Simply doing the right thing

Yesterday, I had to commute to work. I do this weekly. I fly to Vegas to start a trip. I work 3 days or 5 days, then I fly home. Sometimes when flights are full, I can't get to work. This is a bummer when I plan specific trips for things that I want to do, ie plan a NYC overnight so I can tour the city or see a show, and I can't get to work, so my trip plans have to be cancelled. God forbid, I end up someplace like Little Rock, Arkansas, instead.
On the other hand, sometimes there is a crew member who wants to be released and is looking for someone to work the last leg in to their base. This opens up the opportunity for me to work my way into my base and make money on my commute. It is also a bonus for the crew member who wants to go home early.
Yesterday, this was the case. I got to work my way into Vegas and make extra money.
Once I got to base, I had a few hours to kill, so I jumped online and tried to trade and manage my trips for next month. As I sat in the crew lounge, the  phone rang in the office. Scheduling needed 3 crew members to go to the terminal and board a flight. Long story short, even though I was not on the clock, I agreed to go board this flight and help out. This would not only help other crew members who would be rushing to get to the new aircraft, but also help the company. Less delays, less fines.
I look at everything as how will this affect not only the company, but me as well. I have a vested interest in the profits of my company as it directly affects my profit sharing and retirement future.
Needless to say, they needed 3 people to help out, and believe it or not, people sitting in the area refused to go up, spend 20-30 minutes of their day to help out.
This is amazing to me.
The supervisor, who had to go help out, in lieu of a crew member (which is absolutely acceptable) thanked me for volunteering. It occurred to me, the only answer was yes, simply because it's the right thing to do.
The right thing to do has nothing with compensation, or acknowledgement. Knowing that I am living the best life and being the best me I can be is truly a great reward. I am healthy. I have a great family. I am free in America, and at least I have a job. We are all connected. I show up because I committed to show up, not just when someone gives my twenty five bucks to stand in the light of what I committed to.
Why can't we all just take care of each other because it is the right thing to do?
It occurred to me that I was lucky enough to earn extra money coming in to work, and my positioning made it possible for me to even be in the space to help out. But, I thought, every time I do the right thing, good things will happen for me. When you withhold goodness and favor for others, what can you possibly be accountable for in your life? You get what you give. You give negativity, you live in the shadows of your disdain for self.
Helping your neighbor is generating positivity in the universe. Be the light, not the shadow.

Declining Hotness of Flight Attendants

Well!
I will say, that initially offended by the mere topic of this article, I thought about the declining hotness of America in general.
What happened to men wearing suits on a business trip? Remember the blog about the guy in his flip flops and a suit? When did it become OK to wear pajamas and sweatpants in public, much less across the country on a public mode of transportation.
I do appreciate the photo of the Southwest Flight Attendant that apparently was the model of Flight Attendant hotness back in the day...and today (if you ask me).
We could discuss the depreciation of hotness and glamor in general, but that would be preaching to the choir...I know. I say we could all use a boost. Put a little more care into our public appearance. Have some self respect for presenting ourselves to the public. But, therein is the difference between the folks on the cover of Intouch magazine and those holding it in the grocery store lane, whilst pandering for a cigarette in their house slippers.

Crazy and Crazy

I was on a bus from the Dulles airport to downtown D.C. this past week. There was a homeless woman on the bus as well. She had been working some of the tourists for bus fare prior to getting on the bus. Talking to herself and spouting comments to appear more outrageous than she was, in my opinion.
She boarded the bus, without enough fare, and proceeded to yell at the driver that she was looking for the fare and/or she would do whatever it was she had done last week to get on the bus. I did not really catch the entire conversation at this point because I realized she was simply a hustler and I don't bite.
But, as her luck would have it, a good looking Indian businessman boarded the bus (after her rant) and she appealed to his upperclass guilt, with doe eyes and a quiet, sad story (which I couldn't hear at this point, not because I wasn't trying, but because she had lowered her tone to evoke sympathy) and he gave her the couple dollars she was missing.
As we crossed into the city, the driver pointed out the Arlington cemetery, and the Pentagon, and  as he was giving directions to the Memorial and the White House, this "crazy" woman burst into song. The Nigerian national anthem. Void of any respect for those of us, he was speaking to on the bus, and void of any respect for the historical information he was volunteering about this, OUR, great nation's capital. This woman simply interrupted to redirect attention to herself and basically cockblock the impromptu tour he was giving the tourist (me) on the bus.
See, I spoke to the driver before I boarded. I told him I was traveling. He knew where I was going and that I needed direction, not only to my destination, but back to the bus to get back to the airport as well. So, his information was important to me personally, but she didn't know how many people on that bus wanted to hear what he had to say, she was simply being rude.
She assumed everyone would assume she was crazy. That is the conclusion people jump to when people do not follow the rules of society. Crazy. But, I know better. Hustler. Indignant, rude hustler. Pissed because she assumes she knows something about the Americans on this bus with her. The Americans that have money to dispense on frivolities, money to spend on this great life, money to throw away...so why shouldn't we give it to her? I'll tell you why. I have a big heart, and have no problem giving. What I have a problem with is those who take advantage.  She saw that businessman coming a mile away. She also saw me, and knew better. I don't play those games. Hustlers know what a mark looks like - this is why I knew she was a hustler. She chose whom to beg from. Hungry will ask everyone on the bus; everyone in the terminal for even just a quarter to get a bite to eat. Hustler's choose a mark to get as much as they can, and avoid those that will call them out.
So, I was already agitated by her presence. I hate people that take advantage of others. Get a fucking job...just like I did. Just like everyone else on that bus did.
On with the story...
As the bus driver was giving information on our nations capital, she began to sing. She intentionally sang over the words of the driver, and her loud rendition of the Nigerian national anthem was a vocal protest of this country. She could have been rude and chanted anything she wanted, but she wanted to prove a point and sing her country's national anthem. Again, fine, but if one is so inclined to overtalk someone to prove a point, ie "I have no respect for what you are saying, or your country", why don't you take your ass back to Nigeria? Sing it loud and sing it proud, but those of us who love this country and are not begging money off of other nationals would appreciate if you shut your mouth when you're talking at me.
Hustlers aren't crazy, they are leeches. Plain and simple.
And I'm not crazy enough to give you a red cent. Rude.

Bad Drivers and Bad Skiers

I realized today as I was enjoying a cruise down the big hill at Copper mountain that bad skiers are very much like bad drivers.
Bad drivers go too fast.
Bad drivers make careless mistakes that become accidents.
Bad drivers think they are invincible and have no regard for the other drivers around them.
Bad drivers like to blame other drivers for their aggression.
Bad skiers are exactly the same.
It's always someone else's fault when they run into someone.
Their speed and lack of control causes accidents.
They are as annoying as bad drivers and thankfully don't have cars on the mountain or they'd have far more victims.
As I merged into a hill that had many levels of skiers and riders coasting along, I heard the sound of crunchy snow near me. As I looked over my shoulder I noticed another skier very close to me. Too close. So, I slowed and she glided, swooshed, if you will, right past me. Unnecessarily close. There was plenty of mountain for all of us this day.
I thought to myself, why was that necessary? She was an adept skier. She had control of herself and her equipment, but in her mind, it was cute too get as close as possible to other good skiers, almost in a showdog sense. Annoying, at best. I crossed over to watch her from behind as she kept down the middle as she approached smaller children and less agile skiers.
It occurred to me, had my music been a  bit louder, or I hadn't felt her approaching and just crossed to the left by 2 inches, we would have collided. 2 inches. It is so unsafe and just plain rude to come up behind someone that fast and cut that close to them, and I still wonder, why people act the way they do?
What excitement it provides? Why the assholes always outweigh the courteous.

Travel and the ease of the Net

Traveling has become so easy nowadays I am surprised more people don't grab a  passport and go. I mean with sites like Travelocity and Yahoo Travel Guides, just to name a few, It's easy to get a package deal, if that's what you are into. Everything is click and go and it truly is that simple.

I prefer making my own itinerary, with my preferred destinations and different types of accommodations. I don't like staying in hotels in every city. I like B&B's. I love quaint apartments. I like the feel of the city without looking like a tourist everywhere I travel.

courtesy Europeworld.com

When I lived in Paris I had the opportunity to live in an apartment adjacent to the Seine. Waking up in the morning and taking a  run down the Seine to the original Statue of Liberty is probably something I could not have done had I chosen a hotel for my visit. But better than that, getting to know my neighbors, the shop keepers, the newsstand owners, the metro ticket cashiers...everyone that I came into contact with on a daily basis made my visit the unique experience that it was.

In preparation for London and Dublin this spring, I have found so many options in finding housing. I have looked at couchsurfing in one city, hotels, and apartments, and now I am coming across websites that offer even more choices. With websites and apps such as Yelp and Gowalla, I can pretty much land anywhere in the world and find something pleasing or interesting to do.
The options are endless and right at my fingertips.
Fantastic!

Perception is everything...but it don't mean shit

Again, I am reminded by the rantings of some, how I am perceived by the general public. You don't know me. You have never walked in my shoes. Yet, you look at my skin color, and my kids and the small percentage of my life that I expose to the public and think you know me. Then... have the arrogance to speak on it. On me. On what you think you know of me.
Fact: You don't know me.
You only know what I showed you.
Fact: Your arrogance is what prevented me from exposing more of myself.
You only have the small bits, bird crumbs of what I threw down for you to peck at.
That is what I do.
I throw out crumbs.
I observe. I rank loyalty. You lose.
It takes years to know me. Decades in fact.
Two years. Five years. Sneeze.
Achoo! It don't mean shit.
Have I shared my journals with you?
Have you seen family photos?
Do you know the suburb I grew up in?
How about my first cats name?
How about my Nana's first name?
Know the story behind the only spanking I ever got?
Do you know why I chose Boston University even though I had a full ride to Loyola?
How about my first car? Know what that was?
Know where I am retiring...and when?
Know my kids middles names? and birthdates?
How about what size underwear I wear?
Here's an easy one: How old was I when I started modeling? When I walked my 1st runway? How much I earned when I was 19 years old and the celebrity that changed my outlook on the industry?
Do you know what my first job in high school was?
How about where I worked in college?
Do you know why I love the Saints so much?
Know what my step father said to me that made me realize how much he despised my father?
Do you know what sorority my maternal grandmother belonged to?
Here's a good one, what tribe am I a direct descendant of and what percentage Native American am I?
Do you know which sibling is from which parent and step parent?
Do you know why I don't bake?
Then shut the fuck up.
You don't know shit.

The beautiful and disillusioned

Tonight, after running a ton of errands and ending up at the grocery and liquor store, I had someone tell me that they don't know what world I live in but in the real world, people do not get things handed to them as I do. I was totally offended. I do not get free stuff, nor expect anything gifted me... ever. 
What happened this evening was inexplicably due to the fact that I am a loyal customer and had nothing to do with the way I look. The fact that I had to explain this to someone was also offensive. The reference they made was pointed towards young, hot chicks that get into clubs free, and get free drinks and go on vacations where they never come out of pocket. This is not me.

After purchasing goods in a retail store, I realized I had forgotten a couple of staples that were required to make the main purchases a bit better, so I wandered over to the front of the store and picked up the extra items. When I returned the transaction was complete and had been paid for by credit card. I tried to add the additional items (which were under two dollars) and, too late, I handed the clerk my credit card to be alerted that there was a five dollar minimum. OK, I stated, "These items should have been with this group, but I was too slow...", at which time another clerk stepped in and said, "just pay the next time you are in". Super. This is  a neighborhood store and seemed reasonable to me.
My friend, waited until we left the store and said if I didn't look the way that I did, I would have had to pay for the items then and there. Well, I feel, my neighborhood retailers know me well enough to know that I am good for the buck and some change, and the way they treated me had nothing to do with how I look, but with the fact that they know I am good for the money and will be back.
I am a loyal and returning customer...even in 2012.
My friend stated, no way...no one else in my neighborhood would have gotten to walk out of the store with those items without paying. That girls get, "shit for free all the time".
 I was incensed that I had to argue, that I never get shit for free. I always pay my own way, I pick up drinks, I like to buy shots, I don't get in to clubs for free, well maybe sometimes, but not regularly, like he made it seem. I was so insulted, because it implied that I take advantage of people...which I don't.
And tomorrow, I will march right over to the store and hand over my one dollar and thirty cents so that no one thinks I think I deserve anything free.
This is actually totally bullshit, because if he hadn't said that, and people didn't look at me as if I expect free stuff, I probably wouldn't think anything of it. One dollar and thirty cents...nothing... and I'm sweating this, because one guy is certain that "girls like me" get shit for free all the time.