Training Log Archive: kissy

Argh, I'm so glad this was the last of my traveling for a while. I had the 6:00 pm flight out of Newark last night, but it was delayed...by 6.5 hours! Finally left at 12:30 am, after we were able to snag a plane that had come in from Tampa. And I got bumped to first class, again! Landed at 2:30 am MT, head hit the pillow around 4:00. Back up at 8:00 for little Miss Annie. I think I see a nap in my future.

I have to say I've been pretty disappointed in United's equipment lately, but the employees have always been great. The captain and crew for last night's (this morning's) flight were so fabulous.

C • United... 1

In the hotel gym.

I finally made it to NJ. I took the 6:00 am flight, which meant getting up at 3:30. Good thing I'm still on Scotland time. Also, got bumped to first class, which always helps.

I also discovered a poison ivy-like rash on my forehead. I was perplexed until I remembered that I had brushed up against one small English ivy leaf that was growing on a stonewall in Glasgow, as I was walking to my car. I was slightly worried at the time, enough to switch sides of the street. I guess I'm still allergic to all forms of ivy.

I was off again today, traveling to NJ, for what I hope will be the last trip for a while. Got to the airport to find my flight delayed by 3 hours. Okay, fine. We finally got on the plane, settled in, and took off. However, about 15 minutes into the flight, the captain came on to say that he was turning around and going back to Denver because the alarms were indicating that the left engine was overheating. No need to worry, they practice these kinds of emergency(!) landings about 30 times a year in a simulator(!!) and they were just going to pretend it was a simulator, again. And no need for us to get concerned when we see all of the fire engines on the runway when we land. They'll just hose us down first, assess the risk, and then let us proceed to the jetway.

There was a bit of heightened...I won't say panic but probably franticness on the part of the flight crew as they hurriedly got everyone to turn off their electronics, get their trays and seat backs up again. I'm not a nervous flyer, at all, but this had me a little concerned. Luckily, we landed just fine, with a little bumpiness which is quite normal for Denver, and there were indeed fire trucks everywhere. The captain came back on a bit later to say that we had been cleared, with just some smoke from the engine.

After it became apparent that this might take a while, I rebooked myself on the 6:00 am flight tomorrow, and I'll try again. I can't say that I will miss the travel when I change jobs.

And now, back to the same grind...barre class. Not quite as exciting as O-ringen or the Scottish 6 Days.

C • Look what you started 3

And back to my beloved Annie.

And now I'm heading home. It's been a great 2 weeks here, but I am glad to be on my way back to the US. Some big changes coming up. I took this time away to objectively assess a few things and one decision I made was not to continue on with the job I've had for the past 5 years. Right before I left, my boss told me that anyone reporting to him would now have to be located in NJ. At first I told him I could make that happen...rent out my house in Denver, put a bunch of stuff in storage, rent an apartment in NJ, do that for a few years. But, being away from the fray made me see what a stress that would be. So, I'm biting the bullet, taking a lesser job with a smaller team (less stress right there!), and staying in Denver, enjoying my optimal work-life balance. This way, too, I'll be able to more easily carry out my new plan of getting back to Europe each summer for orienteering...2014 WOC in Italy, anyone?

C • Sounds like a really good p... 13