"The driveway gets longer the more snow we have"
Sunday, February 3, 2013
SNOW!!!
"The driveway gets longer the more snow we have"
Friday, August 31, 2012
Pilots and Unions
It wasn't too long ago when someone said "teamsters" that you immediately conjured up images of Jimmy Hoffa being buried under a football? stadium. Turns out these days Teamsters actually represents airline pilots, along with ALPA (Air Line Pilot Association). So what am I getting at? The company dh works for just voted in Teamsters to represent the pilot group. I am one of those pilot wives who knows (I think) dh's agreement better than him, and in general I'm super interested in most aspects of aviation (aside from actually flying, of which I am convinced is PFM). So I have been watching what has happened with the teamsters drive religiously.
Now when dh was at XJT they were ALPA (and no ALPA is not "the best ever" ) then when he went to work at his new company it was non-union. Which (as far as I can tell) worked great (for a while) and management and the pilots played nice together for a number of years. Of course, since we have gotten there it hasn't been quite so copasetic. We personally have run into a few issues such as trip trades going though only to find a week later they said "oops" our bad, and switched the trips back AFTER we had gotten plane tickets to go see family already. Not giving back days off, more instances of screwing with schedules things like that.
Wait! I know you're going to say those things happen at other places (like XJT) too, and it's true they do hence the phrase "fly now grieve later." The only difference is at other places there is a recourse you have "grieve it" weather it accomplishes anything or not is always up for debate BUT at least it is something. I came into the airline industry knowing NOTHING about Unions (good or bad) but what I have determined (at least in the airline industry) is they are a necessary evil.
As with most things there are postive and negative aspects about Unions. On the good side they (management) will actually be required, by law, to sit down with the pilots (reps) and talk about issues (whatever it may be tdy, overnights, ect) this was actually (in my opinion) one of the biggest problems they were having. Management would say "sure we will get together with you" and then never show. Another plus of the union is the legal team you get, in case (god forbid) you would ever need it. And of course wait for it.....my favorite....medical coverage. There is a pretty solid rumor (I don't know for sure hence the word rumor) that teamsters because of its size, can offer better medical coverage than what we have at a cheaper cost to the company, so of course this is a big one for me since the company so kindly last year chopped our health insurance to pieces. Of course there are downfalls to Unions as well, see the "fly now grieve later" sentence above. And they do cost $$$ (nothing in life is free right?).
Since no one has yet invented a crystal ball that actually works, I have no way of knowing if Teamsters will be beneficial or not.....In the great words of Jimmy Buffett "Only Time Will Tell."
* These are MY thoughts on the union(s) not my dh's though he may agree with some I didn't ask him before writing this.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Easy Lunchboxes
So lately I have been having a huge problem trying to figure out what to eat. I like to cook but I always make too much, lets face it most recipes aren't made for 1! So in my quest to like and understand pinterest I have spent hours on there weeding through what I can only call (mostly) crap. I have manged to find a few gems and I think this might be one :) This lunchbox site while much to my annoyance, shows only pictures and not exactly whats in them I can pretty much figure it out.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
A Sad Pirate
So I've been on hiatus for a while while I was bumming it in Florida, with a big thanks to my mom for watching the herd while I was down there for almost 3 weeks! That being said I've got tons of pictures and stories I'll put up here in the next few weeks, but this is my favorite!
So since we have our annual passes to Disney we decided to hop over to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours at night to bum around. We hadn't been on Pirates of the Caribbean in a while and there was basically NO line so we decided why not? We hop on a boat with a family behind us and some (at the time) annoying teenagers in the front. So we go through the ride uneventfully and are 3-4 boats from the end, I can SEE the unloading dock, for those of you who know Pirates well, we were at the end where the dog is holding the keys and the pirates are trying to get out of jail. So at this point we see the people get off the boat at the dock then wait...and wait....and wait....then they start with the announcements "please remain seated the ride will continue in a minute." Ok I figure they are loading someone on that was slow or something, fine. So we sit there for what 10 minutes? At which point I figure something is wrong..........Then another announcement something about powering down and powering up, at which point I figure they are hitting the crlt+alt+dlt of the Pirates ride.
Another 5 minutes they try the restart of pirates again....Another 5 minutes they do it again. At which point they finally turn the music off and bring up the house lights so to speak. That is, of course, when I took the picture of John in the boat. So another 20 minutes goes by...no announcements, no people walking around, nothing except all of us in the boat taking pictures and being loud. So finally we hear an announcement "All available pirates to door 4." So we look behind us and all the boats that were piled up behind us are gone!
So finally we see people come out from behind the scenes carrying something that looks like a bridge!!! Finally!!! So someone who looks like a higher up and a peon stand there and look at the bridge for about 5 minutes I'm not kidding. So of course in this time we're all still bored and in the boat taking pictures. The higher up personal person Freaks out in the most undisney fashion I have ever seen it was kind of funny, apparently they didn't brain wash her enough. So we're taking pictures (the lady behind me had a video camera)and she starts yelling "That is not appropriate don't take pictures we don't need these on the internet." I'm thinking really? We've been sitting here for 45min do you think it's not already there?
So then after looking at the bridge for 5 min they move it AWAY!! At which one of the teenagers starts yelling "That is not appropriate." It was hysterical! For the rest of the time we sat there everyone in the boat keep saying "That is not appropriate."
So after another 10 min they send some guy out in waders who jumps in the water and pushes our boat back to the unloading spot, come to find out we were the second to last boat to get unloaded! So after we get out (in the town scene by the bridge with the pirate on it) we are led backstage and out a back door, that lands us in the behind the scenes Disney. We walk out where they are starting to line up the floats for the light parade it was pretty cool to see! All in all it wasn't too bad our adventure only took about an hour and a half from start to finish. Apparently someone forgot to say Good Night/Good Morning to George!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The difference a year or two can make.....
So I am going to try my best to post this exactly on April 11 but forgive me if I miss by a day or two since I'm traveling..... So now lets flashback two years
April 11, 2010 - Dh gets released from the hospital after having back surgery, still currently employed though obviously not flying for XJT.
April 11, 2011- Dh starts first day of class at AAY!
April 11, 2012- 2nd year pay.... Thank god!!!
Looking back who could have ever guessed in 2010 that he would be back at work much less working for a new company in a years time??? That was a wild, quick, and unexpected plunge into first year pay and qol. And of course the famous question; Was it worth good seniority, benefits, and pay to make the change?
As we start into the second year at AAY and our checkbook happily looks at second year pay, our health insurance does not, this is by far my biggest disappointment/complaint with changing jobs. When Dh first started at AAY we had a ppo it wasn't great but still it was ppo. Now we have some kind of hsa crap, in which all the gains of our second year pay will be eaten up with health insurance costs.
Of course our qol has taken a hit starting at the bottom of any company will do that, so by that standards it's "normal". Dh hasn't been home much but that was expected (even though I complain about it). And I would be unfair if I didn't mention our qol would be great if we lived in base since he is doing all day trips. He has been fairly lucky to get a line 5 months after completing training, and he also (so far, knock on wood) got hired at the right time as there are now about 40 people under him. This may not seem like such a big number but in a company of less than 400 it is a decent amount.
It's still far to early in the game to know if this was the right move, in fact one of our ex-twa neighbors correctly said "you won't know if you picked right until the day you retire." This is so true given how volatile the airline industry these days.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is probably the best quote I can use for right now. We knew what we were dealing with at XJT but we also knew its limits. Starting on second year pay this year Dh will be within $10 an hour of what he was making at XJT as a 10 year captain. Is it the highest in the industry? No. Is it better than what he was making? Well not second year but it will be, and in far less than ten years, try three. Is its good as it could be? No it could always be better. And maybe that sentiment is why we chose to take this "leap of faith" AAY has the potential to be better than XJT was.
Now that the first year is over I'd cant say for sure that the move was a good thing, but I also cant say it was bad, and I think in the airline industry thats as good as it gets.
Sent from my iPad
The difference a year or two can make
The difference year or two can make....
So I am going to try my best to post this exactly on April 11 but forgive me if I miss by a day or two since I'm traveling..... So now lets flashback two years
April 11, 2010 - Dh gets released from the hospital after having back surgery, still currently employed though obviously not flying for XJT.
April 11, 2011- Dh starts first day of class at AAY!
April 11, 2012- 2nd year pay.... Thank god!!!
Looking back who could have ever guessed in 2010 that he would be back at work much less working for a new company in a years time??? That was a wild, quick, and unexpected plunge into first year pay and qol. And of course the famous question; Was it worth good seniority, benefits, and pay to make the change?
As we start into the second year at AAY and our checkbook happily looks at second year pay, our health insurance does not, this is by far my biggest disappointment/complaint with changing jobs. When Dh first started at AAY we had a ppo it wasn't great but still it was ppo. Now we have some kind of hsa crap, in which all the gains of our second year pay will be eaten up with health insurance costs.
Of course our qol has taken a hit starting at the bottom of any company will do that, so by that standards it's "normal". Dh hasn't been home much but that was expected (even though I complain about it). And I would be unfair if I didn't mention our qol would be great if we lived in base since he is doing all day trips. He has been fairly lucky to get a line 5 months after completing training,and he also (so far, knock on wood) got hired at the right time as there are now about 40 people under him. This may not seem like such a big number but in a company of less than 400 it is a decent amount.
It's still far to early in the game to know if this was the right move, in fact one of our ex-twa neighbors correctly said "you won't know if you picked right until the day you retire." This is so true given how volatile the airline industry these days.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is probably the best quote I can use for right now. We knew what we were dealing with at XJT but we also knew its limits. Starting on second year pay this year Dh will be within $10 an hour of what he was making at XJT as a 10 year captain. Is it the highest in the industry? No. Is it better than what he was making? Well not second year but it will be, and in far less than ten years, try three. Is its good as it could be? No it could always be better. And maybe that sentiment is why we chose to take this "leap of faith" AAY has the potential to be better than XJT was.
Now that the first year is over I'd can't say for sure that the move was a good thing, but I also can't say it was bad, and I think in the airline industry that is as good as it gets.
So I am going to try my best to post this exactly on April 11 but forgive me if I miss by a day or two since I'm traveling..... So now lets flashback two years
April 11, 2010 - Dh gets released from the hospital after having back surgery, still currently employed though obviously not flying for XJT.
April 11, 2011- Dh starts first day of class at AAY!
April 11, 2012- 2nd year pay.... Thank god!!!
Looking back who could have ever guessed in 2010 that he would be back at work much less working for a new company in a years time??? That was a wild, quick, and unexpected plunge into first year pay and qol. And of course the famous question; Was it worth good seniority, benefits, and pay to make the change?
As we start into the second year at AAY and our checkbook happily looks at second year pay, our health insurance does not, this is by far my biggest disappointment/complaint with changing jobs. When Dh first started at AAY we had a ppo it wasn't great but still it was ppo. Now we have some kind of hsa crap, in which all the gains of our second year pay will be eaten up with health insurance costs.
Of course our qol has taken a hit starting at the bottom of any company will do that, so by that standards it's "normal". Dh hasn't been home much but that was expected (even though I complain about it). And I would be unfair if I didn't mention our qol would be great if we lived in base since he is doing all day trips. He has been fairly lucky to get a line 5 months after completing training,and he also (so far, knock on wood) got hired at the right time as there are now about 40 people under him. This may not seem like such a big number but in a company of less than 400 it is a decent amount.
It's still far to early in the game to know if this was the right move, in fact one of our ex-twa neighbors correctly said "you won't know if you picked right until the day you retire." This is so true given how volatile the airline industry these days.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is probably the best quote I can use for right now. We knew what we were dealing with at XJT but we also knew its limits. Starting on second year pay this year Dh will be within $10 an hour of what he was making at XJT as a 10 year captain. Is it the highest in the industry? No. Is it better than what he was making? Well not second year but it will be, and in far less than ten years, try three. Is its good as it could be? No it could always be better. And maybe that sentiment is why we chose to take this "leap of faith" AAY has the potential to be better than XJT was.
Now that the first year is over I'd can't say for sure that the move was a good thing, but I also can't say it was bad, and I think in the airline industry that is as good as it gets.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The difference a year or two can make........
The difference year or two can make....
So I am going to try my best to post this exactly on April 11th, but forgive me if I miss by a day or two since I'm traveling..... So now lets flashback two years
April 11, 2010 - Dh gets released from the hospital after having back surgery, still currently employed though obviously not flying for XJT.
April 11, 2011 - Dh starts first day of class at AAY!
April 11, 2012 - 2nd year pay.... Thank god!!!
Looking back who could have ever guessed in 2010 that he would be back at work much less working for a new company in a years time??? That was a wild, quick, and unexpected plunge into first year pay and qol. And of course the famous question; Was it worth good seniority, benefits, and pay to make the change?
As we start into the second year at AAY and our checkbook happily looks at second year pay, our health insurance does not, this is by far my biggest disappointment/complaint with changing jobs. When Dh first started at AAY we had a ppo it wasn't great but still it was ppo. Now we have some kind of hsa crap, in which all the gains of our second year pay will be eaten up with health insurance costs.
Of course our qol has taken a hit, starting at the bottom of any company will do that, so by that standards it's "normal". Dh hasn't been home much but that was expected (even though I complain about it). And I would be unfair if I didn't mention our qol would be great if we lived in base since he is doing all day trips. He has been fairly lucky to get a line 5 months after completing training,and he also (so far, knock on wood) got hired at the right time as there are now about 40 people under him. This may not seem like such a big number but in a company of less than 400 it is a decent amount.
It's still far to early in the game to know if this was the right move, in fact one of our ex-twa neighbors correctly said "you won't know if you picked right until the day you retire." This is so true given how volatile the airline industry these days.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is probably the best quote I can use for right now. We knew what we were dealing with at XJT but we also knew its limits. Starting on second year pay this year Dh will be within $10 an hour of what he was making at XJT as a 10 year captain. Is it the highest in the industry? No. Is it better than what he was making? Well not second year but it will be, and in far less than ten years, try three. Is it as good as it could be? No, it could always be better. And maybe that sentiment is why we chose to take this "leap of faith" AAY has the potential to be better than XJT was.
Now that the first year is over I'd can't say for sure that the move was a good thing, but I also can't say it was bad, and I think in the airline industry that is as good as it gets.
So I am going to try my best to post this exactly on April 11th, but forgive me if I miss by a day or two since I'm traveling..... So now lets flashback two years
April 11, 2010 - Dh gets released from the hospital after having back surgery, still currently employed though obviously not flying for XJT.
April 11, 2011 - Dh starts first day of class at AAY!
April 11, 2012 - 2nd year pay.... Thank god!!!
Looking back who could have ever guessed in 2010 that he would be back at work much less working for a new company in a years time??? That was a wild, quick, and unexpected plunge into first year pay and qol. And of course the famous question; Was it worth good seniority, benefits, and pay to make the change?
As we start into the second year at AAY and our checkbook happily looks at second year pay, our health insurance does not, this is by far my biggest disappointment/complaint with changing jobs. When Dh first started at AAY we had a ppo it wasn't great but still it was ppo. Now we have some kind of hsa crap, in which all the gains of our second year pay will be eaten up with health insurance costs.
Of course our qol has taken a hit, starting at the bottom of any company will do that, so by that standards it's "normal". Dh hasn't been home much but that was expected (even though I complain about it). And I would be unfair if I didn't mention our qol would be great if we lived in base since he is doing all day trips. He has been fairly lucky to get a line 5 months after completing training,and he also (so far, knock on wood) got hired at the right time as there are now about 40 people under him. This may not seem like such a big number but in a company of less than 400 it is a decent amount.
It's still far to early in the game to know if this was the right move, in fact one of our ex-twa neighbors correctly said "you won't know if you picked right until the day you retire." This is so true given how volatile the airline industry these days.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is probably the best quote I can use for right now. We knew what we were dealing with at XJT but we also knew its limits. Starting on second year pay this year Dh will be within $10 an hour of what he was making at XJT as a 10 year captain. Is it the highest in the industry? No. Is it better than what he was making? Well not second year but it will be, and in far less than ten years, try three. Is it as good as it could be? No, it could always be better. And maybe that sentiment is why we chose to take this "leap of faith" AAY has the potential to be better than XJT was.
Now that the first year is over I'd can't say for sure that the move was a good thing, but I also can't say it was bad, and I think in the airline industry that is as good as it gets.
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