Well, it's here, Bush Assmonkey's final year. I just hope the machine that put this backwards idiot in office is also dismantled. I fear it won't be. I just hope the next idiot it chooses will be a wiser man than Assmonkey.
Anyway, this a line month for me, meaning I know all my trips. They are good flying, but bad trips. Why bad? Most have 6 or 7am departures from the East Coast. They are not all bad, however.
1-3 I have 2 legs to NJ via LA with a 24 hour stay in Morristown. Love this layover, but I come back home also via LA at 0730hrs.
5-6: Back to EWR but this time only for 17 hours and only 1 leg home at 6pm. Yay!
8-10: Off to MCO for nearly 26 hours. I could go to Universal, but I could also get some rest. 8am flight home. I'll manage, but I'm also trying to trade out of this trip.
13-16: Finally, I got a trip to Taipei. I'll have to miss a ski trip with friends, but I've not left the country for work since before July. I'm trying to move this trip back, but I'd also have to drop or move my next trip...
18-20: Worst trip of the month, 2 legs to MCO for 24 hours; 2 legs home leaving at 0700. I'll be dead when I get home at noon and have already worked a 9 and a half hour day. NOON!
23-25: I like this trip. I traded one identical to the one above for 18 hours in New Orleans (at the airport, tho, so I won't get to see much) and 15 hours in RDU. No early flights, decent planes, nice layovers.
28-30: I'm also trying to get out of this trip. It's the same trip as the 8th. Maybe I can pick up an international again!
This schedule puts me at 107 hours for the month. That's a lot (I don't like going over 90). I also don't have many days off (only 9; even on a reserve month I get 11 days...12-15 is more normal). So I'll be busy and tired and may not be seen too much. But I've always got tribe!
Anyway, this a line month for me, meaning I know all my trips. They are good flying, but bad trips. Why bad? Most have 6 or 7am departures from the East Coast. They are not all bad, however.
1-3 I have 2 legs to NJ via LA with a 24 hour stay in Morristown. Love this layover, but I come back home also via LA at 0730hrs.
5-6: Back to EWR but this time only for 17 hours and only 1 leg home at 6pm. Yay!
8-10: Off to MCO for nearly 26 hours. I could go to Universal, but I could also get some rest. 8am flight home. I'll manage, but I'm also trying to trade out of this trip.
13-16: Finally, I got a trip to Taipei. I'll have to miss a ski trip with friends, but I've not left the country for work since before July. I'm trying to move this trip back, but I'd also have to drop or move my next trip...
18-20: Worst trip of the month, 2 legs to MCO for 24 hours; 2 legs home leaving at 0700. I'll be dead when I get home at noon and have already worked a 9 and a half hour day. NOON!
23-25: I like this trip. I traded one identical to the one above for 18 hours in New Orleans (at the airport, tho, so I won't get to see much) and 15 hours in RDU. No early flights, decent planes, nice layovers.
28-30: I'm also trying to get out of this trip. It's the same trip as the 8th. Maybe I can pick up an international again!
This schedule puts me at 107 hours for the month. That's a lot (I don't like going over 90). I also don't have many days off (only 9; even on a reserve month I get 11 days...12-15 is more normal). So I'll be busy and tired and may not be seen too much. But I've always got tribe!
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SF Bay Area
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Re: January
Sun, January 13, 2008 - 2:36 PMThe 777 going to Taipei just flew over my house. I was not on it. I'm a sad bird.
On Tuesday I went to work feeling a bit odd. I got on the plane to find out we were on decision, may even cancel. As I sat in the first class seat to wait word, a feeling came over me. I was coughing a bit already, but I started feeling achy and weak. I stood up to move around to see how my body felt. I was slowly going down.
I was supposed to fly to LA then the red eye to Orlando for 25 hours. I knew I couldn't do this with the way I was feeling. So I waited. If the flight would cancel, I would just be going home and not have to do anything else. The captain said he thought there was a 90% chance the flight would go, probably in an hour.
So I called in sick and went home. I slept for 2 days. I didn't eat for over 48 hours. Bad, bad cough, made my head want to implode. Stopped up like a Texas freeway at rushour. I was in a bad way and trying to mend fast so I could make this trip to Taiwan. But it didn't work.
I'm feeling better, but I'm still sick. Not sure if this a second bout of what I had at the end of 2007 or if this is a new hell. But to be sick a second time within a month's period sux ass.
I traded that bad trip on the 18th for one of those trips to RDU I liked so much from November. It's a long first day with an early check in, but the layover is almost worth it; 22 hours in Raleigh, NC.
I traded into a nice 3day trip on the 27th with 18 in Houston, my home, and 11 in BDL. I'm hoping I can have lunch with my grandmother in Houston since she lives a few miles from the airport. -
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Re: January
Sun, January 13, 2008 - 4:37 PMSo, does that mean that you'll be in the Bay Area the weekend of the 18th?? -
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Re: January
Mon, January 14, 2008 - 2:06 AMI have that trip to RDU the ass early morning of the 18th. So no. : (
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Re: January
Thu, January 17, 2008 - 8:54 PMI'm glad to see your sched posted here and remembering to see it, because I've been wanting to hang out and never know when to call you! I'll try you next month when you're less busy, huh? -
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Re: January
Thu, January 24, 2008 - 11:32 PMI'm so full of emotions. Maybe it's partly the the white wine (complements of work). This trip has, so far, been wonderful.
I love the MSY layover. I was last there about a month prior to the hurricane that ravaged the city. They have a good restaurant there. So as soon as I picked up this trip, I was looking forward to lunch. I had the half and half. Half an oyster po boy and a cup of gumbo.
The po boy was to die for. Seriously. The gumbo... there is nothing like gumbo from New Orleans. NOM!
I left for the airport a bit early as one of my flying partners wanted to get a bite to eat before our flight. He got a sausage po boy and I got some begneis (I think I'm missing the spelling, but it's pronounced ben-yays). So tasty. OMG. I love, so very much, how my job allows me to experience the variou cullinary delights from around the world.
When in Louisiana, it's jambalaya, red beans and rice, gumbo and po boys. When in Baltimore, it's crabs. When in New Mexico, nothing like their southwest cooking. BBQ is a must in the south. Pizza in Chicago. Fresh fish in the PacNW. Shrimp, oysters and TexMex in my home state of Texas.
I'm sick about Heath Ledger. I can't wait to see his performance as the Joker in the Dark Night. I'm a huge fan of Batman.
I'm also sick about reading Blossom's blog. I felt bad about the sheep dying in birth. But when I read on, and I could see the writing on the wall, and started to cry before knowing the outcome, I felt sick about his sister's horse. It's hard reading about a best friend hurting. But for those of you who really know me, you know how I feel about animals. I can handle death and pain in humans. I can look at photos of dead bodies and autopsies and such with no problem. But when it comese to animals, I cannot. I cannot deal with baby seals being clubbed. I cannot deal with the Japanese killing whales and dolphins. I got upset last week seeing the moose who got stuck in the the frozen lake and was so relieved when seeing he got out.
I'm also upset at not knowing what was going on with my A/B rotation at work and mis-bidding my schedule and not being able to participate in the many social activities in Feb. I'm missing the Choco Martini, possibly a furry pub crawl and a kick ass party in PDX.
But I'm excited about Sat. I'll be able to celebrate the birth of my bestest buddy. I get to see his mom again. I got to know her so well when helping take care of Ra after his near fatal accident. I get to see Jeneye, Dragi, Ben and Dee; all in town this weekend. And Garg called me the other night to say he'd be there as well. I hope Alchemy and Diego and his wife, Gennifer show up as well.
I'm so happy to be flying again. My 2 weeks at home with the flu were hard on me. I missed my trip to Taipei. I'm super mega broke right now and I get paid next to nothing when I'm sick. So being sick really fucks me up financially.
I was going to pick up a trip on the 30th, but after finding out one of my favorite people in world's son is the drummer for one of my all time favorite bands and they are in concert on the 30th, I figured there was no way I could miss it. The band is VAST. The drummer is Tabber Millard. His mom, lead singer for Dreamtrybe, is Lynda Millard. She and I go way back. I fell in love with VAST over 8 years ago. I'm super excited to see them and am hoping I get to meet with Tabber and meet the whole band.
I'm also excited about Hunny Du's birfday. She is awesome. I'm so happy for she and Bunny Joe. I'm so lucky to have friends like them.
I could go on and on about my friends. Like Ptony, Dub, Josh and Marianne, Promise, Jeneye, Blossom, Dirt Girl Tracy and Sparkinzi, Sue, Rhanyel, Heath (in Texas, altho I also adore our Heath), Frank and Renee, Adam, Pink Buhnny and PG, Flint and Kristi, GS and Todd. Lots more. I'm so fucking lucky.
I wrote something this week about Heath Ledger's death. I keep thinking about it. I know I have issues with depression from time to time. I seriously doubt I'd ever have the courage to choose death. But I sleep naked and I keep a lot of my pills next to my bed. If something were to happen to me like it did to Heath, I hope the world wouldn't dwell on how I was found naked with pills next to my bed. I would hope they would dwell on how happy I was, how I lived my life the way I wanted to live it, how I was unconventional, controversial and loving, how I loved to fly, see other cultures and cherished my friends and family.
OK, I think the wine is wearing off. I need to get to bed for my flights home tomorrow. Hope to see you soon. Much love to you. -
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Re: January
Sun, January 27, 2008 - 9:39 PMWow, that last one was long. I blame the wine.
I'm supposed to be in Houston tonight, was going to have lunch tomorrow with my grandmother and aunt.
As you know I've written here before, once a flight attendant makes plans the trip will go wonky. It did. With a 2 hour delay in SFO today, we misconnected our flight to IAH. Now I'm laying over in DEN and will deadhead to ORD tomorrow to pick up the trip there with a 12 hour layover in Hartford CON.
Boarding our flight to SNA today in SF, an older man asked me how long the flight was. I told him about an hour. He was dumbfounded to hear this, saying he could drive there in an hour. I asked, "You can drive there in an hour. I thought it was at least 5 hours to LA. Where do you think we are, by the way?"
"Oh, wait. I forgot I'm in San Francisco."
"Sir, you just made my day!"
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