Ramblings

Secrets of a Business Traveler

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

Before I spent more than 50% of my work week traveling, I thought those that did lead a prestigious life. Airplanes, site seeing at different places, and being important enough for others to ask for you to travel to (or for) them.

I have flown seven times in the past 4 weeks – in fact, as I type this on my “travel friendly iPad”‘ I’m en route to San Francisco in prep for a client upgrade pilot. I share this because I can say without hesitation and with authority that I am a BUSINESS TRAVELER, and it often sucks.

At least for me, as an employee of my present firm, it’s expected that you either fly on weekends or “after hours” so that you “give the most to our clients”. That really means, in my estimation, that they’d rather pay me to be productive in the office than sitting in a plane. This translates to long days – for me, this day of travel will exceed 15 hours. “ah,” you say, “but you can rest on the plane!”. Perhaps. Except, in reality, there are many things that beg to argue with that perception:

1. Airplanes are freaking uncomfortable, unless you fly first class. And let’s just say, at my firm that’s not an option.

2. People are inconsiderate. Cool TV in the seat? Most people, at least the ones that sit behind me, push the hell out of the touch screen. Picture my head bobbing with each push…..

3. People are inconsiderate #2. Many people see no issue with grabbing the seat in front of them to assist with hauling their butts up, steading themselves with it as they adjust in prep to go to the toilet, even if it’s nearly 11pm and the occupant of said seat is sound asleep.

4. People are inconsiderate #3. Loud conversations at 11pm. Yeah, do you see a trend?

So, the plane is not that great for rest and relaxing – or for work really. But what about the cool hotels? I admit, some are pretty awesome. But even the best, when you’re without your family and working 12 plus hours each day, the only real benefit of the hotels I use are I CAN SLEEP!

Further, though I’ve been able to travel to some pretty amazing spots in the US, I have had NO TIME to see many of the sites I’ve been to! I land, walk through the airport, get a shuttle to the hotel, sleep, go to my client’s site, work, go out to eat for dinner, and go back to the hotel to work and then to sleep. The one exception to this is a trip I made to Oklahoma last year where Deana and the kids came along – we got to see some sites in the evening that were nice. But really, even if I DID have time to see the sites (though that is often not true) I really don’t enjoy it when I am by myself. I’d prefer sharing the experience with my family or friends. Of course, I have NOT been able to travel to So Cal for work, and that would be an ENTIRELY different situation – I would hit up my friends and family QUICK if I made it out there!

So the moral to this story is, before you decide that your friend (who is about to go on a business trip) is “living the life”, instead pray for them to get plenty of rest and return safely (and quickly) to their family!

God’s Favor

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

I have heard and considered the whole “God’s Favor” flavor for years.  Truthfully, at first I considered this a smart marketing campaign of TV Evangelists to convince people to send money to God like a lottery in hopes of “hitting it big”.  And maybe that was true sometimes.  But, in all my candid writing, I will tell you I WAS NOT GOING TO PLAY THAT GAME!  I was not going to be pulled in by some snake oil pastor, who was going to try to turn my sacred relationship with Christ into some high yield investment plan.  Nor would I ignore scripture that showed riches were bad (the whole “eye of the needle” bit) and focus on my “other god” of money…….

And yet, in practice, MONEY was always my focus.  Either I spent too much (more than I had – thank you credit cards!), or I frantically and miserly saved every penny while ignoring the needs of others.  Looking back, the very thing I SAID I didn’t want to do, I was doing……and in a much harsher way than if I had given the money to ANYONE – even a snake oil pastor!

So my life consisted of working hard and long hours, swinging from spending way too much money or saving too much, and God sometimes was part of that.  Well, when it made me feel GOOD about giving, I did it anyway.  And, well, I have learned over the last few months that wasn’t very often, and especially not very substantial.  And yet, ironically, I was often behind the eight ball, always a day late and a dollar short.  And the cycle continued.

So, when my Pastor started preaching about God’s favor in relation to tithing, I easily reacted in my heart like a had all my life, “here we go again.”  And I ignored the words, felt self-righteous and all knowing internally, and went on my way.  I would hear others mention how there were tons of poor people in 3rd world countries…..were was God’s favor THERE and FOR THEM?  “God’s favor”, I heard them say, “is not about money and prosperity – that’s American’s bastardization of the Bible.”  And I’d internally nod and say, “Yes, God is not a stock broker”.  And I was comfortable with my lot in life and continued as I had for thousands of days.

But if you’ve read my blogs before, you know it didn’t stop there.  Because even though SO FAR I’ve talked about money (as, seriously, it has been the main focus of my life in many ways), God’s Favor is not JUST about money.

I mean, let’s review some basic principles:

  • We talk about the “Good News” all the time, but what does that MEAN????  Pastor has taught me for maybe the first time in my life that this means Jesus came to have a RELATIONSHIP with me!  Romans 8:33-39 says, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
  • The relationship Jesus wants is with EVERYONE!  So stop thinking He is sitting there waiting for you to screw up so he can beat you or expel you or he’s waiting for you to get that suit or to clean up your life…..Jesus wants YOU because he LOVES you!  Not your money, not your good actions (“good intentions?), or anything you probably have envisioned today.
  • Pastor made me realize that God’s Favor is not just about money.  It’s about PEACE.  Jesus has been called the Prince of Peace.  And that Prince was sent to earth to DIE for us so that we could have salvations and HIS PEACE.  And who would say, “Hey, I don’t want God’s Favor if it means His Peace in my life!”  Because, logically, do you really think Jesus would go through all He went through – even through a very painful and agonizing death – just so you could wallow in the same place you lived before you met Him?  Doesn’t make much sense, huh?  And, when my LOGIC started allowing those thoughts to bounce inside my thick skull, something miraculous began……Jesus’ Peace started sneaking into my life……
  • And it’s funny, for me when that Peace started manifesting itself in small ways for me, other things started showing up, too.  Like I don’t know – faith, love, acceptance, praise for my Lord, empathy for others…….the list goes on.
  • TO BE CONTINUED…….

When All Else Fails….

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

This has been a trend lately, but God has been teaching me something big recently.  I am thankful that He loves me SO MUCH that he has surrounded me with faithful and loving followers who teach His Word, love me, and help me to remove the boulders from my eyes and heart.

I have been a Christian for over 25 years, and I have matured in many ways.  Yet prayer has always been a “thing” for me.  What do I mean?  Well, first I have always had NO problem praying for others – I pray with a full heart and full knowledge that Jesus hears me and blesses the person I am praying for.  Yet, when it comes to praying for ME, it is more of an insurance policy I guess.   Or something to do “when all else fails”.  And I’ve come to realize that, when I WOULD pray for myself or my circumstances, I would not really believe that it “would stick” and that I still needed to fret about the issue, or try to fix the issue.  Or I would pray because, well that’s what Christians are supposed to do.  It’s our tradition.  I’m not proud about this, but it’s true.

Recently, my church installed a Prayer Box, a beautifully constructed and ornate container where all of our prayers can be placed.  We have little, anonymous sheets of paper to write our request on.  I thought it was a great thing to do for our congregation, although given my admissions above, I wasn’t sure it would impact me significantly.  And that’s when God took over (and, I have to admit, He has been working on my life in other areas that have been significant as well).

You see, as life would have it, there was a pretty darn significant problem Deana and I were facing.  One that followed me around, that caused me to lose sleep, that made me think I could not succeed.  It was like a black cloud that was always present, always threatening to pour out the most devastating strorm upon me and my family.  I had mentioned this issue to a few close friends at church, I had prayed to the Lord about it, and yet the cloud remained and the cycle continued without anything changing – including progress on the issue itself.

Then a week ago Sunday, my church held a special Bible Study on prayer and we were also called to write down our prayers.  As the congregation placed those prayers in the Prayer Box – myself included – the congregation came together and collectively prayed for those requests.  In my heart nothing changed – I went through the motions and even convinced myself for the thousandth time that “this time it (my actions and the subsequent outcome) was going to be different”.

And that’s the crux of this post…….something WAS different!  I didn’t notice it right away, but little things started throwing me off.   I got a sense of dropping soething at church, losing something of importance.  I would pat my pocket – nope, got my phone.  Did I leave the keys at church?  No, they’re in my purse.  This went on that day……little panic moments of  “oh my gosh, do I have this?” or “do I have that?”.  Hard to explain, but the rest of Sunday was like that.

I went on with my day and soon came down with the flu, which really knocked me out.  This would usually throw me in a horrible cycle, because I am a workaholic and missing work is stressful to me.  But I told work I needed to heal because a big project was beginning later in the week.  Deana looked at me like I was this crazy person that had had my body snatched by aliens.  I remember laying in bed thanking God for the peace that surrounded me, something that I truly loved but often I didn’t allow to envelope me as I filled the mote around me with stress and anguish.  I basked in that for two days, refusing to try to recover from the flu AND work and thanked God that I was not fired on the spot.  🙂

I know this doesn’t SOUND like a miracle, but it was…….

Anyway, that’s when the proverbial “dun dun dun” music jumps in.  I get a call from Deana and she says that “the issue” that had plagued us beyond measure and that could have had such devastating results on our life had been resolved…..and more perfectly than even I (the so-called perfectionist) could have orchestrated.  The words she spoke did not register at first……they were almost spoken in a different language as the facts sunk into my thick skull……..

And then it hit me, the thing that I “had lost” and was subconsciously looking for since having left church the Sunday before.  You see, during the prayer session at church, the request I had placed in the Prayer Box was that this issue would no longer rule my life and that it would be resolved.  Simple, clear, and at the time I wrote it, seemingly impossible.  So YES, Jesus answered that prayer PERFECTLY.  IT WAS RESOLVED!  But the BIGGER blessing for me is still like a resounding bell surrounding me…….

For, I can honestly say I didn’t worry about “the issue” after church, the next day……it had left me like a cell phone that had been left on a table in the rush to get to work.  It had left my heart and mind in such a way that I felt like a piece of me had been pulled out, but in such a way that I just couldn’t place my finger on it.  And the Peace that filled its place was so POWERFUL it was like a blanket on a freezing night or a seatbelt on a roller coaster.

My Lord loves me enough that He taught me that there is perfection in GIVING things to Him.  He taught me I can pray to him and not hold onto the thing(s).  He taught me He loves me enough that he REALLY DOES hear me, and I don’t have to act like He is one of my friends who have their own lives and concerns and worries, and He  REMEMBERS me.  Ah, this list goes on and on.

Am I “totally fixed” today?  I am not sure.  I fear that I will regress to the “doubting Gina” that goes through the motions again.  Yet, God is teaching me that fear really has no place in my life.  Can I grow in this area?  Absolutely!  But I can tell you this with full confidence – I am learning, and I am not alone!  Jesus is my wingman and I am on a glorious journey!

Hello December!

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

Wow, 92% o f 2010 is GONE!  I guess it’s true that, as you get older, time moves faster!

While my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, my favorite month is December.  Maybe that’s because the month is my BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION MONTH!  Yes, you heard me right – I prefer to celebrate the anniversary of my birth over the entire month.  Part of that is to offset what I feel was a huge “jipped” childhood that often combined my birthday presents with my Christmas presents (note:  my parents did not do that).  Or maybe it’s because I know how to milk it so people fall for my tricks!  🙂

In any case, let the celebration begin!  As I sit here writing this, it is 30 degrees outside and yes, it FEELS like December!  I hope that, wherever you are, you are enjoying your day and staying warm!

My Year In Reflection

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

…..not to be confused with my ANNUAL Year in Review!  This post is reflecting on my 42nd year of life.  🙂

As I begin the countdown to my 43rd Birthday (down to 6 days at the time of this writing), I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to reflect on all the things that God has done for me during the last (almost) 365 days!

  • My 42nd year started with a bang, as Deana and I happened to be in Edinburgh, Scotland.  In fact, we flew home on my birthday, so it was the longest lasting birthday I had ever experienced!  It went on, and on, and on……..(“Yep, it’s still your birthday!)
  • With barely enough time to re-adjust to the California time zone after leaving Scotland, I jumped on a plane to Dallas, Texas to attend the two job interviews that had been scheduled during my Great Britain trip.  A three day trip turned into a permanent stay, as I received a job offer five days in and started the next day!
  • Of course, moving out of state is a big ordeal, and 98% of the logistics were handled by Deana.  She really helped beyond words!
  • The new job definitely has been a change for me!  Project Management, software support, accounting, sales type work all mashed into one! Add business traveling and BAM – it was the best of times, it was the worst of times!  🙂
  • I lived through “the worst snow storm in Texas in 40 years”, something amazingly heroic since, as a Californian, I have never really driven in snow for my entire life.  (Not to mention, having to live in 13 or so degree weather in general was HARSH for this wimpy woman!)
  • In March, we were able to lease our own place – a lovely (and large) home in a nice neighborhood.  This was accomplished in great part by a miracle that came directly from God.
  • In April 2010, Deana and I found what was to become of home church – Crossroads Community Church.  We went there via a recommendation from our California Pastor, and have been blessed ever since!  I have been able to be part of the Worship Team as one of their drummers (and even played the electric guitar this past Sunday – can you say nervous?), and have been totally blessed by teaching Sunday School as well.  God has definitely stretched me in ways I cannot fathom.
  • In May/June I was hospitalized for the first time in my life, apart from childbirth.  I can’t say this was something I was very excited about when it occurred (who is, really?), nor do I really like the medical bills that still linger, but I am VERY thankful that God protected me and has restored my health through the wonderful medical team at Baylor.
  • No tattoos during my 42nd year!
  • I was able to witness huge changes in my kids!  Kirstie, who turned 20, worked through some tough issues in her life and also moved out of state!  (No, not to Texas).  Kenny has changed the most physically, growing several inches and has begun to look more like a man than a boy.  Josh continues to grow and has expanded his singing by joining a choir.  Zack’s front teeth have slowly appeared after playing hide and seek for over a year!  Sophia has become more and more like me, with her spunky sassiness and confidence.  I am really being brief here, but these five individuals made my year amazingly fun!
  • I sat through way more baseball and soccer games than I care to admit!  Some games took place during 100+ degree weather, while others around 40 degrees!  Ah, Texas weather!
  • In June we added Ninja Cat Wylie to our household.  He has actually brought more happiness to me than I would have thought possible.
  • In July, Gracie went missing and has not returned.  A part of me is gone with her, and at times I am overwhelmed with grief.  But I try to remind myself that God loves her too and I know she is happy somewhere.
  • In August, after several false starts, state teaching credential work for the expected teaching gig, and prayers – Deana obtained a job with the City of Dallas.  This, we believe, was a direct answer to prayer!   Oh, and she is NOT a teacher, so we shall see what God has up His sleeve long term!
  • I have lost relationships and gained relationships.  And slowly I am learning that I can trust God to work things out for His glory, as He sees fit.
  • I have extremely blessed by Deana, my soulmate, and love the life we’ve built together.
  • I have been able to save many people from being duped/abused by someone from my past, thanks to this site.
  • I cut my hair REALLY SHORT (thanks to the outrageous Texas heat!) – it shocked my system! – and now am beginning the process of growing it out.
  • I have lost over 25 pounds since moving to Texas.  I think it might be closer to 35, but I am not sure as I didn’t really weigh myself often as I knew I was out of control working at Dupars with all that fattening food!
  • I know I am forgetting something – I will post this now and revise as needed.

Being a Good Daughter

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

I will start this by saying, while overall I have always been a perfectionist, I have usually failed miserably.  I have gotten B’s on papers, disappointed people, made bad decisions, and otherwise “failed” at the whole perfection thing.  My view about myself changed dramatically when I accepted Christ at the age of 16, but the psychological drive to be perfect is much harder to let go.  But one area where I’ve always known I’ve done a pretty good job for most of my life is being a daughter.

I always followed the rules – I was a “good girl” who honored my parents.  I was respectful.  I was not promiscuous, I didn’t drink, and I certainly didn’t do drugs.  I did what they said and I didn’t ask WHY (at least not vocally) and believed the fact that they were my bosses.  I trusted their views in religion, politics, how family dynamics worked, and that their way of raising children was the norm.  And, truth be known, much of my childhood I look back on with fondness.  But it also is true that I was very much, by birth or otherwise, a child that wanted very much to please her parents.  I did whatever I could to make them proud of me, of the fact that I was their child and that they could know that I would do whatever I could to make THEM look good, as my parents.  And that worked for me well – I often heard they were proud of me, I was given what I perceived as more freedom and responsibility than my younger brother because of it.  And it made me want to work harder at conforming to the “image” that fed that acceptance and pride.

To be completely candid, I lived much of my life feeling as if I was the “favored child” in my family.

I also believed that my parents, especially my Dad, were the only people in the entire world that would love me NO MATTER WHAT.  I remember when I became a Christian and a few women shared that they had a hard time viewing Jesus as a loving God because they felt no love from their physical fathers, this thought was so foreign to me.  I mean, MY Dad loved me so so so much and so so so well that reaching out and accepting the love of Christ was very easy for me.  My Dad was the model for the love of Jesus in so many ways.

I don’t want to diminish that at all.  It was true and real and I am very thankful for the life I’ve been given.  And often these memories sustain me when all else looks bleak.

However, life is funny.  I am a grown woman now, and there are aspects of my life that are very different from that of my parents.  After years of being a diehard Republican, I am leaning (oh who am I kidding?  I’ve plunged in many ways) to a more liberal political agenda.  I am no longer living to please others with my life as much as I am being honest about my desires, views, feelings………not at the expense of others per se, but I am no longer a mirror to those around me as I agree with whatever so I can be “approved” or “accepted” by them.  I am honest about my sexuality and proclaim (or at least not deny) that I am in love with Deana and we are making a life together with our kids and our God and we are good people.  I am more honest now than I’ve ever been, even though that honesty has caused many around me to cut me out of their lives.

And yet, over the last two years especially, I’ve dealt with what I perceive to be the loss of a huge part of the love that has sustained me.  It was painful at first.  Oh, who am I kidding?  It’s still painful in many ways.  There are times when I say I understand and tell myself to just let it go, that it would be wrong for me to force key people in my life to love me – that my honesty about myself and my choices should not mean they have to accept them, although I had hoped they would continue to accept ME.  Then there are other times when I am angry – when I want to point out that I am the same person I’ve been for 43 years, the same honorable daughter, but that I happen to be a lesbian, and an honest one at that.  And then there are times when I want to say, like a little girl who used to be held in those arms that made me feel I was in the safest place in the world – I resent that you’ve taken this love from me and shattered my world.  I resent that you’ve broken this fairy tale for me in this way, and you haven’t even given me the opportunity of knowing WHY but instead cut me out of your life to the point where I no longer want to call and where even sending emails and texts are painful as I know you won’t return them.  But usually, I end up being angry at myself, because I let you control me even now, as a grown woman, and all really (as I perceive it) because I am the same person I have always been, but I no longer conform to what you expected of me.  Maybe I am wrong, but I have nothing else to base it on.

So, after analyzing this concept on and off for 24 or so months, I have come to the following conclusion – being a “good daughter” is not doing everything to please your parents, although there are times when you DO have to conform to household rules.  Being a good daughter is loving your parents, even when they do things you don’t agree with.  Being a good daughter is sharing memories with your own kids, and raising them with the qualities you appreciate and which you learned from your parents.  Being a good daughter is standing with pride knowing the heritage that is running through your veins, and which continues in your children as well.  Being a good daughter is loving your parents even when they have rejected you for whatever reason, and you don’t hold it against them anymore.  But it ALSO means letting go of the perceived guilt and no longer being held hostage to it. I am the same daughter I have always been, and I am proud of the person I am……..except I won’t let you treat me like I am 10 and no longer following your unspoken rules.

So, today I will feel the loss of you from my life – as I have pretty much everyday since this separation has happened – but I am no longer HELD by it.  Because today I will smile at the good times, be a little sad that you’ve chosen not to be involved in my life going forward, and will rest in the fact that I am loved AND accepted even now – by my wife, by my FIVE children, by my friends, and by my Jesus – NO MATTER WHAT.  And I am cool with that.  But I will always miss you.  And, if by chance someday you change your mind and want to interact with your daughter again, I will be here for you.

New Look, Same Feel

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

So I realized a few days ago that I had used the same theme for this blog for over two years.  I was feeling, let’s just say, BORED with the theme.  So, I am venturing out into new realm by changing the theme.  But this blog will remain pretty much the same boring place!  🙂 Let me know if you have any suggestions, complaints, or the like.

So I was reading the news this morning and giggled a bit with this article, which quotes Meghan McCain calling Christine O’Donnell a “nut job”.  You may know Meghan, daughter of John, as often refuting her father’s political stances.  Whether you are a strong Republican or not – and God Love you and this country whether you are or not – Meghan makes some good points.  But for me, the fact that O’DOnnell  is back-pedalling from her evangelical roots is of great concern.  Remember, I am a Christian, received my B.S. from a Christian University that believes that our world view affects our decisions.  Part of my education was to help me have a Biblical World View, in hopes of changing the world a bit to align with my evangelical background.  And I agree that you should align your beliefs across the board, or at least acknowledge where there are gaps and investigate.  I am not saying I am GOOD at it, but I TRY.  But statements like, “My faith has influenced my personal life. My faith hasn’t really influenced my politics.” kind of freak me out. This same woman claims separation of church and state is “a myth”, yet she can separate her faith from her politics.  Makes me go HMMMMMMMMM.

I have also learned that I should just let the idiots have the parking space.  My heart goes out to the office that perished.

I have had my issues with US Airways before, but this guy had a tough day!  I think he’s taken the high road for sure.

SO that’s my update for now.  My wireless keyboard is acting up, so I am taking off.

Gina OUT

 

 

 

Traveling to “The City”

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

I have been fortunate enough to be giving the opportunity to be trained on the latest version of AccountMate – the software package I support through my employment.  My employer signed me up and has sent me to my home state, to the beautiful city of San Francisco!  Yeah!  I am blessed.  Too bad the training wasn’t set in SOUTHERN California!

But true to form, I have some traveling scars!  So of course I want to share them with YOU, my 2.78 readers!

First of all, I am a little OCD about traveling – I generally like to be at the airport 2 hours before my flight is scheduled to leave, even for domestic flights.  My thing is that you never know when there will be a car accident or other things out of your control that will delay your forward motion to the airport.  This philosophy has caused stress on my family members at times, as many of them are late to EVERYTHING, so having me freak out because we are behind the 2 hour rule stresses them out (and, well, to be honest I am pretty stressed, too!).  But for this trip, it was all me…….

In this case, I am glad that I am OCD, because there was a SERIOUS accident on the main freeway I needed to take, which SERIOUSLY delayed my driving time.  What should have taken me 1 hour took me 2!  But I need to divulge something…….I actually left even earlier than I was supposed to, because I was going to a long-term parking lot I’d never been to and I was not sure how efficient they were, so I had plugged more time there “just in case”.  So even with this delay, I got to the airport 2 hours before my flight.  LOL

ANYWAY. DFW is a very large airport and they are very efficient in the security area, etc.  I got in very quickly and found my gate and settled in.  I am reading a very good book right now – biographies on Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots and how their very lives worked to create animosity between the two.  Very interesting and it was nice to have down time to enjoy it.  But soon it was very apparent that the boarding was delayed, as “the plane was still being cleaned”.  At this point I usually get nervous in general, because now that AA charges for checking bags, EVERYONE has carry on bags and many are pretty darn big.  So I was stressing as I was in group 4 and I was concerned that there would not be room for my bag.  I admit, I have never had that happen to me, but I have ALWAYS stressed about this and the new rules made this anxiety worse for me.  But I chose to not freak out and be especially nice to those around me……..

In this case, I easily found a space and was very pleased to see the other passengers assist to help strangers find room, too.  So the anxiety was unnecessary.

So we got settled, but the time to take off just kept going.  We were scheduled to take off at 12:25pm, and I easily could see that we had passed that by about 15 minutes.  I was concerned but what could I do?  I was very glad I didn’t have to catch a connecting flight, so really there was no reason for me to stress…..

Suddenly, the captain got on the speaker and said that Maintenance was reviewing a mechanical problem and that a decision was pending as to if we would be taking off or if we’d need a new plane.  Said decision was expected within 10 minutes.  So, 20 minutes later we were told that the decision was that we needed a new plane.  Really, my only stress at this point was if the NEXT flight would have room for my luggage in the overhead compartment!  🙂

This situation reminded me of the times I’d fly to Dallas to visit Deana and the kids when they were living in Frisco and I had not yet moved.  During that time I was stranded more than once due to mechanical issues, and yes those were with AA as well!  So this new situation was a reminder of days gone by.

Anyway, I am of the mind that I’d prefer not to fly on a mechanically unfit plane, so the change was not horrible.  And I have to say, I was pleased to hear our new gate was very close – DFW is a HUGE airport and the hub for AA, so it could have easily been an ordeal.  Our flight, when all was said and done, took off by 2:40pm so that’s not bad.  And truthfully, my first seat was kind of broken so the new plane offered a more comfortable ride. 

But now for the fun part!  PEOPLE!  They ALWAYS seem to provide me plenty of material on this blog!

First, there was a young guy on the first flight that, once he heard there was a possibility that the flight would be grounded, he got on the phone right away with AA and got his name on a totally different flight.  I have no problem with that.  But once the announcement was made that we WERE changing planes, he bolted out of his seat and almost mowed the guy in front of him and put his stupid little “I am an important person” ass right in my face.

I have to say, why do people on planes often think THEY are more important and should be let off the plane before the people in rows ahead of them  This is very common on planes and too often I feel the need to teach them airport etiquette.  (Of course, people who are about to miss their connecting flight do not fall into this category.)  This was no exception, especially since I now had an ass in my face.  (I was on the aisle).  So I stood and said, “wow, so much for being a courteous traveler!”  The gentleman across from me, who was mowed over, looked at me, smiled, and I knew he was a good guy.  Of course, we had to wait a while as we were in the 18th row and there were about 85 people ahead, and the nice man and I had no problem with that.  But “ass man” seemed to become more agitated with each moment.  As it got closer to our ability to move, the nice man says to me, “Go ahead and get ahead of me.”  I smiled and said thank you, and then he adds, “I hope I earned points for that one.”  I replied, “Well, you certainly did!  I have been shown that chivalry is not dead and that others are not selfish.  I will certainly make mention of you on my blog!”  Ass Man was FURIOUS, especially since I would not push forward until the rows ahead of me got their bags, etc.

It was SWEET!

Oh, and Ass Man was not on our replacement flight.  🙂  But, true to form, the person that got his seat didn’t know or care about letting the rows ahead of him exit first, either.  THE IRONY!

Now, for my seat mates.  Next to me was a man I’d guess was in his late 40’s or early 50’s.  He was a small man, about my height (5’ 6”) although he had a nice build.  He was attractive by American standards.  What was GROSS, at first at least, was that his obvious girlfriend was close in age to my daughter……EARLY 20’s!  I don’t know, that just grossed me out but maybe I’m not being fair.  But that was not all that bothered me.  First of all, he was one of those loud “everyone should listen to me because 1) I’m good looking and 2) what I have to say is meaningful” talkers.  Additionally, his girlfriend had the same view of HER conversation!  So that bugged.  But then it quickly came to realization that Mr. Small Arrogant Guy had a bladder of a peanut because he asked me every 10 minutes to let him out.  It was further aggravated by the fact that he ALSO asked to get up to get into his overhead bag 3 times, to get water twice (hello, small bladder), and really just expected me to move without any problem.  He also had no respect for my personal space, not even pretending to not put his drinks right in my face and wait for the Flight Attendant to get them, etc.  But don’t worry, two hours in I pretended to sleep and he was VERY antsy.  LOL. Oh, and before that I put my iPod on so I wouldn’t have to hear their stupid conversations.

Once I landed at SFO, things were easy.  Got the shuttle to the hotel, checked in, and then met up with some of my co-workers for dinner.  The hotel is very nice and, because of the time change, it felt great to “sleep in”!  (5:30am local time = 7:30am “body time”).  NICE.

So now, here I sit writing this blog in Word as I don’t have internet access and am filling “down time” with my thoughts here.  I can check my mail on my iPhone, so that’s cool.  Oh, and Facebook.  Important!  J  BUT, I just got an email from my COO saying that I need to buy the internet access for work, so WHOOT!  I will do that later today as it covers 24 hours so that way I will have it throughout the day tomorrow, too.

It is NICE to be in California again!  Wish I had friends and family close enough to visit.  But seeing the sky and water – AWESOME!  Well, not that there isn’t sun in Texas, but you know what I mean.