Ok, not a new human baby, but a new plane. I was lucky enough last week on May 1st to be on the first crew to fly our brand newest aircraft - Tubular Belle - on it's very first passenger flight ever. You all know how easily entertained I am, so this was the highlight of my trip to be the first butt in the #3 jumpseat (and I secretly hopped in the #2 jumpseat as well before my colleague could). It was so fun to inform our guests that they were the first people to sit in those seats, and to smell the new leather & "new plane smell". I'm actually typing this blog using my new Blackberry phone on board the very same aircraft as it starts Day 7 of its service in our fleet. We're between San Diego & SFO now, then it's off to LAX & Seattle.
I also had the chance last week to hit 5 cities in 7 days. After my recent relationship of 2 1/2 months ended, I needed to get away (it wasn't mutual - he wasn't feeling the chemistry anymore), so I flew to Portland for 2 nights, stopping in Salt Lake City for lunch with Terence on the way. I rented a car there in SLC for $15 with tax!
Portland was great - my good friend Taylor was a most gracious hostess and his cat Bubbles was a huge ball of delightful fluff. It was very nice to just relax, and Taylor is hereby awarded the Most Comfortable Futon Award, making his place a new favorite to stay at. I think I'll have to head up there again soon!
After two nights there it was off to Los Angeles for one night. I got to see my hilarious friend Jason in a comedy reading about how people's parents have influenced/ruined their lives & then we went to the gayest karaoke I've ever been to in West Hollywood at Fubar. ALWAYS a great time there - though some of the people make you feel like you're the only one there who hasn't had several years of voice training. It's emcee'd by the guy who opened for Margaret Cho a few years ago. Can't remember his name at the moment, but he's a lot of fun.
The OTHER New Baby
After semi-pro karaoke, I spent the night at my friend Chris' place and then took the rental car (for which I paid $20 total) down to Escondido to see a breeder of beautiful Bengal cats (thanks to my now-ex-boyfriend's introducing me to the breed).
What an experience! Not only did I see 3 mama-cats and 2 older males, but 7 little kittens bounded in & made me melt! They jumped over each other & were SO active and fun to watch. I also spent some time with the little guy I'll be adopting later this week - Inky. He's almost 2 years old and a "retired" show cat and sire. I'll include a photo with this posting so you can see him here.
As you can see, he's got incredible markings & even likes to play fetch! He will be a strictly indoor cat, so expect to see child-proofing, as well as a constantly closed screen door on my front porch after this Friday! Much more info, fawning, photos, and updates to come!
After my 3+ hour visit with this wonderful couple, I decided not to deal with traffic heading north back to L.A. & returned the rental car instead in San Diego, catching a Virgin America flight home.
That wasn't the end of the traveling, though! After a 2-day trip for work, I caught a flight to Seattle without even going home. I got to spend some time with my pal Crystal, who shuttled me from & to the airport and let me stay in her hotel room with her & her friend Luke who was visiting from the east coast. We went out both nights (I stayed Friday & Saturday) and just had a really great time!
On Sunday it was back to San Francisco again to prepare for my 4-day work week. Got a haircut in Sacramento by my phenomenal stylist, Holly Meager, and then hung out with her & 3 of her friends. We played tennis till 10pm, then went to WalMart and Mel's Diner. Sadly I got home much later than expected & still had to pack for the trip, so my rest was next to nothing.
Now we're almost to Seattle, where we plan to hit happy hour at a downtown restaurant which has insanely cheap food deals, then explore some stores & wander Pike Place Market before turning in early. Tomorrow it's off to Washington DC & an even earlier Friday morning to fly back home. Once we get back to SFO I'm catching the next flight to San Diego, where I'll rent a car to go pick up my Inky-cat! I'm so excited! Between him & my new Blackberry phone, I won't need a boyfriend for a while! :-)
What I've learned the last few weeks:
-Communication is crucial. When you think a relationship is going well, it may not actually be so. Talk to the other person often. If you feel something just isn't right, you're probably right.
-While doing the safety demo on an aircraft, it's way too easy to snap a finger in with the life vest strap & get some nice blood blisters. For girls, you can try matching your nail polish or shoes with the deep red of these little finger-gems.
-Los Angeles traffic is unmatched. If you want to know what would give even Mother Theresa high blood pressure, take the 405 to the 10 to the 5 in the late afternoon on any day. You'll be cussing all the way to Disneyland (if you get there before they close)!
-Good things aren't cheap or easy (with the exception of me). A cat could cost hundreds, and a cell phone company could force you to take a phone you don't want, sell it on eBay, and use the money for a pricey upgrade just so you can have a phone which does everything you originally paid for the first phone to do. Yay.
-People who fly are different while on the plane. Or at least I hope to God they are. They'll leave dirty diapers, used wet-wipes, snotty kleenex, gum, and other gooey surprises in their seatback pockets, despite being asked several times and offered multiple opporunities to throw them in a passing trash bag. If you can't follow simple instructions and use basic common sense, rent a car. And don't reproduce.
More this weekend......
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