Sunday, August 21, 2011
Trip starting Saturday the 22nd
I am going to try to give a synopsis of a crazy trip, highlighting the obscene, but still giving everyone an idea of what we dealt with.
Sign in at 8:53am, have to be at the plane for boarding at 9:13. We are flying to New Orleans. As far as we know our pilots have a close connection so we begin boarding without them, personally I don't prefer this. We have everyone boarded by 9:50 for a 9:53 departure. Any pilots...no. Call gate agent...she doesn't know anything. 15minutes later still no pilots...call tower...they don't know where are pilots are except they are at the airport. Wait 10 more minutes, it's now almost 10:30, passengers are restless, we are trying to stay out of the way. Finally I call the pilot duty desk, pilot on duty says they should be here....they're not! He checks....the pilots come down the jetway. There checks take another 15 minutes we leave right around 10:45, almost an hour late.
Get to New Orleans, unload and reboard quickly, our flight time is short, we could be only 15 minutes behind even though we started out almost an hour late. Guess what...weather.
So seriously, we have to divert to Montgomery Alabama and sit for two hours bc as far as we know there is a tornado sitting over the Atlanta airport. Now when you pull the weather up on your phone there is a huge red spot right over the airport, meaning severe weather. Montgomery is a teeny tiny airport with no gate for us. We finally decide to let the back stairs down to let people off for a short time. A lady is getting off comes up to me, ps we made about 5 announcements about the weather and diverting, "seriously, why are we diverting...I know there is nothing happening at the airport" - her
"there is some serious weather there, no one is landing" - me
" I know there's nothing going on there, this is ridiculous" - her
"mam, we don't divert for fun!" -me
Ok so what the hell? She's giving me attitude this whole time...yes we send 4 planes at one time that are supposed to land in Atlanta to Montgomery for fun. We make tons of money by doing that, plus I definitely want to deal with 120 cranky people who are missing their connections for two hours.
We finally get to Atlanta about 2 hours late, our trip is changed to a short 9 HR 30 min layover in Augusta and we don't have pilots again. Wait 20 min for pilots, then we have a small maintenance issue, takes another 10 minutes, and then maintenance forgets to sign off so we have to wait another 20 minutes to get our final paperwork so we can leave. Talk about a long day.
It's ok we only have 2 legs the next day right. First leg, at the airport by 5:45am. Push back...ground hold in Atlanta. Lady gets up to go to the bathroom, older, wheelchair passenger. Comes out right before takeoff. Back flight attendant almost throws up. Poo, yes you read correctly, poo all over the bathroom and the lady. As she walks back to her seat she leaves 3 more poo piles in the aisle. I am NOT joking! Once we get in the air she has to go back to the bathroom to put a diaper on. We have to get the universal biohazard kit out to clean up....gross! Now don't get me wrong, I feel for the lady she was nice and obviously couldn't help herself, but really look at what we deal with.
Still have a whole day left of flying...let's hope the shenanigans are over and done with, smooth sailing, I mean flying would be nice.
What flight attendants are all about, well me anyways!
Everything I am about to tell you is completely true. Although it may sound like fiction, the stories, facts, are incidents that happen to flight attendants on a regular or semi-regular basis. It seems crazy that, what we assume, are normal everyday people can act so erratically. Let me preface this by saying that growing up I always thought I was just a little above average on the intelligence scale, after starting this job I realized I was a genius...not necessarily Einstein, but we're talking pretty close when compared with the average American. You might not understand this after every story but I promise there will be many.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Rachael Rays Indian Summer Turkey Chili
This is a great recipe from Rachael Ray 30 minute Get Real Meals. This recipe actually makes a little more than 4 servings I think, and it was delicious! I made it on Monday evening and it has lasted for 3 more days of lunches for both myself and Alan. And as she says it really does seem to get better each day. I totally recommend this, especially if you don't eat ground beef, you can not tell the difference in this recipe!
Indian Summer Turkey Chili
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey breast
3 T dark chili powder
1 T grill seasoning
1 T ground cumin
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T hot sauce
1 large yellow onion quartered (i actually chopped this)
2 bell peppers, any colors, cored, seeded, and cut in 1/4 inch dice
3/4 cup beer (i used a whole bottle...woops)
1 can (28oz) tomato sauce or puree
1/2 cup smokey BBQ sauce (i love BBQ so i used a tad more than 1/2 c and also sweet BBQ)
1 cup frozen corn kernels ( i love this edition, especially if you use green and red peppers)
Heat a pot over medium high heat. Add the EVOO and the ground turkey and season with the chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles. Chop the onion, reserving one quarter for topping. Brown the meat for 5 minutes, then add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add the tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and corn and bring to a bubble. Let the chili simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and heat level. Remove from heat and serve with any toppings you'd like.
TRY THIS ITS DELICIOUS!
Indian Summer Turkey Chili
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey breast
3 T dark chili powder
1 T grill seasoning
1 T ground cumin
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T hot sauce
1 large yellow onion quartered (i actually chopped this)
2 bell peppers, any colors, cored, seeded, and cut in 1/4 inch dice
3/4 cup beer (i used a whole bottle...woops)
1 can (28oz) tomato sauce or puree
1/2 cup smokey BBQ sauce (i love BBQ so i used a tad more than 1/2 c and also sweet BBQ)
1 cup frozen corn kernels ( i love this edition, especially if you use green and red peppers)
Heat a pot over medium high heat. Add the EVOO and the ground turkey and season with the chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles. Chop the onion, reserving one quarter for topping. Brown the meat for 5 minutes, then add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add the tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and corn and bring to a bubble. Let the chili simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and heat level. Remove from heat and serve with any toppings you'd like.
TRY THIS ITS DELICIOUS!
Sushi in Indy
This is a real quick tip for anyone who visits Indianapolis: I layed over there this past weekend and I have to say Indy may be my favorite "northern" city. Its not quite as high up but I love the people and the structure. I have eaten at this restaurant a few times and it never disappoints!
Sushi on the Rocks
235 Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN. 46225
317-536-1500
They have many things besides sushi but why would you not order sushi at a place called Sushi on the Rocks? Also if you are there Monday thru Thursday they have a happy hour with half price Sushi and Buy one get one free Martinis...woohoo, that's my kind of place!
I recommend the Tokyo roll, Play boy roll (which is on fire when they bring it to you) and the...hell they are all fantastic!
Sushi on the Rocks
235 Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN. 46225
317-536-1500
They have many things besides sushi but why would you not order sushi at a place called Sushi on the Rocks? Also if you are there Monday thru Thursday they have a happy hour with half price Sushi and Buy one get one free Martinis...woohoo, that's my kind of place!
I recommend the Tokyo roll, Play boy roll (which is on fire when they bring it to you) and the...hell they are all fantastic!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Authentic Japanese
So I obviously need to get better at blogging...jeez its been a while!
A couple Fridays ago Alan and I went to dinner with our fabulous friends Kristy and Ryan. We ate at this fantastic authentic Japanese Tapas Restaurant called Shoya Japanese. Ryan actually sold the space to the owner about 2 years ago and the restaurant is finally opened for business. Most of us enjoy Americanized Japanese...my goal was to try a few authentic dishes.
After we sat down and ordered drinks, which included a Japanese vodka mixed with freshly squeezed fruit - of course I didn't get the name, so I'll update at a later date, we ordered quite a few (regular) dishes. Now all these were absolutely delicious don't get me wrong; but authentic not so much. I asked the waitress what she recommended and she flat out told us..."you not like authentic food, its all raw, stay with cooked food." All right all right, maybe another time; I did try a sauteed squid dish and it wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again. Hey I was trying! As we were trying to decide on a few more dishes the owner appeared and told us we had to try 2 more that he highly recommended. Both are cooked, but I would never have thought to try either.
The first one was Okonomi - Yaki: a Japanese pancake with pork, egg, and vegetables; this was quite interesting it come out a large pancake with a sort of sweet eel sauce on top, it was about an inch and a half thick and sort of like stuffing in that the veggies and pork were chopped up in it but held together by the egg/dough mixture. Absolutely delicious but pretty rich. I definitely recommend trying this though.
The second was Yakisoba Noodle: pan fried egg noodle with pork and vegetable. Needless to say I hope everyone likes pork, because they serve a lot of it. The pork was sauteed with the noodles to perfection. I honestly have no idea what sort of ingredients go into this, but it was awesome. I would order this every time!
The best times include good food, good company, and a willingness to try whatever. This was a wonderful night out and hope it happens again soon!
A couple Fridays ago Alan and I went to dinner with our fabulous friends Kristy and Ryan. We ate at this fantastic authentic Japanese Tapas Restaurant called Shoya Japanese. Ryan actually sold the space to the owner about 2 years ago and the restaurant is finally opened for business. Most of us enjoy Americanized Japanese...my goal was to try a few authentic dishes.
After we sat down and ordered drinks, which included a Japanese vodka mixed with freshly squeezed fruit - of course I didn't get the name, so I'll update at a later date, we ordered quite a few (regular) dishes. Now all these were absolutely delicious don't get me wrong; but authentic not so much. I asked the waitress what she recommended and she flat out told us..."you not like authentic food, its all raw, stay with cooked food." All right all right, maybe another time; I did try a sauteed squid dish and it wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again. Hey I was trying! As we were trying to decide on a few more dishes the owner appeared and told us we had to try 2 more that he highly recommended. Both are cooked, but I would never have thought to try either.
The first one was Okonomi - Yaki: a Japanese pancake with pork, egg, and vegetables; this was quite interesting it come out a large pancake with a sort of sweet eel sauce on top, it was about an inch and a half thick and sort of like stuffing in that the veggies and pork were chopped up in it but held together by the egg/dough mixture. Absolutely delicious but pretty rich. I definitely recommend trying this though.
The second was Yakisoba Noodle: pan fried egg noodle with pork and vegetable. Needless to say I hope everyone likes pork, because they serve a lot of it. The pork was sauteed with the noodles to perfection. I honestly have no idea what sort of ingredients go into this, but it was awesome. I would order this every time!
The best times include good food, good company, and a willingness to try whatever. This was a wonderful night out and hope it happens again soon!
Friday, January 8, 2010
National Championship
A truly devastating loss for Texas; not only because the SEC is notorious for unnecessary bragging but also because we lost our leader and quarterback within the first 5 minutes of playing. Dare I say the game might have gone a tiny bit differently if our 1st string had played. But I look forward to the next three years with our surprisingly tough and exuberant true freshman who played damn well for the 1st time at the National Championship in Pasadena.
For an appetizer I chose an uncomplicated and manly 7 layer dip (if you count the garnishes): this is always a great dish for any athletic venture and men eat it up, literally, it was gone before the 1st half ended.
There are so many versions of this recipe and I find you can sub a variety of items for healthier choices or just switch out ingredients for ones you prefer. I'm not big on refried beans so I used black beans. In the past I have also used shredded chicken in leu of ground beef when I knew company did not eat red meat. Try new items and enjoy!
Ray Craves Seven layer dip:
1 can Black beans
8-10 oz Sour Cream (use more or less depending on how thick you like that layer to be)
2 cups Guacamole (I make this with 2 avocados and the dry guac mix)
1/2 lb lean ground beef (when this is cooked mix with Taco seasoning)
8 oz shredded mixed cheeses (Mexican Cheese), again more or less depending on you
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
Layer each item as listed beans to tomatos in a dish: I like to use a clear pie dish. This looks pretty with all the layers and is easy to eat from. Add any chips you like although the scoops work fantastically well.
Eat Hearty!
For an appetizer I chose an uncomplicated and manly 7 layer dip (if you count the garnishes): this is always a great dish for any athletic venture and men eat it up, literally, it was gone before the 1st half ended.
There are so many versions of this recipe and I find you can sub a variety of items for healthier choices or just switch out ingredients for ones you prefer. I'm not big on refried beans so I used black beans. In the past I have also used shredded chicken in leu of ground beef when I knew company did not eat red meat. Try new items and enjoy!
Ray Craves Seven layer dip:
1 can Black beans
8-10 oz Sour Cream (use more or less depending on how thick you like that layer to be)
2 cups Guacamole (I make this with 2 avocados and the dry guac mix)
1/2 lb lean ground beef (when this is cooked mix with Taco seasoning)
8 oz shredded mixed cheeses (Mexican Cheese), again more or less depending on you
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
Layer each item as listed beans to tomatos in a dish: I like to use a clear pie dish. This looks pretty with all the layers and is easy to eat from. Add any chips you like although the scoops work fantastically well.
Eat Hearty!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Roys Restaurant in Baltimore
So its totally random that this blog is about Roys Restaurant. My original plan was to find a local restaurant to eat Marylands best: soft shell crab; but according to the locals January is not the time of year for crab. So for everyone wanting to try soft shell crab May is the best time.
My old boss is the managing partner of the Roys in Baltimore and my original intention was to stop by and share a drink and chat about old times: He couldn't make it but told me to stop by for their delicious Jumbo Maryland Style Lump Crab Cake with spicy Sesame Bleur Blanc. Totally worth it: stuffed and I mean stuffed with crab this was by far one of the best crab cakes I have ever had! The sauce was creamy and the perfect compliment to a cake with so much crab and little else I don't know how it was held together. For dinner I wanted to try another fish that couldn't necessarily be found at any seafood restaurant. I decided on the Ginger Scented Maryland Rockfish with Braised Swiss Chard and Chanterelles in a Pumpkin Curry Sauce. Now to be honest I wasn't exactly sure what braised swiss chards and chanterelles were; all I knew was I love ginger and curry, plus the pumpkin with curry sounded quite interesting. So the swiss chard is a leafy green similar to spinach and the chantarelles are like little round rice. The Rockfish was delicious...a white fish not as flaky as butterfish, it is thicker like salmon but white and less fishy. The chard and chantarelles were soaked in the the pumpkin curry: in a good way. I was shocked at how flavorful both were and they worked beautifully with the fish. Now I'm not really a fan of sauteed spinach but the chards were so rich I can't even describe the taste. Needless to say I highly recommend both these delicious items.
I will have to test recipes for Swiss Chard in the future.
Please if you are in Baltimore go to this Roys! This was a fabulous experience where the food was not only delicious but the entire staff was welcoming and fun. You could tell everyone wanted to be there and it is a fabulous place to work...I know from experience that Bryson is the reason!
My old boss is the managing partner of the Roys in Baltimore and my original intention was to stop by and share a drink and chat about old times: He couldn't make it but told me to stop by for their delicious Jumbo Maryland Style Lump Crab Cake with spicy Sesame Bleur Blanc. Totally worth it: stuffed and I mean stuffed with crab this was by far one of the best crab cakes I have ever had! The sauce was creamy and the perfect compliment to a cake with so much crab and little else I don't know how it was held together. For dinner I wanted to try another fish that couldn't necessarily be found at any seafood restaurant. I decided on the Ginger Scented Maryland Rockfish with Braised Swiss Chard and Chanterelles in a Pumpkin Curry Sauce. Now to be honest I wasn't exactly sure what braised swiss chards and chanterelles were; all I knew was I love ginger and curry, plus the pumpkin with curry sounded quite interesting. So the swiss chard is a leafy green similar to spinach and the chantarelles are like little round rice. The Rockfish was delicious...a white fish not as flaky as butterfish, it is thicker like salmon but white and less fishy. The chard and chantarelles were soaked in the the pumpkin curry: in a good way. I was shocked at how flavorful both were and they worked beautifully with the fish. Now I'm not really a fan of sauteed spinach but the chards were so rich I can't even describe the taste. Needless to say I highly recommend both these delicious items.
I will have to test recipes for Swiss Chard in the future.
Please if you are in Baltimore go to this Roys! This was a fabulous experience where the food was not only delicious but the entire staff was welcoming and fun. You could tell everyone wanted to be there and it is a fabulous place to work...I know from experience that Bryson is the reason!
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