Men are Pigs

Written towards the end of my month of flights.

I’ve been on 16 flights over the last 3 weeks.  I’ve noticed I don’t mind sitting next to a female stranger, but male strangers definitely make sharing space harder.  Why?

• Men sit with their legs spread; pretty much taking up as much room as they can.  Personally, I do not like my own legs to be pressed together, being forced to have a stranger’s leg pressed against my own, with him in MY SPACE
• Men believe they own the arm rest.  Again, I don’t want some stranger’s sweaty arm resting along mine for an entire flight.

Yes, I know most men are physically larger than most women, but I have shared my arm rest with some pretty large women and I have never had a large woman rest her arm or leg against mine for an entire trip.  Men, wise up.  You are sharing very tight quarters in modern airplanes. Don’t take up more than your share!

August Musings

I forgot to post THIS writing, done in August:

What was Switzerland like?

I absolutely loved the chalet in which we stayed, I loved the countryside, too.  The food was quite excellent, indeed.  I enjoyed spending time with my father, my kids, and my boyfriend.  What I did not like about it was:

• Bug bites.  Lots of mosquitos. Lots of biting flies.  Lots of wasps.  Only 2 of the 3 bit me, but I happen to have developed an allergy to one of them. Yuck.
• Getting bats shooed out of the house.  We did learn to turn off indoor lights if we were sitting outdoors at twilight. We also learned to close our bedroom windows when it turned to dusk
• Being with people, even beloved family, 24/7.  Yes, showering with a boyfriend is fun, but really, that is (sometimes) my ONLY chance to be alone.  Once, I wanted to take a walk to find some quiet time to let my thoughts wander, and I got company on the walk.  I do love my family very much, but in order to feel settled and comfortable, I need some alone time, too.  Don’t get that on family vacation
• Prices.  When I was a little girl, the exchange rate was 4 SFr to the dollar.  When I was there about 5 years ago, it was 2 SFr to the dollar.  This trip, the dollar dropped to below the SFr.  It was expensive here 5 years ago. Now it’s doubly so!
• Learning to get everything one needs before Sunday.  The small towns shut down on Sunday, thus no groceries or other shopping for necessities.  This isn’t so bad, but it’s a tad difficult for a 24 hr grocery shopper to remember.

So, how was Morgan? Quick Answer: Nothing to complain about.

Oops, I forgot to post for a LONG time

It's been a long year.  I'm much better now, thank you. I got a new job 7/25/11 and on that day I flew to Madison, WI for training.  A few days later I flew home, arriving home around 2 am, only to turn around and head back to the airport with my kids to go on vacation (which was its own ordeal).  I return from 2 weeks in Europe to do the same - arrive in the evening and head out the next morning on a 6 am flight. Only this time I'm jet-lagged.  Learning something when one is horribly tired is difficult.  A flight back home, a weekend free, and back out to Wisconsin yet again for more training.  I believe it was 18 flights in 4 weeks.  Since then, I have been certified in Epic Orders, I've supported a "go-live" event which included 3 hospitals, working 130 hrs in 2 weeks. And I'm tired!
  I just heard that the hospital is asking for more support over the next two weeks, so I may be heading back to more 12 hour shifts.. I guess I can rest when I'm dead.