one-dollar beers and two johns

08.20.07

My idea of a quick dinner and a beer resulted in me closing the place down. Mind you it is Monday night but here in NY it doesn’t matter what the day is, especially if there is a Yankee game on. I walked up to the bar and sat between two gentlemen clearly grabbing a beer after work. The bubbly bartender came up to me and took my order. I inquired about dollar beers for flight attendants and from that moment on, my glass was never empty. I began chatting with the guy on the left, then the gaggle of drunken Chinese men, then to the man on my right. His name was John and he owned a construction company. We had a very pleasant conversation over our bbq sandwiches while watching the game. After his departure around midnight a tall, good-looking man came up to the bar. Heather, the bartender, kissed him hello and then told him to come and sit with me as she thought I was very nice. Score for me because he was hot! John number two and I spent the next hour and half talking about everything you would on a first date. He is an absolute doll and we have made plans for dinner on Friday. I have a new phone; it is still a bit intimidating to me because of all the bells and whistles. John was interested in trying it so I let him text Christina, who had already called to make sure I was still alive. They had a bit of banter going on then he mentioned that he gave me a toy crocodile from the bar. She responded that she didn’t know what exactly that meant but good. After half running, half skipping home, I came into the apartment and placed the crocodile on her chest. She awoke startled with me falling on the ground laughing.

i am going a little crazy...

My usually therapy is what I am returning to after what I describe as a trip on something and Janene describes as a panic attack. There are a few post that need to be put up to fill you in on my life but nothing bad, actually things are going really well right now. Well, I am just procrasting at my strangeness.

I am in London and woke up around 0445 after a wierd dream, went to the bathroom, then came back to bed. I put my eye mask back on and my feet out of the sheets as I was burning up. I was rehashing my dream thinking how strange it was and how vivid when I pulled my feet back in and pulled off my mask because I didn't want to be touched by spirits. We do stay in haunted hotels but I haven't heard anyting about this one. All of a sudden I didn't want to sleep, I turned on the lights in a panic. I didn't know anyone else's room number, "what is wrong with me?", I only had two glasses of wine, I had some Indian take-away in the city was there magic mushrooms in it. Finally I called Janene who told me to get out of the room. I described my dream which is pieced together as follows: my building and the builing next to mine in Portland were flooding and I was evacuating it but this big guy who was a friends dad in the dream (really more like the guy from Orange County Choppers) was pushing furniture around in the water. People were leaving and speaking to me in langauges that I understood but told them to move aside. After that I was in my loft to seek in and see what was going on to find that Russians were moving stuff out of my now warehouse size house and we were scared of getting caught. There was a whole room filled with porn in VHS form and then a group of my friends were hanging out in a circle talking then two identical priest walked in I went to the porn room and got them matching tapes with two matching vibrators. I walk out of the room and now there is a nail salon ran but black queens and Hilary is there with huge coloriful nails in large silver oven mitts with her hands in the air. The head guy, my ISM, told me it was okay to take her mitts off and play cards. Then we were in this room with computers and Yoder's ex was telling me how he paid for college by selling drugs. Meanwhile I am being them pushing white powder into ridges on a board. Then the Russians came in and were friendly saying that when the lease was up that everyone got the remaining contents in their room of export. I had a chain-link fence in my living room and this butch head of the organization hugged me.

I have no idea how long I was dreaming and I actually still feel like I could wake up at any moment. I am in the crew room now, avoiding my room and feeling sillier by the moment. There is a guy on my crew next to me who hasn't even acknowledged me to make me think this may still be a part of my dream. If this is a panic attack I want nothing to do with it, but I will tell you one thing...no more Indian food for me!

koala bear sheets

I have just returned home after a week of absense. First in Oregon followed directly by LGW. I picked up the trip so I could stay one more night in my beautiful home town and in the comfort of Dave May's bed. I created good karma by helping the agents in PDX out with boarding which ensured my ticket to work. I traded a guy for the back galley of the 777, and I will have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed at first and forgot to warm up all the bread yesterday but today...piece of cake. And it was nice to be away from dealing with passengers. I tried a new route home today and got as far as Canal Street before I wound up in Brooklyn. Finally back to the neighborhood and found a parking spot right off then proceeded to take my roller board, backpack, handbag, purse, and a collapasable bed down the street and up four flights of stairs. The next hour was spent blowing up a twin size air mattress and making myself dizzy. Finally, I had my foundation for a bed. Next came koala bear sheets that I used to have as a child. It made me absolutely giddy to put them on! The five pillows I have take over the bed but add to the comfort that both George and I have enjoyed via an afternoon nap. I go from partying with queens over crew juice to a mellow evening in Manhattan that will include a beer and some bbq.

nomad

I am sitting in my old neighborhood; the sun is out, I look and feel great besides the fact that I am currently a nomad. Starbucks is my place until both my computer and phone charge. Every door I went and knocked on was vacant. I thought about going to my place to see if my renters were home and would let me hang out for a while but I thought better of it. The day that was open for possibilities is slowly slipping away from me. I have run a few errands, had coffee with Anne, lunch with Amy, and awaiting calls back to fill my card for happy hour. I picked up a trip to ol’ LGW just so I can have peace of mind not being on call tomorrow. Manhattan seems a lifetime away right now; I doubt I will return to the apartment until after my trip, as it is such an ordeal to get back and forth.

A day ago I mourned the loss of my father officially at his service followed by the reception. It was an easier process than first thought. I suppose it is due to the two months I have had to let it all sink in. With the support of my ladies, I made it through with a handful of tears. But let me tell you, when they played Taps on the trumpet, I let the tears flow.

return to dad

My gallivanting around the globe has only taken me to a few places thus far. I must have “sucker:” written on my profile because scheduling is constantly changing my trips. I was off to trip to Shannon that I picked up when, while suck on ninth ave, the phone rang and I instinctively picked it up. Would I mind going to Paris instead, was the question that was really direction. Sure, why not. I spent the next few hours in Jersey as to avoid the mass exit from the island of Manhattan and then headed off to work. Our crew was nice and laid back and with only one of the female. I have noticed that there tends to be more straight men on international flights and they all seem to love the hell out of me. A nap upon arrival gave me the energy to enjoy a Thai dinner with some of the other crews and our IRO and the mid flight’s FO ended up shutting down the hotel bar. I was escorted to my room by the FO, who kissed me goodnight. It was sort of out of the blue but won’t have been so bad accept he was a horrible kisser. I don’t know when boys stopped learning how to kiss well, or maybe it is a NE thing but the last two out of three guys have been horrible. The middle guy was from LA, the good kisser. Off to bed I went after my nightly ritual and then next morning came a bit early for me to discover toothpaste not only all over the sink but also my shoulder and hair. I must have had too many beers the night prior but at least I got my teeth brushed. I spent a blissful twenty hours in my fabulous apartment before packing up and trying to get on a flight to Portland. No such luck with the direct so now I find myself in between two, not so friendly guys would need to sit with their legs apart and hitting mine, the guys sit reclined in the front of me and for a while the kid behind me singing something. I can empathize with our passengers as I can say that I am not comfortable in the least bit and the crew isn’t very friendly either. Vegas is my stop over for the night and I am hoping enjoy a quick stay in Sin City. The week ahead of me is a bit grim, as my father’s service will be held. I am uneasy, as I have finally come to terms with his passing only to have to relive his death once more. It will be nice to see everyone and formally celebrate his life but…well it just sucks, emotional wise.

lgw-lgw-move

I sit in my new apartment, wide-awake at 0130. The road to get here to this moment of peace has been filled with bumps and hurdles. We found the place almost a month ago and put our application in, days upon days of sending more things to the man on the other end of the phone with a silly accent. Finally on the second we signed our lease. Our own little place on the Upper East Side! I had to go to LGW that evening so I was only able to move my clothes before I had to go home and get ready for work. A classmate and I worked the first class section and had a great time goofing around. A Temptation was on the flight and ended up giving me his number and inviting me to a show later in the month. After my return to the US, I loaded up my car with belongings and George and set off for the city. Christina had called in sick so she had most of her stuff gone already. She helped me get my stuff upstairs and then we set off to find dinner. I was good for the next day and then had two days off to finish moving. Well my plan was foiled by the phone ringing at 1100, I was off to BRS for the next three days leaving at 1940…okay that left me a whole day to get things done. Sunday brunch at a lovely outdoor café around 1330 and the phone rings again. Now I am supposed to be at airport alert at 1600. Crap! Had to run back and get ready to find my tire was flat. Luckily I now live across the street from a parking garage. I put on my best girl face and went over to see if they had air. Well the guy didn’t speak English so I did my best play charades of blowing up a tire. He ended up changing it for me. I drove through the Lincoln Tunnel after getting lost since the main street was closed due to a street fair. I make it to work two minutes late and call to check in. The phone rings with one hour and fifty-five minutes in to go to LGW. I walked the mile to the gate to find out that I was not needed and it was a mistake. Back to the crew room I went to sit for another hour until I was called once more for the later LGW flight. Nothing too exciting this time in London, I hung around the hotel and met the pilots for happy hour and then joined then for dinner at Ol Six Belles, a British restaurant that has been there since the 1600’s. I returned last night and finished moving everything. The fourth floor walk up provided quite a work out and the ninety-degree heat with ninety percent humidity melted off some of the international food I have been eating. The anal part of me was up at the crack of dawn to organize things and I am a bed away from having my side of the studio complete. I am super happy with the move and living in NYC was everything I expected it to be thus far.