Need a Tissue?

....well THAT'S not Tears For Fears!

Over the loudspeaker someone just paged a "Ms. Booger" to the front desk.
Me and some little girl burst out laughing.

What a very advanced sense of humor she has....(don't EVEN say it...)

I PASSED!

....well THAT'S not Tears For Fears!

Uhm, I think the title says it all. Ok, now the meat of the story. I'm a certified flight attendant.....for some reason the idea has been with me since I was 18, but most airlines don't hire unless you're 19 or 20. Well, I kinda forgot about it when I moved to NYC at 20 cuz I was making a shitload of money which afforded me the leisure travel. Ok, really I was just charging it and still spending the rest of my money on food, drinks, and of course, cocktails of other sorts - think letters in the alphabet and I'm sure I could associate it with something I ingested. That is neither here nor there. Those days are over, and I sat my ass behind the screen of a computer for basically 8 years. 8 years. That seems like almost a decade....BECAUSE IT IS! Traveling and seeing the world is what I've always wanted to do.....so about 4 months ago.........

I was racking my brains as to what a fella like myself could do to see the world. I could pay 3,000 bucks, that I don't have to become a truck driver like my dad. However, I've ridden with him on trips before and hauling a 53 foot trailer around doesn't allow much exploration unless you like the warehouse districts of cities. I thought about being a riverboat worker like my uncle and late grandfather did......but rolling on the river, though, cool in the 70's just doesn't seem to say "yipppeeeee" to me in the 2000's. There's always an ocean going vessel the Cruise Ship to work on too, but since I've not been on one, I wasn't sure if I'd be seasick for 8 months. The only option, the only choice was... the air! And not the air filling the void between my ears...NOPE! The air filling the space at 37,000 feet, yes, 7 miles and 60 feet. I'm a flight attendant.

Training for this job was insane. It was 6 days on, with one day off for 3 weeks. There was a test almost daily requiring a 90% or better to pass. The class started with 44, at graduation there were 26. The first week saw a few coke, pot, and smack smokers weeded out. (huh huh, I said weed). Then a few background checks based upon criminal fingerprints saw a few more gone. And there were sleepers.....they didn't like sleeping in class OH NO.....(though it was slightly hard not to do at times). But the saddest were my friends....gone because they couldn't grasp a concept or memorize 4 pages of emergency procedures. I'm still sad that some of these people are gone from the commraderie. Sure they can go elsewhere, but you really want to see your friends succeed and be there with you. Especially after such a battering.

Ok, so that's it. I'm a flight attendant and I have my wings attached to my blazer. I know how to do CPR, I know how to use an automated external defibrillator. I know that a "seat cushion can be used for floation in the unlikely event of a water landing" and I can decipher most Eastern US airport codes. And.....I know for the next few weeks my mind is going to process all that's happened over the past 2 months......change. Change is good. Change is sometimes stressful, but change is change and it is what it is. I have to reassure myself daily that I'm going positively going forward because my tendancy to shy away in the middle of a great event for fear of the "what if" sometimes creeps in causing regression. That can't happen. It won't happen. Nothing at this point is regression. It's change. (for some reason the song Chain Chain Chain Chain of fools comes to mind...cuz you can say "Change change, change, change ya fool")

Alrighty....what else? Oh, maybe I'll be coming to a city near you! More updates to come.....eventually they'll be more regular too. Upheaval of life still in process....so.....until then....come fly with me...

Meet Me in St. Loooeeey

....well THAT'S not Tears For Fears!

I may be moving to St. Louis provided I pass my final battery of tests. My brain is Swiss Cheese from all the tests, the stress, and being away from home since 9/25. Though even complaining is disgraceful when I think of how long our men in arms have been overseas. I'll take my blessings and be thankful (but I do miss my daddy, mommy, sister, nephew, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins) I suppose I've taken for granted our family's close vicinity to one another when I was in Ohio as most relatives were within a 2 hour drive. It won't pain me much to be leaving Indianapolis on Saturday. However, the destination will be even further from home along the Mighty Mississippi River....I'm excited, nervous, and free. Free from wondering what would have been had I still been rotting behind a desk 8 hours a day. The only reason I'm not giving too much detail about the career path I've taken is......I'm still not completely there yet.....I have a few major tests to pass, and my stomach is in knots! Again, your support and prayers please!!!!! And when I step from the fire, pure and golden, removed of all doubt, I'll update again! Until then.....keep bloggin my peeps!!!! I miss y'all!!!