Well clearly I’m not a professional blogger, but when I travel, my friends often ask for more updates on what I’ve done and where I’ve gone. So I thought I’d start blogging again while I’m on this trip.
I’m going to Southeast Asia for almost 2 months. While working at JetBlue, I can take a month of personal leave. So I took the month of February off and I’ve always wanted to take a really long solo trip. The flight to get to Asia is so stinking long, staying less than a month seems like a waste. So ignore my previous blog posts, unless you’re interested in reading about my life at the beginning of my time of the flight attendant, and keep up with my day-to-day travel in Southeast Asia.
Friday, January 25, 2019
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Thundersnow
Apparently, I missed the Thundersnow last night. I'm highly disappointed.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather/video/cantore-and-wolf-in-thundersnow-during-winter-storm-neptune-in-massachusetts
http://www.weather.com/news/weather/video/cantore-and-wolf-in-thundersnow-during-winter-storm-neptune-in-massachusetts
February 14 - Happy V-Day
I was like 10th in line to get called today, so I ended up just staying in Boston. I had so many grand plans to workout and do tax returns, but that didn't workout. Instead, I cooked breakfast with Jennifer and then went shopping. I had a few gift cards to Macy's and then coupons to Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle.
Ice sculpture!!
So pretty. This is a park overlooking Boston Harbor.
We went downtown and did some day time shopping. It was nice getting out of the house and Jen and I had a fun time. It was super cold though!
On our way back through Fanueil Hall, there was a giant ice sculpture. I made Jen take some coupley pictures with me, to which, she protested loudly.
Jen got called out to work a Bos-San Juan flight tonight, so we had to head home for her to get ready. I seriously debated going with her. I'm on call from 3am to 3pm tomorrow and the airport is closed until 4pm. How pointless. Well, tomorrow will be a great time to do tax returns and workout! lol
Fanueil Hall area. I couldn't quite capture the beauty on my phone.
Ice sculpture!!
So pretty. This is a park overlooking Boston Harbor.
February 13 .... FRIDAY the 13th ahhhh
Ok, well Friday the 13th wasn't all that eventful. After working 7 days a week for 3 weeks now, I was So Thankful to sleep in! It was glorious. I wasn't expecting the airline to keep me so busy, because we've been bored silly for months. Then I start a part time job and 3 winter storms hit. Awesome.
I was excited to spend some time in the snow here in Boston! However, it's not that fun to play in the snow alone and no one else seems as excited about it as me. What can I say, FL girl all the way through.
Around 2, I got Katie to come trekking with me. We went to the "beach" by our house and had to make our own path through the snow. We made it all the way to the ocean, which was completely frozen over! I made a snow angle on the ocean! (which my roommate from Ohio said was stupid and never to walk on the ice again... whoops) Then we had to crawl on all 4s to get back out of the park. I May have thrown a few snowballs at Katie too... so 2 things marked off my list: snowball fight and snow angel.
Katie in thigh high snow... a casual stroll through the park
Snow angel on the ocean!!!
A boat literally frozen into the water. I wanted to walk out to it, but katie said no. That's the airport in the background. I also wanted to walk to that, but....
This is the "water" and the Boston skyline and the airport to the left
When we got back to the house, I jumped off our balcony into the snow. I thought it was a farther jump.
The rest of the day, I enjoyed cooking and hanging out with my roomies. It was so great to have a day off!!
I was excited to spend some time in the snow here in Boston! However, it's not that fun to play in the snow alone and no one else seems as excited about it as me. What can I say, FL girl all the way through.
Around 2, I got Katie to come trekking with me. We went to the "beach" by our house and had to make our own path through the snow. We made it all the way to the ocean, which was completely frozen over! I made a snow angle on the ocean! (which my roommate from Ohio said was stupid and never to walk on the ice again... whoops) Then we had to crawl on all 4s to get back out of the park. I May have thrown a few snowballs at Katie too... so 2 things marked off my list: snowball fight and snow angel.
Katie in thigh high snow... a casual stroll through the park
A boat literally frozen into the water. I wanted to walk out to it, but katie said no. That's the airport in the background. I also wanted to walk to that, but....
This is the "water" and the Boston skyline and the airport to the left
Climbing out of the park
When we got back to the house, I jumped off our balcony into the snow. I thought it was a farther jump.
The rest of the day, I enjoyed cooking and hanging out with my roomies. It was so great to have a day off!!
Saturday, January 3, 2015
And the job search begins
I originally wanted to do this job for a year and then go back to my career, but as you can tell from the many adventures I've had, there are substantial travel benefits to this job. On a whole, the company treats us like crap - we can work up to 14 hours on a regular day, can receive reduced rest, are only paid for a small portion of the time we work, are regulated in every single way and then the company is not willing to help us out when we need it. To them we are not people, we are machines. We don't need time with our families, don't need time for sleep, grocery shopping, or laundry. We live at the beck and call of the airline. On top of it all, the pay is terrible.
So why am I staying another year?
1. I love the job itself. Dealing with passengers on the plane, for the most part, is very enjoyable. Most people are scatterbrained when traveling, but besides that are pleasant.
2. I travel very cheaply to anywhere around the world... and last minute. I can show up at the airport and jump on a flight at any time, as long as there are seats.
3. I get 12 days off a month. That equates to an extra week off compared to a traditional company.
However, I've decided that I'll find a new, full time, professional job by the end of 2015. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it's incredibly overwhelming. I know the characteristics of a job I want and I know some characteristics that I don't want, but specifics... I have no idea.
Walking away from a job where I travel anywhere, anytime for free/cheap, skip security, and get extra perks from flight attendants is very difficult, so if I'm going to make this jump, it has to be for the right position. I'm open to any industry and any type of work, so long as it fits my requirements.
Here's what I'm looking for: An international firm that has a reputation for treating their employees well. A position where I deal with people at least 50% of the time and travel 60% or more. I'd like a project based job where I go to clients (domestic and international) and help them with a problem for a few weeks or months and then move to the next client. It has to be an intellectual, as well as socially interactive position. A lot of autonomy, but a lot of support if needed- mentorship, training, education.
What I don't want: A crappy company that only focuses on the bottom line, offers poor benefits, sticks me in one location with the promise that I can "work into a traveling position" or sticks me in a back office somewhere that I can't tell if it's raining or sunshine outside. I am not a person made to be stuck at the bottom. Now I just have to figure out where at the top I'd like to be.
My first idea in this search is to look up "best international firms to work for".
So... let the job search begin!
So why am I staying another year?
1. I love the job itself. Dealing with passengers on the plane, for the most part, is very enjoyable. Most people are scatterbrained when traveling, but besides that are pleasant.
2. I travel very cheaply to anywhere around the world... and last minute. I can show up at the airport and jump on a flight at any time, as long as there are seats.
3. I get 12 days off a month. That equates to an extra week off compared to a traditional company.
However, I've decided that I'll find a new, full time, professional job by the end of 2015. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it's incredibly overwhelming. I know the characteristics of a job I want and I know some characteristics that I don't want, but specifics... I have no idea.
Walking away from a job where I travel anywhere, anytime for free/cheap, skip security, and get extra perks from flight attendants is very difficult, so if I'm going to make this jump, it has to be for the right position. I'm open to any industry and any type of work, so long as it fits my requirements.
Here's what I'm looking for: An international firm that has a reputation for treating their employees well. A position where I deal with people at least 50% of the time and travel 60% or more. I'd like a project based job where I go to clients (domestic and international) and help them with a problem for a few weeks or months and then move to the next client. It has to be an intellectual, as well as socially interactive position. A lot of autonomy, but a lot of support if needed- mentorship, training, education.
What I don't want: A crappy company that only focuses on the bottom line, offers poor benefits, sticks me in one location with the promise that I can "work into a traveling position" or sticks me in a back office somewhere that I can't tell if it's raining or sunshine outside. I am not a person made to be stuck at the bottom. Now I just have to figure out where at the top I'd like to be.
My first idea in this search is to look up "best international firms to work for".
So... let the job search begin!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
December 23 - Bos LGB OAK
Wow what a crazy day. Dad flew up at 6am this morning to hang out with me. I met him at Donna's (his favorite place) for breakfast. Around 11, I was assigned a trip so I got ready and then dad and I wandered out for a little while until it was time for my flight.
Trip:
BOS: LGB: OAK then 20 hour layover in Oakland and the reverse trip tomorrow, ending with a red eye back.
The trip turned into a nightmare when we landed. After we made the, "welcome to Long Beach" speech... the Captain comes on the PA saying "sorry everyone, there was last minute weather to pop up and we had to divert to Ontario." Apparently, that's Ontario California. I didn't know that was a place. People were pissed. We ended up sitting in Ontario for 2 hours. Half of our plane decided to find their own way home from Ontario and 80 out of 150 people eventually took off with us to Burbank. From Burbank, the airline provided them all buses to LGB. I have no idea what happened to passengers with connecting flights.
We also had a couple in the middle of the cabin who only spoke Chinese. When we got to Ontario, they didn't understand what was happening and kept trying to hand us their passports. I used google translate to communicate for them to stay on the plane. I spent the next 2 hours trying to find someone who could translate for me. We called China Air, American Airlines, asked passengers, text friends and finally posted on facebook. A complete stranger from another airline called me and was able to speak to the passengers.
The night was crazy, but my crew handled it amazingly. The Captain kept coming out and telling everyone what was happening and that he was working on things. The In Flight Crew was working hard to really help passengers. It was great to see such good teamwork.
Now tomorrow, we have to take a van Burbank to Long Beach, Deadhead to Oakland, work the Oakland Long Beach flight and then work the red eye from LGB back to Boston. it is going to be a Long day, BUT I just realized it turns this trip into a 20 hour 2 day trip, which is OK by me.
Trip:
BOS: LGB: OAK then 20 hour layover in Oakland and the reverse trip tomorrow, ending with a red eye back.
The trip turned into a nightmare when we landed. After we made the, "welcome to Long Beach" speech... the Captain comes on the PA saying "sorry everyone, there was last minute weather to pop up and we had to divert to Ontario." Apparently, that's Ontario California. I didn't know that was a place. People were pissed. We ended up sitting in Ontario for 2 hours. Half of our plane decided to find their own way home from Ontario and 80 out of 150 people eventually took off with us to Burbank. From Burbank, the airline provided them all buses to LGB. I have no idea what happened to passengers with connecting flights.
We also had a couple in the middle of the cabin who only spoke Chinese. When we got to Ontario, they didn't understand what was happening and kept trying to hand us their passports. I used google translate to communicate for them to stay on the plane. I spent the next 2 hours trying to find someone who could translate for me. We called China Air, American Airlines, asked passengers, text friends and finally posted on facebook. A complete stranger from another airline called me and was able to speak to the passengers.
The night was crazy, but my crew handled it amazingly. The Captain kept coming out and telling everyone what was happening and that he was working on things. The In Flight Crew was working hard to really help passengers. It was great to see such good teamwork.
Now tomorrow, we have to take a van Burbank to Long Beach, Deadhead to Oakland, work the Oakland Long Beach flight and then work the red eye from LGB back to Boston. it is going to be a Long day, BUT I just realized it turns this trip into a 20 hour 2 day trip, which is OK by me.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
December 17, 1014
Finding time to blog is harder for me than I was expecting. After a crazy day, I want to sit back, relax and unwind... not relive my crazy day. Today was one of those such days.
Rewind. I bid for a 3 day trip (per diem adds up). Yesterday was rough because we had 4 flights. BOS: BUF: BOS: JAX: FLL Long day, but most of our passengers were nice and we had a little break between BOS: JAX so we were able to grab food and relax.
Once in Ft. Lauderdale, my friend Kayla picked me up from the airport and we went out for dinner and drinks with a few of her friends. One of my favorite perks of this job is being able to see friends and family. We had a great time at SouthPort, but I probably had a few too many beers (or I was too exhausted) because I don't remember much of what I said, whoops. I hate getting old.
Today, Kayla and I ran errands. We stopped for breakfast and had the craziest experience. I feel like all of my blog posts get Super long and I'm not sure how to stop that, because when I tell a story... I think it's pretty good. So here's our breakfast story:
We stop into a diner I found on Yelp. Great reviews. We walk in thinking, "this looks perfect". A mildly attractive waiter comes over, leaning in pretty close by Kayla's face and welcomes us to the restaurant while staring very intently at us as he talks.
He comes back to take our drink orders.
Me: "can I have a decaf coffee?
Waiter: "sure, why are you drinking decaf?"
Me: "I've been trying to give up caffeine"
Waiter: "Really? me too!" >high five< "and I gave up alcohol and sex. I've been celibate for a while now. Are you spiritual?"
Me thinking... well that's a weird question... and did he just tell me he's celibate??? What does "spiritual" mean exactly? AND if I say 'no', he's going to feel like a dummy, so I say, "Sortof. I mean, I read a book on Mindfulness recently." Ok, so the book I read was about meditation, but same thing. Sort of.
Well mentioning "mindfulness" was the wrong thing to do. He was So Excited I knew about it. He invited me to a mindfulness seminar with him tonight and then told me all about this 3 level program he's doing. "But I'm not allowed to even tell you this much about it" He asked me if I'd like to go through "level 1" with him. Meanwhile, poor Kayla is like "um, can I just get my coffee?" A few minutes later, a guy comes in selling roses (all of this sounds like something from the Twilight Zone to me as I'm writing it), he asks if any of us would like to buy some and the waiter says, "I would, but that would be too forward."
Coffee finally comes.
The waiter comes back to ask for our order. Kayla asks him, "should I get the black bean omelet or the healthy choice omelet." Again, this must've been the wrong thing to say. He delves into, "I am a biology major and a wellness coach. i know my body from top to bottom on a molecular level. like with a car, you can give it synthetic oil or cheap oil and they both do the same thing, but I give my body synthetic oil because i know it's better for me." I had to stop myself from saying... "so.... should she get the black bean omelet or the healthy choice one". They proceeded to have this lengthy discussion about which omelets were better and she finally ordered the black bean one. I'm still confused as to which omelet equated to the synthetic oil.
After we eat, I go to the bathroom. When I come out, I see the waiter standing in the corner by the bathroom and I think "why is he standing in that corner, there's nothing there." Until he approaches me and I realize why.
Waiter: "Next time you're in Ft. Lauderdale, would you like to get together?"
Me: "Oh thank you, but I'm dating someone."
Waiter: "Well it could be casual."
Me: "Maybe you can give me the information on the mindfulness seminar."
And I walk away.
Kayla is sitting at the table, wondering why the waiter never came to get our credit cards to pay lol. When he gets back from asking me out, she walks up to the counter to pay. He hands her her card back and then completely side swipes her to walk over to the table to hand me my card. Well... he had printed out his phone number and wanted to hand it to me. He told me to text him for info on the seminar. Lol. Nice.
Weirdest lunch ever!!!!
Kayla and I went to Walmart after we laughed hysterically about the whole situation for a good 15 minutes and we shopped for ugly sweater stuff for at least an hour. We grabbed a bunch of stuff and headed home to work on her costume. Here are a few pictures! All in all a Great layover. See, now this post is Forever long and I didn't even talk about the absolutely insanely crazy flights we had today! I'll have to save that post for tomorrow.
Rewind. I bid for a 3 day trip (per diem adds up). Yesterday was rough because we had 4 flights. BOS: BUF: BOS: JAX: FLL Long day, but most of our passengers were nice and we had a little break between BOS: JAX so we were able to grab food and relax.
Once in Ft. Lauderdale, my friend Kayla picked me up from the airport and we went out for dinner and drinks with a few of her friends. One of my favorite perks of this job is being able to see friends and family. We had a great time at SouthPort, but I probably had a few too many beers (or I was too exhausted) because I don't remember much of what I said, whoops. I hate getting old.
Today, Kayla and I ran errands. We stopped for breakfast and had the craziest experience. I feel like all of my blog posts get Super long and I'm not sure how to stop that, because when I tell a story... I think it's pretty good. So here's our breakfast story:
We stop into a diner I found on Yelp. Great reviews. We walk in thinking, "this looks perfect". A mildly attractive waiter comes over, leaning in pretty close by Kayla's face and welcomes us to the restaurant while staring very intently at us as he talks.
He comes back to take our drink orders.
Me: "can I have a decaf coffee?
Waiter: "sure, why are you drinking decaf?"
Me: "I've been trying to give up caffeine"
Waiter: "Really? me too!" >high five< "and I gave up alcohol and sex. I've been celibate for a while now. Are you spiritual?"
Me thinking... well that's a weird question... and did he just tell me he's celibate??? What does "spiritual" mean exactly? AND if I say 'no', he's going to feel like a dummy, so I say, "Sortof. I mean, I read a book on Mindfulness recently." Ok, so the book I read was about meditation, but same thing. Sort of.
Well mentioning "mindfulness" was the wrong thing to do. He was So Excited I knew about it. He invited me to a mindfulness seminar with him tonight and then told me all about this 3 level program he's doing. "But I'm not allowed to even tell you this much about it" He asked me if I'd like to go through "level 1" with him. Meanwhile, poor Kayla is like "um, can I just get my coffee?" A few minutes later, a guy comes in selling roses (all of this sounds like something from the Twilight Zone to me as I'm writing it), he asks if any of us would like to buy some and the waiter says, "I would, but that would be too forward."
Coffee finally comes.
The waiter comes back to ask for our order. Kayla asks him, "should I get the black bean omelet or the healthy choice omelet." Again, this must've been the wrong thing to say. He delves into, "I am a biology major and a wellness coach. i know my body from top to bottom on a molecular level. like with a car, you can give it synthetic oil or cheap oil and they both do the same thing, but I give my body synthetic oil because i know it's better for me." I had to stop myself from saying... "so.... should she get the black bean omelet or the healthy choice one". They proceeded to have this lengthy discussion about which omelets were better and she finally ordered the black bean one. I'm still confused as to which omelet equated to the synthetic oil.
After we eat, I go to the bathroom. When I come out, I see the waiter standing in the corner by the bathroom and I think "why is he standing in that corner, there's nothing there." Until he approaches me and I realize why.
Waiter: "Next time you're in Ft. Lauderdale, would you like to get together?"
Me: "Oh thank you, but I'm dating someone."
Waiter: "Well it could be casual."
Me: "Maybe you can give me the information on the mindfulness seminar."
And I walk away.
Kayla is sitting at the table, wondering why the waiter never came to get our credit cards to pay lol. When he gets back from asking me out, she walks up to the counter to pay. He hands her her card back and then completely side swipes her to walk over to the table to hand me my card. Well... he had printed out his phone number and wanted to hand it to me. He told me to text him for info on the seminar. Lol. Nice.
Weirdest lunch ever!!!!
Kayla and I went to Walmart after we laughed hysterically about the whole situation for a good 15 minutes and we shopped for ugly sweater stuff for at least an hour. We grabbed a bunch of stuff and headed home to work on her costume. Here are a few pictures! All in all a Great layover. See, now this post is Forever long and I didn't even talk about the absolutely insanely crazy flights we had today! I'll have to save that post for tomorrow.
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