Actually it's a doll my mom made for me when I started this "glamorous" career....funny after all these years I feel how she looks: ) Although, I do travel a lot lighter!!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
SELF PORTRAIT
Actually it's a doll my mom made for me when I started this "glamorous" career....funny after all these years I feel how she looks: ) Although, I do travel a lot lighter!!
A FEW OBSERVATIONS
You may call them stereotypes....but I call them sixteen years of data!
DRINK CHOICES ACCORDING TO REGION:
Boston- ginger ale
New York- (they have several) coffe, juice, aannnd water...even on a short flight.
Florida- soda, mostly diet
California- water no ice
Texas- Mr. Pibb or Dr. Pepper.....A.K.A Texas champagne
United Kingdom- Scotch
Vegas- bloody mary, or anything alcoholic
MORE OBSERVATIONS:
Diet coke doesn't work....90% of DC drinkers are overweight
Anywhere in Ohio to Vegas requires the most seat belt extentions (that means using an extra seat belt so it will fit)
The cleanest a plane ever looks at the end of a flight? Anywhere to Japan.....and where talking up to 12 hour flights! The plane actually looks as though it had been cleaned....we Americans could take a few lessons in courtesy from the Japanese.
The messiest....anywhere USA
Nicest passengers...Ireland
Most difficult flight to work- New York-West Palm Beach....hands down!
Hottest men- Boston....hands down! Ask any FA: )
DRINK CHOICES ACCORDING TO REGION:
Boston- ginger ale
New York- (they have several) coffe, juice, aannnd water...even on a short flight.
Florida- soda, mostly diet
California- water no ice
Texas- Mr. Pibb or Dr. Pepper.....A.K.A Texas champagne
United Kingdom- Scotch
Vegas- bloody mary, or anything alcoholic
MORE OBSERVATIONS:
Diet coke doesn't work....90% of DC drinkers are overweight
Anywhere in Ohio to Vegas requires the most seat belt extentions (that means using an extra seat belt so it will fit)
The cleanest a plane ever looks at the end of a flight? Anywhere to Japan.....and where talking up to 12 hour flights! The plane actually looks as though it had been cleaned....we Americans could take a few lessons in courtesy from the Japanese.
The messiest....anywhere USA
Nicest passengers...Ireland
Most difficult flight to work- New York-West Palm Beach....hands down!
Hottest men- Boston....hands down! Ask any FA: )
Thursday, July 17, 2008
TRAVEL TIP THURSDAY
Ok, my girlfriend, FA Janice, has asked me to pass on a message. Janice actually only flys about 40 hours a month but WOW the drama follows her! I can fly for months without incident but not Janice. She usually has about an hours worth of flying drama to share after every trip. She should really start her own blog.( She is on a 3 day trip right now, can't wait to hear about this one!) I think part of the problem is she flys in the lead posistion quite a bit. Not me, no way, no how...haven't done that since 1999. I like the fact that with my job when you're done you're done, we don't take our work home with us....unless you fly lead....see my point.
Ok, so here is my travel tip for the week. I guess it's technically Janice's advice, but it's my blog: )
Janice had a medical emergency on a recent flight. We have a lot of resources on the plane, not only are we trained for such an incident, we have quite a bit of paraphernalia in our medical kit as well as an AED on board. We also have a resource called MED-LINK, which is a service we have with a hospital in Arizona. In case of a medical emergency we contact MED-LINK and if we have a nurse, DR., or Para-medic on board, they are able to help you under MED-LINK. They are actually insured if we contact MED-LINK and they follow there DR.'s direction. This is such a great service and has helped and saved many lives. This is were the tip comes in. Janice had a man in need of medical attention. He was on medication, he was unable to tell her what medication he was on, his wife was not able to tell her what he was taking. When you travel, if you are on ANY medication, write on an index card what you are taking and what your dose is, it is also helpful to write what your medical condition is. Keep this card in your carry on. This could be the difference between life or death for you or your loved one.
Great tip Janice!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
MAGAZINES
We FA's hoard magazines. If you were to look inside a FA's tote at any given time you would find a ton of magazines. We don't buy them. We find them. We walk through the cabin after you leave, and we find them. They're usually your regular "trash"....People, US Weekly, OK, they're fun to read but the real scores for me are Oprah, or travel magazines. There are a lot of great ideas inside those. I do try to read and pass them on before I get home....my husband appreciates this....they tend to accumulate pretty quickly.
Anyway, her are a few good ideas I found recently.
FOR KIDS: This is so great it's a blanket, pillow and stuffed animal all in one! Zafaru the girraffe ($39. @ http://www.chloeinstyle.com/jafaru-giraffe-p-1176.html
TOO COOL: Here is a way to get around the no liquids rule. http://www.irvs.com sells "sheets" of shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, and laundry soap....just add water! $5.
CLEVER: Next time you travel with your kids string froot loops or fruity cheerios on dental floss to make a necklace. It becomes a "self" serve snack. A little trick to pull out in case of a "rough" patch, and what the heck have them floss there teeth when they're done!
Anyway, her are a few good ideas I found recently.
FOR KIDS: This is so great it's a blanket, pillow and stuffed animal all in one! Zafaru the girraffe ($39. @ http://www.chloeinstyle.com/jafaru-giraffe-p-1176.html
TOO COOL: Here is a way to get around the no liquids rule. http://www.irvs.com sells "sheets" of shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, and laundry soap....just add water! $5.
CLEVER: Next time you travel with your kids string froot loops or fruity cheerios on dental floss to make a necklace. It becomes a "self" serve snack. A little trick to pull out in case of a "rough" patch, and what the heck have them floss there teeth when they're done!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
AS COPIED FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE:
PROOF IT'S A GREAT CAREER AT ANY AGE. UNLESS YOU'RE MY MOM WHO SAY'S, "WHY WOULD I DO THAT WHEN I FLY FREE WITH YOUR BENEFITS?" GOOD POINT MOM!
"I wish I would have done it sooner," said Ray Hope, 79, of his job as a Continental Airlines flight attendant.
June 29, 2008, 11:08PM
Taxiing toward his second retirement
After 40 years in photography, he spent 16 more as flight attendant
photographer in his native Connecticut.
But an article in an AARP magazine that proclaimed "You're never too old to be a flight attendant" planted the seed, he said.
His daughter, who was a Continental flight attendant, gave him that final push with an application.
"I'll try anything once," he remembers telling her at the time.
But would Continental let a man in his 60s join the crew?
Age is not a factor for flight attendants, according to airline spokeswoman Julie King.
"Providing that they can pass recurrent training, which occurs annually, and they are in good standing, they can fly as long as they want," she said.
Once he successfully completed a series of interviews, Hope was hired and began six weeks of training.
"I had 118 kids in my class," he said. "I call them kids because I was the oldest one. They could have all been my grandkids."
As a flight attendant, Hope said his duties were "90 percent safety, 10 percent service."
He had to know how to operate the plane's doors, know certain commands and how to get everyone off the plane safely.
Hope said he had "some good days and some bad days." But the experience taught him patience, he said.
"It's just a good experience of meeting people and communicating with them," Hope said. "I think it's the best choice I've ever made in my entire life. I wish I would have done it sooner."
Commercial photographers aren't the only ones making the switch after retirement, Hope said. There are a lot of older people becoming flight attendants, including former police officers, firefighters and teachers, he said.
Rosie Barrera, associate state director for communications at AARP-Texas, is noticing a surge in professional retirees who pursue other vocations.
A recent survey for the MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures found that 10 percent of Americans between 44 and 70 were pursing a second career and an additional 45 percent said they were interested.
"We are finding that there are a growing number of older Americans returning to the workplace," Barrera said. "More older workers are being employed full time."
Now that Hope is in his golden years, he plans to spend time with friends at the Eagle's Trace retirement community, making wooden toys for children in Child Protective Services. That'll leave little time for a third career, but he did joke about becoming a Wal-Mart greeter.
"He's not one to relax very easily," said his daughter, Diane Peckham, who has been a flight attendant for 22 years. "He's always one to do something."
rachael.gleason@chron.com
"I wish I would have done it sooner," said Ray Hope, 79, of his job as a Continental Airlines flight attendant.
June 29, 2008, 11:08PM
Taxiing toward his second retirement
After 40 years in photography, he spent 16 more as flight attendant
photographer in his native Connecticut.
But an article in an AARP magazine that proclaimed "You're never too old to be a flight attendant" planted the seed, he said.
His daughter, who was a Continental flight attendant, gave him that final push with an application.
"I'll try anything once," he remembers telling her at the time.
But would Continental let a man in his 60s join the crew?
Age is not a factor for flight attendants, according to airline spokeswoman Julie King.
"Providing that they can pass recurrent training, which occurs annually, and they are in good standing, they can fly as long as they want," she said.
Once he successfully completed a series of interviews, Hope was hired and began six weeks of training.
"I had 118 kids in my class," he said. "I call them kids because I was the oldest one. They could have all been my grandkids."
As a flight attendant, Hope said his duties were "90 percent safety, 10 percent service."
He had to know how to operate the plane's doors, know certain commands and how to get everyone off the plane safely.
Hope said he had "some good days and some bad days." But the experience taught him patience, he said.
"It's just a good experience of meeting people and communicating with them," Hope said. "I think it's the best choice I've ever made in my entire life. I wish I would have done it sooner."
Commercial photographers aren't the only ones making the switch after retirement, Hope said. There are a lot of older people becoming flight attendants, including former police officers, firefighters and teachers, he said.
Rosie Barrera, associate state director for communications at AARP-Texas, is noticing a surge in professional retirees who pursue other vocations.
A recent survey for the MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures found that 10 percent of Americans between 44 and 70 were pursing a second career and an additional 45 percent said they were interested.
"We are finding that there are a growing number of older Americans returning to the workplace," Barrera said. "More older workers are being employed full time."
Now that Hope is in his golden years, he plans to spend time with friends at the Eagle's Trace retirement community, making wooden toys for children in Child Protective Services. That'll leave little time for a third career, but he did joke about becoming a Wal-Mart greeter.
"He's not one to relax very easily," said his daughter, Diane Peckham, who has been a flight attendant for 22 years. "He's always one to do something."
rachael.gleason@chron.com
HOME SWEET HOME
Ahhhh, it's my turn after four days of flying, airports, delays and too many people I'm home for my days off. I got home last night around 10pm, the house was quiet, everyone was asleep. Wow, time to relax, watch a little mindless tv, read a bit. Life is good. Real good, I stay up until about 2am, knowing I'll pay for this.
Fast Forward....and I mean fast....5:55am. My wake up call. Lucy. I rolled over to nudge honey....no honey....honey left this morning for the station. Oh yeah! Did I say I was headed into days off? I have things rigged pretty good here. I'm a night owl and not that I would call honey a morning guy, he does a lot better than me, but there are two days a week when it's just me and pickles....a.k.a. Lucy. Today happens to be one of them. Ouch. I know there are people who get up early everyday, either to get everyone up and out to work or stay at home moms or dads, but I set my life up so I wouldn't have to get up early. It's working pretty good for me too.
Well, not today but that's okay. I'm sitting here with Lucy next to me while she eats her waffle, blueberries, and yogurt. It's going to be a good day. She was happy and surprised to see me this morning.Her smile wakes me up. It may not exactly be a day "off" but it is great day!
Fast Forward....and I mean fast....5:55am. My wake up call. Lucy. I rolled over to nudge honey....no honey....honey left this morning for the station. Oh yeah! Did I say I was headed into days off? I have things rigged pretty good here. I'm a night owl and not that I would call honey a morning guy, he does a lot better than me, but there are two days a week when it's just me and pickles....a.k.a. Lucy. Today happens to be one of them. Ouch. I know there are people who get up early everyday, either to get everyone up and out to work or stay at home moms or dads, but I set my life up so I wouldn't have to get up early. It's working pretty good for me too.
Well, not today but that's okay. I'm sitting here with Lucy next to me while she eats her waffle, blueberries, and yogurt. It's going to be a good day. She was happy and surprised to see me this morning.Her smile wakes me up. It may not exactly be a day "off" but it is great day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
