I'm baaaa-aack!!

Finished up my first trip last night--and it was a good one to have for a first trip. Day One of my four Reserve days was spent at the airport on standby for four hours. The next day, the Crew Desk called at 11 a.m. and gave me a three day trip that started at 4 p.m.

This was all well and good, except I had just gotten out of the shower, and my hair was soaking wet. Just then, lightening hit a transformer and our whole area lost electrical power. I started panicking about how I was going to get my hair dried and curled without electricity--and I have the kind of hair that you can't just let it dry au natural. Called one of my classmates and she offered to let me come to her place to do my hair. I got everything done I needed to, but that was a hell of a way to start your first trip of a new job, though!

I flew with a couple of really nice girls...we did one leg down to Fort Lauderdale and a short overnight there. Bright and early, we worked a leg to Denver then to the overnight in Salt Lake City. On the third day, it was Salt Lake to San Francisco then back home to Washington. The last flight was on a wide body aircraft--a 767--and I worked the First Class galley. It was my first time, and thankfully, I had a great purser who pointed me in the right direction. (I'll be fine the next time I work that position--but the Business Galley, with so many passengers, will be a challenge!)

I very much like the galley position--and think that is where I'll want to be most of the time. Of course, being about 15th from the bottom in seniority of 16,000+ flight attendants gives me very little choice in what position I work!


Here is something else that is new that we didn't have flying at a regional airline: crew meals! Depending on how long a work day is, the company provides a meal. This was breakfast the other day: cheese, crackers, fruit, yogurt and cereal. It was more than I could eat.

So, I had a short Fort Lauderdale and a very long Salt Lake City for my first trip. Three of my classmates got Beijing for their first trip, four got Brussels, one got Mexico City. Cross your fingers for a really cool trip for me. (To the karma gods: Rome would be excellent...) I have tomorrow off, and am good for three days starting Saturday. On Tuesday, I am going to Chicago to get trained on the new 747--which wasn't available to us when I was in Boot Camp.



This was taken shortly before landing in Salt Lake City. Not a bad view from my office!

Okay, back with an edit...the truth. The whole story....

When I was panicking about my wet hair and no electricity, I had Norm on the phone with me while I was freaking out. This man was in a fairly high level meeting at his office in the Pentagon, saw that I was calling, and interrupted his meeting to see what I needed. He stayed with me on the phone while I came back to my senses to make sure I had everything I needed to start my new job off well. Later, as I was trying to press the button in the garage to make the automatic garage door open, I had a mini-freak out--I did not know how to open the garage door manually, without electricity. So, the friendly voice on the other end of the phone coached me through pulling that red rope thingee that hangs from the door to get it opened. He never lost his cool (unlike yours truly) and I would like to publicly thank him for this and the gazillion other things he does for me, on a regular basis, without being asked--he just does. Thank you, Norm!