March 2009

I’ve been groovin’ to this song for the past week or so and finally found a video to go along with it.

I must be getting old. I find the guys on the dance floor in this video to be wicked hot (especially around 1:40) and I really appreciate the carefree attitude everyone seems to have whilst they’re partying.

Enjoy “Feelings” by The Grass Roots. The clip is from the movie “With Six You Get Eggroll”.

045.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

So after a few years of doing this on-call thing I have finally discovered what makes it a little easier to get through an evening of doing the work thing.

I need to shed my work clothes as soon as I get home and get comfortable. Once I’m in gear that feels good I am good to go and feel like I can accomplish anything.

I’m in full blown geek mode this week and I’m kind of enjoying it. I have a few computer projects in progress in the basement and I’m going to be selling a BUNCH of stuff very soon. I think I’m going to list what I have for sale here first and then if no one bites after a week or so I’m going to list it on ebay. I’d rather have my old computers go to someone that stops by and work out a deal that way.

By the way, I’m very proud of the Irish in me (and celebrate the fact that I’m the only one of my generation on both sides of the family that has red hair) and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick’s Day. I hope you’re celebrating safely.

So I’m sitting on the aforementioned Delta flight to “Northern Kentucky”. Today’s flight attendant is Niki. She is very friendly and easy to understand on the intercom.

She said one thing during the safety announcement that I really appreciated: “While I am here primarily for your safety, if you need you assistance I’d be happy to help you.” I’m sure many flight attendants say this (though it’s the first time I’ve heard it in a long while), it seems that few passengers remember this. This makes me a little angry.

Flight attendants are well trained individuals that are there for the safety of the passenger and in case of an emergency. Whilst many think they are there to be a servant, this is hardly the case. Barking at a flight attendant is not only rude, but it is evidence of a misconception of what they are there for. The whole pop and peanuts thing is a courtesy on their behalf.

I have mentioned before that I enjoy flying. I’m a bit of an aviator geek. I know what type of plane I’m on, usually how old it is and who owns it (usually a leasing company). I know when a pilot turns ‘base’ and ‘final’ on an approach and I can almost always identify the moment that our wheels should leave the runway. I know where all exits are, even if they are behind me.

I still pay attention to every safety announcement and follow along with the information card in the seat pocket in front of me. It’s the responsible thing to do. I wish more people would put the paper down or shut up during the announcements. They’re not doing a stand up routine up there, they are sharing important information.

And one other thing. Every passenger on the plane has paid something in some way to get a seat. No matter the method of payment, your credit card isn’t better than anyone else’s. Sitting in seat 9A does not entitle you to any special treatment over the person in seat 9B.

So as an aviation geek that enjoys flying, loves a flight attendant and wants the experience to be a beautiful thing for all involved, I ask everyone to make an effort to be a friendly, responsible passenger.

Thank you and enjoy your flight.

043.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

So I am sitting at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, awaiting my flight home. I have a short layover in Cincinnati, which is suspiciously in Kentucky. That airport in Cincinnati can’t be as busy as they planned it would be because they have that whole Terminal C being closed thing going on. I understand that’s a relatively new phenomenon according to airliners.net, but it is a little disconcerting to board a crappy bus and then shoot across taxiways and runways between arriving and departing flights.

I’m just saying.

My trip to OKC has been both productive and quite enjoyable. I could get all insightful in this blog post about a renewed spirit and such but then it would seem like I say that a lot and my spirit would be about worn out from all the renewing that it’s been getting lately. Let’s just say that I feel really good and energised and that I’m ready for my next challenge. Let’s see if I feel that way three or four days from now when I’m in the midst of an on-call week.

Last night I went out for one more drink and browse around the gayborhood near the Habana in Oklahoma City. I hung out with Olivier et all for a bit before calling it a night around 1:00 a.m. and heading back to the hotel. I know I had more fun last night than I normally would because I didn’t drink any alcohol. This not drinking thing is working quite well for me.

I was ready to breeze through security this morning like a well seasoned traveler, but I inadvertently left my boarding pass in the snappy plastic bin they have to run through the xray machine and that hosed up the process a little bit. It’s a good thing that the folks at OKC are so jovial. The attendant still referred to me as “sweetheart”. That’s one thing I love about this area; you can be as dumb as a box of rocks and still be a sweetheart.

I should remember that.

Now, if she had said “bless your heart” I knew I would have been in trouble because that implies pity, but she didn’t say that so I didn’t get worked up.

They just announced that the flight is oversold and they are offering “Delta Dollars” to give up your seat. Hmmm, tempting…

042.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

So today after lunch with friends I took a road trip to Dallas and back. I was originally just going to dip into Texas a little bit and then head back to Oklahoma City but since I already most of the way there I kept on driving until I got to almost Dallas. Then I saw a sign that said “President George Bush Turnpike” or something like that, found that it unnerved me, and turned around and headed back to Oklahoma.

I amused myself by listening to the large number of religious stations on the radio. I thought there were a lot of these stations in Upstate New York, Texas has them beat hands down. It’s amazing to hear what people believe. They have the right to free speech just as anyone else does, but sometimes it does boggle the mind. It’s always productive to hear the thoughts of others.

All in all the drive helped me digest what I learned in the training over the past couple of weeks and clear out my head so I’m ready for the trip back home tomorrow.

I’m in this oldies mood lately and here’s one of my favourite dance tracks from the 60s. I’m glad I found this video as I usually picture that Red Lobster commercial with the lobsters running around when this plays in my head.

I am not a good singer by any stretch of the imagination (I do better singing backups with the mic turned down low if I have to be on stage at all), but nevertheless sometimes it’s good to bust out in song when you hear something good on the radio.

I have fallen in love with KOMA 92.5 here in Oklahoma. They play the Super Hits of the 60s and 70s. I think I’m burned out on dance music. This is the type of music I needed to hear.