The First Trip

So my phone rings at about 3:30 am and I grab it and answer without a thought (I would later grasp the concept of always letting scheduling leave a message and returning their call later, but I digress) and the voice on the other end says, "is this ******, " and I answered  "Yes it is." She then said, " This is **** from scheduling and we have a trip for you." Aha! I hit the jack pot, not even 24 hours after graduating I get my first trip! This job is AMAZING, I was thinking! I was right but I would come to be VERY unimpressed with scheduling's calls! Anyway, she informed me that I was to report to the airport at 5:55 AM for a 6:55 AM flight to Washington D.C. (DCA), and I would remain overnight there and the next day I would fly back to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and then do a turn to Nassau (NAS) and back. I was very thankful that I had my first flight and I was getting a layover in DC. Could life get any better? Of course it can but at that moment it did not seem so!

I quickly woke my sleeping parents whom I had apparently snuggled with all night long. Kind of embarrassing for a guy who is... let’s just say 21 with 11 years’ experience! Anyway, I told them about my trip as I was running around my room making sure everything was in order. Of course I had pressed my new uniforms the night before just in case! I am sure it is not the first time either of them saw me in my underwear but it was the first time in at least 12 years! Once I was showered, shaved, dressed, and hair properly gelled so it would not move even in a hurricane, I spritzed on my cologne and off I went to the airport with my parents... in their SEMI...... I wanted to keep things as inconspicuous as I could you see. Now this was not just any old semi-truck, it was BRIGHT ASS ORANGE! I just wonder what everyone at the airport at 5:30 in the morning was thinking when they saw this big ol country male flight attendant crawling down out of a bright orange semi-truck with his luggage in tow? I bid my parents farewell, kisses and hugs were traded, and I was off to the crew room for the very first time.

After signing in on the computer, checking the notebook of must read files, and checking my personal V-File (in case anyone needed to reach me in the 12 hours since I had graduated), I needed to sign in on the crew sign in sheet. After inquiring with the supervisors I realized I was meeting a Detroit (DTW) based crew to finish out their trip. So off to the gate I went with my luggage in tow feeling like I was the king of the world.

I jumped to the front of the security line, this was going to be a great job! I put everything through the scanner as required, got re-assembled and off to the gate to meet my crew. I entered the plane all bright and eager, smiling and ready to go. I introduced myself to the two strikingly beautiful girls I would be flying with for the two day trip. Little did I know, that this trip was going to mark a moment in flying history. Well, my flying history anyway!

Back then, a trip consisted of the same cabin crew and flight deck crew for the entirety if he trip. So, we had the same captain who was a tall nerdy, yet silent type, the first officer who was just a handsome nice guy, and then the two beauties that would be teaching me the ropes. So, I was off to the back of the cabin to put away my bags and do my compliance and safety checks. Of the two beauties I was flying with, one was blonde and the other brunette. The brunette beauty was working in the back of the aircraft with me and the blonde beauty worked in the front as the lead flight attendant. The brunette thought it was so cute that I was so eager to do everything strictly by the book. She promised I would be a lot more relaxed within 6 months. Of course, after six months I would be off probation.

I had a really nice time on the flight up to Washington DC, until I realized we were getting closer to the ground. I saw tree tops! I remembered being told that sometimes the pilots forget to give “final”. So, I made it my business to run up and tell the girls I thought we were landing soon! You know, since I was so experienced at flying! However, they assured me that the captain would give final when it was time, and he did. I felt like a nice big idiot, but I would learn the ropes of flying soon enough! By the time we landed, the girls and I had made it our business to find out which way the first officer swung! He was a hottie and we all wanted to know who would get the kiss at the end of the trip! The blonde goddess had stated that her intentions were to be a "slam clicker" (for those who do not understand the lingo, I will put an index in the back of the book). The guy who had called out, that I was replacing, was supposed to be working on her computer so she prepared to be lazy in her room all night.

However, when we got to the hotel and checked in, first officer hottie, my brunette buddy, and I convinced her that she just HAD to go to eat with us, so we decided to meet at 3:30 in the lobby and go eat. We all go to our rooms, get out of the uniforms and put on street clothes. We meet in the lobby and for the most part we all look decent.... except for the blonde bombshell!! She is dressed in the most awful green sweat pants you have EVER seen! I am talking split pea soup green, baby poop green! They had double white stripes down the legs and to top it off, an oversized grey Michigan hoodie. Not exactly attire for a night out on the town, but we let her tag along anyway! If nothing else, we would have someone to laugh at all night!

We strike out walking; it is first officer hottie, the two girls and I. Captain bubbles decided to stay in for the duration. We head off to the right out of the back of the hotel. When we get to the first intersection we look back and forth to see what is around and off to the left is a line of rainbow flags across the front of a teal blue building and the name of this establishment is "Freddy's Beach Bar". We start discussing where to go, and the first officer pipes up and points as he says "Let's go there." He was pointing at Freddy's. So I immediately tap the brunette goddess as if to say... "I got this one, he is apparently gay!" Unfortunately the blonde had bigger balls than I did because she came right out and asked him, and much to my chagrin, he said he was straight but very comfortable with going there. So, there we went!

When we got here, the place was mostly empty so we decided to go over the menu and we all ordered our meals, if memory serves me correctly we all had burgers. What I am sure of, is that we all ordered Blue Moon which was served with a slice of blood orange on the rim of the glass. I was feeling good; I knew I was going to like this job! The beer went down like water and we ordered more. One thing led to another and the next thing we knew, we were in a fully crowded bar on the busiest night of the week!

We had moved on from the beer to cocktails, one of which was called a “Purple Pussy”, because we thought that was such a good idea. Mind you, we were in Washington D.C. in APRIL and when the sun went down it got COLD there! Not one of us was equipped with a jacket! We would later realize, when we left the bar, that we were feeling no pain anyway! This guy walked in and I could have sworn that he walked right off a box of fish sticks! He looked like and dressed like the Morton Fisherman! So it only made since that we invite him to join us and our blonde friend decided to make him her new best friend! Drinks were still flowing and a hundred dollar bill got ripped in half and we all thought it was worthy of multiple photographs!

We danced, we laughed, we had fun and we all were snapping pictures left and right. My brunette friend and I made it a point to meet s many people in the bar that night s possible! I guess we were trying to start some sort of club or something! It never panned out but we had a LOT of new acquaintances at the end of the night! Then, to top off the night perfectly, it was karaoke night! Oh and there were drag queens.... by the dozen! 

We continued to dance, drink, and enjoy until some wise ass decided to look as his watch and we realized that it was now getting close to 4 AM. We had to get to the room ad get sleep for our flight back to Florida and then the Nassau turn. It was not going to be a fun day! I think the only person who slept a full eight hours that night was Captain bubbles!

The next morning, we all did the walk of shame down through the lobby and to the airport shuttle making it a point to make as little noise as we could. We would all get through this if we just kept our mouths shut and did our job! It was a very quiet van ride to the airport that morning. We passed through security unscathed, even though you never know when a flight attendant might be a security threat!

The flight back to Fort Lauderdale was pretty much uneventful. We did our snack and beverage service, and picked up trash as required. We also spent time discussing the previous night. It was like high school all over again! “Do you remember this that happened last night?” “Yes, do you remember that?!”  “No! You are kidding!” “You have to tell me more” “We ll, yada, yada, yada...” “Damn it I and I missed that!” “Sorry pal, but we had a great time!” And that is how the flight went with our discussions until we got safely back to Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

We were happy that we only had a 30 minute flight to Nassau, and a 30 minute flight back, and our day would be done! We would realize rather soon, that life is NEVER that simple! As we are descending into Nassau, I look at my brunette friend and say very seriously, “It looks like we are landing in a junk yard!” She thought that was so funny! She had to tell the flight deck crew as soon as the last passenger left the plane! Well, first officer hottie then went to do his usual aircraft walk around and when he returned he looked at the captain and said, “You should really watch out the next time you land in a junk yard, because you landed on a screw.” We all got a big chuckle out of that, until we realized he was not joking! Here we were, on Easter Sunday, in Nassau Bahamas with a screw in the tire of the plane! The captain made a couple of calls then he announced “Grab your passports, we will be here a while, so let’s go get something to eat.”

Well I had this grandiose idea of going to a bohemian restaurant and having a nice meal. How much better can life get? Breakfast in D.C., lunch in Nassau, and dinner in Fort Lauderdale! Yeah, that is not at all what happened! We took a long and winding stroll through the airport, out of one building and into another, just to leave that building and head off into the parking lot. I was thinking that surely, any moment, the captain would hail a cab. Not so much, he marches us up to the back of a broken down van where this nice bohemian lady is standing and asks her, “How much?” She says “Five Dollars”. He hands her a 5 dollar bill and she says “Chicken or pork?” He said chicken. That is right folks, here we were, an international airline crew, eating food out of the back of a broken down van at the airport in Nassau, Bahamas! Believe it or not, it was pretty good and no one got sick!

We take our bounty and head back to the airport through not one, but two security check points! They have to open our plates to see that we are only bringing cooked chicken or pork onto the plane! God forbid we bought raw meat to eat for lunch! Once done, we go to the plane where we all sit down in the front of the plane, better known then as business class and we begin to eat our meal. We were laughing and joking and having a good time. After all there was no maintenance at the airport on this holiday Sunday, he had to be called in, and let me tell you, Island time is very slow! During the time we were waiting, our company also had to negotiate a deal with a local airline to buy a tire for our plane!

We would get up for a drink and ask if anyone wanted anything, and be courteous to each other because it is what you do in such situations! Well, our blonde cohort was having hot tea. After which she takes the tea bags out of her cup and lays them on her chin and asked “What is this?” I was lost, so I told her I had no clue. She said “tea bagging!” After a long and embarrassing conversation about what tea bagging was, I found the humor!

Eventually, the mechanic and our newly purchased tire showed up, the tire was changed and we boarded our flight bound for Fort Lauderdale. We were only four hours late! The flight home was even more uneventful than the one from D.C. We were feeling the effects of the night before more and more with each passing hour. So, needless to say, by the time the last passenger left the plane in Fort Lauderdale, we were all in pain and we were all DONE FOR THE DAY! I have to say though, for a first trip, I would not have had it any other way I could not imagine my new career starting off with a better crew, or being any more fun than that one!  I was anxious to call my friend Lynda and thank her for getting me into this mess! It was the best thing that had ever happened to me!

Training Begins.....

On March 6th, 2007 I woke bright and early at 4 AM to catch the first flight of the day from Atlanta (ATL) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Waking early was not my forte, but thankfully, my mother had purchased me this great little alarm clock called the "screaming meanie". The name of the clock should spell it out for you, but needless to say, I did not oversleep one single time during my training. Anyway, I spent the whole flight, which was less than 2 hours, going over and over the study items that were sent to me and realizing I had truly reached the point of no return. I new enough to just sit, study, think, and be quiet. I was anxious and a little worried, but mainly excited! I would soon be traveling around the country, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. I think I looked at my brand new passport 1000 times on that flight between brief study sessions.

When we landed in Fort Lauderdale I headed straight to baggage claim to get my luggage. There were two other ladies, Valentine & Mindy from other flights waiting as well! I would soon learn that they were in my class and we would be sharing a shuttle to the hotel! We were the first 3 to arrive. They were both very kind and we had great conversation on the way to the hotel. When we got to the hotel we promptly checked in and headed to put our things away. Afterwards, my two new friends and I found a great little Tapas restaurant where we ate before heading back to the hotel for the night.

 I knew that I was to have a roommate, but this Tom guy had not checked in yet. At the time, I was a smoker, so I would go outside to smoke and was NEVER without my study materials. On one of my evening smoke breaks, I was on the phone with my sister, this very attractive lady walks up to me and informed me that she was in my class and asked if I would like to ride to the store with her. I replied with a nod and a thank you but informed her I was OK. Then she repeated asking me to please ride with her. Little did I know that she would turn out to be my best friend in just a few short days! I realized very soon why she wanted me to ride with her, another class mate, whom would turn out to be my roommate Tom, had shown up missing some required items for class and asked her to take him to get a flashlight. Obviously, she did not feel safe driving one strange man to the store alone, I can't blame her for that!

On the way to the store my new BF and I discussed that we were going in getting the items we needed as quickly as possible and getting out. No time to waste there was studying to be done. However, our 3rd companion did not grasp the concept and decided to go on an hour long shopping spreed. He bought so much crap you would think he was stocking for a military stand-off, My BF was stressing miserably and I was just dumbfounded! I kept asking him to just go check out so we could get to the hotel and study before bed. He was "Mr. Cool", he had this under control. So FINALLY with his cart full he headed to check out and another 30 minutes later, we are on our way back to the hotel to study and get to bed so we would be prepared for our first day of class. Needless to say, Tom only made it through about a week of raining before failing out.

Bright and early the next morning, as threatened, this "screaming meanie" came alive and I SHOT out of bed. My heart was racing a mile a minute. I thought the building was on fire or something. I realized it was my precious alarm clock which I promptly turned off and now I was WIDE AWAKE, as was my roommate and anyone else within a 5 room radius! Time to get showered, dressed in my pressed business attire, grab all of the items we were required to bring to class the first day, and head to breakfast before heading to class. I soon realized that the majority of the folks there were also in my class. The van showed up right on time and we were off to the first day of class.

As we walked into our training for the first day, our instructors were there to greet us with great big smiles, looking very dapper in their flight attendant uniforms. We were assigned seating indicated by paper tents on the tables with our names on them. These would be changed daily so that we sat next to different people every day. However, they caught on real quick that my new best friend and I were close, so they made it a point to never seat us together. Three persons per able, and the tables were three wide. There was about 30 of us in the class on that first day. We had previously been instructed to bring our "required items" on day one for compliance check. This list included; black luggage, black shoes (two pair for the ladies , one for serving and one for walking to and from the aircraft), a watch with a second hand, our passports, a flash light with a spare battery, a workbook that we had already bee given to complete prior to training,  business casual attire, and a good attitude. We were all in compliance ..... that day anyway.

We each got up one by one, told who we were, where we were from, what base we were, and why we wanted to fly. Of course, the number one reason was because we wanted to travel. One of the men in the class had a mother that already flies for this airline, one of the girls had an aunt that flies for this airline, and one of the ladies had retired from flying... she started with Pan Am. Boy would I love to hear all of her stories!

Once all of the formalities were out of the way, we were handed our first of many tests. The first one was on airport codes, aviation lingo codes, and military time. Thank goodness my baby sister, the teacher, drilled me with pop quizzes daily for months in preparation for this! Now it comes pretty easily, but in the beginning is may as well have been in Zulu! We had to know that ATL was the airport code for Atlanta, that POB was a portable oxygen bottle, and that 0:400 was too damned early for ANYONE to wake up but we would still have to get up at that hour from time to time!

Then they gave us this huge red book. This was our flight attendant manual, and by the end of training we would all know this thing frontwards, backwards, and up the middle. I remember thinking at the end of the first week how amazed I was by the amount of knowledge the two instructors could cram in our heads in a week, and it stuck. At first glance I thought there was no way in hell I would retain all of that information in 3 1/2 short weeks, but we all did it.

As the days and weeks went on, we had study sessions in the hallways of the hotel where we were staying. We would take over the lobby for study groups. There were even nights when you would find some of us in the gym with the demo equipment practicing our safety demonstration. Then there were nights when we did our studies with the assistance of social lubrication. We would even sit outside screaming our evacuation commands, which scared a lot of the other guests I am sure.  We began to get closer and closer to our classmates and by the end, not only did I have the best friend ever, I had a whole group of GREAT friends, it was like we were all part of one big happy family. Well not all of us were happy with the part where we had to flip head first into that freezing pool then rescue each other into the life raft, but I digress. It was truly a fast paced, knowledge filled, fun, exciting, stressful, and rewarding experience to go through in order to ear nour wings.

One day we were told that we would be leaving class a 1pm and we were all excited until we found out that we had to be at the airport at 11PM and would be there until 4 AM. However, we would have no class the next day so we could study for the following day's tests. Well, the night at the airport was so that we could all get on a plane and see, touch, and get familiar with everything we had been learning in class. So, there is a group of us in the flight deck with a mechanic who is showing us where the emergency equipment is located. He points out where the escape ropes are. So he says "The pilots will open the window, take the plastic cover off the compartment containing the rope, and throw the rope out the window." To which, and I am NOT MAKING THIS UP, Valentine replies with a shocked look on her face, "Well, if they throw it out the window, how will they get out?" Trying to hold in my laugh and not choke, I informed her that we had already learn one end of the rope is permanently attached to the ceiling of the flight deck. She just could not understand, but we loved her dearly. We were all very sad when she got sick a few days later and had to leave training.

The day we took our finals was long a grueling, we had to sit through hours of  presentations from different departments, presentations from the union, filling out our information forms to select our insurance, travel companions, and so on. After all of that, then we could finally take our final exams and fortunately we all passed. Now, we could graduate and get the wings we had so duly earned.

There were some that were there on day one who would not graduate with us, some we missed, some we never knew, and some we did not miss so much, but as graduation day grew closer we were all excited to get our wings in front of friends and family! We were allowed to invite friends and family down to join us on that very special day. My parents came as did my friends Al and Lynda (the ones responsible for me getting into flight attending).  The instructors put together a great video presentation with pictures that had been taken from the first day of class to the last. They caught us in every awkward scenario they could and they put it all on film to the tune of great music. Needless to say we laughed, we cried, and we hugged. It was a great day!  We were each told that we could elect to take a few days off to recover or we could volunteer to be on call right away.I of course, was eager to get started so I rushed off to the room that I had rented in Fort Lauderdale to unpack and get things ready for my first trip. Of course not without the help of my best friend, and my parents.

After we got everything unloaded, my bestie headed off to Fort Myers to return her vehicle. Mom, dad, and I walked over the the nearby K-Mart to do a little shopping, picked up to go food for dinner and headed back to my room. We were so exhausted that all three of us fell asleep on top of the covers of my king sized bed. Not one of us woke up until my phone rang. I answered it and heard "Hello this is *** from scheduling and we have a trip for you."

Interviewing for the Job

While on one of my many drives Florida for an airline job, as I often did, I spent the night at the apartment of my friends Al and Lynda. They were not home, but I had a key, and they knew I was going to be staying there for the night on my way to Fort Lauderdale to get my picture taken, and take my required drug and alcohol tests for this airline that had just hired me. I was excited and since I had time to kill on the way home I was going to spend another couple of nights at their place as well! During this visit, I met a very handsome, very nice man who I could not believe wanted anything to do with the likes of me! He was kind of like Clark Kent, in his business attire he looked like the typical goofy nerd with a very handsome face and dark rimmed glasses. However, out of his business attire, he was a LOT more like super man. He has a body most men could only dream of having! It was apparent he spent a lot of time taking care of himself! So we a had great weekend romance!

He was in town for work, and well I was not from Orlando either, so we knew the weekend romance would have to end soon. However, neither of us liked that idea, so we agreed to keep in touch and talk often and see what would become of "us" or if there would end up being an "us". So he flew off to New York to resume his life and I drove back to Ga to resume mine. We talked daily on the phone and sometimes we talked multiple times a day. We communicated a lot through email as well. When I told him I had FINALLY received a class date and that I was to fly from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale on March the 6th to start class on March 7th, he suggested I come up to visit him for a few days. I saw nothing wrong with that except, I could not afford the plane ticket. He said he would pay for it, but I had to do the research and book it. So I started looking and when I found a flight he gave me his American Express number and I booked my flight. He even paid for my hotel in Atlanta so that I could just stay there for the night between flights on my way back so that I could go straight from the visit with him to my training in Fort Lauderdale.

I chose a flight that had multiple legs because it was cheaper, and since I was not paying for the flight myself, there was no way I was going to pay anything more for the flight than necessary! I had no issue changing planes or taking a multi leg flight as long as it was as inexpensive as I could get it. I was just happy to be going to see this awesome man again! He met me at the airport and asked about my flight. I told him how it was and when he realized I did not take a non-stop flight, he informed me that when he was paying not to worry about the price, just go non-stop. I thought that was very nice of him! We left the airport in his SUV and were heading to his home in Connecticut. The drive was beautiful and the conversation was great. As we entered into the small town where he lived we went into the market to buy fresh vegetables and necessities for him to make dinner. Everyone knew him, called him by name, it was just like being in any other small town. I liked that. Then, we moved on to a wine shop before heading home. Again, they new him by name and knew exactly what he would want to purchase. After all the shopping we finally got home and got everything from the SUV into the house.

His home was over a hundred years old and had all the class that one could expect. Not one single detail was overlooked. You could not find anything better on the cover of "Martha Stewart Living" (side note, he was friends with her as well!) After settling in, he gave me a tour of the compound. Yes, it was not just a home it was a compound! The house adjacent to his was also on his property and it was currently being restored. Also over 100 years old, I found this place to be like a wonderland! A GORGEOUS pond in the back which at the time was frozen over, a hot tub on the back deck, a barn behind the pond, this was definitely a place anyone would want to live. We spent the days exploring, the evenings eating great food by the fireplace and even night dips in the hot tub. The man's talent for cooking was ridiculously amazing!

He was working in his office a couple of days before I was to leave and I went in to see him. He asked if I would want to go into the city for dinner the following night. I was game for anything, I was having the time of my life. He asked where I would like to eat and I told him it was up to him. He suggested Morimoto's and of course, no self-respecting man would EVER turn down a suggestion like that! Within minutes he informed me that he had made our reservations and that Morimoto himself would be coming in to prepare our meals in person! I could not believe my ears! I was actually going to be eating food prepared by the one and only "Iron Chef Morimoto"!! Wow, things like this do not happen to normal people! I was liking this guy more every day to say the least!

The following morning, we loaded our luggage into his SUV and headed off into the city. We would be staying the night with friends of his since his job was in the city and I would be flying out the next day. We dropped off our things in their apartment and then he proceeded to give me a whirl wind tour of the "Big Apple". We went everywhere in lower Manhattan. he showed me the original Vanderbilt home, and every land mark around. We got tickets and went to "The Top of The Rock" and saw the city from above! It was great! He would point out landmarks and I would just stare in amazement! You name it, we saw it. I bet we walked 15 miles that day and I loved every second of it, but the best was yet to come!

After our tour, we went back to the apartment and changed for dinner. We took a cab and off to the restaurant we were. After begin seated, Chef Morimoto approached the table to say hello to my dining companion and introduce himself to me. I was star stuck to say the least! When he asked what I we would like for dinner, I just handed him the menu and said "Anything you make, I would be honored to eat!". With that he headed off to prepare our meal. My companion looked at me and said, "Do you have any idea what it is going to cost after telling him that?" I said..."no". He then said," It will be over $1000 but I could care less, it will be well worth it to watch you enjoy this meal tonight and to enjoy it with you". With that, the first of countless rounds of specially prepared dishes arrived. Each round was paired with a perfectly selected Saki. We sampled everything from one end of the gamut to the other! Beef tar tar to blow fish and saki from around the world! My companion eventually told me"You do realize that he will not stop sending food until you tell him to." I finally had to tell the waiter I was stuffed! With that, he came out with the folder containing the bill. I was not looking forward to seeing how much this meal was going to cost my companion, when the waiter opened his mouth and said something totally unexpected. "The Chef says to have a great night, dinner is on him." I almost fell out of my seat. Could this night get any better? Of course it could, we stopped into Iron Chef Batali's restaurant Del Posto for after dinner drinks. We had hand squeezed kumquat martinis. The tab was paid and off we went on a nice stroll through the city eventually hailing a cab and heading home.

Little did I know that, after touring my friend's office the next day and spending a great morning in the city, this would be the last time I spent with this awesome man! We kept in touch all through training until the night before I graduated. Then, he decided that it would be best if I concentrated on my new job and got settled into my new life and that dating and being a couple at that time was not an option. I was sad, hurt and even a little angry, but looking back I regret nothing. He showed me the time of my life and seemed to enjoy it every bit as much as I did. We still keep in touch through email from time to time for which I am very thankful. One day, maybe he will read this post and know exactly how much that time with him meant! Just in case... to him I would like to say, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

The Prelude

Come Fly With Me……. Wings of Wisdom

As I am about to embark on a new and exciting chapter of my already exhilarating life, I thought it would be the perfect time to start the blog I have been threatening to start for about 5 years! My hope is that anyone who takes a moment to read what I write takes away with them a new found knowledge about life in the skies, the life of a gay southern raised man, a life lived trying to always look at the positive, a life blessed with a wonderful family and magnificent friends, or at the very least, the life of this idiot who can always find humor even in the most aggravating of circumstances!

I have been a south Florida based flight attendant for right at 5 years, and as I prepare to enter into my 6^th year of flying, I decided it is time to make some changes in my life. Those changes are physical, mental, emotional, and most of all geographical! I will be transferring to Las Vegas, NV effective March 1st, 2012. I had bariatric surgery on November 17^th, 2011, which has already resulted in nearly 40lbs of weight loss and I hope it will result in another 40lbs gone rather quickly.  I have decided it is time to make me the best me that I can be in hopes of bringing something positive to the world, my readers, and most of all myself and anyone who is fortunate to become part of my life.

Therefore, I promise that this first post will be the most boring one and the ones to follow will be a lot more humorous and enjoyable. But, I feel that as a writer, I would fail you miserably without giving you a little back ground into my life, so here goes. I was born the middle of 5 children in 1973. I was raised in extreme south GA where tolerance, I hope, is finally taking place! Growing up knowing I was gay was not easy at all. I constantly worried about what people would think if they knew my dirty dark secret. I was raised in a society that taught us to hate those who are different and not to be accepting of others. I am in NO way trying to say that my parents or siblings ever intentionally taught this, but society as a whole at that time did! I was fortunate that when I was young, at dinner time, the TV went off, the phone was taken off the hook, and we talked at dinner! We talked about drugs, we talked about alcohol, and yes unfortunately even in the 80’s we started talking about AIDS and HIV. That was a very scary time for the world, and here I was knowing that one day I could be one of those guys on the news with the “gay virus” because I knew even as a young child that I would never be in love with a woman and that I hoped to someday find love, everlasting love, with the right man!

I was the first of the 5 children my parents had to graduate high school and I was fortunate to win a writing contest which awarded me a 2 year scholarship at the local community college. All my life I grew up saying I was going to be a Dr. but through events that took place during my senior year of high school, I realized that I might enjoy being a nurse even more. So, when I registered for college the week after graduating high school, I entered as a nursing major. That did not last very long at all. Chemistry was my nemesis, and when I called my mother crying about the F I had received, she did something I never expected. I wanted her to scream and yell at me, I wanted her to rant and rave about how disappointed she was, and say I was smarter than that, but my mother did NOT do any of those things. She simply said, in a very concerned and loving tone, “Son, high school and college are much different, you will find these classes a lot harder and it is ok if you do not make it the first time you take a class. An F is not the worst thing that will ever happen to you so calm down, relax, get some rest, and study for the next time,  and you will do fine.” Now I have to ask you, do they make a better mother than one who would say that to a college student who is freaking out over his first F?

Needless to say I changed major right away, I would show that Chemistry teacher, I would major in something that did not require his chemistry class! I decided to major in business. I buckled down and before I knew it I was making the dean’s list. I was loving college but I was also working a lot, so after a year and a half of that madness, I walked into my advisors office and said to her. “ I am here to drop all of my classes.” She asked why on earth would I want to drop classes I when I was making all A’s. I told her I was just burnt out and that I needed a break. She allowed me to drop, I packed everything from my dorm room into my car and went to my parent’s house. My mother was PISSED, and I can’t say my father was exactly happy. But, in the end, as they always have, my parents understood and supported my decision.

Another year goes by, and I realized that life in small town GA was nothing I could bear any longer. So, with an invitation from my cousin to stay with her for a while in Jacksonville, I packed my 1972 Pinto Station wagon and headed off to Jacksonville, FL on Easter Sunday. Again, not a decision I am sure my parents were happy with, but supportive and understanding they were! I quickly got a job through a temporary agency and started trying to settle into my new life in Florida. In the two years I was there I fell in and out of love twice, learned all about having a home computer, this new thing called the World Wide Web, and came out of the closet, and tried marijuana for the first and last time of my life. What a ride that was! I will not bore you with all the details; I will save that for the book! 

As the two year anniversary of my move to Jacksonville approached, I was living with two very dear friends that were a lesbian couple, they were breaking up, our lease was up, and I was so completely miserable with my life in that area as a whole, that I felt as though I were sinking in quick sand. So, I did the only thing any grown and independent young man would do, I called my mommy! It just so happened that she and my father were working on a contract in Panama City Beach, FL where they had leased an apartment. They were done with the work there, but still had the lease on the apartment. She asked why didn’t I come there and give things a try. I packed up my dilapidated car and left that very night. Now this car would never make it more than 5 miles without shutting down and need a rest before I could restart it. So, I said a silent prayer as I drove north on I-95. I said “Dear GOD, if this is meant to be, then now is the time to show me. Once I get outside of the city, there is no turning back. I want to know I am doing the right thing, so please confirm.”  I made it all the way to Panama City Beach without one single incident, shut down, or stutter. I still had a half tank of gas, and $10 in my pocket.  I landed a job the very next day and that started my 9 1/ 2 years of a wonderful life on the Gulf of Mexico.

During my time there I met many wonderful and interesting people. I held jobs in property management, event design and catering, cashiering at the local gas station, landscaping, and even being a concierge at the brand new 5 star resort. Not to mention, honing my skills as a wine taster, and drinker! Of those friends, one would play a major role in my life that I never thought she would play. Her name was Lynda. Yes, that is right ladies and gentlemen, that is Lynda with a Y! Lynda was originally my drinking/foodie/bar/entertainment/ and all around fun buddy. We had many wild and fun times together, but again, I will save those for the book. I will say, Lynda always wanted to be a flight attendant, after several tries and interviews, she landed a job with her airline of choice and at the young age of 60, she started her 5 year career as a flight attendant. How did that have anything to do with effecting my life, well here it is…..

Lynda would call me and tell me of her unbelievable adventures in the air, and we would spend hours laughing on the phone. On one of those occasions, Lynda said to me, “Now MF (as she so affectionately called me.... and I will let you all figure out what the MF stood for yourselves), I want you to hear me out, and if you say no, I will NEVER mention this again, but I want you to consider flying. This job is not made for everyone and not everyone is made for this job, but I KNOW you are meant to do this and this is the perfect fit for you!”  Well, if Lynda did nothing else, she kept her word. If she said she would never bring it up again, she meant it.  I told her that I was happy with my current job, that my dog was too awesome to leave behind and that if I decided to make that wild of a leap, she would be the first to know.  Six months later, the company I worked for sold, my car was repossessed, and I was going to be evicted from my home. I called Lynda, got information on how and where to apply to the airlines and she and her wonderful husband Al supported me the whole way with referrals, ideas, and even on one occasion a flight and hotel room so I could interview. Within 3 months, on Dec 12^th 2006, I got the call I had been wanting, I was hired by a Florida based airline and I would be starting training after the first of the year. My dog died that night (unrelated) and therefore I think that day was the most bitter sweet day of my life and the start of a journey that I am so very happy to be part of! However, I would not start my flight attendant training for another 3 months, I was on the waiting list for an open class. Mind you, the head of our training depart still remembers my constant calls begging for a class as soon as possible and letting her know I was being tested by my baby sister every day to make sure I was prepared to pass any test she handed me because this was not only going to be my new career, it was going to be my new life!

Being that I was broke, unemployed (well I was working a part time job that I could do from anywhere over the internet but it by no means paid enough to support myself), and no car, I did what any self-disrespecting man in his early 30’s would do. I called my mommy… AGAIN! Of course her magical words came out….. “Son, you can always come home! You will always have a place here!” To which I replied, “I cannot really afford to pay, and there will be nights I ask for the car just to get out and …. we will just say get out, and I will want no questions asked. I have lived independently for years and moving back home with my parents has not been on my agenda and living by rules and curfews is not something I can do.” Again the reply was more than I could expect….”I understand totally and I agree with you”. I did promise to help out where I could around the house and do what I could to lend a hand and I kept my word. With that, the conversation over. I then asked my baby brother to bring a truck and a trailer to Florida and move me and my things back home. He said he would be there Friday night. He was there early morning Saturday and we loaded everything and headed back to Ga. A place I never thought I would live again.

When we arrived, I unloaded everything and promptly started unpacking and putting things away at my mother’s and father’s house.  My baby sister saw this and asked, “Aren’t you planning to move back to Florida as soon as your flight attendant job starts?” I said, “I sure am!” To which she replied, “Well won’t you want all of your things when you get there? Unpacking them and putting them away here will only make that harder on you to pack for the move back.” My reply was simple (in my mind anyway), “When I go back to Florida, it will be on a plane, carrying a suitcase of clothes and the supplies I will need for training, everything else is here to stay. That is all part of my old life, I have acquired it all before, and I will acquire what I need again when I need it.” What I was subconsciously doing was painting myself into a corner so that when I got to Florida, I had NO choice but to pass training and earn my wings. I had nothing to go back to, I had no plan B, all I had was a new dream and that meant I had to leave myself NO choice but to make that dream come true! Thus began the 5 year journey I have been on so far and hope to continue until I need assistance with my walking cane and can no longer function as a flight attendant. Retirement for me is not an option for this new career has immaculately changed my life forever and I am so blessed by that, I owe it my debt of gratitude for as long as I can hold the job!

I will not bore you with the mundane details of everything that took place in the 3 months I lived back in GA, I will just say I am the most blessed human being on Earth, because my parents opened their home to me when I needed it, they put up with my rants and raves, they dealt with my crazy ways, they supported me and asked nothing in return and they made sure I had a ride to the airport to start this new career! They even picked up a run to South Florida (which as truck drivers, it was a run they despised) just so they could see their 33 year old son get his new shiny wings pinned on his uniform on April 7, 2007. I now have 5 wonderful, zany, stressful, blissful, mind blowing, amazing and wonderful years of flying and stories to catch you up on! So, if you will bear with me while I catch you up, I promise that I will do so in as fun and funny a manner as I can, and I promise that as each new adventure passes, to take you along for the ride! Not all stories will be funny, some will be way too meaningful for humor, some will possibly even be sad, but this is my life and I would love the honor of sharing it with the world.  Now please fasten your seatbelts, raise your window shades, make sure your carry-on items are safely stowed,  put your tray table away, and prepare for take off!