had more time here, I would get another one it was so good. Surely the wake up call that is looming for 0345 will not make me happy but the fact that I am headed to LAX does. We have to bypass through IAH again, which means we may be dozing in the cockpit on the flight there to ready ourselves for the afternoon of drinking beer and watching the game. This time if I have a celeb on the flight, I will take a pic that includes me in the frame.

new look

I was sent to ATL yesterday on a turn which enabled me to both get out of the house and break my guarantee for the month. Today, I am patiently waiting until 1600 so I can exacute my experiment of picking up a trip. I have choosen the one I wanted by the fact that I will be done early enough on Sunday to watch the SuperBowl. I don't think I have ever missed one and I don't want to start this year. I am going for the Colts because I have always liked Manning and think he deserves a ring after all his hard work. The house is quiet, just the way I like it and I am trying to kill time, which apparent by the new look of the ol' blog. This hopefully will be the last trip I work before I head off to Costa Rica for holiday with my "romantic partner" (j/k). I am so excited to be outdoors and see the beautiful rainforest, oceans, and hot tourist men.

Aries
March 20 - April 18
Travel by air, perhaps in the company of some friends, could well be in the works for you, dear Aries. A group with which you're affiliated might want to take a trip together, perhaps to a place associated with artistic or spiritual traditions. Your romantic partner could accompany you as well, making it as much a romantic getaway as an adventure. Tip: take plenty of money with you! Your friends will want to go to nice places!