Good News Football

Today featured Chan Gailey (finally) being fired and me acquiring awesome tickets to the SEC Championship on Saturday.

YAY!

I have the best job ever

Yes, I get 2% towards my 401k then they match 100% of the next 5% that I contribute. Yes, the flight benefits are awesome. Yes, most of my coworkers are awesome. But those aren't the only reasons my job is awesome. For an aviation nerd, it doesn't get any better than this.

This past Monday, after going straight to work from the flight back from Brazil (in business class), a coworker informed me in the morning of a flight test on an airplane in my fleet an asked if I wanted to go. I almost turned them down: I'd just spent the entire night on a plane. But, what the heck.

It ended up being a great experience. I got to sit in the cockpit for takeoff, run around (which made me a little motionsick, especially during the turns) to help troubleshoot, and after that was done enjoy some peanuts (which I tasted for the rest of the day) and Sex and the City reruns in the comfort of business class.

And to think I get paid for this. To have fun. It's better than I could have hoped for.

The Motherland

I have returned from the Motherland. The trip was rushed, I didn't even get a chance to visit my hometown or any of the numerous Jesuses that Brasil is so famous for. I did however get to use my portuguese, eat til I was sick, enjoy those foods that I miss and meet family and friends that I adored.

I was sad to leave and I can't wait to go back.

Carnival here I come!

Inagural International Non-rev Attempt: Mission Accomplished

The ticket guy in the employe service center confirmed that we would be in business class, but I still didn't want to count my chickens, considering how unlucky I tend to be. Upon arrival I checked the ship number and sure enough, it was one of mine. Funny... I somewhat remembered that tail number for some reason. Some research told me that this was the plane that diverted last week for oil loss. Goody. At least it was fixed! Anyway, off we went in seat 1F and 1G. Everyone was right. There's no other way to go.

I was a little emotional. All that work, all that time busting my ass. Never an idea that it would lead to flying first class for free to visit my family for the first time in two decades. Life is good.

We were handed champagne when we sat down, we had a five course meal complete with a menu, wine, a linen table cloth for the tray table, real china and silverware, linen napkins and even our own personal salt and pepper shakers. And you're given a little travel kit with eye shades, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, lotion and chapstick. So, following many glasses of champagne, red wine and port, I passed out (fully reclined, no less) in the middle of Hairspray.

I awoke over cloudy Brasil. I didn't see a thing until final approach. A little trip to the duty free shops and the acquisition of some cubans for boy and we were on our way. 5 hours, some traffic and a lot of ghetto later we arrived in the town that most of my family lives in, called Pouso Alegre. Following a massive lunch with some friends of my Grandma, we went to my great grandma's house to say hello. Four generations of the women in my family, sitting there all together. That was something else, even though she's not completely lucid.

A nap and dinner with my great uncle and aunt finished out the day. Now this whole time difference and not sleeping thing is catching up to me, so it's bedtime.

I'm still investigating that whole toilet flushing backwards thing. Thanks to boy for the reminder. And it seems that every town features a "big Jesus," aka a large "Cristo Redentor" statue. I still want to see the real one, though.

And back comes my native language...

Return to the Motherland

Today I embark on my first international attempt at non-reving (slang for using those flight benefits.) And, most appropriately, my inagural trip will be my long awaited return to the motherland south of the equator.

I'm looking forward to it in ways and not in others. I get to meet family and hopefully learn more about myself. It will be quick, and I have to return to work just 1.5 hours after we land Monday morning. I'll only get to see little Jesus, not big ass Jesus. Not to mention that my travel companion and I tend to butt heads a lot. Good thing my next therapy session is Tuesday morning.

Perhaps I will remember things that I have forgotten. Perhaps my portuguese will come rushing back to me. Perhaps I'll acquire an obscene amount of coffee.

Busy-ness

I guess it's the holiday season... and that means the craziness has set in. Well, actually it's been crazy for awhile, but it's about to get busier.

This weekend: Danny's interviewing in Cali while I'm having a girly weekend with some of my favorite gals at the Biltmore House in Asheville

Next week: Back to the motherland on Thursday to meet some peeps and retrieve the grandmother for Thanksgiving while Danny interviews with Orbital

Nov 24: GT-UGA!
Nov 30: Luciana's art show in Savannah
Dec 1: Thanksgiving part 2 with the TN people
Dec 2: The 1 year anniversary of me and the D Brady (can you believe it???)
Dec 7: Hopping party at the Atlanta Hilton thrown by a customer
Dec 14: Graduation #2
Dec 15-17: Graduation Trip?
Dec 26?/New Years: Probably to New York to see Kristy, ski and party!
January: The Land of the rising sun (mark your calendar, Wendy!) and back to Hartford to visit Sarah for her bday

In between there I have to work, find a dress for the party, acquire some ski boots and try not to let my apartment become even messier than it already is.

Here's to feeling like myself.

When It Rains

Today was one of those days. Those ones where you're dragging ass and that makes you late and you arrive to a gazillion voice mail messages to answer and meetings to attend and questions to answer and when you get a chance to finally take a minute to breathe and look at the clock you realize it’s almost time to go home. And it hits you. How exhausting and complicated getting people from A to B safely really is.

Another Day at the DAL

It's so freakin freezing in this place that my nose keeps running. It gets even colder on the way to the bathroom, so much so that I like to go there and let my hands run just a little under the warm water when I'm washing them. Yeah, ok, not too much since Georgia is running out of water.

I covered a task that is usually in the like such as man's jurisdiction since he's out today (not that that's a bad thing.) When I finished I called up the person who it was for to tell him it was done, to which he replied "thanks, Kiddo."

Seriously?