Throwing it out there for the world to see...

"The secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy had a lot to say long the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammed, Buddha or Confucius. But actually... Christ doesn't allow you to do that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: 'No, I'm NOT saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying 'I'm the Messiah. I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate'. And yet people say "no, no... please just be a prophet! A prophet we can take! You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey. We can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because you're know, we're gonna have to crucify you...either Christ was who he said he was – the Messiah – or a complete nutcase. I mean we’re talking nut case on the level of Charles Manson"

Bono, (From U2 - for those of you asleep the last decade or so.)

He's not talking about Jewish people because Jesus and his disciples were Jewish...that has nothing to do with it...He's talking about everyone. Hmmm...makes me think.

Alot of people I know, especially in the city and country that I live in, are afraid of admitting that perhaps everything can't be true. Many say that every religon is true. But is that possible if they all contradict each other?

I am all for freedom of religon, no one should tell someone what to belive but this makes me think.

What if only one is true?

And which one would that be?

I myself am a christian, although I never tell people...

"It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching"

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words"

both quotes are St. Francis of Assisi

I belive that if what I belive is true I don't need to beat it over someone's head, or give a well oiled sales speech. If what I belive is true all I have to do is be.

just be.

For my philosophy is one based on acceptance and grace, not one of perfectionism or performance. Real hypocracy is not messing up in life, but denying the grace to others that I was offered by Christ.

So here is my declaration : I am a Christian, I belive in the G_D of Moses, Abraham and David. I belive in Christ the Incarnation of G_D that came to the world to proclaim his love. I belive that Christ took all our sins of the world on the cross so that we could be free and in accepting his sacrifice be made clean of the past. Without working toward perfection, which no man can reach on his own.

This will probably be the only time I throw this out...but having almost died today in a near car accident (losing one's brakes going down a hill causes one to reevaluate things) and losing my grandmother this week to a heart attack, this is what is nearest to my mind, and my heart.

So there you have it, a little new info about FlyingWaitress...

Why I like my job.

As a balance to my negative rant post, I want to republish something I wrote on another blog of mine a couple months ago. Despite the few annoying things such as pay, I fly because I choose to. I choose to because I love it. This is why I love it:

Every day at least one person asks me if I like what I do. I always have the same answer.

I love it.

No one ever asks me why. They assume, I think, that I love it for the free travel and jet setting life style. I won't lie that is one of the reasons I applied for this job to begin with.(Although I don't know how "jet setting" I am.)

But why I love it now has very little to do with the travel. Sure I like to fly. I remember the first time I flew. I was 17 or 18 and was next to the window staring out in awe of taking off and the world getting smaller and smaller. The business woman next to me assured me that after a few flights I wouldn't even look out the window any more. I would be jaded like her. "It's not really a big deal" she said as she got back to her files and papers.

10 years later....I still love taking off and landing - it still has wonder and I always look out the window- if I can - to see the world fade away. So yes I love to fly.(I can't even begin to count how many take-off's I've had in working the last 2 years and all the traveling I did before that)I still like that feeling of soaring.

But that isn't even the reason that I adore my job.

Before this I did sales. I liked working with people but even though it was a bit rewarding I was always taking...convincing people to spend money.

This job is the opposite. I am always giving. Giving a pillow, a pepsi, a blanket, a kleenex..it's not really dramatic but I love the feeling of giving out. 70 passangers a flight, 5 flights a day. I come in connact with so many people that are flying for many reasons. Some are going to weddings, or on vacation, some are traveling for business or to visit their boyfriend/girlfriend. Some are happy, some are angry and a few are really sad. I've had soldiers on their way to Irag, some on their way home to visit their wives and children. Little kids traveling by themselves (some only 6 years old) acting like little adults with their gameboys and dvd players.

I have cryed with some as I hold their hand and they talk about their brother that died. I've laughed with the teenagers on their way to mexico for spring break. I've commiserated with the girls on their way to see the guy the met online. I've heard stories that made me sob that night in my hotel room and stories that still make me laugh when I think about them.

I've had medical emergencies and life threatning situations on board...that all turned out ok.

That is why I love this job. Because 70 people per flight, on 5 flights a day let me care about them. Even if it's sometimes just to let me give them a tomato with no ice and a coffee with cream and splenda (well...we only have equal and the pink stuff). They let me care instead of just make a sale.

That's what I get paid for. And that's why I signed up to just travel for a bit and now I can't imagine doing anything else.

Just please, treat me like a person and not "the help".

Flight Attendant movie!

just a quick note: I saw a trailer online of a flight attendant movie. This film was written and produced by a Flight attendant, Silver Tree, when she was on Furlough. The trailer captures perfectly the vibe of this work, with a great soundtrack. I bought a DVD as fast as my little hands could paypal it.

I'm beyond excited to see it, a great cast!!

The trailer takes a few minutes to download, so wait till the little bar is filled before you press play.

enjoy, and BUY IT!! You can watch it with friends during a flight themed party...I'm just thinking outloud.

Ciao

Hope you like my new post below!

Things not to do to your poor, underpaid, tired, perhaps sick Flight Attendant

In a world post September 11th, where Flight Attendants are losing retirements, taking pay cuts, being fired for calling in sick. They are asked more of than ever before. Not only are the responsible for making passengers happy and comfortable they enforce FAA safety standards, reinforce security, help in medical emergencies, and prepare for such medical/security emergencies. I, only being in the industry 2 years, have had 8 medical emergencies, and 2 in-flight mechanical emergencies. I have encountered drunken passengers that had to get arrested. Yelling passengers and addressed security concerns.

Your F/A is probably being paid less than you did at your first job. I know I am. Looking at my paycheck I realize that I haven’t gotten paid this little consistently since the first job I ever got out of high school and that was 10 years ago! And yet we are asked to put up with all of the above during 12 hour sometimes up to 16-hour days. Not only that but we are not subject to normal labor laws (thanks FAA) so if you work for a commuter airline and have such short flights that you don’t have time for a break on board. You can have none at all, and it’s ok. No ½ hr lunch, no 2 10 minute breaks. This is common. So I listed just a couple things, that if you abstain from doing them to us, you will make us a little happier.

So in light of the above statements I made a list of five things NOT to do, and why:

1. I do not respond to Physical VIOLENCE!

a. I understand I just passed you with my garbage bag, but rest assured I’ll be back thru. I empathize with the fact that you cannot possible hold onto that napkin anymore and even though I passed you 5 times without you handing it over, you just realized the severity and emergency status of having that napkin on your tray table and need it off now! That being said, I will not respond:
i. If you pull my elbow,
ii. Tap me incessantly on the shoulder while yelling, ”EXCUSE me!” in my ear,
iii. Punch me in the shoulder
iv. Tug on my jacket/apron/shirt/skirt
v. Pinch my ass
vi. Pull my fingers
vii. Slap my butt
viii. Pull my ponytail (I know you think it’s uber funny, I’m not laughing)
ix. Yank my arm out of its socket.

b. September 11th? Hello? Don’t touch me. I’ve been taught several self -defense tactics with plane equipment, and I am always looking to practice when I feel attacked and security is breached.

2. We can’t close the door, and leave till you finish your conversation on your blackberry/PDA/super cell phone

a. I can sympathize with the fact that you are a really important businessman/ woman. I know that your call is so essential that you must make the whole flight wait to leave till you finish your call. It makes sense, it really does. I’m sure that if you could’ve made the call earlier, before you got on the plane you would’ve. And I know it’s necessary to talk REALLY LOAD so that everyone knows just how important you are. However we do have to wait, unless we want to get fined by the FAA. And perhaps it doesn’t really interfere with communication and navigation capabilities like the FAA says. Who knows? It does however interfere with my sanity. Thereby interfering with you staying on the flight at all. Stop rolling your eyes at me!

3. I know you want your coffee, and even though I have a passenger on the ground on oxygen, which’s had a seizure and is not regaining consciousness. You feel you need to ring your call button to complain that you haven’t received it yet. Or perhaps you want to ask about a close connection and are annoyed you have to wait. I can relate, how dare this person decide to start dying when you’re thirsty! And why can’t I help you instead. It’s unbelievable that everyone else is either helping me or be nice and quiet when this travesty is happening. Doesn’t anyone else want the service they PAID for? That lady is old anyway.

a. In training we spend 1 hour on in-flight beverage service and 4 weeks on medical and safety training. That’s because what’s really important is to keep people from dying, even if in inconviences you. I’m sorry.

This is getting to be a long post so you can look forward to the rest of the 5 things at a later date.

Thankful for...

I want to list a few things I am thankful for.
ok. A few more than a few. Sometimes when I am down it helps me remember just how many thing that are out there to be thankful for!

I'm thankful for:

Take-offs and landings.
Turning passanger's frown's upside down! ;-)
Floating in really warm water.
Drinking hot chocolate.
Warm nights in Portland - with a little moisture in the air.
Spinning on the beach.
Cuddling with cats or dogs.
Hiking thru small town's in Europe.
Visiting somewhere I've never been before.
Hearing people speak French.
Movies that make me cry.
Movies that make me laugh.
Looking at old pictures.
Pink. (The color not the "Artist")
Subway tunnels.
Windows in trains.
Guys with English, Scottish, Irish, South African and Aussie accents.
Reading.
Meeting new people and hearing their stories.
Watching only the first 10 min. of Regis and Kelly.
Holding my Mom's hand.
Her remembering who I am. Calling me her daughter.
Painting my toenails.
Clean hotel rooms.
Hot baths.
Making people laugh.
Spinning on the beach.
Looking at the stars on that same beach, with no lights around.
Looking at the same stars, upside down, in Costa Rica.
Disneyland.
Pizza in NYC.
Swing dancing in Paris. On cement floor, with no shoes on.
Free wi-fi in Hotels and Coffee shops.
Castles.
My new laptop.
The dogs at my house.
My roommates (I should've put that before the dogs?!?)
Black and white photo's
Daydreaming.
Good friends, that care.
Perfume.
Happenstance.
My cell phone.
Jeans.
Kissing.
The Canals in Venice.
Mexican food.
New suitcases.
Scarfs.
Saturday morning cartoons.
Chocolate.
Pizza.
Ebay.
My nieces.
Bottled water.
Camping.
Memories.
Reeses peanut butter cups.


What are you thankful for?

I am usually stuck here (Austin Airport)a couple hours a week. They have the best BBQ in the World! And really yummy homemade-like milkshakes.
Posted by Hello

Keeping it real in Little Rock, Ar-kansas. I Love the sweet tea and the ribs. I don't like the alcholics and racists. They have a Starbucks and Barnes and Noble here...non unlike every other city I fly too or is it?
Posted by Hello

Adopting

For all of you that want to adopt, save a chicken today.

I went to the Sylvia Beach Hotel this weekend
Click on the picture for a fun, and EXCITING slideshow

I LOVE OUR PILOTS!
Posted by Hello

Embarassing moments...aka My Life story.

I know everyone has embarassing moments. However, most people have only one like every year or even spread out into one every 2-3 years. Not me.

My life is a plethera of embarassing moments strung together by akward silences.

An ex-boyfriend (if you can call him that, I did break up with him over a text message - but what can I say, like I was going to fly the 30 minutes to do it in person?!?) Didn't belive me. After the first date, he was a beliver.

I would write them all out, but It would take up to many pages.

so here's a just the top ten from work in the last few weeks (umm maybe days) : (this is not for the weak at heart)

1) last weeks unannounced 'fire hose like' explosive puking, in uniform, in front of 20 other crew members and a bazillion passangers in the middle of the Denver airport. It was virtually miles from a bathroom (that airport is too big for it's own good!). I had no warning, and felt fine before and after. Just a little present to keep me humble.

2) doing the whole Inflight demonstration (just a little charades we flight attendants do before flights for you lucky passangers) without any of the little props (safty card, O2 mask, seat belt) and not noticing until I was almost done....Don't ask...it was early....

3) later that day...getting the giggles when trying to do the inflight announcements...to the point of laughing so hard, for so long the passangers looked scared. I couldn't finish and another F/A (short for Flight Attendant) had to for me.

4) Getting the same uncontrolable laughter every day, when I do the announcements.Without fail.

5) at least a few times a week (or day) I annouce the wrong city, timezone, or country (and I only fly in the US) on landing.

6) bending over to get snacks out, other F/A giggles and tells me my skirt rode up and I flashed the whole flight.

7) In the same vein, standing on the Jet way with the cover off, there was no one around but my one of my best friends and fellow F/A. It was a beautiful day. All the rampers and pilots were no where to be seen. We were joking around and I was showing her the run in my stocking (where my butt hits my leg) as I danced around on the Jetway (in my defence, the uniform dress that they gave me barely covers my butt anyway) . Later, as the passangers boarded, a few guys commented on my lovely dancing, I looked out of the plane and saw a giant window in the boarding area overlooking the very same Jetway I was practicly naked on. Oops, I guess I gave all my passangers a show. One creepy old guy mentioned he took digital pictures but wouldn't show me.

ok, top seven. I am getting tired. Both physically, and just tired of being so darn self-effacing.

Ciao

Johnny's 5 questions?

Q1: what kind of organization is the 7 mile club and if it had a secret handshake what would it be?

The 7 mile high club is for anyone who's workspace is at 35,000 feet or higher. It has nothing to do with the mile high club as it is 6 miles higher and less "sexual". Secret handshake is: Palm to fist, Fist to palm, Fist to fist, then high 5 (always need a high5)


Q2: you are working and find that OW is sitting in your section. would you change your behaviour while in his vicinity and if so how?

I pride myself in treating everyone special and making them feel cared about, going the extra mile. So I would do my normal thing, stowing his bag, giving him snacks, juices, coffee, my phone number, back massage, foot massage, manicure, wash his hair, trim his nose hair, take pictures of him from every angle, hand him a script. Just the normal level of customer service I try to extend to everyone.

Q3: what percentage of passengers do think actually eat that bag of complementary nuts?

We give out frito's or sun chips so that would be no one, because we don't have nuts, that are complimentry. We do have the two pilots in the "cockpit" which are similar in many ways.

Q4: what is the coolest outfit you own and what does it look like?

The coolest outfit I own is my favorite jeans that are normally $400 that I got at red light for $25. (D&G). They're comfy.

Q5: you have a choice between going out for beers with the pilots or going shopping for makeup with the attendants. which do you choose and why?

Neither, I would choose to stay in my hotel room, watch cable and eat take out.

Blogg on down, Blogg on down, Blogg on down the road...

I am really streaching to come up with something blogg worthy. It's hard that I started this blog during a flying hiatus, because my life seems a bit boring.

Last night after a trip with Moz to Powells city of books (with the 'wonder-the- info guy', that never looked up from his book, and answered our question about searching for book with -"I don't know"), I bought some Golden Grahams. That was cool. yummy.

Had a little get together at Sloop and Moz's. Bonita St. James and her significant was there, as well as Johnny Crash. They reminised (sp?!?) about THE BEST PARTY EVER. Which I didn't go to as I didn't know about. That's cool though, I don't care. The pain will subside eventually.

Watched the end of Apprentice, was shocked to see that The Trumpster fired someone. TV never fails to suprise me.

Watched Zoolander (fantastic film), my boyfriend is in it (O.W) I think he is sending me personal messages thru his movies.

I promise to lead a more exciting life, and here, read some airline companies newsletter. I don't know how I aquired it, I just did. That's all you need to know.

throwing it down.

Its been like a week or more and I haven't put anything in this bloggerific blog.

For shame, I haven't done anything this week noteworthy or blogg worthy for that matter.

I do have to say, spent some time with the nieces, v. v. v. cute. My oldest neice Stella, is 3. A smart 3. She chattes up in such volume that it is obvious we are related. We talked about movies, I told her my favorite was Bottlerocket. She laughed and said she didn't like it (I bet she hasn't even seen it). Who is she to judge, what has she ever done with her life?

I mocked her later after finding out that her favorite movie is Finding Nemo, I mean how droll! We then discussed the life affirming message that the movie Cinderella emparts. Stella had some good points about Elitism and the caste system in Fairy Tale land and how that translates into current world views. She really made me think, I may need to reacess my current life style in light of her statements.

Hopefully I will have something more exciting to blog about later!

My Brilliant day - pondering big life decisons.

So.

This is my first post on I'm really excited.

No really I am.

Seriously.

So I'm waiting for #3 incident.

What is this you ask? Alright I'll tell you.

You know how every bad thing comes in three's? Well they do.

I'm on two. Worst place to be because I know there's one more out there. waiting. watching.

So I belive #1 was when I forgot to bid for my schedule. For all of you not in the know - that means I, based on senority, every month pick my scedule. If for some silly reason someone didn't remember to do this for the next 35 days they have to sit on call for the whole month. (I perhaps was that someone) That wouldn't be so bad if you lived where you work. However like many in my industry I commute from portland to a diffrent city a few states away. So I have to sit in a hotel or apartment that I pay for waiting to see if they need me...for a month. The sucky thing, well one of the sucky things about this is that I just got tickets to the Ellen Show.

Yipee.

But I can't go because I have to sit in another state.

Watching cable.

Waiting. (or I could skip out of work that day...hmm)

Number #2 was today. I was driving, while talking on the phone. My favorite pastime. And I was sitting at the light (in Portland) where the I-5 Exit from Southbound hits Portland Blvd. As most people know you can't turn right on a red light here.

I know this.

But I was on the phone.

Chatting away.

The car in front of me turned on the red. I started to go but saw him get pulled over by cop chick on motorcycle. I didn't even cross over the crosswalk. Home free. I made a joke about it to my brother on the phone.

Light turned green, I turned chatting away and saw the motorcycle chick wave me over.

Shit.

She gave me a ticket because by starting to turn, I indicated that I would have turned if I didn't see her. Which is true, but should we get tickets for intending to do something? My driving record was so nice and clear.

Bitchs.

The good news was she didn't give me a ticket for my expired tags (did you know you have to renew those every year? how redundent!) nor my expired license - which I would have understood, it has been since June...I should pop by the DMV sometime. So I just have a $235 dollar ticket for the running of the red light. or intending to...

So number #3 I know your out there....I'm going to Toronto for an interview this week...I hope #3 doesn't happen then.....

What was your last trio of three bad incidents? Does it work that way for you?

Also - side bar - I am trying to decide If I will A) Go to Dubai and work for airline there or B) Stay in Portland, Or C) Start a rock band in Santa Monica.

A) a roommate who will remain nameless thinks this is not a good Idea. Boo! Die!

B) I like it here. It's green. But here my layovers are Yakima and Walla Walla. In Dubai they would be Milan and Paris...India..Austrailia...New Zeland...whatever..I'm sure I'd miss Walla Walla, Washington and all the onions there.

C) Rock band? Santa Monica? I don't rock, I can't sing, play? yeah right. I like the beach and the warm weather though, I'd have to be homeless cause' I can't afford it down there but there are perks to that too... Like hanging out on the docks and eating garbage. sweet.

What should I do?