I recently wrote a post about how to travel if you are a passenger but started thinking about the other side. What about the flight attendants who are caring for the passengers? This came out of a conversation I had with a co-worker yesterday and I dedicate this post to my coworkers and flight attendants around the world although it could apply to other workers as well.

I am frequently asked how I still smile and seem to love my job after 12 years as a flight attendant. I would think that these people are just being nice if I had not met some of the people they are talking about. Honestly, I can understand the side of the tainted ones even though I still believe it’s possible to change those thoughts.

There’s the compensation involved, both received, promised and taken away. There’s the rules that are constantly changing by what appears to be someone who hasn’t the slightest clue about being on-line (working in the plane). There are the bad hotels on poor overnights and being at our company’s whim at any time of the day or night. Definition: employee.

So, how do I still smile? I love my job and all of that above is the crap that you have to go through to get to said job. I come to work, check in and go. I come back in, check out and leave. I know it’s there and I pay attention to what I need to however, I do not let it run my life.

So, what about these passengers? We all know that the passengers are not always cherubs in flight and your co-workers are not always perfect. So what? The passengers will be gone and off on their way and the other employee, same thing. Do your job. Make sure that the passengers are safe and have what they need to be comfortable and if they are ornery, have a little fun with them. How great are you to be around when you are having a bad day? Sometimes all it takes is a little kindness. Perhaps the passenger is having a bad day. Perhaps they are just a jerk. I have even more fun with those.

Passengers have mentioned that they just want the flight attendant to smile and say hi. Plus, think about their journey before they even got to you. Picture the last time you went through security. Add on to that, dealing with customer service, lost baggage, misconnects, rude flight attendant on the last flight…I did have a passenger that was screaming at me because he was going to be late for his daughter’s wedding. We were 10 minutes to late making sure that a mechanical issue wasn’t dangerous. I told him if it were my daughter, I would have left at least by yesterday. Suddenly, he was a lot nicer and I did not actually word it that nicely. I did smile though.

Our jobs are not as glamorous or simple as some people may think but it’s really not that difficult. Say ‘hello’, read some safety briefings, serve some drinks and pick up the trash, then say ‘good bye’. If you pick up the trash during the flight (even if you have to be more aggressive) and there won’t be much if any after the flight. Fold the blankets for goodness sake. If you don’t care what the passengers think of you then do it for the next flight attendant. Fold in half, then half and half again. It takes like 10 seconds.

Remember: You are NOT hurting the company; you are giving your own co-worker more work. Are you really that lazy?

Please note that I am NOT saying that we are treated great and that there is no reason to ignore the way that we are treated. What I am saying is that you work for a company and they could care less if we are happy or not so we only make ourselves miserable when we let it get to us. I am not at work right now however; I have been there for many years and feel for the people that are being abused. While I do not think that it’s okay and I do feel bad for what other flight attendants are going through, I still believe that we make it worse when we allow the circumstance for which we have no control to run our lives, it only makes it worse. They do not pay me enough to not have a good time!

Waiting to find out if we are even getting on the aircraft is a bit nerve racking. What people do not understand is that it’s not always that easy when you are traveling standby. Sure, it’s great that I have the benefit of traveling however, it’s only if there is a set available and if my seniority is high enough to get the seat still. We lucked out!

Getting settled on the plane is only as easy as the people in front of you and how much stuff you brought yourself. Personally, I try to bring as little as possible.

TIP: Only bring what you are willing to carry. After you pick out what you think that you want to bring, put back something.

Also, remember that there are others on the plane and the faster that everyone is settled, the quicker you can leave. Please for all parties involved do not get every little thing out of your bag until everyone is seated. If you need your book for during the boarding process then get it out before boarding begins. If you insist on bringing a lot of luggage then may I suggest boarding as soon as your section is called.

Take your seat and then once everyone is on board, you can get something else out of your bag that you may have forgotten because the next time that you will be able to get that special something is in the air with the seatbelt sign turned off. If I didn’t already mention this, place your bags in the overhead right away or you may not be able to due to full compartments. We also ask that you are not an overhead compartment hog by placing once bag underneath the seat in front of you!

Funny story: now that it’s over anyway…there was a bag at my husbands feet that was not his on one of his flights. He simply thought it was the passenger next to him and was kind enough to let it stay only to find out later that it was the passenger behind and across from him that was too good to keep it at his feet yet wanted to have it within view! NEVER EVER do this as a passenger. As said above, if you don’t want to carry it, don’t bring it! Also, if it’s not your bag, do not be so nice and ask who’s bag it belongs to.

The rules on the different flights are obviously going to bring about variations in the rules. It doesn’t matter if you are flying on Comair or Delta, your electronic devices are to be turned off before the main cabin door is closed. The only actual difference is that mainline (Delta) is larger and therefore not as able to check every single passenger to make sure of compliance. Also, they have more flight attendants that can do the other duties while checking for said compliance. So, when I make the announcement to turn the items off, please do it. You will not die if you don’t get in that last 20 seconds, I promise. After over 12 years, I have not lost a single passenger. If after repeated attempt met with non compliance (or just one depending on my mood), you will either be met by someone with even more authority or I will personally confiscate the item until you are allowed to use it.

Sit back, relax, be respectful to the other passengers and the flight attendant(s) and enjoy the ride!

The only non-stop over seas flight from Cincinati, Ohio these days is to Paris, France.

When we decided to go visit some friends of ours in Switzerland, it seemed only natural to fly directly to France and then rent a car to drive down. I was on the other hand not too excited about flying into the Charles de Gaulle airport due the sheer size of the place. The issue is that unlike Cincinnati, where you can fly into concourse A and simply walk to concourse B or vice versa, if you fly into one terminal and are departing from another, you have to clear customs and security in order to go to the connecting flight.

Since we were not taking another flight this time, it all seemed so simple. Either that, or the airport has changed over the last few years. We walked off of the airplane, followed the signs where we quickly passed customs with a friendly agent and off to wait for the one bag we wound up checking. Even that, was not a big deal. The ramp agents were very efficient. The exits (sortie) are clearly marked and easy to find exiting immediately outside. After renting out car from Europcar, whom I highly recommend not only for courteousness but speed and efficiency, we picked up the car and were headed away from the airport within 20 minutes if that.

Overall, the experience with Charles de Gaulle this time was great and I no longer dread the thought. Hopefully the same can be said for the return flight!

Between physical therapy, CVS and bak transactions, I should have packed the day before. I realized hald way across the ocean that I forgot to bring a particular undergarment. Oh well, that’s something easy to purchase here. What I did wind up packing is:

1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of black pants, 1 long sleeve wrinkle free shirt, 2 sweaters (1 long sleeve and 1 short), 1 t-shirt,  pajamas, socks and other undergarments and then of course there is the dress that I wore on the aircraft with the super cute yet steady low heels and my work shoes that are flat blacks and very comfortable.

One thing to remember is that wrinkle free is a blessing when you travel.

Hello World!

Tomorrow, I am taking a big step. After having knee surgery in January and before I go back to work, we have decided to take a trip to Switzerland where some friends live. I am very excited to see them and their new baby! I am however a little nervous about the sitting there for so long (on the plane) so I have already asked to have the prescriptions refilled for pain and leg cramps. That’s totally a NTBW post though.

Right now, I have booked our tickets part way and already know where we are staying so I am pretty excited. Tonight I will probably pack and tomorrow gather some snacks for the youngest member of our travel party.

TIP: You are allowed to bring unopened milk and juices for your young children through security. I personally like these organic milks that I get from Kroger. They do not need to be refrigerated until they are opened although they never last that long! Be sure to bring sugar free cookies and Lunchables are a great idea also, especially for such a long flight.

Of course I will NOT be checking any luggage. I will let you know what I am bringing once I figure that out.

The usual is: 1 dress (wearing on the plane), 1 pair of pants (that don’t wrinkle), a couple of different shirts (long sleeve/short sleeve), socks and underwear and a comfy pair of interchangeable shoes. NOTE: since it’s winter, I will probably bring a vest and my boots also.

More on that later….

This morning I had the opportunity to attend the February meeting for the Cincinnati Women Blogger’s Group held at the Red Tree Gallery & Coffee Shop in Oakley.  Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc., spoke to the group about using blogs and other social media tools in your job search.

First, I would like to thank Jennifer for meeting with us today and the Red Tree Gallery & Coffee Shop for having us. I have seen the sign before however, never had the chance to check it out. If you are ever in the Oakley area, I recommend it because of it’s charm and atmosphere. I liked the different levels and areas along with being surrounded by paintings from local artist. A large conference like table in the back almost fit all of our mighty group. It was definitely nice to see such a great turnout of both regulars and new bloggers.

I enjoyed meeting Jennifer and found her thoughts regarding the topic as both informational and interesting. A lot of people misunderstand mediums like Twitter and Facebook as mere child’s play however, they fail to factor in the power of the web in whole as a tool. Using sites like those above can introduce you to contacts and friends that you may not have otherwise been able to make.

An important thing to remember is to be true to yourself and think about how you want to be portrayed to the public. As discussed in the meeting, some may wish to use FaceBook as simply a way for friends to keep in contact or as part of your social life. If used properly though, it could land you a job when needed or as I know in my own company, cost you your current job (not my own thank goodness). This is why one needs to pay special attention to what words come out of their mouth. Remember something that you say online is not like speaking one on one to a close friend but one on hundreds if not thousands,!

Don’t be afraid to ask for something you may need however, respect others privacy and don’t demand something from someone you don’t even know. You need to make connections and show desire to really know someone before you ask them to help you. Why should this person help you? A perfect comment made by a group member is that “you wouldn’t ask a dentist to clean your teeth for free”.

A great place to start is by reading others blogs that relate to you and commenting if you find their posts relative and interesting. If you run your own blog, be sure to thank the person and reply to a comment that they leave. Look for common interests through searches on Twitter and LinkedIn and tweet when you have something to say again watching how you want yourself to be seen.

Check the cincinnatiwomenblogger website for more details on the meeting.

I never realized the power of Amazon. So far, I have ordered my son’s vitamins, ink for my printer, a camera for my husband and cooking supplies for my gluten free collection. I even check for lingerie before I started to write this and yep, they have that too! For the guys or gals like me, they even have tools.

Everything that I have purchased from Amazon (including the other businesses they work with), I have been please on the ease of using the website and receiving my products. Shipping time is always pretty quick.

If you do order from them regularly, they offer Amazon Prime which offers free 2 day shipping or 1 day shipping for only $3.99 per item. You are given a free 2 week trial and the cost is $79 a year.

Some items are even eligible for the Super Saver which gives you free shipping (5-9 days) on eligible purchases over $25.

Do you have a business that sells items that may be perfect to sell on Amazon? Or, perhaps you would be interested in selling things there. I’m not talking used shoes here however, they do sell new and used items and listing is free, minimal costs if your item sells.

Full disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate and a couple of the links are linked to my account, which is only paid if item is purchased. I do however, use and love Amazon.com and my relationship with them does not cost you any more for the item.

For some reason, I am now into cupcakes. They are not only a yummy treat but also portable requiring no utensils and I have more than one shot at being creative with the icing. I recently purchased a new Wilton cupcake set that comes with different tips and bags for decorating. Honestly, I love the cake boss on the Food Network.

I picked up Great Gluten-Free Baking from the library and set off for home. The cupcake choices in this book are  limited and include ones that call for ingredients like Lavender, which funny enough I actually have. Another one  that I am dying to try are the Tiramisu cupcakes. Unfortunately, I did not have the Marscapone cheese or Marsala wine. Later then.

I finally decided on the Victoria Sandwich Cake and simply poured the batter into the cupcake liners instead. The one thing that I liked about the recipe is that it did not call for anything involving beans or potatoes. What I like about gluten free baking is that unlike most regular recipes, all of the ingredients are mixed together at once. With only 7 ingredients, prep time was minimal. The recipe calls for a baking time of 20 minutes. Since they are cupcakes and I used the top part of my oven, I set the timer for 12 minutes. Perfect.

My favorite part of course was the icing. Made from  scratch, I know exactly what’s in it and it’s not hydrogenated or filled with high fructose anything. Meringue powder, powdered sugar, water, extracts of vanilla, butter and almond. I even added some organic  juice for the color.

Just cooled right after baking, they were pretty good. Very little flour was used and that was brown rice flower. The texture and taste was nice and with nothing extreme in the ingredients, the icing or any fillings used (the cake recipe calls for raspberry jam in the middle of the two layers) is the dominant flavor.

The next day, they tasted as if they were made with a corn flour since the taste and texture was like sweet corn bread muffins. Also, the icing lifted right off of the top. I wonder if store bought icing would make a difference?

I have to admit that unless they were to be eaten right away, I am not sure if I will use this particular recipe again since they are only really good that first day.

Victoria Sandwich Cake

3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 sticks        Mix  ingred, together and bake

3/4 cup sugar                               20 min in a 400degree  oven.

1 cup brown  rice flour                Once cooled, spread jam

3 eggs                                               between layers and dust

1 Tbsp GF baking powder            powdered sugar on top.

few drops  of vanilla extract

1 Tbsp milk

For the filling

4 Tbsp raspberry jam

Powdered sugar to dust

What does writers block have to do with flight delays you say?

I have a lot of time to write now that I am not flying due to a knee surgery. I was under all hopes to return to work in the middle of February and then the 1st of March. My knee is still causing me excruciating pain and my doctor says that his date stands, which is the 22nd. I have an appointment close to that and we will discuss it then. So, my flying has been delayed.

With all of this time to write, what do I write about? The good news is that I did find something new to write about about on the other blog, so this one may need a day or two to cool down.

Please stay with me and leave a comment if you are actually reading this and have any ideas.

This morning I came up with an idea for breakfast based somewhat off of an idea that I got from a sandwich that my friend likes. Hers of course is a peanut butter, jelly and foie gras. Yes folks, foie gras. I was a bit confused and concerned that I had read it incorrectly myself. After explanation, it’s actually sounds good. Cashew butter with homemade marmalade and foie gras on a toasted brioche.

Mine of course was a bit different.

I looked around for something to eat and found gluten free frozen waffles. Good start. I toasted the waffles, smeared sunflower seed butter on one side and placed sliced banana on the other side. Put the two sides together and cut into bite size pieces. I then sparingly poured flax seed oil and a maple syrup/agave nectar blend syrup on top and enjoyed. Both the sunflower seed butter and the syrup are from Trader Joe’s. I must say that it was quite good and something that I will definitely make again.