A long few days. (Past experiences come to my rescue)

This weekend was a whirlwind of craziness.   It all started out Thursday I worked a shift at the JFK airport from 4pm to 4am.   I got off work and packed the car and drove 12 hours to get home for Tina’s birthday. I surprised Tina for here birthday,  she didn't think i would be home once again.  It was great to see her and the girls event though it was just for the night. I got up the next day on Saturday and got 2 new tires on the car because I got a flat on the way home of Friday L.  At around 2 pm I finally was able to get on the road to drive to Miami.  It took be just a bit over 8 hours, then I worked all-night and got off around 830 am.    So to sum it up I drove 1300 miles in a few days, and I had 2 days that I was up about 30 hours at a time. 

I had 2 instances over the weekend that really made me thankful for my past experiences in my so called past life.   I think that I am blessed to have them and most women would never have the chance to have them so in a lots of ways I feel very lucky.

On my way home Friday I had just passed into North Carolina coming from the JFK airport.  I was driving along and all of a sudden I get the dash lighting up that I have a flat tire.   I pulled off at the exit that was coming up and pulled into a gas station figuring that I my need air in a tire.   I got out and my left front tire was leaking air pretty good and had a bulge in the side wall.  My 1st thought was what a way to add to my already long day being up for 24 hours already.  So I go inside and the gas station and get a nice cold Pepsi and  use the restroom.   I come out to the now flat tire.   Here is where my past experience comes to my rescue.  Back in the day as I call it I used to work for my Uncle in a tire and wire rope shop.  A flat tire really doesn't intimidate me in anyway.  I get down to business; pull the spare tire out of the trunk and all the implements that are packaged nice and neatly with the spare tire.  I notice that there are 2 older gentlemen sitting on the curb outside of convenience store watching me,  as I am getting ready to jack up the car they come over and ask nicely if I need help. From what I can see on there faces its is  mostly because I am woman and for sure can’t change a tire.  I politely say oh no thanks I can get it, they walk away and sit down to watch just knowing that I have no idea what I'm doing.  In about 10 minutes I have the spare on and everything packed away, and I didn't even get my shirt dirty.  They were in shock J  I just look at them and smile and get back to my trip home.   I am thankful that my VW had a full size spare being I had 320 miles left to drive home. 

My Second experience happened when I got down here in Miami.  I have been sent down to help our other Loadmaster Camille out.   I got in really late around midnight Saturday and checked into the hotel and headed out to the airport to watch the operation.  I am really just counting on observing the operation and learning how they do things.  When I got to the airport I was met by Camille who was very panicked because the plane was do in around 5am and the cargo build crew was short handed by about 4 people and had only build 6 out of 18 pallets needed for the flight.  At the rate they were going there was no way they would get it done even by departure time.   Once again here is were my previous past life came to the rescue.   About 8 years ago before transitioning I ran a warehouse that built and broke down freight for a cargo airline.   I have a vast amount of experience in that area, and again you would never expect a woman to have that.   I went to the lead of the crew and asked if he would like help, he was very stressed out and agreed to let me help.  I could see in his and his small crews eyes that they was very apprehensive.   I figured that my efforts would be best used by running the forklift and building up pallets.  Needless to say they were shocked that a woman could run forklift much less build freight like I could.  I build faster than one of their seasoned workers was even though I was well out of practice.   After a few hours we got everything all built in time for the flight.  I ended up building 1/2 of the freight for that flight.   Once again I am so thankful for my previous experiences in life.

After a few long days now I can rest and relax and start to explore Miami a little bit.

  

Time for a new suitcase.

I have been thinking a lot about how I hold on to hurt and disappointment that has happened in my life.  I think of myself as predominately a positive person.   However I seem to have some baggage or hurt that I hold on too for too long.    For me I seem to categorize the hurt into two types, family and friends and acquaintances in life.

What I have found true for me is that I seem to put more weight to the family hurt.   I think what is worse is for some reason I seem to hold onto the hurt baggage longer as well.    

Because I work in the aviation industry my mind thinks about bags in a probably different way than most people.  I have done my fair share of loading suitcases in my life.   When I travel currently I have a huge big suitcase,  I love how much it holds.  It is able hold enough cloths for about a 18 day trip without having to do any laundry.  When it is fully packed this thing is so heavy, but it has a handle and wheels to pull it and it is manageable though.

In life my suitcase to hold my life’s hurts is also similar and I sure can pack lots of hurt and disappointment in it.  Like my real life suitcase it is not divided, I just stuff and stuff things in until the zipper barely closes it.  There is no order to it so if I need to find something everything is going to be pulled out.

My point to this analogy is about a year ago I was flying home and claimed my bag in JFK I noticed that one wheel had been broken was not working well.   I needed to walk about 5 blocks to our office to get to my car to head home after a long trip.  About half way to the office the wheel finally completely fell off.  So I had to carry it by the handle a few blocks.  It was not bad because it was really light and I didn't really think anything of it.   So for a year I have been using this suitcase and I works well,  I do most of my travel in a car so I don’t need the wheels to work on it, until my one of my last trips.    I was on the west coast for about 3 weeks and then on the east coast for a while.   So you can imagine I packed that suitcase until it was over bulging!  So much so that I would not fit in the trunk of the Camaro that I was driving in Seattle.  I had to put it in the front seat.  I really didn't think much about it leaving at first because the plan was to ride our own planes so it wouldn't be a issue with weight and we are always brought out to the planes so I would not have to carry it far.  On the way home the plan changed I ended up having to fly a commercial airline back to JFK to where my car was.  When I got to pick up my suitcase at the baggage carousel all I could think of was how far I was going to have to carry this heavy bag and my way heavy backpack that I used for a carry on.  I am pretty strong person but I was really not looking forward carrying it.    I struggled with the bag to get it on the air train and off to the Federal Circle.   My only hope was that there would be someone in our Operations Dept. could come give me a ride.  However it was midnight though and the likelihood was not in my favor.  I was so ever thankful when I made the call and Pleasant answered the phone and was able to come get me.  I was lucky this time but may not be the next time, so I am in a hunt for a new suitcase.

Like my real life suitcase my  suitcase for my baggage needs to be upgraded as well.   My old suitcase has gone through my life and done well for me, but it is worn out.  I also want to down size it to a manageable size, this means I need to go back through my life’s hurts and start discarding to fit my new suitcase.  It is scary for me to go through all of the old hurts but I have been carrying around way too much for way too long .   How is your suitcase?  Is it overfull like mine?

Traveling Home

I made it home early am yesterday.   My inter kid self keep saying “Are we there yet?  ARE WE THERE YET?” 

My day started out as I got up Friday at 6am to get showered and make it for a breakfast at the hotel at 7am as the open up.  I always stay at hotels that have free breakfast, because our $30 a day for per diem just doesn’t really go too far when you are trying to eat healthy.  The night before I had talked with corporate office and they said that I was going to get home so I was really excited because I have been out traveling from the 19^th of last month.  I figured I was going to have to stay because I still didn’t have travel and I was originally thinking that I was going to have a 1120am dept.  I made a few calls and got my travel so I really didn’t have much time to pack and get my rental car gassed and returned.  After breakfast I rushed back to my room and packed all my stuff and it made my suitcase bulge for sure.  It take 2 trip to the car to get everything down.  I had to laugh, I tried to stuff my suitcase in the trunk and it just wouldn’t go so I had to put it in the front seat.  Darn Camaro, but it was fun to drive, just not practical.

I returned the car in will out any issue and made my way to the airport, SEATAC’s rental car return is about a mile from the airport.  The facility was being built when we were moving to Charleston area.  It is a nice and gives the rental companies the room they so desperately needed to grow. 

I am really out of practice traveling my commercial airlines because most of the time I drive or fly on our own planes.  I get to the counter and put my bag down the the scales and check in.  It bugs me that as a customer you should have to pay for checking in a bag.  That’s why people try to take so much on as a carry on and hit you with their bags as they walk down the aisles.  So I pay for the bag and get my boarding pass that the CSR freaks because my bag weighs 58 pounds.  I looked at him in this questioning look.  Airlines are such hogs, that 8lbs cost an additional $90.  When I was a customer service agent I would have just let it slip by, but back then it was 75lbs that was overweight not 50lbs.

I was glad that I made it to the airport 2 hours before my flight because the line for security took me a hour to get through.  I feel so much safer with the gentleman looking at my ID with a magnifying glass.  He was giving off the vibe of “I’m the gate keeper and maybe I will let you in or maybe not”.   I got past the gate keeper and now confronted the agent yelling orders to pull your liquids computer out and take off your shoes and such.  And yes I called him a “ agent”  not a officer as they would prefer,  they are not law enforcement so they don’t deserve being called a officer.   I make it out feeling like I’m a criminal, our government can do so much better than this! 

I can’t help but wonder as I am waiting in line who I will be sitting next to on the plane.  My bad side is like I hope they don’t spill out of their seat into mine because I have a window seat and don’t want to be squished into the wall like in the past.  I get seated and the couple sits next to me with a child that is one big lap child.  I was glad I had brought my ear plugs because that kid could scream.  So for 2 ½ hours I enjoyed reading my book in peace and quiet.  My next flight was nice because I didn’t have anyone sitting next to me, however I had these 2 younger ladies that got way goofy drinking.  I once again had to put in the ear plugs to quiet them.  I almost finished my book on that flight.  I am not a big book reader at all, but I have fell in love the this series of Fifty Shades of Grey. 

I arrive at JFK at 1130pm and get my bag.  I’m pretty tired, weird how flying makes you tired because is was sitting all day.  I get my bag and make my way on the train to Federal Way circle stop.  I was hoping that someone was in our office that lake because I really didn’t want to walk the couple of blocks to our office carrying my bags.  The last time I flew commercially they broke one of my wheels on my 58 pound bag and I really didn’t want to carry it a few blocks.  I was thankful that Pleasant answered the phone and he came and got me and dropped me off at my car.  He is such a sweet and nice person.   I drove a hour and made it to my 2^nd home.  It was such a nice feeling to pull in the driveway, just like coming home.  I got my key they left for me and went to my favorite room J  The Captain Brynne’s room as I call it when I’m there.  Its real name is called the Capt Reeder room.   By now it is 2am so I am pretty tired and ready for sleep.  The next day I had a wonderful breakfast and got myself together and headed out for my drive home.   It really was a uneventful drive home.  Halfway into the 12 hour drive I stopped for lunch/dinner.  I usually don’t stop but I thought I would try something new, I always feel like it is slowing the process up when I do that, but it was nice today to do it.  My next stop was at the border on NC and SC rest stop.  I really hate stopping at South Carolina rest areas because they usually are not clean.  As usual I was not disappointed it was way dirty, and this is a rest area that has a welcoming facility for South Carolina.  Not a very good way of welcoming people to our state for sure.  What bothered me the most is as I pull in there was so many stray cats.  The parking stall I was pulling into had these 2 scared cats cuddling up with each other.  They were so scared and pathetic, I just wanted to scoop them up and take them home.  The poor things, what kind of person would let poor helpless animals off at a rest stop.  I’m really not a huge animal lover, but I do have a heart and would never do that; but as a state why don’t they take then to a shelter so they can be adapted to a family that would care for them too.  Shame on you South Carolina!

I finally made it home at 130am on Saturday morning.  I was so glad to be home and my family warmly met me at the door, even though I was trying to sneak in quietly.