Current mood: adventurous
So on Tuesday, November 25th the Abates (that's my family in case you didn't know I had a last name... my dear myspace friends), The Babcocks (that's my sister's new last name and her husbands always last name), The Breeden (that's my boyfriend), The Snavely & the future Mrs. Snavely (that would be my boyfriends best friend and his new fiancee) & JoAnn... sorry I don't know your last name (that's my little brother's girlfriend), we all met at my sister's house for an early Turkey day celebration.
We all work and we are very busy people... so we ordered the turkey from Grady's BBQ... :) Let me tell you that if the Abate/Babcock sisters decided to make a turkey (as we have done before in the past) it would be awesome... and it was! So to save time this year, we bought a delicious one. Then I ordered a delicious pumpkin cheesecake pie. Oh gosh. Yum. I made sweet potato casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, green been casserole, pumpkin bread muffins, some pre-made rolls and some canned cranberry sauce... and yea... ta-DA! We had a FEAST! I wish our parents could have been there to see us... they would have been proud of us.... minus the christmas tree. They might be proud of it next year when it's my sisters turn to decorate it. :) Sorry Jer! :)
Jeremiah (my brother) & JoAnn (his girl) cleaned up the kitchen like nobodies business... and we sat by the fire (with the door open, cause it was hot) and watched a Christmas movie... not THE Christmas Story though... but there is still plenty of time for that. Anyways... we had an amazing pre-Thanksgiving.
Jeremiah (my brother) & JoAnn are heading to Dallas to spend it with her family, Bethany (my sister) & Jer are heading to Colorado to spend it with his Grandma, & Steve & Mere (the future mr & mrs) are heading to Arizona I think it was to spend it with her family... meanwhile the mister and I are both stuck working. Guess you can't beat everything.
So I flew out of San Antonio on Wednesday, November 26. I finally got my SA parking pass so I can drive myself to the airport now. I'm such a grown up... I know. :) Then I got a first class seat to Atlanta. My friends were all in Atlanta because we are all newer, so yuck. So we watched the news about the Mumbai hostage situation and hoped our flight attendants got out since it was the same hotel that we stay at when we layover there. Luckily they have all been contacted and accounted for. So yet another thing to be grateful for on Thanksgiving.
So I slept on the couch in Atlanta and woke up at 5am from the loud flight attendants... but whatever. My sign in was at 7:30am... first stop Philadelphia. Now it was surprising to me that we were so full on all of our flights... but I found out why later. So the first flight was pretty easy... everyone was surprisingly drinking a lot... which I found odd considering it was 8am. I had a couple of first time flyers on board who were sweating profusely from being so nervous. There were TONS of kids on board. I would have thought we were flying the plane directly on magic mountain.
On the way back to Atlanta we had more first time flyers and a lot more drinkers and WAY more kids... it's like they were multiplying. These people haven't been flying at all or in a long time because mid-flight they asked if their kids could go sit in the cockpit with the captain. I informed him politely that we haven't done that since 9/11 and that on their way out they can say goodbye to the pilots and maybe take a picture with them in the cockpit. whew.
I can normally finish a beverage service pretty fast... like 30 minutes for 130 people. That's with 2 flight attendants. But with all these kids and first time flyers and drinkers it took me 3 times as long!
Every kid wanted apple juice, which we didn't have... so the parents weren't sure if they would like cranapple... so I'd have to pour a taste sampler for each kid... wait a minute for them to swish it around in their little mouths and wait for them to decide if they wanted a full cup of the juice. It was like a wine tasting for kids and instead of me being at a fancy restaurant... I was on an airplane... and my clients weren't paying me or ordering fancy named wines... it was cranapple juice to 5 year olds. sigh.
On my way down the aisle with the 100 plus pound cart I get stopped by who I like to call the "two toothless wanders" who wanted to put their drink order in before everyone else... I told them I'd be right back and get to them in order. So by the time I get to the aisle in front of them and next to them and they are yelling out their drink order to me... I was being patient and helping out everyone in order then I got to them. The first guy asked for a Gin on the rocks. I told him it was $7. He looked at his friend and asked him why he had to pay for it if he was in first class (mind you that they were sitting behind the exit rows in the middle of the airplane). I got the giggles and so did everyone around him. His friend informed him that it wasn't first class. He said "oh, well then make it a double and then whatever my friend wants." So I make their drinks then he yells to his friend who is 5 rows in front of him if she wanted a drink to. I PROMISE you that he yelled 5 rows, "Hey! Betsie! Do you wanna drink too?" As he holds up his drink on the rocks proudly. She yells back that she does indeed want a drink and to make it a rum. I was almost in tears holding in the laughter. I've never quite seen anything like that in my plane. So I deliver her the drink.
Before we had taken off there was a girl near the back who had been sick in the bathroom... she was sitting next to her husband and new baby. Right before we land she was right back in the bathroom again... After we land she was in there again. They were the last people off the flight. I had given her sprite and checked on her through the flight. I finally asked her husband if she was ok... he just laughed and said yes that she was just hung over. I felt a little less sorry for her after that. The whole time I had been concentrating on not breathing when she walked by in case she had the flu. ugh.
All that and the endless amount of men flyers that I saw just wearing cut off tank tops and wife beaters... I knew there was something up.
Then I found out that our company had run a $79 special to fly on Thanksgiving. Oh Ok. Now I understand. :)
So I grab my food and head to the next gate... I'm DC bound. At the gate I encounter way more children under the age of five. At this point I've come to realize that America has been procreating excessively for the last 5 years... only starting 5 years ago. I hadn't seen any kids over the age of 5. I've also come to the conclusion that there must be a lot of disfunctional families in America so people are pre-drinking in order to deal with them. So that's my conclusions. :)
As I was sitting there I overhear a conversation between 2 young mothers about the recent politics. The one Caucasian momma is from where else but ALASKA! What are the odds... and the African American momma is from Boston. The Boston momma brings up Palin to the Alaskan momma. I flinch. I watch out of the corner of my eye.
Boston: "So your girl Palin is from Alaska"
Alaska: "yup! She's my girl!"
(I roll my eyes at the idiocracy of it all)
Then they end up in deep conversation of the candidates and neither one of them is well informed. I had to leave.
So here I am in DC. I've watched 2 movies and 2 episodes of Friends... this is pretty much what I'd be doing on Thanksgiving anywhere... I ordered room service and worked on my computer... the world is at peace. :)
I hope we have just as interesting of a day tomorrow as we did today. It was so funny and entertaining.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
passion
I was sitting on the plane the other day... I had just finished the biography of Che Guevara & was starting the biography of Nelson Mandela. As much as I am not a communist I do love the way Guevara & Mandela led people. They had so much passion that it was contagious to people around them causing the people to follow them. That's a quality I want.
Back to the part where I was sitting on the plane... I was thinking how to apply my new literature to my life and how I could volunteer my time to help others. I am shady about donating money to charities because they are required by law to only use a percentage to their charity & they get to keep the rest. Then I was wondering where I could volunteer my time... but no charities in San Antonio struck my interest. So I was thinking about what my passions are. Music.
I love music. I love being backstage. I love organizing. Everything about a live show is amazing to me. It makes me happy. So I was thinking how I could put the three things together. Music, charity, & leadership. That's when my idea hit me. It hit me so hard that all the ideas in my head flooded to life and I almost couldn't contain it. I just needed to call people and let it flow.
I've always thought I had some amazingly talented friends. I've thought about starting a company with all of them... but money and work and friends doesn't always work out. So what if everything was one hundred percent non-profit? No money was involved. No paychecks, no greed. What if everyone just donated a little bit of their time for one common purpose?
This is where the Underground Music Revolution was born... on an airplane heading to Texas sometime in October of this year.
I have lived in Nashville & been around the music scene for about the last 2 and a half years. I've seen the most talented people get looked over by major labels and I've seen the worst bands ever get signed. My personal belief is that labels are only good for financial support and for who they know. The rest of what they do is bad. They front money to bands who have never seen that much money & get them all excited. The young bands sign papers and don't even have a clue that they just sold themselves to the devil.
See, after a label signs a band the label gets a say in the artistic side, they can change an artists appearance, name, sound, etc. Then do you think after the artist has made it bigger that they see much more money? Nope. Some bands can get as little as 6 percent of profit from gross sales. Do you remember how they fronted the band that advance in the beginning? Well now its time for them to repay it too. It's an ugly thing those greedy corporations. They forgot their passion of music and now their only "passion" is counting zeros on their paychecks.
one source: http://www.futureofmusic.org/contractcrit.cfm
So what can we do? I believe that we can work without labels. I have a few friends, and my friends have friends, etc. We all know people... just like the labels. We all have money... not anything near what the corporations have, but if some of that money goes to graphic designers, photographers, wardrobe, hair & make up, music attorneys, managers, promoters, etc. Well heck! I know all those same people too... People that still have a passion. An old fashion romance for what music could be. People that are tired of listening to the radio & hearing the same awful 40 songs over & over.
Passion is contagious.
So where do you come in? Everyone is a dire necessity for this revolution to work. Anyone can do something whether you are a part of the "music business" or not. Whether you hold fundraisers or donate your talent... you are needed... you are appreciated... and we support you too.
Our goals are to help artists who are talented but have been looked over. Artists who have passion just like us & good character that would repay the revolution tenfold when the time comes around. An artist who just needs a push and will explode when people hear. You don't have to like the music of our artist that we happen to be working for at the time. You just have to like what we do enough to support us and spread the word... maybe you will want to host your own fundraiser... or make a donation.
Personally I organize people. I make things happen. I also collect the tops of soda cans. I have other flight attendants that do it for me as well. It's something small but it's worth more than just recycled money. It raises awareness to every person who asks me why I'm collecting a tab... and it gets about $8/lb. It isn't much but its something. There is nothing too small.
Our revolution surpasses politics, race, religion & genre.
Back to the part where I was sitting on the plane... I was thinking how to apply my new literature to my life and how I could volunteer my time to help others. I am shady about donating money to charities because they are required by law to only use a percentage to their charity & they get to keep the rest. Then I was wondering where I could volunteer my time... but no charities in San Antonio struck my interest. So I was thinking about what my passions are. Music.
I love music. I love being backstage. I love organizing. Everything about a live show is amazing to me. It makes me happy. So I was thinking how I could put the three things together. Music, charity, & leadership. That's when my idea hit me. It hit me so hard that all the ideas in my head flooded to life and I almost couldn't contain it. I just needed to call people and let it flow.
I've always thought I had some amazingly talented friends. I've thought about starting a company with all of them... but money and work and friends doesn't always work out. So what if everything was one hundred percent non-profit? No money was involved. No paychecks, no greed. What if everyone just donated a little bit of their time for one common purpose?
This is where the Underground Music Revolution was born... on an airplane heading to Texas sometime in October of this year.
I have lived in Nashville & been around the music scene for about the last 2 and a half years. I've seen the most talented people get looked over by major labels and I've seen the worst bands ever get signed. My personal belief is that labels are only good for financial support and for who they know. The rest of what they do is bad. They front money to bands who have never seen that much money & get them all excited. The young bands sign papers and don't even have a clue that they just sold themselves to the devil.
See, after a label signs a band the label gets a say in the artistic side, they can change an artists appearance, name, sound, etc. Then do you think after the artist has made it bigger that they see much more money? Nope. Some bands can get as little as 6 percent of profit from gross sales. Do you remember how they fronted the band that advance in the beginning? Well now its time for them to repay it too. It's an ugly thing those greedy corporations. They forgot their passion of music and now their only "passion" is counting zeros on their paychecks.
one source: http://www.futureofmusic.org/contractcrit.cfm
So what can we do? I believe that we can work without labels. I have a few friends, and my friends have friends, etc. We all know people... just like the labels. We all have money... not anything near what the corporations have, but if some of that money goes to graphic designers, photographers, wardrobe, hair & make up, music attorneys, managers, promoters, etc. Well heck! I know all those same people too... People that still have a passion. An old fashion romance for what music could be. People that are tired of listening to the radio & hearing the same awful 40 songs over & over.
Passion is contagious.
So where do you come in? Everyone is a dire necessity for this revolution to work. Anyone can do something whether you are a part of the "music business" or not. Whether you hold fundraisers or donate your talent... you are needed... you are appreciated... and we support you too.
Our goals are to help artists who are talented but have been looked over. Artists who have passion just like us & good character that would repay the revolution tenfold when the time comes around. An artist who just needs a push and will explode when people hear. You don't have to like the music of our artist that we happen to be working for at the time. You just have to like what we do enough to support us and spread the word... maybe you will want to host your own fundraiser... or make a donation.
Personally I organize people. I make things happen. I also collect the tops of soda cans. I have other flight attendants that do it for me as well. It's something small but it's worth more than just recycled money. It raises awareness to every person who asks me why I'm collecting a tab... and it gets about $8/lb. It isn't much but its something. There is nothing too small.
Our revolution surpasses politics, race, religion & genre.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Coffee Interuppted
November 3, 2008
Current mood: awake
I'm sitting in the flight attendant lounge next to the industrial sized coffee machines which have a sign taped to them. "Out of Order." As I sit here sipping my hot chocolate I see the flight attendants walking by with faces of disappointment... some with scowls. I wonder how many customer service complaints we will get today and how many will be directly linked to the coffee outage in the flight attendant lounge. If I were management I'd get right on that.
I got into Atlanta last night from San Antonio because I had to be signed in by 6:40 the next morning... which means I'd be "couching it". I always have the hardest time falling asleep here. The lights are blaring & so is the television because half of our flight attendants have hearing problems... or they just don't know how to work the tv. When I sleep here I usually maybe get a rough 3 hours of sleep. Sometimes I see friends the next morning & I wish I didn't. I'm not a morning person & I don't drink coffee... not a good combo.
I don't really mind it that much... I like to complain about it though. I get a lot of work done when I sleep here. No distractions when I work... only distractions when I sleep. I catch up with old friends, pay my bills, organize my music & pictures, and network online.
I really cannot believe that I have worked here this long so far. Time really flies when you fly. My lifestyle has completely changed this year although the goals have been the same all along. Get back on track. I used to have a cute apartment outside of Nashville with a fireplace that I would light even at the slightest hint of frost. I used to go to work 8-5 and then do my online work then go to live shows with my best friend in Nashville. I had 2 cats to come home to and a steady schedule. I have never been a schedule kind of girl.
Nowadays I have everything in storage. I sleep on couches & hotels. I am sometimes in 4 different states in one day. I don't pay rent. I don't pay utilities. I get to see all my friends all over the world... schedule permitting. I have a drivers license from Nashville & an area code from Texas... from when things used to be a little different.
Besides the obvious perks of my job... I have the best perk ever. I love to people watch. People are so funny. Co-workers are the most entertaining people to watch... some are stressed, tired, grouchy & others are too perky for their own good. They must have sat next to the industrial sized coffee machine when it was functioning.
Current mood: awake
I'm sitting in the flight attendant lounge next to the industrial sized coffee machines which have a sign taped to them. "Out of Order." As I sit here sipping my hot chocolate I see the flight attendants walking by with faces of disappointment... some with scowls. I wonder how many customer service complaints we will get today and how many will be directly linked to the coffee outage in the flight attendant lounge. If I were management I'd get right on that.
I got into Atlanta last night from San Antonio because I had to be signed in by 6:40 the next morning... which means I'd be "couching it". I always have the hardest time falling asleep here. The lights are blaring & so is the television because half of our flight attendants have hearing problems... or they just don't know how to work the tv. When I sleep here I usually maybe get a rough 3 hours of sleep. Sometimes I see friends the next morning & I wish I didn't. I'm not a morning person & I don't drink coffee... not a good combo.
I don't really mind it that much... I like to complain about it though. I get a lot of work done when I sleep here. No distractions when I work... only distractions when I sleep. I catch up with old friends, pay my bills, organize my music & pictures, and network online.
I really cannot believe that I have worked here this long so far. Time really flies when you fly. My lifestyle has completely changed this year although the goals have been the same all along. Get back on track. I used to have a cute apartment outside of Nashville with a fireplace that I would light even at the slightest hint of frost. I used to go to work 8-5 and then do my online work then go to live shows with my best friend in Nashville. I had 2 cats to come home to and a steady schedule. I have never been a schedule kind of girl.
Nowadays I have everything in storage. I sleep on couches & hotels. I am sometimes in 4 different states in one day. I don't pay rent. I don't pay utilities. I get to see all my friends all over the world... schedule permitting. I have a drivers license from Nashville & an area code from Texas... from when things used to be a little different.
Besides the obvious perks of my job... I have the best perk ever. I love to people watch. People are so funny. Co-workers are the most entertaining people to watch... some are stressed, tired, grouchy & others are too perky for their own good. They must have sat next to the industrial sized coffee machine when it was functioning.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
in case you’ve been wondering...
Current mood: awake
...i haven't been lost...
i've been busy, running around like a headless chicken.
after Africa I've been flying whatever trips i could get my hands on...
iI've fought off some angry passengers, waited on Tea Leoni & her kids, taking off in the cockpit! Went sailing with friends in Alabama, started a revolution, kept reading like a mad woman, working on myspaces, went to a couple of shows, volunteered some time to GCP & KD, and somewhere in between found time to sleep and hang out with family. At this very moment I am in Southern Cali visiting my grandparents and my parents.
For those of you who have been around long enough... you know that my mom has had a lot of surgeries for her legs due to a sports injury years ago... well the last surgery wasn't that much of a success... so she is back walking around on a cane and in wheelchairs which is no good for a active in shape young momma. So she's back in the US with my dad and by miracle got appointments for a very good doctor who is going to fix her as good as new in LA.
I was fortunate enough to be able to fly up here to spend a couple of days with them here and tomorrow I will head over to LA (cause I’m in Santa Barbara) then catch the red eye to Atlanta then a puddle jumper over to Austin to spend Halloween there with some good friends and major cool plans... Then spend the weekend with my boyfriend and work on a top secret project that will rock your socks off... then back to Atlanta to work... where I will go up to Detroit for a day on my layover... maybe go to Canada with my old friend... then back down to Nashville to have a short layover but see some of my favorite people... and THEN on the 6, 7, & 8th head over to Alabama & begin phase one of the revolution with the help of the most amazing people you will ever meet. Then back to TX for a day or 2 then down to Mexico where I don't plan on leaving my hotel for 32 hours so I can recover from the week before. (Yes, I'm doing all of the above mentioned things in one week... 7 days.)
The good news is I am undiagnosed officially with A.D.H.D. so I can skip around on any project and still somehow get everything done in more cities than you can imagine... why am I always on the phone when you see me? I’m always planning something. anything! I've got 3 more fundraisers to finish by mid- December. Do you think I plan on going to everyone of them? yes! Do you think I still have time for my boyfriend and that it's totally in my capabilities to want a new puppy too? Of course! I've decided I won't be dying from old age... I'll be dying from exhaustion... but I have so much energy that I couldn't stop if I wanted to... I have too much to accomplish in my life. I just don't understand couch potatoes... Maybe if they spend a day with me they can find some motivation... haha
Anyways... I've got some great stuff coming up. I can feel that your at the edge of your seat now... mhmm... I knew it. I know you want to be apart... and if you don't now... you will soon.
and if I’ve called you within the last week its for something good. So call me back... I’m totally serious... josh. :)
I’ll keep you updated.
peace out pandas!
...i haven't been lost...
i've been busy, running around like a headless chicken.
after Africa I've been flying whatever trips i could get my hands on...
iI've fought off some angry passengers, waited on Tea Leoni & her kids, taking off in the cockpit! Went sailing with friends in Alabama, started a revolution, kept reading like a mad woman, working on myspaces, went to a couple of shows, volunteered some time to GCP & KD, and somewhere in between found time to sleep and hang out with family. At this very moment I am in Southern Cali visiting my grandparents and my parents.
For those of you who have been around long enough... you know that my mom has had a lot of surgeries for her legs due to a sports injury years ago... well the last surgery wasn't that much of a success... so she is back walking around on a cane and in wheelchairs which is no good for a active in shape young momma. So she's back in the US with my dad and by miracle got appointments for a very good doctor who is going to fix her as good as new in LA.
I was fortunate enough to be able to fly up here to spend a couple of days with them here and tomorrow I will head over to LA (cause I’m in Santa Barbara) then catch the red eye to Atlanta then a puddle jumper over to Austin to spend Halloween there with some good friends and major cool plans... Then spend the weekend with my boyfriend and work on a top secret project that will rock your socks off... then back to Atlanta to work... where I will go up to Detroit for a day on my layover... maybe go to Canada with my old friend... then back down to Nashville to have a short layover but see some of my favorite people... and THEN on the 6, 7, & 8th head over to Alabama & begin phase one of the revolution with the help of the most amazing people you will ever meet. Then back to TX for a day or 2 then down to Mexico where I don't plan on leaving my hotel for 32 hours so I can recover from the week before. (Yes, I'm doing all of the above mentioned things in one week... 7 days.)
The good news is I am undiagnosed officially with A.D.H.D. so I can skip around on any project and still somehow get everything done in more cities than you can imagine... why am I always on the phone when you see me? I’m always planning something. anything! I've got 3 more fundraisers to finish by mid- December. Do you think I plan on going to everyone of them? yes! Do you think I still have time for my boyfriend and that it's totally in my capabilities to want a new puppy too? Of course! I've decided I won't be dying from old age... I'll be dying from exhaustion... but I have so much energy that I couldn't stop if I wanted to... I have too much to accomplish in my life. I just don't understand couch potatoes... Maybe if they spend a day with me they can find some motivation... haha
Anyways... I've got some great stuff coming up. I can feel that your at the edge of your seat now... mhmm... I knew it. I know you want to be apart... and if you don't now... you will soon.
and if I’ve called you within the last week its for something good. So call me back... I’m totally serious... josh. :)
I’ll keep you updated.
peace out pandas!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Dakar, Senegal & Johannesburg, South Africa
Current mood: exhausted
Dakar, Senegal
09.29.08
09.30.08
I got to briefing and my crew was pretty junior... the most senior person had been flying for 15 years i think... that's not a lot in the airline industry. I was the only person that hadn't done this trip before though. They were all very friendly and everything went well. The flight to Africa was pretty empty & pretty easy. We had a few Muslims on board who couldn't eat until sundown because of Ramadah.
We got into Dakar at 4am which was about midnight Atlanta time. It was a through flight which means that only about half of the passengers got off in Dakar & the other half were heading straight to Johannesburg, South Africa. So we had to wait until the other crew came to relieve us since we cannot leave a plane full of people without a crew. So we waited by the door halfway between the air conditioner and halfway between the humidity of the night sky in Africa. As we finally started going through the airport there were a lot of people who were begging for stuff and following us. No shoes, skinny, tall, dark people with missing teeth and friendly faces. They call everyone sister and love to practice their English. It was about a 30 minute drive to the hotel and I was trying to get a feel for the city, the country & continent but it was so hard since it was so dark outside. The crew told me that the road we were on is new... it used to be a dirt road. The hotel is pretty nice.
We checked in and I came up to my room but my door was already open. So I peak in and whisper hello and wait for a response. The pilot sees me and comes in and checks under my bed, curtains, closet and other small dark spaces to make sure that no one is in there... luckily there wasn't. So I talked on the phone to my boyfriend for a minute then I couldn't sleep so I walked down to the crew room and there were probably 3 other crews from our same airlines there as well. So it was cool talking to everyone... A lot of the people knew each other cause they always do this trip. We walked outside and watched the sun come up as the kids were running up the stairs in training for soccer and marathons. I finally headed upstairs to sleep. I was told that we were going to meet at 1:30 in the lobby to go to Goree Island (the slave trade island) or to the market. I was soo tired and was happy when they told me that they weren't going to go until later... so I slept in till about 2pm... Which was a nice 8 hour sleep. So I put on my swimsuit and headed down to the pool. It was soo nice! The pool is right on the beach and all the crews were out there.
We decided to go to Goree Island on Thursday when we come back... and go to the Market later that same day. All we knew is that we wanted to be back in the hotel by sundown because today is the last day of Ramadah and we were told that today everyone was to slaughter a sheep at sundown and we sure didn't want to see that. So our driver who is a friend of all the crews came to pick us up around 4pm to go to the market. I exchanged my dollars for Francs CFA and we headed on our way.
The market smelled of body odor, urine, rotten eggs and human feces. It was horrible but once you start walking you don't notice it as much. The ground was muddy and dirty and everyone is yelling "sister!" at you trying to get you to look at their stuff. We were told to barter about half of what they were asking for and our driver told us he would translate but wouldn't barter for us because he didn't want the people to feel like he was betraying them with Americans. So we shopped around and I got some cute necklaces for my best friends for a pretty good deal. There was a hut where they had the most amazing paintings and apparently one of our flight attendants married the painter awhile back and now he lives in the US but still has his painting hut at the market.
I kept seeing these little mahogany hippos that were so cute. There was tons of alligator purses, shoes and tons of ivory jewelry. It was all beautiful but sad. So I go to this one place and see the hippo again and the guy tells me 30,000 francs... I told him that the guy down the street was selling the same one for 10,000 francs so his was too expensive. So he tells me he will sell it to me for 20,000... I told him again that the guys' was 10,000. So he asked me if my final price was 10,000 and I told him no because that guys starting price was 10K and I knew I could get it down over there... so I got it for 8,000 francs. Not bad at all ! :) You can buy masks for any kind of luck you want and bracelets made of elephant hair. There are little cute kittens everywhere and people following you so you buy whatever they are selling. We made it back to the car unscathed. Our driver told us that tonight is not the night for slaughtering the sheep... He said that some people do it for good luck but it is mandatory for all Muslims to slaughter a sheep exactly 2 months from today. So on December 1 every Muslim must slaughter a sheep as a sacrifice. Any man that has more than one wife must sacrifice a sheep for each wife. If you aren't married you must still sacrifice a sheep because you have a job with an income. That's what I understood from it all at least. Very interesting. So it is 8pm now and I must wake up at 2:30am for a 4am pick up and we head to Johannesburg, South Africa... another 8 hour flight and 24 hour layover. I'm excited!
Johannesburg, South Africa
10.01.08
10.02.08
Jo-burg was very nice! The part where we stayed was modern and clean but I was told that the appearance is very deceiving because it is the rape and murder capitol of the world. They rape women for sport. I was also told to keep the stuff even in my room locked in the safe because a lot of people have gotten robbed from their room. How horrible because it is a very very beautiful hotel. The weather was perfect and it reminded me of Southern California. We got in at 4pm and headed to dinner at this place that flight crews always go to and they know us there. They take good care of the crews there. We had steak but they also serve ostrich & gazelle. I didn't have the heart to try it. I was so tired so I passed out in the most comfortable bed and woke up at 6:30 am. I didn't sleep well in Dakar & worked all night so I could have probably slept my entire layover away but I had big plans for the morning so I forced myself out of bed and into the shower.
I met the captain and one other flight attendant and 2 other hotel guests in the lobby and we hopped in a van where they took us to a wildlife reserve park to go on a open aired jeep safari. That is hands down one of the coolest things I have ever done. I had a cheesy grin on my face for 4 hours. If you didn't know... I LOVE animals... when I was little my dad would bring home stray animals and we raised ducks, turkeys, rabbits, parakeets, chickens, doves, quails, a dog that lasted only 2 days. My dad brought home an egg one time when I was little and we hatched it in the incubator. It was an alligator. I named her Princess. I was 5. We also ended up with a fruit bat for a week, a seagull for about a month and a few other random animals that we were always healing and taking care of. So I love to go to the zoo. I could go everyday and watch the animals. I LOVE the zoo. So ANYWAYS... I was excited to go to the safari and see a lion! The reserve is 1500 acres. We hopped in the open aired jeep and right away saw monkies running across the road playing before we even got halfway own the road to the entrance.
We bounced down a paved little road and off the in the distance we saw 2 giraffes. I was thinking that my day couldn't get better than seeing a giraffe in the distance in its natural habitat. Then the driver zoomed off the road and up the hill so we were within 20 feet of the giraffes. Pretty much the coolest thing EVER. He told us some interesting giraffe facts and we zoomed off again. We saw some deer looking things all different kinds some with horns some with none. Then we saw a gate inside the reserve and he pointed and told us that the lion pride lived inside there. We saw signs to roll up your windows and close your doors... seeing that we had none of those I got very nervous. I was told that a few months ago the owner of the reserve had a stroke and fell out of his car and the lions ate him. You think I'm kidding but it is true! Usually when a lion eats a person they kill the lion but they did an autopsy on the remains and found out he had the stroke so the wife of the man let the lion live but they moved the lions to a different reserve since it had the taste of human on him.
So as I am looking through the gate searching for a lion the driver takes us inside the gate. I was so nervous! After driving awhile we see them! They only feed the lions on Sundays... luckily it wasn't Saturday. :) I didn't think we would get to go very close to the lions seeing that they eat animals as big as me but we did! We drove right up to the big daddy lion and his 3 lionesses. We were so close I could have reached down and touched them if I thought it worth while to loose an arm. Our guide would make a noise with his mouth and then they would get up and move. I was almost shaking I was so scared... but the whole time just grinning. My jeep mates just laughed at me like I was a little kid... but I felt like a little kid all giddy to see a lion. We stayed there awhile then took off and saw some smaller cages where they had 4 more lions who were younger and he was training them to be a pride to let them go in the other reserve. He can’t have two prides in one park because they would kill each other. Farther down the road there was another cage with 3 lions... very young. They were white lions with blue eyes. They were gorgeous! The male didn't even have his mane just a little mohawk which made him the coolest lion EVER. They came right up to the fence when the guide called them and they seemed very playful. I really wish I could have played with them.
Farther down we saw wildebeasts and birds and more deer things and gazelles and impalas (not the car). Then we drove down and saw the rhinos! I thought they would charge at us because they got up and never let their backs be at us... they followed us for a while and made me quite nervous. They were cute though... in a rhino kind of way. We saw some zebras and ostriches and another giraffe who came right up to us. It took about 4 hours total and it was the best 4 hours of my life. A lot of the animals are pregnant and they said that the babies will all be born in November or December. I want to come back in December on a Sunday to see the babies and watch the feeding!
We headed back to the city. It was about an hours drive from Joburg to Keugorsdorf where the reserve was. But on the way it was nice to see more of South Africa. It was so modernized and its about 50-50 white and black people. The city itself is huge and there are a lot of very nice homes, a lot of prefabricated homes and on the other side of the road were just slums... I mean MILES of houses made of tin and sticks. Very sad. It was just so diverse the rich and the poor... they live side by side but so very differently.
When we got back to the hotel I went for dinner with the captain who I had flown with to Alaska a couple of months ago. We had a burger then headed upstairs and we had to leave at 3:15 to go back to work. The flight was full and we had a group of 70 people from the same company who had been given a company cruise to Jamaica. They had a LONG way to travel. See we fly from Joburg to Dakar and we get off the plane but the passengers stay on because they get a new crew to Atlanta. So each flight is 8 hours... not in including the 2 hours they sit on the ground in Dakar for refueling and new crew and fresh food. Then most of them have connections in Atlanta. So they easily have well over 24 hours of traveling. Some of the people in the group had never flown before. We had a lot of heavy drinkers on the plane and had to cut quite a few of them off. They ran us ragged. Well right in the middle of crew breaks I was in the back galley and just walked in the bathroom when I hear very loud pounding knocks on the door. I was like what the heck!? I JUST got in here! So I open it and apparently a passenger passed out with her eyes rolled in the back of her head and the flight attendant helped catch her so she didn't hit her head on the door. Well it took her about 5 minutes to come to and were all scared but we are well trained and we asked her all the necessary questions and she ate a cookie drank some water and OJ just in case her sugar level was low or she was dehydrated. Then she started puking. So we called for a doctor on board and luckily we had 2. They came back and we gave the our medical kit and they took her blood pressure and everything and finally she was ok. She was so very pale. We don't really know what happened to her but she was fine after awhile. Very nerve racking.
We finally landed and we were so happy to be done with that flight. It was 1 am but the night was FAR from being over.
Dakar, Senegal
10.03.08
10.04.08
I'm just gonna say what happens in Africa stays in Africa. I was the only person who was in my right mind so I was baby sitting all morning long as people were "relaxing" after a hard flight... which was interesting because it was like taking care of my parents since they were all in their 40s and 50s. We met up with the New York crew and hung out in the captains room then decided it was a good idea to go swimming at night. It was the best idea ever... for the most part... until someone slipped and fell. We stayed up past 6am I'm sure and then finally passed out once everyone was tucked in bed safely and alone! :) My boyfriend texted me and told me my storage unit had been broken into in Nashville which just makes me angry because that is everything I own. They think nothing was stolen but now I have to fly to Nashville to go check! So I dropped my Copenhagen trip because I have to take care of that and have time to rest before my next trip.
I woke up around noon when my phone rang and my crew was calling to wake me up to go to the pool. I fell back asleep until almost 2 I think and then headed to the pool to sleep. It was overcast but breezy and very nice. Our crew and the NY crew was out there and we laughed about the night before and ordered food to our poolside & oceanside lawn chairs... aww what a life. :) We stayed there all day. I wanted to go to Goree Island but couldn't get any more recruits and I sure as anything won't be going anywhere alone in Africa... especially on Friday which is the day of prayer for Muslims and they are all in the streets walking in lines to I don't even know where. So the pool was a good alternative for me anyways. I'm going to have to do this trip again because there is so much more to do and it is sooo fun... as long as you have a good crew anyways...
Now I'm just chilling and waiting until midnight tonight which is our pickup time and we have one last flight back to Atlanta... I keep hearing that this is the hardest flight to do because people are tired and grumpy after 16 hours of flight. We get in at 8am tomorrow and I have a lot of calls to return and I have to go to Nashville to check on my stuff... but luckily I get to see my best friend... so that's cool :) Anyways... Africa was fun. I had a blast! I'm ready to be home for sure. 6 days with limited internet and expensive phone service is rough for me. :) Sorry for all of you who texted and called while I was gone. I know it rang but I can't afford to talk to you while I’m here. I'll call you back. I promise. :)
Dakar, Senegal
09.29.08
09.30.08
I got to briefing and my crew was pretty junior... the most senior person had been flying for 15 years i think... that's not a lot in the airline industry. I was the only person that hadn't done this trip before though. They were all very friendly and everything went well. The flight to Africa was pretty empty & pretty easy. We had a few Muslims on board who couldn't eat until sundown because of Ramadah.
We got into Dakar at 4am which was about midnight Atlanta time. It was a through flight which means that only about half of the passengers got off in Dakar & the other half were heading straight to Johannesburg, South Africa. So we had to wait until the other crew came to relieve us since we cannot leave a plane full of people without a crew. So we waited by the door halfway between the air conditioner and halfway between the humidity of the night sky in Africa. As we finally started going through the airport there were a lot of people who were begging for stuff and following us. No shoes, skinny, tall, dark people with missing teeth and friendly faces. They call everyone sister and love to practice their English. It was about a 30 minute drive to the hotel and I was trying to get a feel for the city, the country & continent but it was so hard since it was so dark outside. The crew told me that the road we were on is new... it used to be a dirt road. The hotel is pretty nice.
We checked in and I came up to my room but my door was already open. So I peak in and whisper hello and wait for a response. The pilot sees me and comes in and checks under my bed, curtains, closet and other small dark spaces to make sure that no one is in there... luckily there wasn't. So I talked on the phone to my boyfriend for a minute then I couldn't sleep so I walked down to the crew room and there were probably 3 other crews from our same airlines there as well. So it was cool talking to everyone... A lot of the people knew each other cause they always do this trip. We walked outside and watched the sun come up as the kids were running up the stairs in training for soccer and marathons. I finally headed upstairs to sleep. I was told that we were going to meet at 1:30 in the lobby to go to Goree Island (the slave trade island) or to the market. I was soo tired and was happy when they told me that they weren't going to go until later... so I slept in till about 2pm... Which was a nice 8 hour sleep. So I put on my swimsuit and headed down to the pool. It was soo nice! The pool is right on the beach and all the crews were out there.
We decided to go to Goree Island on Thursday when we come back... and go to the Market later that same day. All we knew is that we wanted to be back in the hotel by sundown because today is the last day of Ramadah and we were told that today everyone was to slaughter a sheep at sundown and we sure didn't want to see that. So our driver who is a friend of all the crews came to pick us up around 4pm to go to the market. I exchanged my dollars for Francs CFA and we headed on our way.
The market smelled of body odor, urine, rotten eggs and human feces. It was horrible but once you start walking you don't notice it as much. The ground was muddy and dirty and everyone is yelling "sister!" at you trying to get you to look at their stuff. We were told to barter about half of what they were asking for and our driver told us he would translate but wouldn't barter for us because he didn't want the people to feel like he was betraying them with Americans. So we shopped around and I got some cute necklaces for my best friends for a pretty good deal. There was a hut where they had the most amazing paintings and apparently one of our flight attendants married the painter awhile back and now he lives in the US but still has his painting hut at the market.
I kept seeing these little mahogany hippos that were so cute. There was tons of alligator purses, shoes and tons of ivory jewelry. It was all beautiful but sad. So I go to this one place and see the hippo again and the guy tells me 30,000 francs... I told him that the guy down the street was selling the same one for 10,000 francs so his was too expensive. So he tells me he will sell it to me for 20,000... I told him again that the guys' was 10,000. So he asked me if my final price was 10,000 and I told him no because that guys starting price was 10K and I knew I could get it down over there... so I got it for 8,000 francs. Not bad at all ! :) You can buy masks for any kind of luck you want and bracelets made of elephant hair. There are little cute kittens everywhere and people following you so you buy whatever they are selling. We made it back to the car unscathed. Our driver told us that tonight is not the night for slaughtering the sheep... He said that some people do it for good luck but it is mandatory for all Muslims to slaughter a sheep exactly 2 months from today. So on December 1 every Muslim must slaughter a sheep as a sacrifice. Any man that has more than one wife must sacrifice a sheep for each wife. If you aren't married you must still sacrifice a sheep because you have a job with an income. That's what I understood from it all at least. Very interesting. So it is 8pm now and I must wake up at 2:30am for a 4am pick up and we head to Johannesburg, South Africa... another 8 hour flight and 24 hour layover. I'm excited!
Johannesburg, South Africa
10.01.08
10.02.08
Jo-burg was very nice! The part where we stayed was modern and clean but I was told that the appearance is very deceiving because it is the rape and murder capitol of the world. They rape women for sport. I was also told to keep the stuff even in my room locked in the safe because a lot of people have gotten robbed from their room. How horrible because it is a very very beautiful hotel. The weather was perfect and it reminded me of Southern California. We got in at 4pm and headed to dinner at this place that flight crews always go to and they know us there. They take good care of the crews there. We had steak but they also serve ostrich & gazelle. I didn't have the heart to try it. I was so tired so I passed out in the most comfortable bed and woke up at 6:30 am. I didn't sleep well in Dakar & worked all night so I could have probably slept my entire layover away but I had big plans for the morning so I forced myself out of bed and into the shower.
I met the captain and one other flight attendant and 2 other hotel guests in the lobby and we hopped in a van where they took us to a wildlife reserve park to go on a open aired jeep safari. That is hands down one of the coolest things I have ever done. I had a cheesy grin on my face for 4 hours. If you didn't know... I LOVE animals... when I was little my dad would bring home stray animals and we raised ducks, turkeys, rabbits, parakeets, chickens, doves, quails, a dog that lasted only 2 days. My dad brought home an egg one time when I was little and we hatched it in the incubator. It was an alligator. I named her Princess. I was 5. We also ended up with a fruit bat for a week, a seagull for about a month and a few other random animals that we were always healing and taking care of. So I love to go to the zoo. I could go everyday and watch the animals. I LOVE the zoo. So ANYWAYS... I was excited to go to the safari and see a lion! The reserve is 1500 acres. We hopped in the open aired jeep and right away saw monkies running across the road playing before we even got halfway own the road to the entrance.
We bounced down a paved little road and off the in the distance we saw 2 giraffes. I was thinking that my day couldn't get better than seeing a giraffe in the distance in its natural habitat. Then the driver zoomed off the road and up the hill so we were within 20 feet of the giraffes. Pretty much the coolest thing EVER. He told us some interesting giraffe facts and we zoomed off again. We saw some deer looking things all different kinds some with horns some with none. Then we saw a gate inside the reserve and he pointed and told us that the lion pride lived inside there. We saw signs to roll up your windows and close your doors... seeing that we had none of those I got very nervous. I was told that a few months ago the owner of the reserve had a stroke and fell out of his car and the lions ate him. You think I'm kidding but it is true! Usually when a lion eats a person they kill the lion but they did an autopsy on the remains and found out he had the stroke so the wife of the man let the lion live but they moved the lions to a different reserve since it had the taste of human on him.
So as I am looking through the gate searching for a lion the driver takes us inside the gate. I was so nervous! After driving awhile we see them! They only feed the lions on Sundays... luckily it wasn't Saturday. :) I didn't think we would get to go very close to the lions seeing that they eat animals as big as me but we did! We drove right up to the big daddy lion and his 3 lionesses. We were so close I could have reached down and touched them if I thought it worth while to loose an arm. Our guide would make a noise with his mouth and then they would get up and move. I was almost shaking I was so scared... but the whole time just grinning. My jeep mates just laughed at me like I was a little kid... but I felt like a little kid all giddy to see a lion. We stayed there awhile then took off and saw some smaller cages where they had 4 more lions who were younger and he was training them to be a pride to let them go in the other reserve. He can’t have two prides in one park because they would kill each other. Farther down the road there was another cage with 3 lions... very young. They were white lions with blue eyes. They were gorgeous! The male didn't even have his mane just a little mohawk which made him the coolest lion EVER. They came right up to the fence when the guide called them and they seemed very playful. I really wish I could have played with them.
Farther down we saw wildebeasts and birds and more deer things and gazelles and impalas (not the car). Then we drove down and saw the rhinos! I thought they would charge at us because they got up and never let their backs be at us... they followed us for a while and made me quite nervous. They were cute though... in a rhino kind of way. We saw some zebras and ostriches and another giraffe who came right up to us. It took about 4 hours total and it was the best 4 hours of my life. A lot of the animals are pregnant and they said that the babies will all be born in November or December. I want to come back in December on a Sunday to see the babies and watch the feeding!
We headed back to the city. It was about an hours drive from Joburg to Keugorsdorf where the reserve was. But on the way it was nice to see more of South Africa. It was so modernized and its about 50-50 white and black people. The city itself is huge and there are a lot of very nice homes, a lot of prefabricated homes and on the other side of the road were just slums... I mean MILES of houses made of tin and sticks. Very sad. It was just so diverse the rich and the poor... they live side by side but so very differently.
When we got back to the hotel I went for dinner with the captain who I had flown with to Alaska a couple of months ago. We had a burger then headed upstairs and we had to leave at 3:15 to go back to work. The flight was full and we had a group of 70 people from the same company who had been given a company cruise to Jamaica. They had a LONG way to travel. See we fly from Joburg to Dakar and we get off the plane but the passengers stay on because they get a new crew to Atlanta. So each flight is 8 hours... not in including the 2 hours they sit on the ground in Dakar for refueling and new crew and fresh food. Then most of them have connections in Atlanta. So they easily have well over 24 hours of traveling. Some of the people in the group had never flown before. We had a lot of heavy drinkers on the plane and had to cut quite a few of them off. They ran us ragged. Well right in the middle of crew breaks I was in the back galley and just walked in the bathroom when I hear very loud pounding knocks on the door. I was like what the heck!? I JUST got in here! So I open it and apparently a passenger passed out with her eyes rolled in the back of her head and the flight attendant helped catch her so she didn't hit her head on the door. Well it took her about 5 minutes to come to and were all scared but we are well trained and we asked her all the necessary questions and she ate a cookie drank some water and OJ just in case her sugar level was low or she was dehydrated. Then she started puking. So we called for a doctor on board and luckily we had 2. They came back and we gave the our medical kit and they took her blood pressure and everything and finally she was ok. She was so very pale. We don't really know what happened to her but she was fine after awhile. Very nerve racking.
We finally landed and we were so happy to be done with that flight. It was 1 am but the night was FAR from being over.
Dakar, Senegal
10.03.08
10.04.08
I'm just gonna say what happens in Africa stays in Africa. I was the only person who was in my right mind so I was baby sitting all morning long as people were "relaxing" after a hard flight... which was interesting because it was like taking care of my parents since they were all in their 40s and 50s. We met up with the New York crew and hung out in the captains room then decided it was a good idea to go swimming at night. It was the best idea ever... for the most part... until someone slipped and fell. We stayed up past 6am I'm sure and then finally passed out once everyone was tucked in bed safely and alone! :) My boyfriend texted me and told me my storage unit had been broken into in Nashville which just makes me angry because that is everything I own. They think nothing was stolen but now I have to fly to Nashville to go check! So I dropped my Copenhagen trip because I have to take care of that and have time to rest before my next trip.
I woke up around noon when my phone rang and my crew was calling to wake me up to go to the pool. I fell back asleep until almost 2 I think and then headed to the pool to sleep. It was overcast but breezy and very nice. Our crew and the NY crew was out there and we laughed about the night before and ordered food to our poolside & oceanside lawn chairs... aww what a life. :) We stayed there all day. I wanted to go to Goree Island but couldn't get any more recruits and I sure as anything won't be going anywhere alone in Africa... especially on Friday which is the day of prayer for Muslims and they are all in the streets walking in lines to I don't even know where. So the pool was a good alternative for me anyways. I'm going to have to do this trip again because there is so much more to do and it is sooo fun... as long as you have a good crew anyways...
Now I'm just chilling and waiting until midnight tonight which is our pickup time and we have one last flight back to Atlanta... I keep hearing that this is the hardest flight to do because people are tired and grumpy after 16 hours of flight. We get in at 8am tomorrow and I have a lot of calls to return and I have to go to Nashville to check on my stuff... but luckily I get to see my best friend... so that's cool :) Anyways... Africa was fun. I had a blast! I'm ready to be home for sure. 6 days with limited internet and expensive phone service is rough for me. :) Sorry for all of you who texted and called while I was gone. I know it rang but I can't afford to talk to you while I’m here. I'll call you back. I promise. :)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
hello again... it’s me
Current mood: bouncy
so! I haven't blogged in forever. I've just been traveling, reading, designing, & doing wedding stuff... not my wedding stuff... but my little's sisters. Pictures are all up on her page and it was an amazing wedding and now we have a new addition! new addition being the groom... not a baby on the way... no waaay... not yet anyways. :)
So anyways... there is A LOT going on in my life. I've been doing everything above that I said... plus branching out into some new ventures that will be announced later as things are more solid. as if i needed more ventures :) got plenty of ventures... and adventures.
I'm finally starting to get back on my feet after working this crazy job. Just if you didn't know... It's official that I have no address. I moved from Nashville... everything is in storage. On my days off I go to TX and refuse to actually live there since I've already done that twice but I couch surf on my best friend's couches since my sister is a newlywed and well... that's just not fair to anyone. :)
So I tried to open up a PO Box in San Antonio but little did I know that you must have proof of residence to do this. Why would I need a PO box if I had a residence? So I asked the lady what I would do if I did not have a residence but just needed a place to send my mail to. She gave me a snotty look and directed her attention to my mister (a.k.a. my boyfriend) and said, "is she kidding?" I told her my story and why I didn't have a home and she just told me flat out that I don't qualify. Apparently homeless people don't get mail. :( So my mail goes to a friend of a friend’s house. ugh.
Besides the homelessness and hectic schedule and new "ventures" I am starting to financially catch up on life... Next month I can actually contemplate paying a credit card bill from 2 years ago. (Don't even ask about my credit.) So I called this one card that loves to call me about 10 times a day. I just wanted to see what the damage was and what my options for next month are... The Lady tried to convince me to give her $500... right then... yeah. No. I told her I'm tired of eating ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches but next month I might be able to do something... I told her the most I could offer right that second was $100. She put me on hold to talk to her boss... He gets on the phone. He is a jerk. He tells me that I HAVE to give him $500... I tell him that it's impossible to give what you don't have and that again... $100 is what I can give him. He gets mad at me and we bicker back and forth and he gets angry and he tells me to just forget about it and hangs up. Now if I tried to give you $100... would you take it? I still don't understand what happened.
Ok so life is interesting. My boyfriend has been an amazing support to me and keeps me sane. He's a crazy one which another reason we get along so well...
Another quick story. My boyfriend said something let's just say... not so smart the other day... and I laughed at him (like a good girlfriend) and he retorted back. "So I'm dumb. Blog about it." haha that makes me laugh... a lot. Then my mister sent me this link of something I should make:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Laptop-Compubody-Sock/
He said if I owned this we might have never met. Since we met by sitting next to each other at the airport and comparing computers. haha..
Anyways... that's all I have for now... I'll try and be better about blogging. For sure. :)
PEACE LOVE AND FRIED CHICKN!
so! I haven't blogged in forever. I've just been traveling, reading, designing, & doing wedding stuff... not my wedding stuff... but my little's sisters. Pictures are all up on her page and it was an amazing wedding and now we have a new addition! new addition being the groom... not a baby on the way... no waaay... not yet anyways. :)
So anyways... there is A LOT going on in my life. I've been doing everything above that I said... plus branching out into some new ventures that will be announced later as things are more solid. as if i needed more ventures :) got plenty of ventures... and adventures.
I'm finally starting to get back on my feet after working this crazy job. Just if you didn't know... It's official that I have no address. I moved from Nashville... everything is in storage. On my days off I go to TX and refuse to actually live there since I've already done that twice but I couch surf on my best friend's couches since my sister is a newlywed and well... that's just not fair to anyone. :)
So I tried to open up a PO Box in San Antonio but little did I know that you must have proof of residence to do this. Why would I need a PO box if I had a residence? So I asked the lady what I would do if I did not have a residence but just needed a place to send my mail to. She gave me a snotty look and directed her attention to my mister (a.k.a. my boyfriend) and said, "is she kidding?" I told her my story and why I didn't have a home and she just told me flat out that I don't qualify. Apparently homeless people don't get mail. :( So my mail goes to a friend of a friend’s house. ugh.
Besides the homelessness and hectic schedule and new "ventures" I am starting to financially catch up on life... Next month I can actually contemplate paying a credit card bill from 2 years ago. (Don't even ask about my credit.) So I called this one card that loves to call me about 10 times a day. I just wanted to see what the damage was and what my options for next month are... The Lady tried to convince me to give her $500... right then... yeah. No. I told her I'm tired of eating ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches but next month I might be able to do something... I told her the most I could offer right that second was $100. She put me on hold to talk to her boss... He gets on the phone. He is a jerk. He tells me that I HAVE to give him $500... I tell him that it's impossible to give what you don't have and that again... $100 is what I can give him. He gets mad at me and we bicker back and forth and he gets angry and he tells me to just forget about it and hangs up. Now if I tried to give you $100... would you take it? I still don't understand what happened.
Ok so life is interesting. My boyfriend has been an amazing support to me and keeps me sane. He's a crazy one which another reason we get along so well...
Another quick story. My boyfriend said something let's just say... not so smart the other day... and I laughed at him (like a good girlfriend) and he retorted back. "So I'm dumb. Blog about it." haha that makes me laugh... a lot. Then my mister sent me this link of something I should make:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Laptop-Compubody-Sock/
He said if I owned this we might have never met. Since we met by sitting next to each other at the airport and comparing computers. haha..
Anyways... that's all I have for now... I'll try and be better about blogging. For sure. :)
PEACE LOVE AND FRIED CHICKN!
Monday, September 1, 2008
the july 26th movement and red literature
Current mood: awake
I have had a couple of quite normal flights latelywhich is great for my soul but quite boring to blog about. I've been reading Che Guevara's biography. Mostly cause I know a little bit about him and what I do know wasn't answering my questions of why kids are walking around with Che Guevara shirts on. I'm halfway into the biography now.... (it's 800 pages) and I can relate to his sense of passion, his nomadic lifestyle, his non-materialism, his sense of not knowing his full purpose in life and thinking there is something bigger and better out there. I admire his passion. I admire his get up and go attitude. He did more by the age 39 than most... his actions are just controversial... but here's the thing... he killed a LOT of people... he didn't like Americans... so... as cool as it is for you to wear your Che shirt... maybe you should do some research before you just start walking around with a "logo". Anyways... besides me getting all parent-y about that... here's my BIG pet peeve.
I've been reading this book for almost a week...and its a big one so it doesn't fit into my suitcase... so I have to carry it. Coming back into the USA from Mexico I went through customs and immigration and the immigration guy gave me a hard time about the book. He asked me very rudely why I was reading a book about a communistic murderer. I told him it was history. I left it at that. He just gave me attitude and I kept walking after he stamped my papers. A few days later I'm coming back through immigration after returning from Costa Rica and low and behold there is my same immigration man. He looks at me and says, "Well there's my little communist friend."
Last time I checked the US was still a free country. I told him again that it is history. And he said, "you realize he wasn't a good guy right?" As if I was an idiot. Back in the 1930's and 40's Guevara would cross over to other countries' borders and he would get his "red" literature confiscated but I think that we've come quite a way since the 30's and 40's in a 3rd world country... or have we? Well needless to say I still have my book and next time I'm coming through with a Mao Tse-Tung and Lenin book. :) haha So what if I have a little obsession of reading about communists?! I am NOT a communist in any sense and I don't see the need to defend my literature even if I were. Excuse me for trying to educate myself. :)
ANYWAYS... I got a hotel yesterday because I am on call for the next three days... It is very draining to be on call... I'm serious! You can't plan for where you are going and you don't know until the last minute. They could send you on an all-nighter to Japan or just down the road to Alabama... You just don't know. So anyways, I got my room and ordered pizza and fell asleep before the pizza guy got here. Which was like 6pm. haha So I ate and then passed out again. I slept from 7pm until 8am. 13 hours. HECK YES! :) I got one of the last rooms because the hurricane evacuees are all heading to Atlanta. Our weather isn't looking that great either and rains are predicted which means it will be an interesting evening for a girl on standby... a.k.a. ME!
4 more days and the whole clan heads to Michigan for my sister's wedding... when I mean clan I mean family... not my communist clan. :) geesh. This is the second Abate sibling wedding... mine being the first... but this one will actually last so I deem it the actual FIRST ABATE SIBLING WEDDING. (my last name is Abate for those of you who didn't know... but don't go stealing my identity or anything.)
Well I better go get dressed and head to work before they kick me out of my room. Check out is in an hr and I’m still in pijamas. :)
peace love and fried chicken!
I have had a couple of quite normal flights latelywhich is great for my soul but quite boring to blog about. I've been reading Che Guevara's biography. Mostly cause I know a little bit about him and what I do know wasn't answering my questions of why kids are walking around with Che Guevara shirts on. I'm halfway into the biography now.... (it's 800 pages) and I can relate to his sense of passion, his nomadic lifestyle, his non-materialism, his sense of not knowing his full purpose in life and thinking there is something bigger and better out there. I admire his passion. I admire his get up and go attitude. He did more by the age 39 than most... his actions are just controversial... but here's the thing... he killed a LOT of people... he didn't like Americans... so... as cool as it is for you to wear your Che shirt... maybe you should do some research before you just start walking around with a "logo". Anyways... besides me getting all parent-y about that... here's my BIG pet peeve.
I've been reading this book for almost a week...and its a big one so it doesn't fit into my suitcase... so I have to carry it. Coming back into the USA from Mexico I went through customs and immigration and the immigration guy gave me a hard time about the book. He asked me very rudely why I was reading a book about a communistic murderer. I told him it was history. I left it at that. He just gave me attitude and I kept walking after he stamped my papers. A few days later I'm coming back through immigration after returning from Costa Rica and low and behold there is my same immigration man. He looks at me and says, "Well there's my little communist friend."
Last time I checked the US was still a free country. I told him again that it is history. And he said, "you realize he wasn't a good guy right?" As if I was an idiot. Back in the 1930's and 40's Guevara would cross over to other countries' borders and he would get his "red" literature confiscated but I think that we've come quite a way since the 30's and 40's in a 3rd world country... or have we? Well needless to say I still have my book and next time I'm coming through with a Mao Tse-Tung and Lenin book. :) haha So what if I have a little obsession of reading about communists?! I am NOT a communist in any sense and I don't see the need to defend my literature even if I were. Excuse me for trying to educate myself. :)
ANYWAYS... I got a hotel yesterday because I am on call for the next three days... It is very draining to be on call... I'm serious! You can't plan for where you are going and you don't know until the last minute. They could send you on an all-nighter to Japan or just down the road to Alabama... You just don't know. So anyways, I got my room and ordered pizza and fell asleep before the pizza guy got here. Which was like 6pm. haha So I ate and then passed out again. I slept from 7pm until 8am. 13 hours. HECK YES! :) I got one of the last rooms because the hurricane evacuees are all heading to Atlanta. Our weather isn't looking that great either and rains are predicted which means it will be an interesting evening for a girl on standby... a.k.a. ME!
4 more days and the whole clan heads to Michigan for my sister's wedding... when I mean clan I mean family... not my communist clan. :) geesh. This is the second Abate sibling wedding... mine being the first... but this one will actually last so I deem it the actual FIRST ABATE SIBLING WEDDING. (my last name is Abate for those of you who didn't know... but don't go stealing my identity or anything.)
Well I better go get dressed and head to work before they kick me out of my room. Check out is in an hr and I’m still in pijamas. :)
peace love and fried chicken!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
