Plan B: My Top Three Travel Tips

I just read a story on Reuters about angry travelers in China smashing computers. I don't know what the whole story is, but, I'm here to offer my three favorite travel tips, to ward off such ugliness.

Flying isn't pretty anymore. You have to come prepared to take care of yourself (personal responsibility: there's a concept!) What? You were expecting the airline to take care of you? Oh, please! Your airline can barely take care of itself!! You have to know that travel is full of what-ifs: weather, mechanical problems, staffing issues, and legalities--it is not a perfect system. Know that bad things can happen and you may have to go to Plan B. Sadly, most people never, ever have a Plan B.

With that in mind, here are my top three travel tips:

Favorite Travel Tip #1: Dress appropriately.

Flight Attendants all over the world just sort of shake our collective heads when we see Little Skinny Lady boarding our airplane in a tank top, shorts and sandals.

Our planes seem to have zones which are generally divided into two sections: hell and meat locker. This means you are either hot or freezing. Little Skinny Lady? I can assure you she is seated in the meat locker section. So, while Little Skinny Lady is leaving a hot summer climate and traveling to an even hotter, tropical climate, she is an ice cube for 5 miserable hours on my plane. Why? Because she has brought no jacket, no pashmina, no sweatshirt...and there is nothing I can do to help her--Little Skinny Lady was in the last boarding group, so, of the 20 nasty, dirty blankets we have onboard, they were taken by the 100 people that boarded the plane before she did and there are none to give her. I've called the cockpit: they are doing their best to regulate an antiquated heating system. And, there are no other seats to move her to. As we come through with the beverage cart, she will, with chattering teeth, order coffee. It really doesn't help much, though...

So, Plan B is to start out your trip and dress in layers. Or at least carry a sweatshirt and wear jeans and not shorts. (Plus, it is safer with jeans--should an evacuation of the aircraft occur, the jeans will afford some protection of your legs.)

Favorite Travel Tip #2: Bring food.

Pack something, just in case. An apple, crackers, granola bar, sandwich....something! (I love it when I see a couple order Chardonnay from the beverage cart and break out some cheese, fruit and bread--sorta romantic on the plane!) Even if Plan A on the plane is a meal service--you just never know how long you could be stuck in a gate area, or worse--out on the ramp (tarmac). Plan B has your own food. Food keeps you busy, nourishes you, makes you less grouchy, and makes whatever delay is occurring to be more, uh...palatable! Plus, you just may not like what the airline is serving that day. (My crew meal yesterday was loaded with onions, and me no likey onions, so I had to go to my own Plan B.)

Favorite Travel Tip #3: Know where you may have to sleep!

This one, I learned after years of commuting back and forth to work. One has to be prepared for where one may end up for the night. That means is, you may have to pay for your own hotel room at your connection city. Or plan to sleep on the floor of the airport. If a delay or cancellation is because of weather, the airline is not responsible for your overnight accommodations. It is just an ugly fact that travelers need to consider before leaving for the airport: what if? Then go to Plan B.

Plan B may be calling a long lost relative in the connection city for a place to sleep. Have his phone number with you. Or hotel chain phone numbers. Or, wad up that sweatshirt you brought to keep you warm on the plane and make it work as a pillow for you as you curl up on the floor in an airport corner.

Look before you pee....

I was working a flight from Denver to Washington last week on a 767...

I was in the Business Galley yakking with Cheryl who had been in my training class. A woman, perhaps in her early 30's, approached us, and tapped Cheryl on the shoulder and they turned away, huddled in secrecy. Cheryl, in her motherly way, appeared to comfort the woman, shaking her head up and down, telling her "no worries, it is okay." The woman walked away and sat down.

Cheryl then turned to me, with a fire in her eyes, and disbelief on her face. She motioned me to follow her, and I did. We walked over to the lav (bathroom) and Cheryl pushed the door open. On the floor was a puddle...no, more like a pond of liquid on the floor.

The woman told Cheryl that she went to the bathroom and did not notice that the lid to the toilet was down. (For the men, that means the woman is a hoverer--not a sitter!) She peed all over the top of the toilet seat. And, apparently she had quite a bit of liquid to drink prior to this--she peed a lot!! The floor was covered in a sea of pee!

Cheryl was pissed! (Well, you know what I mean!) She wondered how a "grown-ass woman" could not see the lid was down. Then she fussed about "who's gonna clean that mess up?"

She closed the door, rolling her eyes, and looked to me. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard--at the situation and Cheryl's indignation! I reached over and locked the door to the lav--so no one would have to wade in that woman's pee on the floor.

There's a lesson in here--I'm just not sure what it is...look before you pee? Don't drink a lot before getting on an airplane? Nope--I know what it is: never, ever walk into an airplane lavatory without your shoes on! That isn't water on the floor!!!

My next trip is...

My next trip is a three day, which takes to me to my max hours for the month...which I believe should get me an extra two days off this month...but I digress...

Tonight I fly one leg to Portland, Oregon.
Tomorrow, I fly Portland to San Francisco to Phoenix.
Monday I fly Phoenix to Denver to Tampa to Washington.

In the meantime, I have a few hours here at home with Norm--seems rare these days that I get that!

My sister has the bug!

The Europe bug, that is!

So, I was on the phone, talking with my sissy, Donna, who recently took her kids to Europe for a month. We had also gone to London in March, which was her first time to Europe. I very nonchalantly said "Let's go to Paris."

You could have bowled me over when she replied, "Okay, when?"

She's afflicted--yes, infected! She's got the travel bug now!

A few e-mails back and forth with some other destination suggestions, and we've narrowed our options to Amsterdam, Brussels, or Zurich.

<---Donna and her kids last month




I haven't been to any of those cities, nor has she. Which of them would YOU want to go to? If you've been, what was your favorite thing about that city?

Now, comes the hard part--making sure the flights are open on the days we want to go. You really have to have a stomach for standby travel, and some flexibility...but, it will be interesting to see where we end up! Of course, I'll keep you posted--after I pick my jaw up off the floor!

Christian the Lion

Lazy girl?

My cousin and her family are here visiting Washington, DC. Today they headed up to the fabulous Baltimore Aquarium today, and tonight, plan on seeing an Orioles game. On the way out the door, her husband said something that pissed me off.

He asked me if I was going to do anything today or go anywhere. I responded with, "I have no plans whatsoever to leave my house today." He said, "Oh, I see, you're just going to be lazy."

(insert steam blowing out of my ears here...)

Let's review: I've been out flying 5-6 days in a row for the past six weeks, meaning not being in my house at all. (Well, there is that brief period of time when I get to come home and get clean underwear...)

He has a "normal" job as a pharmacist. "Normal" people with their jobs get to come home every night. They can keep up with things around the house. Kiss their beloved. Pet the cats. Prune the roses. Cook dinner. Sleep in their own bed. Flight Attendants can't do this.

Look, I'm not complaining (well, maybe just a bit!) This is the profession I chose to be in. But, don't dog me because on my block of days off, I just want to stay in my house and be in my own place. I may spend all day sitting in front of this computer or go Tasmanian Devil out in the back yard and prune those roses or veg in front of the TV. (Gotta catch up on The Next Food Network Star!) It's my life, leave me alone and keep your opinion to yourself.

So, I have decided I am not pissed anymore. He is just blissfully unaware. Ignorant. And, will probably stay that way. And, that's okay. My lifestyle is not for everyone--and his is definitely not for me!

Vegas, Cher and Cheesecake Factory

Had a Las Vegas layover again the other day. I flew with a sweet Flight Attendant, Erica--who is 22, and after a short nap, we went out to play. This was her first time to Vegas.

First, we hopped on the Deuce, a bus that runs from Fremont Street to the Strip. We walked around Fremont Street first, then took the Deuce back to Caesar's Palace.




On the ride to Fremont Street: the Stratosphere Hotel. It has several thrill rides at the top. Erica and I discussed it, and decided against the rides. After looking at the web site, I am glad we did!!






























The Paris Hotel with its' Eiffel Tower replica.









Erica had never been in a casino before, and I was happy to help her out! She played the penny slot machines at Caesar's, and with her $5, won $29! (on a penny slot machine!!) She was thrilled. She was also in awe of the hotel and its' opulence (gaudiness) and the Forum Shops with all the designers' stores: Versace, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.

Here is Erica trying to duck out of the picture at the Forum Shops.

In the Cher store--they sell a Cher Barbie doll for $54.99.

Erica was great to hang out with and it was a nice trip, with a good layover. But, we both had to leave early the next morning: our wake-up calls were at 3:30 in the morning!!

Last night, my roommate from training, Taneesha, spent the night. (Her plans included driving to Delaware today--so, it would save her about two hours worth of driving by staying with us.) This on top of my cousin, Diane, and her husband and their two kids, who are visiting from Memphis for the week. While Diane and her family were out touring our nation's capital today, Taneesha and I went to have an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Arlington. The storm that blew through this morning (and scared the beejeezus outta me withvery close and very loud lightning) brought with it cooler temperatures with lower humidity, so we were able to enjoy ourselves on the patio and just really relax and catch up with each other. Neesh is in her 20's and there is no way anyone could have predicted how close we would be! She is a phenomenal young woman and I look forward to the day we get a trip together!

Tired old gal....

I've flown 64 hours over the last 13 days. For a lot of Flight Attendants, that 64 hours is a whole month of flying! I am exhausted! I had yesterday and today off. Yesterday, I was feeling the worst I have ever felt in my whole life. Today, I am mostly back to normal--then back to work tomorrow for three days. I do not like being on Reserve--not one little bit. It feels like my life is happening, and I have no control of what it's doing.

Me no likey....

In Sacramento, still!

I'm in my hotel room in Sacramento (SMF). We arrived last night, with a 15 hour layover. I slept in a bit, and we were scheduled to leave the hotel at noon. So, there I was, in the lobby of the hotel, in full Company regalia, schleppin' my suitcase, checking out of my room, and waiting for my other two Flight Attendants. And waiting. And waiting. (Flight Attendants are rarely late.) They were nowhere to be found.

While I was...uh...waiting, I was on the phone with Norm, who had looked at my schedule online, and saw that my flight was delayed by a couple of hours. Huh??? I did not know a thing about it. It is not right that he knew about our delay and I did not!

I'm going to go with it being a slight oversight...but the Purser did not call me to tell me we were delayed. In fact, she tried to tell me that the Crew Desk called the #3 Flight Attendant and that she (the #3) was supposed to call me. Anyway, we were delayed and our new hotel departure time was going to be 2:40.

I trudged back up to my room, after checking back in, again. Got into my comfy clothes and signed online to look at my schedule. And saw in the notes that the Company had contacted the Purser, who advised them that she would be calling me to let me know. And didn't. Then tried to fudge the truth.

Like I said, I'm going to chalk it up to an oversight and let it go. Especially now that I have posted it. I feel better. And slightly magnanimous.

And, we are delayed again....so, we leave the hotel at 4 p.m. This time I got a phone call--from our Purser. So, in search of lunch, I walked around the downtown Sacramento area for a little bit--lots of little restaurants and such.

We leave for Chicago around 5:30 and will stay the night there. Tomorrow we deadhead back to Washington on the 777. In Business. Ni-iiice!

A taste of Africa and a 747 virgin

Delayed a few hours by the maintenance issue, our Frankfurt-bound passengers boarded and settled in quickly. This is no small feat when you consider that this plane, which was full, had 14 Flight Attendants and 347 people! Once we pushed back from the gate and started taxiing out to the runway, our Captain made an announcement that while were #2 for departure behind an Aer Lingus flight, we would have to sit and wait: the computers that handle air traffic in Canada had gone down. Flights to Europe use Canadian airspace as they navigate the Great Circle Route. We probably waited an additional 45 minutes with THAT issue! Thankfully, the flight itself was uneventful.

Uneventful is good...but it was a big learning experience for me. Having never flown on a 747, I was a bit in awe of the size of this behemoth! Having never been to Frankfurt, I was excited. And, I flew with four of my classmates from training, so it was like "old home week" with them!

I worked the "Galley Assist" position both ways--the Galley is where I really like to be. The Aft Purser was Jason, and I know him from training as well--he was one of our Instructors. Besides being a cool guy, Jason was very helpful in showing me the ropes as we worked together.

Since we were several hours delayed in our departure, Jason decided to forego the first beverage service and simply get everyone fed, since they were probably starving at this point. Working the Galley to feed 260 people in the economy section (aka "The Village") is something to behold. We had to get everyone fed their "chicken or beef" or their special order meals, in a short amount of time--as well as sending out separate beverage carts. It was poetry in motion with Jason's direction.

Cleaning up this number of meal trays and managing the trash that accompanies all this on an airplane with limited space is a science. We stuff cans here, flatten bottles there--every cart on the aircraft ends up stuffed to the gills with trash by the time we land. (I wonder if I can add "Trash Management" as a skill set on my resume?)

Despite the departure delays, our passengers left happy. (A shout out to Carina's Mom and Dad from LA, who kept me laughing on the trip!)

We arrived at our hotel, which is in the downtown area--it is a really nice hotel and they treated us very well there. My room was really modern: low, sleek bed; funky chairs and--you can't see it in the pictures--but there are little blue lights that outline the top of the closet door--very cool decor. (It's not a Holiday Inn, okaaayyy??)




























Shawn, Imed and I walked over to a grocery store a few blocks away and picked up some snacks and adult beverages. Smart people, those Germans--they charge for each grocery bag you use. Most people bring their own bags--I saw a big canvas duffel bag and a roll-a-board suitcase being stuffed with groceries. We had to cough up the .20 Euro for a bag to carry our stuff back in.

This is the area near the grocery store...that is a big train station on the left.

We had a short "debrief" in one of the Flight Attendant's rooms--a couple of glasses of wine and I was ready to go to bed! I woke up a few hours later when Kim, one of the senior mamas, called me and was ready to go on the hunt for dinner. A quick shower and we met in the hotel bar to decide where we were going. Shawn joined us there, and we met another Flight Attendant, Javier, who had brought in the later flight from Washington. We decided we wanted German food for dinner.

The German restaurant the crews like to go to is across the street from the hotel. Unfortunately for us, the couple that runs it was on a cruise, and it was closed. (Fortunate for them, though!!) So, when in Germany, when one can't get the authentic German food one wants, one automatically thinks of...what else? African food!

We ran into a couple of people from our crew that were just coming back from dinner--and they highly recommended Im Herzen Afrikas. So, off we went, about four blocks from the hotel, to this place.

Through one of the doors, when you enter, the floor is covered in sand. Where we entered, it was not. The decor is very African-chic--and very comfortable. Seating areas are around tables with big pillows--very easy for conversations. There was a bed-like loft/table for two near us. Add a DJ playing cool background music and a bongo-drum player--it was fabulous!

We ordered the all-you-can-eat combo for 10 Euros each. This dish arrived looking like something I had never seen: a huge platter, covered with a sombrero type cover. The waitress took the cover off and the platter had 6-7 smaller bowls surrounding a small green salad. She showed us that we needed to dump all the bowls onto the platter. The bowls had seasoned beef, a couple of different kinds of lentils, spinach, lamb--I'm not sure what everything was. She also brought out tortilla-like bread (but much softer, sweeter, and pliable.) We then used the bread to dip, bundle, pinch, or roll up the food. (I think this was Ethiopian style food, by the way.) All four of us loved every bit of the dinner. It was fun to eat, and the entire setting lent itself for conversation and fun and friendship.






Here's the dish as Kim was taking a bite.





Me, Javier, and Kim



Shawn, Kim, and Javier



Shawn and Javier











We had a lovely, lovely time and finished up with after dinner drinks outside. It was definitely a night I won't forget--we had so much fun! It was a nice mix of people with a great restaurant!

The next morning, we loaded up and headed back to the airport. We picked up an "extra stew" from our Frankfurt base, since we were flying on the newly reconfigured 747 for the return. This plane holds 374 people-with 310 back in the village.

Feeding a hot meal and a cold drink in a short amount of time to 310 people on an airplane is not simply a procedure--it is an operation! Jason and I kept the same positions we had on the first leg, and we did even better in the galley, now that we both knew how we worked together. We had a great time getting it done...but, an extra 50 people makes a huge, huge difference in how it all plays out. And, omigawd! The rows of people never seem to end! (Nor do the lines for the lavatories!) Anyway, we all knocked out both services and had fun while doing it.

Towards the end of the flight, there was a little incident with a tray of sodas. I'm going to try and explain this so it makes sense.

This is a tray of sodas. Notice the three cans on the left laying on their sides. This is how the trays are given to us from the caterers. I never understood why they did this--why not just stand up the cans and fill it up with a couple of extra sodas???








This is a carrier box. It is about 18 inches wide and 30 inches tall. It holds four trays of sodas. See these little metal tray-holder-rung-thingees in the carrier box? You slide the trays onto each one of them.

Being Miss Smarty-Pants, I decided to turn the three soda cans laying on their sides up, and add a couple more soda cans to the tray--to use my space wisely, of course.

(Okay, Flight Attendant readers--quit laughing. I know that you know what's coming next!)


So, I am loading a tray of sodas into the bottom of the empty carrier box. Let me just mention that if I shove the tray into the bottom of the carrier box with all my might and the cans have no place to go, the next higher rung will puncture or slice a few of the sodas in the filled-up-too-tightly-tray. And, the punctured cans will spew forth a great amount of sugary syrup with additional force because the plane is pressurized to 8,000 feet. And the aforementioned spew will end up all over the face, hair and uniform of the tray-shover. Moi. I was a mess! Lesson learned, I promise!!

Now I am home, after crawling in bed at 9 p.m. last night. Anyone that knows me knows how unusual that is--I am so much a night owl! Anyway, I was wide awake at 3 this morning, and forced myself to stay in bed until just before Norm had to get up at 6:30. The Crew Desk can't work me until late this afternoon, and my bet is that they won't be calling me today--there aren't many trips today, and I am at the bottom of the list of 50 Flight Attendants. But, I am "good" for the next couple of days, so, I guess I need to wash my uniform!

Update:

The Crew Desk just called. (Why didn't you tell me to quit thinking I was going to have the day off???) They are sending me to Sacramento tonight, layover for 15 hours, and work back to Washington through Chicago tomorrow. I get back to Washington at 1 o'clock in the morning on Wednesday.

Frankfurt

We made it to FRA last night--our mechanics stole parts off the arriving Beijing 747. Have had a great time while we've been here, and even managed to take a few pictures. At .60 Euros per minute for Internet access, I'll post when I get back home!!!

Delay Talk

It is almost an hour and a half past departure time to Frankfurt and we are still here in Washington. I am on our 747, with 13 other Flight Attendants, while we wait for Maintenance to repair some emergency lights. These lights are the exit path lighting that illuminate the stairs from the Upper Deck in case of an emergency. These must work, or the plane cannot depart.

There is talk of the company snagging the plane that is arriving from Beijing now and having us use it. There is talk of changing planes to the one that is supposed to be used for the later flight to Frankfurt. Then, there is the most important one to us: our 29 hour layover is becoming shorter and shorter as the minutes tick by....

The week that was....

You know, it has been six days of flying and I am trying to remember what I wanted to blog about--and it all seems like a year ago!

First, our emergency landing. Don't get too excited...it just sounds scarier than it was!

We took off from San Jose, California. We flew for about 15 minutes--and I was out of my jumpseat setting up the cart for our beverage service. The Captain called the Purser, and she came back to tell us what the Captain said, and he made an announcement to our passengers--that they had a light indicating that the leading edge flap had not retracted. He said he thought it was an issue with the light itself, not the actual flap.

We had a deadheading First Officer who was able to go back and look out the window and confirmed that the flap had, indeed, not retracted after take-off.

Here is my Blondie description of the flap thingee. It is on the front part of the wing...it moves forward and retracts back--it is used to change the shape of the wing for take-off and landing. It is important, but is something that the pilots are able to work around.

Whew! Enough technical stuff, okay???

So, with the situation confirmed by the deadheading First Officer, the Captain spoke with the Purser, then made an announcement that we would be landing in San Francisco--that he was declaring an emergency, and that people needed to listen to the Flight Attendants for direction. Suddenly, we had everyone's attention! He also stated that he expected our landing to be completely normal.

The other two Flight Attendants and I spent some time reviewing our procedures and commands in our FA Manuals. Then, the Captain asked us to prepare for landing. We prepared for landing as normal--seatbacks up, bags stowed, seatbelts on. There were some people who were anxious, especially the Mom in the back row with her two kids. I reassured her that this was what we were trained to do, and we spoke for a few more moments, and she dried her tears.

We landed on the long runway in San Francisco--and rolled to a nice stop. I've never had fire engines meet my flight before, but, thankfully, they weren't necessary! Our passengers applauded the safe landing--it really was a non-event.
This is the runway in SFO from our hotel--it really is a looo-oong runway and the pilots have plenty of space to land and (just as important) stop.

Two SFO supervisors met our flight and wanted to make sure that the Flight Attendants were okay. We were. They took us off the rest of the trip and sent us to the hotel for the night. So, we headed over to the hotel. The Purser was anxious to get to the bar, the #2 FA was anxious to get to her room and chill, and I had pent-up energy and decided to go over to Burlingame and shop.






Burlingame, California























The hotel we stay in in SFO is near the airport in a little town called Burlingame. After having been through the inflight incident, I felt the need for some retail therapy! Burlingame has the cutest streets with shops and restaurants lining up and down, and a trolley that will give you a ride to and from the hotel. I enjoyed the lovely, lovely weather and the solitude. Bought a few things at J. Crew and had an appetizer at a restaurant called Straits.

I ordered the Grilled Beef in Grape Leaves appetizer--the menu describes it as marinated beef wrapped in grape leaves, grilled with mint, basil and toasted nuts. Along with a glass of chardonnay, it was delicious!

After a couple of hours of shopping, I joined the Purser and a few stray crew people from other flights who were laying over at the hotel for a quick drink before heading to bed.

The next morning, the Company positived spaced us back to Washington--on the 777 in Business....suh-weet!!! (The Company really did a good job of making sure that we had whatever resources we needed.) As I type this and look back, the landing was really just a normal landing (except for the firetrucks!) and now I know that the flap issue was was not that big of a deal. But, at the time, while we were in the air, the Flight Attendants did not know that--so we were in an emergency state of mind, as required by the situation as the Captain expressed it.

That evening I arrived home with just enough time to exchange my dirty clothes for clean ones! The Crew Desk called at 10 p.m. and I was assigned a three day trip with a 7 a.m. check in. I was to fly from Washington to New York to Denver to Billings, Montana. I have now added another state to my list--and now only need to go to Wyoming and I will have visited every state in the US!

I was flying with a great crew--Nicole as Purser and Chris was in the back with me. Chris and I walked over to one the little casinos they had in Billings. This casino is like a tiny dive bar, with Keno and Poker machines. Dive bar or not, I won $114 there. Okay, some of those winnings I re-invested in the casino but I actually came out ahead about $60. Not bad!



The next day we did one leg to Denver, then one leg to Orange County. We arrived in the OC around 10 a.m. I went to The Block at Orange, a really nice outdoor mall across the street from our hotel. I bought some T-shirts for Brendyn, the Most Amazing Child on the Planet at Ron Jon's Surf Shop--and got a manicure and pedicure while I was there. Had enough time left to go back to my room and take a nap before all of us met downstairs for Happy Hour and dinner. The weather was warm and not humid, with a nice breeze blowing--so, we sat outside and traded stories and just had a great time. It was a perfect layover!

The next morning, we flew from Orange County to San Francisco. From SFO, we were supposed to fly to Las Vegas then home to Washington. When we arrived at SFO, we discovered our flight to Vegas was cancelled. We checked our schedules and learned the Company was deadheading us back to Washington. After changing into our street clothes and a couple hours delay because of weather in Washington, we were on our way home.

This is a picture of Chris, my Casino Cohort and the Flight Attendant in the back with me this trip--he is great to hang out with on a layover. Or lay out with a hangover! Whatever!

Today, my Supervisor called and wants me to work a flight tomorrow with a bunch of other new hires so we can get our check rides done. So, I may have a check ride, but I am also going to Frankfurt, Germany--and I've never been there before!

Actually, I am trying to be very cool as I type this--something that just doesn't come naturally to me, a bona fide nerd! I am flying with four of my classmates from training, and am also flying, for the first time, on a 747. I am very, very excited!!

Incognito

We started out in Orange County this morning and found out our flight to Las Vegas was cancelled--from Vegas we were to fly home to Washington. So, all three of us Flight Attendants have changed into our street clothes for our deadhead back to Washington. (Which is delayed right now because of thunderstorms in Washington, of course.) We are all hanging out on the plane, with the working FAs, waiting for boarding.)

It's been an eventful week for me! An emergency landing on my last trip--but, I'll write about that later!

757 Fitness Training

Earlier this week, I worked a flight from Seattle to Washington. It's a long flight--5 hours-ish. And, I was originally scheduled to deadhead (that is, ride as a passenger, being repositioned by the company.) I was relieved to receive a phone call 10 minutes before my alarm clock was set to go off...it was the Crew Desk. I had been rescheduled to work that flight instead of deadheading.

Most Flight Attendants would love to deadhead--getting paid to sleep, read, nap, etc. every now and then is really, really nice. But, sitting for five hours is not my thing...especially since the flight was full, and I would have probably ended up with a middle seat. AAA-ACK!! (First Class was full, too....) So, I was happy to work it!

About 2 hours into it, a lady came back to our 757 galley and started doing calisthenics. Working out. Exercising. Cardio. Strength training. Pilates, yoga...you name it, she did it. She started with the hand/arm shake--where one wildly flings hands in front of one's body. Then the tippy-toe lifts--up, down, up, down. This was followed by deep-knee bends, squats, and forward bends. Trunk twists and upright push-ups from against the jumpseat wall. She started doing a little jogging in place....I was able to go through the cabin and do two (albeit quick) services of water and coffee, and she continued her work out. As I was heading forward the second time, coffee in hand, she commented that she was really getting her heart rate up! Oh, um...okay...I just didn't know what to say, so I nodded affirmatively and smiled as I walked away.

Other passengers were having to work around her to enter the lavatory. Mind you, the lady is working out in a 3 x 3 space, which is in front of our jumpseat, beside the 3L door, and in front of the lav door. It is impossibly small and congested there. She didn't seem to mind the intrusions to her workout...in fact, she was very social and spoke with almost everyone that came back to my little teeny galley.


See this small space? This is an Airbus galley...but, it is about the same size as the 757 galley. See that jumpseat in the foreground? In front of it is about 3 feet of space and then the lavatory. This is where she did her workout.




Seriously, after more than 30 minutes of Jack Lalanne-ing in my galley, it was time to go. I totally understand the need to get up and get moving while one is on an airplane, especially for that long. I encourage it. Come back to the galley, chat a few minutes, do a few stretches, walk the aisle if you want. I'm with you, I understand. But, this lady was over the top and impeding everyone's entrance and exit into the lavatory. I had to stop her! But, I wasn't sure how to do it. "Ma'am, you have to go now?" Would that work and not offend her?

I had a better idea. I started counting the liquor inventory. And Buy Onboard snack boxes. (Well, I am responsible for them, and did need to get an ending inventory count!) So, I started pulling out the massive galley carts. Pulling them out of their housing and turning them around in this tight space so I could count the inventory on the other side of the cart, too. By the time I pulled out the second cart, she realized there just wasn't room enough for all of us back there. (All of us being her, me, the cart, the #3 Flight Attendant who had come back from a break, and the people in line trying to get to the lav.)

A bit passive-aggressive on my part--but, with a few beads of sweat on her forehead and across the bridge of her nose, she had, indeed, gotten her heart rate up. And now it was time for her to sit! And me to count. And we did.

Wii-eeeeee!!

Norm set up my new Wii the other day. I have ordered a Wii Fit--I suspect I will have it when I get back from my next trip.