A Days (the LONG version)

Current mood: smitten


A Days.
Dreaded A Days. These would be the 6 days a month that I am on call. Meaning that they can send me anywhere at anytime during those 6 days. So I was SO lucky and I was sent to Madrid! I've always wanted to go to Spain... I've always wanted to go to Europe! I've never been to that side of the world before! So I was SO happy!

The flight went great.. long but good. We got a 24 hour layover and had a blast. My crew was pretty senior... aka old. Not THE oldest in Atlanta... cause these people didn't wear the pampers or breathe oxygen tanks yet. BUT their pants did go WAY over their belly buttons... like what the heck? You get old and your pants have reverse gravity? I don't understand.
Anyways... they were very nice... and our hotel was next to a bullfighting ring which apparently had some boy band concert going on that night...

My measily 30 dollars only got me 18 euro over there and I was told by my flight leader that she knew a place that we could get an appetizer, entre, dessert and wine for 10 euro. so I had 8 more euro which needed to be for breakfast and subways and whatever. We got into Madrid at 10am and we all took a nap... I had a headache before I got off the plane... and after I woke up from my nap I felt even worse... so I had to go to the farmacia on the corner and get the BEST headache pills for 2 euro. Totally worth it!
Then my crew decides they want coffee... so I have less than 6 euro to spare... a coffee was a euro 65 so I ordered the smallest little coffee... i needed an extra kick... i was counting my change to the tee. well the pilot paid for my coffee i was so grateful! the subway was one euro.

So I was still counting my little euros.... that was all the money i had even when I got back to the US... so I was being careful.

Anyways.. we go downtown and it was beautiful! I will post pictures very soon... maybe tonight... depending on the AABFF.

Well... we ate an amazing dinner with my whole crew and I go to pay and my flight leader tells me she has me covered... NICE! She said since I was new and this was my first time to europe that she wanted to treat me. I was so happy!
We get back to the hotel around 11 i think and I pass out... for a minute. I woke at 4am because it was like 11pm in the US... ugh... I stayed in bed until about 5am and get up... go downstairs... read my love letters. :) and I go out alone to explore the streets of Madrid... It's 5am so no one is awake. The city is DEAD! The sun was rising and it was about 60 something degrees... I am not a morning person but HECK... it was almost magical... I can't explain it.
My pick up from the hotel was at 9am... so I headed back and got on my flight. Adios Madrid.

I had a rough flight back to the US. I got in a fight with a lady in the back of the plane because she kept trying to sit in the seats that were reserved for the crew's rest... On a 9 hour flight we get an hour and 40 minutes of rest in those chairs each... and I needed every minute of that. So I tell her to go back to her assigned chair and she gives me ATTITUDE. I give it right back... I am a southern girl with a Northern attitude... I've said that before I know... but its true... so I come back a little later and this stupid lady has stolen all of the nice big pillows in these chairs for herself and is hiding them under the blanket so I don't notice... but a corner of my nice pillow is peeking out and rats her out. I ask her if she has my pillows... "maybe"... I kinda lost it. I told her that I would be happy to find her some small pillows but that those pillows are not for her. She gave me more attitude and tells me that she doesnt understand why she can't have them. I told her that if I don't get sleep for an hour and 40 minutes on a 9 hour duty day that she will no be served coffee on the flight because I will be too tired to serve her. :) Needless to say she gave the pillows back.
Now that the back was under control... the front needed some of my southern hospitality. I kept hearing the flight attendant call button go off over and over and over and couldnt figure out where it was coming from...

ding
ding
ding
ding
ding

I find it. It's a little 4 year old who is sitting on one side of this lady and the girls twin brother sitting on the other side of the lady... who come to find out later was the nanny and the parents were right next door the entire time and never even aknowledged these kids... I tell the little girl not to touch that light. She smiles at me. I walk away.

ding
ding
ding
ding
ding
ding

I walk back. She is looking right at me in the eyes and mocking me and pressing the freaking button. I tell her NO firmly and she stops...

multiply those last actions about 6 more times... other passengers tell me that if i dont take care of the girl then they will.... I told them that the restraints i have on the plane might not be ok for a 4 year old...

I get back to the US completely exhausted around 2:40pm. I don't want to fall asleep yet because I want to get used to Atlanta time again so I force myself to stay up until 10pm which ended up being past midnight cause of some long phone conversations that I had going on with my favorite AABFF. That would be my boyfriend... for those of you who didn't know...

I still have 3 more Adays left now and I pray they send me somewhere equally as good as Madrid... but I know that is not gonna work. They scheduled me for airport domestic standby at 3pm because I legally have to have 24 hours of rest after a european flight... 3:01pm on Aday number 4... after about 4 hours of sleep on a couch I get the phone call. Scheduling. They want me to go to Vegas and then Salt Lake City and then back to Atlanta with a 9 hour layover in Vegas. I'm totally ok with that because I've never been before... but that's a 2 day trip and means that I still have that 3rd Aday unspoken for which is scary... and i want to get released early on the last day so i can fly straight to texas early.

I head to my gate unknowingly to find my fate... My crew is waiting for me... they are NY based and apparently their crewmember had an emergency and had to go so I was her replacement... little did I know that I was sent there to be Aline position... AKA the flight leader!! gasp! Im not supposed to be flight leader qualified until 6 months of flying. Well I had flown with the one girl before in NY and my entire crew had been flying less than I had. CRAP! So I organize everything and start sweating profously. It was a 4 hour flight and we kicked butt. I served a full dinner and drinks and coffee to first class and my crew did 2 beverage services in the back. No one died and everyone was fat and happy. Success! We got to the hotel and as we pull up there is a lady who looks like Michael Jackson walking into the hotel who is dressed up in a wedding dress that is pulled straight from the era of Dynasty with full veil and she holds in her hand a HUGE picture of her and her husband from maybe 50 years ago... I KNEW we were in Vegas.

We go upstairs and change and come downstairs... Lo and BEHOLD there is a karaoke bar right downstairs... I hear a horrible moaning noise and peek in... its the wedding lady singing some depressing song holding this big picture... So I take video and pictures. I HAD to! We go walking along the vegas strip and I was impressed... I LOVE vegas.

We got back to the hotel and crashed and had a 5am pickup so we all slept for 3 hours and worked a short flight to Salt Lake where I played the part of flight leader again.... success again! who knew I had it in me? :) In Salt Lake I part ways with my lovely crew and I deadhead back to the ATL... meaning I get paid for the flight but dont have to work it.... my favorite thing! :) I met a very cool man on this flight and we talked for 4 hours STRAIGHT! He reminded me alot of my dad... We talked about christianity, homeschooling, music, jobs, boyfriends, future plans, college,... everything. We were both in tears at one point. He was really nice and it felt like I had just spent an afternoon chatting with my dad.

I get back to the airport and check my schedule for my last Aday... they have me working ... of course. But it's a early flight to and from Dallas so I can be free by 2pm to catch the 3pm flight to San Antonio. I was sooo tired... But I made it.
Last funny story to this LONG story... I'm sorry... I have the gift of gab...

I was jumpseating on my flight to SA today and I take one look at the flight attendant that I am supposed to share the jumpseat with in the back. He is about 300 something lbs... BIG man... big belly... big .. uh... rear end... He was sweating in the back of the plane with his big yellow armpit stains.... GOSH!
It's a tight fit already back there but we managed somehow for takeoff... Now landing was another story... I get on the jumpseat first and move ALL the way over to the edge to give him space... We land and hit the runway and the plane jumps... when it hits the ground the second time I hear a loud POW and the jumpseat breaks!!!! BREAKS! HAHAHAHAH I laughed so loud that I snorted and distrupted the aft passengers... I felt so bad for the fat flight attendant cause he got up and commented on the defective seat.... as he got up ... the seat popped back up into place... akward. :)

anyways... im in texas... i getta see my sister, my brother... my brother in law to be... and my man...

the irony that i have a boyfriend in the city that i don't like... ah... only me... i swear...

I'm tired... more than tired. I get 2 days off to rest and relax then I head off to Alaska! I'm pretty excited! More adventure to come... no doubt. :) I will add all the pictures to this blog soon... and I will update you so you can come back and check it out... it's worth it I swear. :)