Life is so fantastic.
It makes my ribs concave with internal laughter when I read my most recent post prior to this regarding my introduction to New York City. I cannot waste any more energy expending my current distaste toward life in New York and its denizens. It is a fount of negativity, and I have spent enough time slandering it across social media. I will say, however, that I am one happy man to now be free of those shackles! Since October of this year I have worked out of Minneapolis-St. Paul instead, and I have truly come home in these wonderful Twin Cities.
More on all of that later. For now, I just need to express my gratefulness for the goodness of the Season.
I have my own apartment all to myself. It's more than I've ever paid for a place, but I can afford it and it is so nice to be able to come home to your own privacy. No one needs to know what I'm doing with my day, whether it be lying in bed until 1:00 pm, drinking two bottles of wine to myself, not getting dressed except to go to the store, cooking whatever I want, staying up late watching whatever I want to watch, etc. That is worth the money, honey, and I deserve it. That being said, I have lovely friends in my immediate vicinity and nothing is really too far away.
After a lot of hard life lessons, heartache, loneliness, self-esteem issues, rejection, etc, I have finally found a happiness that is real. I made it myself. I got a career I knew I wanted, and you can read through my past on this very blog and understand that it did not come easily. That career gives me the freedom to be who and what I want to be, to go where I want to go, and to afford a relatively comfortable way of life, particularly relative to my previous professions.
I have a mother who loves me to my core and has supported me through all of my hardships. Some things have been difficult or uncomfortable to discuss, but I know I've always been able to turn to her for counsel and love. If I am down, she always lifts me up, so I attribute a huge amount of my success in life to her.
I have very close friends with whom I am in touch on a daily basis. This is the first time in my life that I can really say that. We've kept in touch every day since I moved away from Phoenix back in February, recently took a vacation to New Orleans together, and I'll be visiting them in Phoenix on two layovers this month. They have both been incredible cheerleaders for me as well, and they offer a friendship that asks for nothing in return. If I am in a hard place, I know they'll be there for me to talk to without judgment and are always on my side. There is a real comfort to that.
I have expelled a very negative influence from my life and been free of him for almost three happy months now. I hope he finds his way in life and learns to be a better person, but our parts in each others' stories is now over. Contrarily, I have been dating a very positive new man for about two and a half months. It has been a very patient and healing relationship for me, so I find myself in a very uplifted position from that as well, and I hope it grows into more as time goes on.
So much to be thankful for, truly. Merry Christmas to everyone. May the Joy of this beautiful season find a warm place in all of your hearts.
Now if only I could stop taking trips that sign in at 6am...
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
New Direction
I'll be honest, I have been ducking my self-imposed blogging responsibilities partially out of lethargy, but also because the line of what is acceptable and unacceptable to publish online with regard to my new occupation is extremely brittle. That's such a stifling concept, though, and I often find myself hungry for a good post on societal perspectives or to elaborate on my appreciation for the lesser known corners of the world. I have decided that I can absolutely discuss my daily life and destinations without necessarily addressing my work, passengers, or colleagues.
Before I get into the nitty gritty on anywhere else, I have to talk about my new home city, a charming little village known to some as New York, New York. I can guarantee I will come back and address this place over & over, because I am always finding more things to do and say.
First, stereotypes about New York I have found to be untrue:
- There are R.O.U.S.'s (Rodents of Unusual Size, reference anyone?) on the subways.
No, no. Based on what everyone says, I'm sitting here expecting to be sharing my seat on the train with some mutant rats. I take the subway almost every day, and I have never seen a rat. Apparently they are down in the tracks, but I've searched, because I wanted to see one of these formidable beasts, and have yet to ever see one.
- People are squished into the subway like sardines.
I have also not really encountered this scenario, despite my frequent use of the public transit at varied hours. If anything, during my busiest subway rides, I've been significantly less cramped than I was at times on the lightrail in Central Phoenix.
- New York is outrageously expensive.
I mean, it's expensive.. But not terrible considering it is the debatably the cultural and economic hub of the planet. If you're out in Manhattan, one cocktail will easily be $12-14, but I think that could be said of a lot of major cities. Real estate there is ridiculous, but you aren't exactly going to find a steal if you move to downtown Seattle either. And if you work in Manhattan, chances are good that you make enough money to afford rent. I live in Brooklyn, and while you do need to hunt around for the deals, it's definitely cheaper than the big island. I do not pay $1,300 for a closet; I pay around $700 for my own room in a huge place with amazing roommates.
- New York gets humid and miserable during the summer.
Just kidding, this is totally true. I need to invest in a fan. But hey, I lived through Phoenix's summer with little AC and a poor insulated apartment, so I know I'll prevail.
- New Yorkers are cold and rude.
In a way, yes, but almost delightfully so. I deal with thousands of people each day at work, so I can appreciate wanting to walk down the street or sit on the subway without having to smile at everyone or make any small talk. But seriously, if you ever appear confused or someone sees you looking at a map, they will absolutely approach you and say, "Where are you trying to go?" I refer to this as being aggressively helpful. I see it every single day. Public transit in New York is really confusing, so people are always helping the lost sheep (I am frequently a member of that flock).
I also feel that the less friendly overall demeanor is compensated for with the ability to be speak frankly. I've had to deal with so many idiots in my life, I can really appreciate the upfront approach that isn't tiptoeing around niceties.
That is really the worst of it as far as being being "cold and rude," in my opinion. You have to be more aggressive than normal in this city, but it forces you to be more mature and self-reliant. And seriously, there are so many people here, you're still going to encounter every kind of walk of life there is on this world.
Now, quirks I have discovered about New York while living here:
- Every grocery store is about half of what I need.
I'm used to the West Coast, where you go to the store, it is huge, and has everything there. Here, I go to the Jewish supermarket because they have better produce and cheese, but they don't have booze or the variety of other products I need. So I go to another grocery and they have the food I need, but they don't have hair and cleaning products. Third store has cleaning products and booze, but no other groceries. It makes more sense for me to just take the train to the Target at the Atlantic Terminal and have a one stop shop. Sorry local businesses!
- Everyone spends so much time looking at cars to see if they can J-walk, they don't notice when the light is actually green for them to cross legally.
I am totally guilty of this. But J-walking is a way of life for New Yorkers, so we all get accustomed to watching for cars rather than looking at the actual traffic lights. It makes me chuckle.
Before I get into the nitty gritty on anywhere else, I have to talk about my new home city, a charming little village known to some as New York, New York. I can guarantee I will come back and address this place over & over, because I am always finding more things to do and say.
First, stereotypes about New York I have found to be untrue:
- There are R.O.U.S.'s (Rodents of Unusual Size, reference anyone?) on the subways.
No, no. Based on what everyone says, I'm sitting here expecting to be sharing my seat on the train with some mutant rats. I take the subway almost every day, and I have never seen a rat. Apparently they are down in the tracks, but I've searched, because I wanted to see one of these formidable beasts, and have yet to ever see one.
- People are squished into the subway like sardines.
I have also not really encountered this scenario, despite my frequent use of the public transit at varied hours. If anything, during my busiest subway rides, I've been significantly less cramped than I was at times on the lightrail in Central Phoenix.
- New York is outrageously expensive.
I mean, it's expensive.. But not terrible considering it is the debatably the cultural and economic hub of the planet. If you're out in Manhattan, one cocktail will easily be $12-14, but I think that could be said of a lot of major cities. Real estate there is ridiculous, but you aren't exactly going to find a steal if you move to downtown Seattle either. And if you work in Manhattan, chances are good that you make enough money to afford rent. I live in Brooklyn, and while you do need to hunt around for the deals, it's definitely cheaper than the big island. I do not pay $1,300 for a closet; I pay around $700 for my own room in a huge place with amazing roommates.
- New York gets humid and miserable during the summer.
Just kidding, this is totally true. I need to invest in a fan. But hey, I lived through Phoenix's summer with little AC and a poor insulated apartment, so I know I'll prevail.
- New Yorkers are cold and rude.
In a way, yes, but almost delightfully so. I deal with thousands of people each day at work, so I can appreciate wanting to walk down the street or sit on the subway without having to smile at everyone or make any small talk. But seriously, if you ever appear confused or someone sees you looking at a map, they will absolutely approach you and say, "Where are you trying to go?" I refer to this as being aggressively helpful. I see it every single day. Public transit in New York is really confusing, so people are always helping the lost sheep (I am frequently a member of that flock).
I also feel that the less friendly overall demeanor is compensated for with the ability to be speak frankly. I've had to deal with so many idiots in my life, I can really appreciate the upfront approach that isn't tiptoeing around niceties.
That is really the worst of it as far as being being "cold and rude," in my opinion. You have to be more aggressive than normal in this city, but it forces you to be more mature and self-reliant. And seriously, there are so many people here, you're still going to encounter every kind of walk of life there is on this world.
Now, quirks I have discovered about New York while living here:
- Every grocery store is about half of what I need.
I'm used to the West Coast, where you go to the store, it is huge, and has everything there. Here, I go to the Jewish supermarket because they have better produce and cheese, but they don't have booze or the variety of other products I need. So I go to another grocery and they have the food I need, but they don't have hair and cleaning products. Third store has cleaning products and booze, but no other groceries. It makes more sense for me to just take the train to the Target at the Atlantic Terminal and have a one stop shop. Sorry local businesses!
- Everyone spends so much time looking at cars to see if they can J-walk, they don't notice when the light is actually green for them to cross legally.
I am totally guilty of this. But J-walking is a way of life for New Yorkers, so we all get accustomed to watching for cars rather than looking at the actual traffic lights. It makes me chuckle.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Jeg har fået jobbet!
In the biggest news of all - I got the job! At long last, after all of my hard work, my dream can finally come true.
A career.
Travel.
Being someone important.
Getting to use Danish and other languages at work.
Working with new people everyday.
A variable lifestyle I won't get bored with.
A career.
Travel.
Being someone important.
Getting to use Danish and other languages at work.
Working with new people everyday.
A variable lifestyle I won't get bored with.
 |
| As I mentioned in my post in January, I adjusted my body clock to East Coast time 2 weeks in advance so that I would be well rested for my interview in Atlanta. However, despite my best efforts, here I am, wide awake and ready to go at 3am (woke up at 2am, oh boy) |
 |
| And here I am crashing in my bed in Phoenix after being awake for 24 hours, including 7 hours of interviewing and smiling, a Danish language test over the phone, and a 4 hour flight back across the country |
I am not totally sure how this will affect my blogging, because I've read a number of cases where flight attendants were fired for things they said online or even posting pictures of themselves in uniform. Granted, I do have a number of FA friends who do just that and are just regular folks, so I'm not sure where the fine line is. I will probably discontinue YouTube for the most part, though, especially with my technological impairments already standing in the way of that. I hope people won't be too disappointed, particularly if I keep up via other social media such as this.
Training starts on February 26th back in Atlanta, so I am finishing up my time at work, getting my affairs in order, trying to get rid of my apartment, etc. Soooo looking forward to it; making all new friends, all the bonding, and starting our new lives. After which, who knows where I will be! They indicated most likely Atlanta or New York, either of which I am more than fine with : )
Sunday, January 5, 2014
I came to fly
Blegh, I realized how backed up my blogging has been. I do a lot more journaling in my actual physical journal, so I often forget how little I've kept everyone else informed (and I do know some people pop on here to keep track of me!)
My last post in December was so negatively focused around Adrian, so I will start by clearing that up and be done with it. I think that we will always love each other, and we communicate with some regularity, but honestly the only way for us to really be together is for me to move back to Moscow, which I don't think either of us want for me. I love Moscow, but I can't move there again. It would just be stunting who I am and what I should really be doing. Anyway, we're kind of doing our own things, so it's still a weird purgatory, but much less influential on my daily life. I have plenty of other cute boys chasing me here in the desert : )
In bigger news, things are well moving forward with the Danish-speaking Flight Attendant position. I will be interviewing in Atlanta this Friday, yikes! I am working so hard to prepare - I've even adjusted myself to East Coast time in advance so that I feel well-rested with the interview at 7:30 in the morning. Basically this week is dedicated to being in a cocoon of Danish and airline terminology, along with reviewing my responses for all of the Q&A. I imagine they haven't had a lot of legitimate takers for the Danish-speaking position, but I can't even get to the testing portion until after I get through that Q&A with the main group.
What I have to keep in mind is that this stuff is my personal forté. I am made for this job. There is nothing required for this job that I do not already possess or am otherwise incapable of. I just need to frakking do it, just DO IT, KY!!
On that note, I'm also trying really hard not to stress myself out this time. I need to know that I will be totally fine if I get a "no." I'm not letting anyone down. I have a job in Arizona. I can still go live in Europe this summer. I can still move to a different city. It will be toooootally fine. The airline job is ideal, but it is not everything.
My last post in December was so negatively focused around Adrian, so I will start by clearing that up and be done with it. I think that we will always love each other, and we communicate with some regularity, but honestly the only way for us to really be together is for me to move back to Moscow, which I don't think either of us want for me. I love Moscow, but I can't move there again. It would just be stunting who I am and what I should really be doing. Anyway, we're kind of doing our own things, so it's still a weird purgatory, but much less influential on my daily life. I have plenty of other cute boys chasing me here in the desert : )
In bigger news, things are well moving forward with the Danish-speaking Flight Attendant position. I will be interviewing in Atlanta this Friday, yikes! I am working so hard to prepare - I've even adjusted myself to East Coast time in advance so that I feel well-rested with the interview at 7:30 in the morning. Basically this week is dedicated to being in a cocoon of Danish and airline terminology, along with reviewing my responses for all of the Q&A. I imagine they haven't had a lot of legitimate takers for the Danish-speaking position, but I can't even get to the testing portion until after I get through that Q&A with the main group.
What I have to keep in mind is that this stuff is my personal forté. I am made for this job. There is nothing required for this job that I do not already possess or am otherwise incapable of. I just need to frakking do it, just DO IT, KY!!
On that note, I'm also trying really hard not to stress myself out this time. I need to know that I will be totally fine if I get a "no." I'm not letting anyone down. I have a job in Arizona. I can still go live in Europe this summer. I can still move to a different city. It will be toooootally fine. The airline job is ideal, but it is not everything.
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