dmotion

When I flew...and my woes

dmotion1 — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:40:28 GMT

I wrote this five years and six months ago relaying some experience of being a flight attendant: (please be aware the following has been truncated for clarity and understanding)

I will start my 1st day of duty with home reserve* at 0400 followed by Airport Reserve from 0500 to 1400. As I am calling to check in** I am notified by scheduling that I have flying at 10AM.

*Understanding that people on airport reserve are there for emergencies, last minute things. While home reserves are for anticipated things, etc. So surely there is enough time to call someone who has home reserve. There are other times when I check in and I am told of a flight/trip that will start after my airport reserve is over. For example at 1517 and my airport reserve is till 1400. Yet I was notified of it at 0500.

**To 'clock in' you call a scheduler. Sometimes you get the same person everytime or various people. They are usually not in the same time zone as you. They may know next to nothing about being a flight attendant. They tell you where to go and what hotel you'll stay at--sometimes. If you have any problem/question/illness/mishap,etc. you contact crew scheduling. For all other queries you end up speaking with a flight crew supervisor which may or may not check you for complaince. Be it with regulations, appearance, cosmetic or anything else they think of. Talking to a scheduler may be a bore or literal hell. Also (they inform you) all your conversation are being recorded.

So I will go to this flight at 10 AM and upon landing at our destination I will be notified either via the pilots or otherwise that my trip has turned into a three day with a deadhead home.

*A deadhead is a flight that you will be taking as a passenger and not an employee. You do not get paid for it. However if the flight is overbooked or there are transfers you will not be a "deadhead." If this happens you stay whereever you are till you can be scheduled a flight back. Sometimes this can be an hour or two--a day even a week. It happened to me more than once.

Then on that 3rd day going to deadhead home I will again be notified that I am not to go home but to another flight. That it'll be one overnight* with a deadhead home after the leg.

Yet alas the day of, they tell me I must now go to another flight and overnight there. Then after 6 days have passed I am finally able to go home...and only because that is the (lawful) limit.

*an overnight is where you may(be) stay overnight in a hotel. Sometimes you're there for 6 or 8 hours. This time however starts when the plane lands. When the plane is taxiing, that is when your overnight begins. So if it takes you two hours to get to the hotel and your overnight is six hours--you'll be back in the plane in four hours.. As in when there is 59 seconds left of your overnight you are next to cockpit.

Then on various occasions when I have been assigned these flights (some of them literal minutes before my arriving on a previous flight or finishing up with a previous trip)

I will tell the scheduler that I need to eat, use the restroom, etc. I am told that they can't allow me to go eat but if I must, then to go as they cannot stop me. However they state to make it to the flight on time. Madonn.

Another occasion my car broke down on the side of the street as I was driving to work. It was three o' clock in the morning. I called scheduling 2 hours before my scheduled airport reserve at 0500 (as I had decided to leave early due to inclement weather--it was raining. DC traffic goes bezerk with rain.) I clearly told them that I was stranded. I was going to be unable to arrive at work.

I had to call a tow and anyone I knew was more than 35 miles away from the airport. --it was also 3AM! I may not get an answer from anyone. Whoever did had at least an hour drive in the rain and would be getting the beginning of rush hour traffic.

Despite having communicated that I was stranded and unable to go to work they told me to try my very best to get to the airport! Adding to my dismay they notified me of some flying they had added to me!

This two hours before my showtime and after telling them I was stuck on the side of the road!.

I told them I wasn't going to be able to make it.

They told me not to worry about it as the flight wasn't till 11PM!

I replied saying that I am on the side of the road and it's raining and that I hadn't been able to get in touch with anyone to take me to the airport.

Madonn. I feel like this was last week. Yet this was five year ago--almost six years ago!

I'm in a loop(?)

dmotion1 — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 06:32:17 GMT

Every so often I feel like I'm in a loop. Like the film "Groundhog Day" is a factual thing for me. I'm not talking about day to day things of getting up, going to work, eating, etc. I'm talking about things outside of those. The ones that when they happen you go: "This happened to me..."

I have to move again. I just moved. Yet I have to move again. I think I move as steadily or even more steadily than someone in the armed forces.

I also have shoulder pain again. Its unnerving. I'm starting to plan to have pain, discomfort--like I am mentally paring myself for it. I didn't think I have to do this again--ever. It's going to be almost a year in a month.

I also had some extremely unfortunate cirucmstance occur--really extreme. I was in sabbatical for more than a week. I didn't come to my current place for days. I am not even the slight bit recooperated from the ordeal. It's still ongoing and I am unsure of how it'll end or what its final outcome will be. It really messed me up and it continues to do a number on me.

On that same note my shoulder surgery almost a year ago had some fallout situation transpire that messed me up pretty bad--It continues to do so. This said situation has me back to in the same situation of moving, anxiety, pain, that I was almost a year ago. I am currently in the process of rectifying but therein too lies so many questions marks--its' daunting.

I've only been gone from working overnights for less than a two years. However it feels like so much more.

I spent last night agonizing about my shoulder pain--ice pack on it and multiple pillows--I wish I had a sling.

There's so many things going on that I just want resolution for them. A resolution that is beneficial to me, because things can get resolved and the resolution of things ruin me.

The other day I was thinking about the time I was on the plane and the pilot called me on the emergency line. I calmly walked to the phone--unphased by the red blinking light that read: "Emergency." I pick up and he blurts, "get the cabin ready--15 minutes, get your tank." Click. I hung up the phone. I started the chronograph on my wristwatch and went from one end of the cabin to where my oxygen tank was. I opened the cabinet. I took out the green oxygen tank-- turned it on and slinged it across my shoulder--Placed the mask on my face. Most of the cabin was very much out of it with exception of a handful glaring at me. I picked up the intercom and began informing everyone that there was an emergency on the plane and instructed them on how to place their oxygen masks on. I relayed to them that I would be coming around the cabin demonstrating the brace position. The plane hit some trubulence--the fasten seat belt sign had already been on for some time now and people, some people were crying--shreiking, moaning, muttering but in that moment all complied. No one got up, no one asked me any questions.This all happened in less than five minutes. The hand on my chronograph ticked over to five minutes as I glanced down. I checked all the overheads--the bathrooms, the galley, secured the galley carts. The plane now began to dip. I felt like my stomach was in my brain and my brain was someelse.

I staggered over to my seat and strapped myself in as tight as I could and looked out in the cabin. Everyone was in the brace position. I began to daydream as I lifted my wristwatch my eyes--seven minutes...

Everything was shaking and the speed of the plane was increasing. I knew exactly what was happening. Eight minutes--the masks dropped.

The pilot was trying to get us to a safe altitude--It was right to have called him. I called the pilot because I heard the ominous whistling--the hissing of a dreaded insidious decompression. Of course I didn't know that at the time which is why I had called the pilot to inform of this and that I had witnessed some people whom seemed to be showing early signs of hypoxia. So I had a very educated guess. So when the pilot called me on the emergency line I knew of what could occur.

I breathed in. The pilot was on the intercom but I was focused. I had been in a car accident a couple months earlier where my car hydroplaned as I was coming to work and spun around three times before it hit the barrier of the road. I hoped that we didn't come in too hot or have an explosive decompression--crash. I thought of what I would have to do once on the ground. I knew we were not close to an airport so that was a concern. I breathed in heavy and glanced at my watch that seemed to have almost stopped. I said the Shema and Baruch Shem. Closed my eyes and exhaled as I got into the brace position. I opened them and began to reminisce about how I was hungry and how I would deal with this circumstance. It was clear pretty much after that. I had a cinematic moment--I thought it was pretty bad because it was in black and white--as in black white film. The last time that had happened I fell of my bike and was pretty bad. Everything was cinematic and in black and white. The plane was jerking, we were descending and I felt horrible. We were leveling out though. Luggage began to fall out of the overhead compartments and I could hear people screaming. The plane bounched and jolted back and more luggage waterfalled out and rolled everywhere.

I saw lights--I began to think of how much this may hurt. Then nothing...

I straightened out--"EASY VICTOR-EASY VICTOR!!" I heard over the intercom. I leaped up and opened everything--took the tank off and began barking instructions of: Get up, get out, leave items jump jump jump" as a throng of people began flowing out the plane. I began to get my hearing back as if someone was turning up the volume slowly and heard the sirens and people. After all had exited I jumped out too along with the rest of the flight crew.

That's when I started getting shaky, This is was a couple of weeks after the crash in Buffalo, NY and the whole flight 1549 from US Airways ordeal. So the thought of something horrible occuring was very vividly in my mind.

However the reason I write about this is due to the fact that this is but only one instance of my ordeal in a decompression. I had another one.

When things like this occur--I think: am I in a loop?

Spatial Awareness

dmotion1 — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 07:07:55 GMT

I've always known that my sense of spatial awareness was slightly overtuned. Over the years however it has increased or maybe I have become more aware of it.

Whilst working as a Flight attendant I had three big in-flight emergencies. In all of them I was the one that sensed the apporaching change. In all three we had emergency landings. In one I kept feeling an odd sense of release of pressure. Sure enough almost all the passengers on the plane were asleep. However we were all in danger of hypoxia and the was the danger of slow decompression was setting in. I contacted the Captian and soon enough we were descending. He was able to confirm via the instrumentation that there was a problem. I had donned an oxygen tank across my bank and began giving instructions to the passengers on our emergency evacuation. I then had two instances of smoke in the cabin for which again an emergency landing was necessary and the plane grounded to wires shorting.

After each of these instances you tend to listen more and more to those 'gut' feelings.

I worked close to half a decade afterwards in law enforcement in corrections. It was here that my spatial awareness truly served me well and no doubt increased (or I was made aware of it) exponentially. I attribute this however due to the combination of stress brought on by the profession but also due to the sleep deprevation/exhaustation which I incured for so many years. I was never injured in a drastic way. I guess I could say possibly my shoulder. However you tend to be 'on' almost all the time. Ready to go. Things that would startle people or have them flinch did not. Adverse or intense situations did not necessarily elicit a fight or flight response, at least not in the way most people would have them. Oftentimes I was running into or placing myself in the middle of situation that could in fact harm me.

You learn how to read things most people don't pay attention to and make correlations many would not. It's all part of the job, that is to say if you intend on being successful. I left the job not because I didn't enjoy it but becasue of burecracy and lack of sufficent pay. The stresses that you subject yourself to on a daily basis almost quadruple. You learn to comparmentalize issues outside of the workplace because they impede you from performing those spatial awareness checks.

So here I am years later. Its almost been two years since I stopped working there and six months since my shoulder surgery. One of the things that upset me most whilst at work was the cracking and popping of my left shoulder. Then on the third day of my shift I would start getting that wretched, horrible, gripping pain that would not decrease. My friend had a nickname for my pain, Ali Baba. Because after I started getting the pain it opened up me getting irritable.

Yet here am I. No Ali Baba and no more working night shift. The spatial awareness is still here. I am always on.

You don't forget. You remember. It may lessen. So the sirens, the trains, the dogs, the cats oh, madonn how they bother me so.

Sometimes I miss having to put my spatial awareness on the front end.

Moving

dmotion1 — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 06:34:30 GMT

I have to move again. The ills of renting are come nigh to me. Madonn. I want to get a house and I have one in mind. I wish I could get a Rocket Loan like Quicken Mortgage says.

On that note--ugh, mortgage: French for death pledge. This is what happens when you've studied languages. Words mean a whole lot more.

I wish I could buy it outright.

Can't wait to sell a property to be able to do that.

Come on Hashem.

Icing

dmotion1 — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 06:27:35 GMT

Icing my shoulder has become my friend these last couple of months since my shoulder surgery. Prior it alleviated my soreness albeit whilst having the ice.

I just finished icing my shoulder. I still have soreness and aches...I guess I could call it. It's not pain per se and nowhere near what I had before but its very annoying.

The other day I slept on my left side for the first time in five months, if I am not mistaken. It felt amazing to do so, I slept so well. I felt fine till I woke up and my shoulder and outlying extremities were all weird.

I am beginning to use my shoulder more but I am still wary of using it.

I'm Done with Feedly...?

dmotion1 — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 06:22:02 GMT

Ever since Google Reader gave up the ghost I've been using feedly.

Since I've been using Linux on the chromebook I've been using QuiteRSS for my feeds. I've been missing a lot.

Yet I keep getting drawn back to feedly. Madonn.

An flash...

dmotion1 — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:42:51 GMT

This screams "Blade Runner" to me:

Everyday...

dmotion1 — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:10:02 GMT

This is me everyday with my email:

Fax

dmotion1 — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:05:23 GMT

I can hear this in my head. I would literally, literally have this conversation.

(via http://whitepajamas.tumblr.com/post/131679924758)

Print

dmotion1 — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 04:07:05 GMT

I've always loved print. I used to walk everyday (or at least try to) to buy the newspaper after school.

My parents would take me every Saturday to Crown Books so I could spend my allowance. When my mother went grocery shopping I would coax her to buy comics (Archie/Jughead, Sonic). I'd ask relatives to buy me books for my birthday.

When a door salesman came to our house selling Encyclopaedia Britiannica I begged my father to purchase them for me.

Recently I sought to buy an e-reader. A Kindle perhaps or a Kobo. I'm still thinking about...

Books--print are vaulable. I was just recently gifted a Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia. I had so desired to obtain it. I wanted to read it.

As an adult I have enjoyed going to used bookstores, thirft stores and flea markets to purchase books.

I can't do that with an e-book of any format. No matter how crisp or lightweight the e-reader may be.

I always get a thrill when I find a book like Brad Meltzer's "The President's Shadow" that came out June 2015 in a thirft shop for $3.00! Unscathed--pristine.

I'm eccentric. What can I say.

It's splendid. If people get tired of books. Just send them my way. I'll take them.

Music...

dmotion1 — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 01:03:24 GMT

A couple of years ago (possibly 10) I wrote an article detailing the amount of money that the music industry said they were (allegedly) owed due to 'piracy.'

Now the music industry is complaining about the amount of money they are (alledgedly) owed due to 'unpaid royalties'...

Its always something with these people. Nothing is to their satisfaction...

Aftermath

dmotion1 — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 04:03:36 GMT

So its been 2, er 3 days now since my surgery.

It's been crummy and painful and I still have about a month in a sling left plus physical therapy...

However my (familiar) pain/pressure is gone.

I can't sleep on my back, which is annoying but I sleep. Which is more than I can say that I did previously.

The surgery took place much later than was scheduled.

I ran into some difficulty obtaining my medication thereafter at Target.

All in all the surgery was the least of the unpleasant things on Monday. Target was most.

I look forward to physical therapy and being pain free.

Media

dmotion1 — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 06:12:17 GMT

Currently I am only subscribed to one print newspaper at the moment: The Wall Street Journal.

No magazine subscribtions at the moment.

Utilizing zinio for libraries for magazines.

I've been exclusively buying used blu-rays mostly from Redbox for $7.00USD

I've amassed a rather large video game queue:

(most recently acquired)

ACIII
Space Marines
L.A. Noire
TItanfall
GTA V (Campaign @ 47.6% | Online 125[?])
Ghost Recon:Future Soldier
Max Payne
Gears of War: Judgement
Gears of War III
Bioshock Infinite DLCs
Crysis 3 (Campaign)
The Saboteur

(...and possibly many more.)

I spent 2014 engrossed in GTA Online when I played on Xbox 360 and most of 2015 too.

Surgery

dmotion1 — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 00:06:08 GMT

So I have my surgery for my shoulder coming up.

I've never had surgery ever. Known many people who have had (multiple) surgeries. I've had none.

Most people dread surgery, (I guess unless it's cosmetic surgery) I'm looking forward to it.

I'v had an immense amount of pain since March 2015. My shoulder has been giving me issues for many years.

However this year I sprained my neck and my shoulder. The tendon in my shoulder swelled massively and my shoulder blade began rubbing aganist the tendon and well here I am.

I know there are some risks as with any surgery but to me its worth the risk.

I can't sleep, I can't think sometimes because of the pain--it's awful.

I look forward to it.

Hashem help me.

(Here's looking at you livejournal ^_^

Here again...

dmotion1 — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:22:53 GMT

I'm up late.

A thing of norm for many, I guess.

For the last almost five years it's been my job however to stay up late.

Now I find myself not working. For the last month I haven't gone to sleep past midnight and would be dozing off if I did.

Previously I'd stay up till 18 hours and maybe then there would be head bobbing. (The 18 hours not by choice though but at times, of necessity.)

Here again,

How things have changed. How [do] they change in a second--in a minute...in an hour, days, months and years[?].

To sleep then.

"Piracy"...Jesus did it.

dmotion1 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:42:32 GMT

I just love this. He shared the bread and fish.

Shortly after, the BFA (Bread & Fish Association) filed lawsuits against all 5,000 food-sharers.

I Whip My Hair...

dmotion1 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:40:27 GMT

Oh my goodness--hilarious.

It's better with the music:

Marylin Monroe aka

dmotion1 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:31:57 GMT

Newspapers, Magazines--Livejournal, etc.

dmotion1 — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:53:43 GMT

I lasted 3 years and 27 days without a subscription to a magazine. I decided today in these wee hours of the morning whilst it rains outside not only to obtain a magazine subscription but to obtain one for three magazines...

(Also to post to my livejournal--something I haven't done in a year and a half. I can't say this will end my dry spell of blogging, social networking lalala, et cetera, et cetera but at least I'll have this post.)

I re-subscribed to Popular Science which I had not done so in four and a half years. I subscribed to Details and Esquire as well. Wired has not peaked my interest--probably because since the demise of Borders I have been unable to find a copy to read off the rack. I've been able to view magazines and what not due exclusively to Target and Target.

Newspapers have been a bit difficult--also due to Borders' demise. I no longer have a sustained access to newspapers and have scaled back my reading to The Washington Times and The New York Post. I read The Washington Post on Sundays sometimes. The Washington Times publishes Monday thru Friday so that sucks and makes me want to get The Washington Post instead--at times.

It's peculiar--when I was a flight attendant I spent my waking hours in the sky away from connectivity due to lack of it and being on duty. Then in my off time spent it either resting or also in the air to go rest, leaving me no time on the internet.

Now I work the hours that I usually would be online and there it goes again--it's time to work.

...things go in cycles. Cycles break and resume...a cycle ceases and another begins--a cycle unto itself.

I find myself wanting simplicity--the 'simple pleasures' I call it and wanting 'Beautiful Sleep'...

As If I Didn't Already Know...(I forgot what part this is)

dmotion1 — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:32:36 GMT

You Are Fun

Your friends would describe you as the life of the party. You are a total blast to be around.

You have a lot of enthusiasm - and it doesn't matter whether you're at work or at play.

You are definitely an ideas person. You are constantly inspired, and the things you think of can be a little off the wall!

You are colorful and downright quirky. You love to be the center of attention.

What Adjective Describes You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Deep Down You Are Sensitive

You're the type of person who notices everything and forgets nothing. You are very in tune with the world.

You feel deeply, and sometimes the silliest things can effect you. You are easily brought to laughter or tears.

You don't show the world how fragile you are. You instead show people how insightful you can be.

You are good at anticipating what's going to happen in your life. You are often the first one to see what's coming.

The Eye Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

You Are Balanced and Thoughtful

You view people with optimism. You have many meaningful relationships in your life.

You had more conflict with your father than your mother. Your relationship with him was healthy but challenging.

You deal with stress in an effective and competent matter. You are able to remain calm.

You require a lot of calm in your life. When things get too hectic, you need to step back and reassess things.

The Inkblot Test

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Disliking Math Says You Are Expressive

You are an expressive, passionate, and spontaneous person.

For you, math is way too cold a subject. You dislike how black and white it is.

While some people have extreme passion for math, that would take far more work than you're willing to put in.

What you're into changes like the wind, and you could never be forced to choose one thing. You have to be free to follow what you love.

What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

You Need Freedom

You need to have full control of your life. You must make your own choices and decisions.

Your confidence and self-esteem comes from being independent. It's very important that no one tells you what to do.

You don't do well with rules, responsibilities, or commitment. You're not flaky, but you do need flexibility.

You may not always exercise your freedom, but you need to know it's there. Just feeling constrained constrains you.

What Do You Need Most?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

My Zune HD

dmotion1 — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:20:08 GMT

Wow...

I've had about five different iPods since Apple brought the iPod out, starting out with the third generation.

Let me say, I haven't felt any where near as fond or as satisfied with an iPod as I have with a Zune HD. (It's not even hard to say :) I have a 32GB Zune HD Platinum. Off the bat the size and feel wowed me. The next thing was the screen and it's sharpness. Although viewing it takes a bit getting used to it's splendid. Then it's user interface is so much more--how shall I say,...filling.

But coupled with what just makes the Zune HD stories above an iPod (even an iPod Touch) is it's accessibility of obtaining music. Now let's stop for a moment. Many people get caught up when describing a Zune (HD) and an iPod in terms other than their chief ultimate purpose which is (...too many it shall be surprising [imagine that...]) Playing, Loading, Listening, and Enjoying music. Everything else is, shall we say, luxury add on items. So with that in mind I would like to say that the Zune HD wins hands down. I shall explain. Upon loading music and hitting play one is presented with words a la Ocean's 11, 12, 13, etc. Along with Artist Bios, Related albums, further songs, and albums. With the ability to purchase/download/stream anything else mentioned or displayed.

A Zune Coupled with a Zune Pass is extraordinary. I haven't listened to so many different new artist on a portable media device without the aid of last.fm or pandora--in like ever.

Now I enjoy last.fm but let me say that a Zune Pass is like a last.fm Las Vegas Buffet. It reeks of excessive. If you obtain it as I did within the same day of your purchase of a Zune you will not be more pleased. It's just spectacular. Within minutes I had more than a dozen albums that I'd never listened to playing through my headphones. Truly the Zune HD has seen more usage than all the usage of my iPods over the years combined!

So the Zune HD does it's job as a portable music player very well. The iPod...well, I always have thought the screen should do something else rather than just be there. Never have been mesmerized by the screen of any iPod. I've always thought the iTunes interface was fine back in 2001 but for 2010 seems a bit mundane in comparison with the Zune interface. iTunes although $0.99 or $1.29, etc. fails to compare again with the Zune and the Pass. I'd have to pay somewhere near $100 or possibly more for 12 or so albums.

Again the interface really immerses one into the music. Zune turns loading and syncing into things you want to do. I've never synced any of my iPods (in the term of loading music) more than a couple dozen times (Long times too). Not the Zune. I probably synced it that many times in a week.

One of the luxuries I enjoy the most is just being able to load Avi (DivX/XviD) onto the Zune. It saves up so much time. I can't even accomplish this on the iPod. I'd have to jump over the hurdles of conversion. Before I'd be able to Watch anything loaded on an iPod (that needed conversion) I would have been able to watch it already on the Zune.

So as far as a media player the Zune excels.

Shows I Used To Watch...

dmotion1 — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:25:31 GMT

There are a couple of shows that I used to watch but I no longer do. I watched them for their acting, their plot, their comedy, etc.

A prime example is "Weeds", "Weeds" began with an excellent concept. Housewife sells pot, Housewife grows pot, Housewife becomes Queen of pot. Therein were the gems that carried the story. Yet as the series progressed the more things became unravelled. Loose ends here and there. "Weeds" is dark comedy yet by the the third season it was becoming way too whimsical and fantastic. I felt like I was watching a Hispanic Soap Opera and a bad one at that. "Weeds" started out hilarious, smart, and amusing then not so much. Instead of growing better with age it was slowly growing worse. ...then I stopped watching. The Character development stopped and the convictions they had changed with every episode. The title sequence changed and the shows overall feel became that of an NBC sitcom that would not be renewed. As if every episode was trying to outdo one another as opposed to complimenting each other.

"Dexter" was astounding. Yet it ended--stopped being great. Indeed Dexter's code had shattered but it felt like the show, like Dexter was unravelling too. The formula of there's a "main villain" or "main foe" grew too boring for my tastes. Although the introduction of a love interest akin to Dexter was amazing and explosive (no pun intended) it ended after that. Making a Father of Dexter was interesting but once again it played out like an ordinary sitcom than a shadow of its former self. So I stopped watching.

"Californication" from its intro bump and constant characters was gratifying television. Although not a fan of its quick ending I felt that it's ending of season one was satisfactory. My viewing of it's three episodes of season two made me stop watching the show. Once again slightly whimsical and pushing to it's edge of the show's feel; it's attractiveness was gone.

Occurrences...

dmotion1 — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:02:28 GMT

I've been mostly using two flavors of Linux since my laptop charger gave way almost 3 months ago on a desktop PC: Crunchbang Linux & Ubuntu. Although I don't have consistent access to the PC, hence one of the reasons of my lack of internet participation, I've managed to gain some significant time on Linux--more so than before.

I've been doing some temp work with a friend building a greenhouse--when the weather is cooperative and the pieces are available. Prior to that job I was hurriedly looking for a job a little less than two weeks before April 1st when I was furloughed from the airline. I managed to get another airline job as a Gate Agent, part-time however, but it offered me about 4 hours of work maybe 8 hours if I was lucky they told me. Not to mention the amount of hoops and paperwork I had to obtain, fill out and jump through before I got this part-time job plus classes followed by some tests followed by training and thereafter finally the job. Not to mention that only the training was paid. I kept on looking for something else.

Anyways my charger stopped charging and pretty soon I was left without a laptop. My iMac Bondi G3 I have lent it so that wasn't an option. All that I had was a 3 1/2 old PC...that is at my parent's house. Seeing that this computer isn't exclusive to me and used by my family it's pretty hard to get on. Not to mention it's a trek to go use it.

So thus my internet logins have decreased.

Now seeing that July is the month of the Tour De France...time has been dedicated to watching it--although I can't say that I've watched it intently, at least every stage as I have in years past.

I've gone on some extended outings to the middle of nowhere, been looking for a job, been attending family birthdays, etc. I've had enough and not the means whereby to be on the internet.

When I am it's to read 400 to 600 sometimes more items in Google Reader--Watch a film, something on Hulu and that's that.

On top of all I haven't had the urge, or the inspiration to be online. So it makes for extended absence.

Being a Flight Attendant...

dmotion1 — Sun, 31 May 2009 08:02:25 GMT

Been unbusy in the social networks arena for a couple weeks--or is it months now?

Been searching for a place of employment ever since being furloughed April 1st from being a Flight Attendant for United.

Now here's the thing about being a Flight Attendant...you get used to it. ...A whole lot.

It's a complete lifestyle change and not to mention a commitment.

I spent what didn't seem like 2 months but what seemed like more in Ground School.

Hours ranging anywhere from 8AM to 7PM, 3PM to 1AM, 5PM to 6AM learning about aircraft, being on an aircraft, learning terms, learning all the airport codes, taking a test every 4 days on things read, presented, and done in 4 days. It varies with each airline. Plus the added fact that you must get at least 80% on test to be considered passing. You can only retake test 3 times. Once again it varies with each airline.

For the time you're there you breath, dream, think, emergency protocols, location of emergency items, and numbered sections of your 3 inch (if not bigger) General Operations Manual plus FAA specific Flight Attendant regulations.

It's intense and it's mind boggling to sit through 4 hour (sometimes more) FAA mandated lectures and video presentations. Then having to take an hour long test thereafter. Going home studying given materials, and doing it all over again the next day.

Most people don't realize the amount of hard work, dedication, and hours that go into being a Flight Attendant (FA).

It's a sweet job once you pass ground school but it's certainly not about serving drinks and food on a plane.

Each Flight Attendant is responsible for at least 50 People on a Plane and their number one job is to protect the integrity of the Flight Deck (Cockpit).

Pouring Drinks and Serving Food is just something that we doing while doing that.

Most FAs start their day at around 5AM but most likely 3:30AM if not the day before if they're commuting on a plane.

From then what may follow is 14 hours of work with 9 to 10hrs of rest followed by 14 hours of work and so on possibly for the next 6 days. That right there is heavy work. Although it is not always the case most likely what will happen is 3 days or 4 days of work followed by 2 to 3 days off. Most FAs get at least 10 days off in a month some more (dependent on seniority).

Most of the time I would start at 5AM calling Crew Scheduling at 4:59AM right before going through security.

Crew Scheduling is your boss. If your phone rings as an FA you answer it. Else your bound for some disciplinary action.

There are two types of FAs. Those whom have a line (a set schedule) or those who are on reserve (no set schedule). I was an FA on reserve. At the literal mercy and beckoning of Crew Scheduling.

I came to work (sometimes because they call me at 7PM asking me, which is really telling me to show up for Airport Reserve at 5AM) which was Airport Reserve meaning I sit at the airport for ten hours went home and worked for another 5 hours at home.

That's called home reserve. It's pretty sweet if they don't call you but most of the time they do. When at home if they call you, you have 1hr and 30 minutes to get to the airport. That means on the plane and ready to board. In Washington, D.C. that means you have to drive like a mad man through traffic praying that you make it in 45 minutes or less, find a parking spot, taking a shuttle to the airport, getting through security in less than 4 minutes and getting to your gate with whatever time you have left after that. Home Reserve is stressful if you don't have high seniority.

Airport Reserve is a whole lot better. You literally wait for their call. Just sit there. You can sleep, walk around the airport, watch movies, etc. if you want but you have to be ready to run and I mean run to whichever gate they tell you to at a moments notice.

One time I had them call me and asking me:
"Can you make it to Gate A6?"

"All right what time does the plane leave?"

"In 10 minutes..."

"You know the Office is in the D Gates right--there's no way I'm getting there in 10 minutes and Pre-Flighting the plane."

"(sighs) I know...but can you try?"

Freakin' Madonn.

I'll write more about it later...uh, it makes me cringe when I think about it. Yuck, Crew Scheduling rofl :-P

What I narrated is just the part that happens before getting on a plane...

Can't Play Games...Can't Do Much of Anything

dmotion1 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:34:59 GMT

...madonn!

It seems everyday that passes the less and less I can use my PowerBook G4.

I really believe that Apple left PowerPC users in the dark when they made the crossover to Intel.

Even when they went from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X 10.0 (which required a bit more RAM and some processor speed) they smoothed the transition at least to some extent.

In all actuality Apple was like, "Screw you PPC Users!"

More and more now updates and applications no longer support PPC and/or Mac OS X 10.4

Leaving those with highend Power Mac G5s highly screwed.

So not having the PowerBook G4's Supplemental Disk with Mac OS 9 files (it wouldn't be much use to me anyways for the following) and my CD/DVD Drive inoperative...

I can't use Classic applications, I can't load any applications, games, etc.

Plus the fact that my trackpad doesn't work, on it's 3rd (and last) charger and second battery.

I am left with a computer that can't really do much of anything--that I want...

Which is the chief reason for buying a laptop: to do what you want with it.

Although that is hardly true (at least with me) with computers running Windows Operating System it is or rather was true with Apple and it's computers.

Although recently, as I've written in my livejournal:

Apple's Product: 12' PowerBook G4 1.5GHz w/ 1.25GB DDR SDRAM and 80GB HDD has been leaving a bitter sometimes sour taste in my mouth.

Not just due to the recent occurences but also past occurrences when it went out of comission back two years ago in May.

I was forced to use my old iMac Bondi G3 running Mac OS 9.2.2 w/ 64MBs of RAM and an 8GB HDD(!)

Currently that particular machine is still running in excellent condition however with Mac OS X 10.3 and 384MBs of RAM.

Yet that computer, despites it's age hasn't given me the amount of problems my PowerBook has and it's eleven years old.

Here I have a computer half it's age that I can't do what I want with it...