Saturday, August 22, 2009

Ocupational Hazards

Being a flight attendant is the most glamorous job to be had. You get to visit, in my case, America in all of its glory for free. You don't have to pay for the hotels either! When the companies recruit you, they tell you about the benefits of flying for free, you only work for four days out of the week, and like the "Devil Wears Prada," "A million girls would die for your job."

I have had this job for almost four years and have had a pretty good time with it. I have only had one near death experience, two melt downs, and a few parties. Now what they didn't tell you when recruiting you is that passengers will grab your bum, it can be hotter than HELL in an airplane, you don't get paid the entire time you are at work( ie work a 16 hr day and you get paid for maybe 8), there are not lunch breaks, but it's okay we are unionized, people automatic know how to do you job better and come argue with you about it. But the best kept secret is the hotels. Many won't change the sheet, just remake the bed. I have to ripe my bed apart every day to make sure the next crew member gets fresh sheets. Now, after almost four years it is the first time for me to get bed bugs. I was staying at the Shreveport Holiday Inn, and I heard from one of my friends that this hotel had roaches. I was nervous to say here, but what choice did I have since I never had bug problems in the hotels I thought she was exaggerating. I woke up at 5 am and was putting on my makeup when I felt something painful on my foot. I looked and a little black bug was on my foot! I brushed it off and I went to go put my socks and shoes on. By the time I put my socks on three more bugs appeared and were eating me. I had the bites for three weeks at least.I have been avoiding Shreveport ever since!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Happy Pioneer Day--late

For good 'ole pioneer day in Georgia (which is not celebrated in Georgia), Daniel and I went to the ward activity. It was a retro activity. What would pioneers do for fun (and not so much for fun)? We had Dutch Oven cooking (which a real master was on it and we had some great beans and chicken pineapple thingy), a pie contest, wheat grinding, tug of war, and veggie car races (I know like the pioneers would waste their winter supply to make cars go down a ramp). Daniel and I really got into this wheat grinding. I personally have never seen a wheat grinder until that day, but I know that my mother has tins and tins of wheat that has probably gone bad at home. One of Daniel's primary boys was grinding a mass quantity for fun. We told him he had to make it finer for bread and that I would make him a loaf if he would grind it. He had at least 30 cups of wheat already ground at this point. He started to put it through again and Daniel and I started to laugh because we were making this kid do all of the work so we could get some bread out of it. Other people would try to shoo this boy away to another activity, but he was dead set on getting his wheat ground for bread. Daniel and I kept laughing because it looked like we were hard task masters. Anyway we didn't get time to run the flour through one more time, so our flour was a little course and my bread ended up being a little flat, but I do have enough to make three more loafs. The bread was still pretty good.