Well, been a bit lax on updating this ol' thing, but thought I'd give it a go.

So, let's see since the last update I have managed to (as usual) stay busy and even got in a little work here and there.

Took Kristen (little sis) to St. Louis to visit family at the end of June. She had a blast with the cousins and apparently came back exhausted. July 4th weekend Lyndi and I went to Rothbury, where we also met some a few other friends. The festival was a lot of fun, we met new friends, saw a plethora of amazing bands. Highlights were Jakob Dylan, Snoop Dogg, Thievery Corporation, Michael Franti & Spearhead, and obviously Dave Matthews Band. DMB had an excellent set list AND Lyndi and I managed to get super close, though not without some drama from the worst fans I've met yet... But we didn't let them ruin our excellent view or enjoyment of a bad ass show!

Here are some of my favorite shots:







After the week of Rothbury I traveled to Dallas to hang with Brent and my Dad at my aunt's lake house. Family bonding and boats, what more could you want?

On the 17th Lori and I went to the Old St. Pat's fest to see Ben Kweller followed by Rusted Root. Both were super fun to see live, will definitely catch them again should the opportunity arise...

So, that covers most of the month's big activities. This last weekend I was able to catch up with Nhia (an old college buddy) who was in town for a convention. We had a lovely meal at Orange, one of my favorite places in Chicago.

Tonight my Mom is flying into Chicago, then tomorrow we both head to Louisville. We're staying at the Brown, which is always one of my favorite overnights. A beautiful, historic hotel. Not sure exactly what we're going to do though I'm thinking maybe the Louisville Slugger factory tour is a possibility. Friday we'll be sweating in the seats of Louisville Slugger Field to Willie Nelson and DMB! This will be my Mom's first Dave show, hopefully she'll have a good time.

Well, until next time!

Yes, that's right THREE days in a row I had someone of 'significance' on my plane! I couldn't believe it this morning when we arrived to the gate and the Operations Agent told us, "Hey, you've got Sheryl Crow on your plane today!" Yup, that's right... Can't say that she's one of my favorites, in fact, generally speaking I don't really care much for her music except a few songs here and there. The other two girls I was flying with were pretty excited and although we had hoped for a picture it was not to be as Miss Crow slept the entire time. Oh well. She did say goodbye to me as she left the plane at least. ;)

So, yesterday it was the Myth Busters on our flight (from Louisville to Birmingham, go figure?).

Immediately after that flight we had some guy that we couldn't figure out who he was and when we tried he wouldn't tell us, just that he was musician. I do know that was wearing the expensive headphones that a lot of bands wear during concerts and he definitely had rocker hair. Oh well...

Today we had Baltimore Raven tight-end Todd Heap on our flight to Phoenix. He was with his family and was very nice with adorable, polite little kids. He also wasn't bad to look at either...

Funny enough on the flight to LAX, which is where you often think you'll see a 'celeb' there was no one!

Tomorrow we fly to Nashville, which is also a good 'celeb' flight. Let's see if I can keep my streak going!

After 10 days of pretending I am independently wealthy and don't need to work, today was a harsh reminder that I do, indeed, have a job. I am on call this month and though I gave it a valiant try I was not able to get a decent night's sleep, despite the fact that I had a very busy, full day that started fairly early. So, it was with great dread that I answered my phone at 3:10am to receive the bad news that I was going to be flying an AM trip. I tried to get another hour of sleep but that was not to be. For some reason, my brain didn't want anything to do with sleep though I felt bone-tired. I think I need to have a talk with my DR about getting some sleeping aides. Insomnia seems to be an all too common experience for me...

Anyway, so, when I looked at my screen to see what nasty trip they gave me I nearly burst into tears. Not only was I getting up at 3:30 am I was also expected to work 11 hours and 6 legs, which is just about the worst you can get, in C position. Gah! So, I'm going to be 'homeless' on the plane and so tired that I won't be able to keep my eyes open... The morning got even better when I went to go start my car to drive to work and the it wouldn't turn over. I gave it several tries but the car wouldn't budge! Since, I don't want to call in sick I had to catch a cab to work, which set me back about $40. Yeah, great start to the morning! I remember another reason I hate mornings...

So, here I am in Hartford, Connecticut sleep deprived and stressed out. On top of having to (most likely) get a new starter for my car I am actually more stressed about my crappy schedule for next month. I tried to hard to make sure I bid smart but somehow I accidentally bid for the absolute worst line I could get for the month of July. It's a line that leaves many hardly any room to move things around. This is especially troublesome since I have Rothbury tickets on July 4th weekend... I know it will all work out, but it sure would be nice if things went a little more my way this week.

Lori forgets to bid and gets a great line, I DO bid as carefully as I could and I get exactly what i was hoping to avoid. go figure?

On a bright note... the Myth Busters (Adam and Jamie) were on my plane today. I have to say that of all the 'celebs' I've had on the plane I was probably the most excited about them! Such a nerd...

I'm still suffering from 'foot in mouth' disease...

First, I embarrass one of my friends in front of my other friends (sorry again Lori!).

Then yesterday I wrote a little review of the STL DMB show on one of the fan forums. I made one little comment about a certain band member's family who happened to be waiting for their tickets at the same time i was waiting for mine. They seemed a bit crabby, and really, why wouldn't they be? After all, it was hotter than hades and they had to wait for quite some time to get their tickets, I was rather crabby myself. Though, I admit I was more mad at myself for the stupid mistake of leaving the tickets in Chicago...

Anyway, so I wrote this rather thoughtless comment that I didn't think they were that nice (I said something and just got a look from one of them). I SHOULD have written they seemed a bit cranky... It was just one of those hastily written sentences that I thought was a somewhat interesting statement, as others had mentioned they met some of the band. Either way, I suppose I shouldn't have done it as it really wasn't a fair generalization...

Why the change of heart you ask? Well, because you never know WHO is reading what you write and sometimes you need to be reminded to not make snap judgments about people. You never know who may panic at the thought that they left a bad impression. If you haven't figured, one of the band member's family actually saw my comment and wrote me to find out just what happened. So, feeling like a real jerk I wrote to the person and told them that it was really nothing and I am so sorry to have caused offense. The person again wrote me back, accepted the apology, and was really quite nice about the misunderstanding.

So, yeah, it turned out all right. And honestly, I think it's kind of cool that I got a little insider info, but boy am I going to be more careful about what I put on the net. And as I said... yet another reminder that I really ought to be more thoughtful about what dribble comes out of my mouth (or fingertips).

Wow, been a busy couple of weeks!

I got back last night (after sitting at the airport/bar for a couple hours with Lori) from a great weekend in St. Louis.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy. I moved to my new apartment in my much better neighborhood on the 29th. I worked a three day trip on the 31st and have been off since. Even with all those days off it seems like I haven't got much done. I still have some boxes left to unpack as well as some general organizing (plus another trip to Ikea), but the apartment is finally coming along. It's a little bit smaller than my last but I'm ok with that since my rent is a whole lot smaller!

The new neighborhood is great! I've got a ton of stores, restaurants, bars, cafes all within walking distance. What's more, is that people actually want to come to my neighborhood to hang out, yeah! That is also a dangerous thing as evidenced by Thursday and Friday night. Lori kidnapped me on Thursday and kept me out much too late. Then on Friday (the night before the DMB concert in STL) Ann Marie decides she wants to paint the town red. Lori joined us and I convinced them to come to my hood in the hopes we could head back to my place after a little fun. I wasn't really planning on staying out all night, but Hussy was all for it and since she was staying at my place... well, let's just say I really need to work on my will power. Needless to say the night (actually morning) ended with greasy pizza and Lori asleep on my sofa with a full glass of wine.

The next morning was total chaos. I overslept, took too long getting ready and was in a complete rush to get to the airport for the 2:10 flight to St. Louis. I get all the way to the gate, ready to check in with only minutes to spare when I realize that I have left something very, very important. If you haven't guessed it this is the same person that has lost no less then FOUR cameras 3 of them within a span of 2 months. Yeah... this absent minded, over tired, stayed out too late with her no good, drink pushing, let's go to an after-hour bar that stays open until 4am because the ones that stay open until 2am are not late enough for us 'friends' was so disorganized on Saturday that I walked out the door and drove all the way to the airport before I realized I had left FOUR $75 tickets to the concert that I was attending that very night in St. Louis! Needless to say, I FREAKED! And on top of all that I had the added worry of a cell phone that wasn't fully charged (see earlier comment about no good friends). Several frantic text messages and a couple frustrating calls later I was able to finally get some help from the very kind people at Cardinal ticketing office who were able to track down my tickets, a person from the Warehouse, and finally print me off some new ones.

It put a bit of a damper on the afternoon, BUT we were able to get into the show in time see the Black Crowes and DMB.



The weather was sauna like (per usual for STL), but the show was really good. My 21st show brought me 3 songs that I had never heard live before including Pay For What You Get, Recently, and a little jam they hadn't played for years. The encore was kind of lame with yet another performance of Louisiana Bayou (blegh!) BUT the show was pretty amazing. Not sure I care for stadium shows but the band sure was having a good time. I added to my poster collection and can't wait to get it framed to join my other two.






The rest of the month will be spent with mostly work, though I'm making sure not to work too hard now that summer is here. Next big even is Rothbury Music Festival. Joining me for that venture will be Lyndi, Jackie and crew, and the newest additions of Lori and Trisha (who got VIP tix, so not fair!).

Good times ahead... woohoo!

It's been a fun month, can't believe it's over already!

Kassie was in town this last week, we tore it up in the Gold Coast on Tuesday night. Which did make it rather difficult to muster myself up for work, but I managed. I flew with Lucky and another cool FA. We had fun in New Orleans, which also made it difficult to work the next day.

So, now I'm on another 3 day. So far it's been pretty easy! The loads have been light, though I suspect that will not be the case on Monday. I had a rare occurrence to start the trip off... I was dreading getting up after a very restless night with little sleep. My phone rings at 8:15, but I didn't answer since it said 'unknown', scheduling always leaves a message (at least they're supposed to). Anyway, they did, and the message said that my first leg was cancelled and I should call them for a new check-in time. So I did, and my checkin time was changed from 1:15 to 4:45. And to make things EVEN better, I was going to deadhead all the way to Denver and then only have to work one leg to San Jose! Heck yeah! Couldn't ask for a better day. Needless to say I was feeling much better by the time I finally had to leave for work.

Anyway, the coming week is going to be rather hectic. I am moving to a new apartment, which I soo excited for! The new apartment will not only save me buckets of money, but it is in a MUCH better neighborhood with a ton of stuff to do. Just around the corner from my new building are all kinds of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping... So MUCH better than now where I don't have hardly anything within walking distance. Plus I don't have to worry as much about walking around by myself. Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent packing and calling to get all my utilities transferred. Can't wait for this summer, it's going to be so much better! WOOHOO!

So, the last couple weeks have been baseball filled!




First I met Kassie in St. Louis to see the Cards take on the Reds. It was really, really cold and I stupidly did not think to check the weather report to see just HOW cold it was going to be. I wore a spring clothes and a light jacket when I SHOULD have brought a sweatshirt and heavier jacket. Anyway, like troopers Kassie and I stuck it out the whole game. We did change seats so we could get a better view of Ken Griffey Jr. in right field... Can we say Hot Chocolate!



Then on Sunday, May 4th I was again in St. Louis to see the Cards take on the Cubs. The weather was MUCH nicer and so was the game. It was a great game with lots of really great plays on both sides. There is definitely something special about the Cards/Cubs games. The whole stadium is filled with (for the most part) good natured teasing. Luckily the Cards won the game, and series, so the Card fans got the bragging rights for the night!

Cathy and I had to laugh because sitting next to us, (changing seats frequently) were some foreign exchange students from Japan. They took pictures of EVERYTHING, seats, beer, vendors. It was pretty funny. In fact, they inspired me and Cathy to take some pictures...



Yesterday, May 15th, some fellow FAs and I went to the Cubs game. Ann Marie, Lori, Lisa, and me all met in Wrigely to watch the Cubs take on the Padres. It was a bit of sad day for me because it was also Jim Edmond's first game as a Cub.




He's been one of my favorite players for years now and to see him in Cubs uniform was a little tough. I mean, he's always been a favorite CARDINALS player. I know that me and many other Cards fans (including family) really wanted him to retire as a Cardinal so seeing him in our rival team's uniform is not cool. Jimmy got polite applause when he was introduced but he failed to perform in 3 out of 4 of his at bats he also got booed. Let's just say that a lot of Cub fans still don't care for him, in fact many have said they hate him. Us Card fans are just a little saddened by the whole thing. Oh well, good luck Jim, you'll always be a Cardinal to me!








Anyway, I had a blast with the girls! Nothing better than a baseball game (even if it is the Cubs) with your buddies! The weather could have been a bit warmer and less overcast (like today, for instance) but we still had a lot of fun.

Ann Marie and I are definitely going to try to catch some more games this summer. Milwaukee isn't too far away and Detroit and St. Louis are just quick little hops on a plane. Hopefully, I can catch a game in Boston this year as well! It's going to be a good summer!

So today I am headed to Wrigley to watch the Cubs take on the Padres. Of course, I can't root for the Cubs, I'm going more for the chance to watch a baseball game in a historic field with some friends. I'm excited about that! While the Cubs are the Cardinals' main rival I don't despise them and if the Cards were to be totally out of the World Series hunt I may even root for the Cubbies. Just can't do it yet because it's early AND the two teams are still competitve. So, today I'll probably secretly be rooting for the Padres.

A baseball tragedy occurred last night (being overly dramatic here, so bear with me)... the Cubs signed one of my favorite Cardinals of all time to play center field! They signed Jim Edmonds! I can't believe and truly it is a sad day. When I saw Jimmy got released from the Padres I was secretly hoping that the Cards' management would take him back, but of course that wasn't to be. Just didn't think it would be the Cubs that would take Jimmy Ballgame! From what I understand the Cub fans are even more upset, they've always hated him (mostly because of his theatrics and ability to be a clutch player)... I hope they don't treat him to bad. Even if it does feel a little treasonous I'm still fond of him. Good luck Jimmy! I'll try to swallow the little bit of bile that will no doubt be threatening when I first see you in your Cubs uniform. Sigh....

OK, so I've been terribly lazy when it comes to blogging. I've also been a little busy the last few months. Between work (and even during work) I have managed to do quite a few fun things. I don't really want to bother with the details so instead I'll post what pictures I have handy....

Here goes...

I went on a trip and this guy was on our flight. He was very nice



A few days later Ann Marie and I flew a trip together. We had lots of fun but we missed Melissa whose mug happened to be on our company magazine. As you can see Melissa knows that everyONE Matters!





Then, soon after, I went to the unveiling of our newest plane, Illinois One! We toasted the new plane with champaign. All the big wigs were there...

This is one of our company founders, his name is Herb.



The Mayor of Chicago was also there. I shook his hand.



This is the new plane. Isn't it cool?





A week or two later I got to fly with my friend Lucky. We had a really long overnight in Reno, NV and decided we would go do some sightseeing in Virginia City! It's an old west town which used to be a big mining town in the days of the Comstock Lode. It was really neat and I wouldn't mind going back to check out some of things we were too late to see.

Virginia City

We had fun trying on some hats...










Anyway, that pretty much is what I did at the end of March and in April. Coming soon I've got pictures of a couple baseball games I went to, including a wonderful shot of the back of Ken Griffy Jnr! Yeah baby!