I recently went down to San Antonio for work and realized a passion of mine that I haven't experienced in awhile: talking to the people next to you on a plane. I only started doing it once I started college because I was such a wallflower in high school you had to force me to talk to someone back then.
Its refreshing to start up a conversation with a complete stranger. Everyone has their own story and whether they like to admit it or not, they love talking about it. You find out where they are from, where they are traveling to and before you know it they are telling you about their 3 kids back home and how they need to find a perfect present for them.
One time I was on a plane to Orlando and I was working on a research paper on airline crashes. I had a book open with graphic pictures and a case report of the latest aircraft accident on my lap. The elderly gentleman sitting next to me said 'Miss, you may want to be careful who you show that to on this plane, I think there are some first timers on board'. Oops. I was so engrossed in my reading to even think that he may have a fear of flying so I quickly apologized and started packing up. He told me not to worry because he was a skydiver from Australia and had jumped out of over 4,000 airplanes. He was never worried about them crashing because he could always just jump out of them if they did. That sparked a long conversation about my education and where I planned on taking it and he offered some great advice. I still have his business card and I swear one of these days I am going to go Australia to skydive with him.
This past week I sat in between two good sized men on the way to San Antonio. I was tired and cranky and the last thing I wanted to do was become a sardine on the tin can of Continental Airlines (the song "Stuck in the Middle with You" kept playing on loop in my head). Well the guy to my right, who looked liked Lou Ferigno and Jack LaLaine's lovechild, started talking to me about where I was going and why I was going there. Turns out he owns the largest chain of fitness centers in Arkansas and was on his way to meet with some investors. The guy to my left as it turns out was a fuel salesmen going to the same conference as me. He gave me a rundown of what the conference would entail and also some pointers about where to go after the 'work' was over. We all exchanged business cards and I ended up finding Eric the fuel salesmen at the conference and said hi. Had I just put on my iPod and fell asleep on the plane like I had originally planned I would have missed out on Lou Ferigno Sr giving me running tips and my new friend at the NBAA conference.
Trust me, if you are faced with the option of talking to your neighbor or just putting on your headphones, I highly suggest talking. You never know who you might meet.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Apartment Hunting...the Saga
Apartment hunting is dumb. I was half tempted to just post the blog after I typed that sentence because it so adequately describes my feelings right now. I have done my research on every apartment I want to live in and they all end up falling short of my expectations when I get there to look at them. Why is this? Are my expectations too high? Should they all be charged with false advertising? I highly doubt I will get answers to these questions. The least I can do is share my trials and tribulations so you will feel sorry for me.
The first place I went was the Old Market Lofts. I was really excited about these because I thought it would be awesome to live to close to work and be right there on the downtown action. I sent in my 'whats available?' card and noted that I was not willing to spend more than $800 on rent each month. I walk in and first of all the girl did not even introduce herself to me - she just started asking me questions about how I heard about the place (as if the giant brick building that says "OLD MARKET LOFTS" isnt enough) and so on and so forth. Then she takes me on a tour and only speaks if I ask her a question. Well thats helpful. The first apartment she shows me is $850...ok, pretty sure thats not what I wanted. The kitchen was the size of a walk-in closet and the bedroom could maybe fit my bed and a small table...maybe. The next one she says she is going to show me is $950. Oh, great! Its only $150 more than what I told them I was willing to spend, no big deal. So needless to say that did not work out.
I was so frustrated after that visit that I went over to the Johnson's and played drinking SVU with Kelcy. I find that whenever life gets you down it is always best to play a drinking game while watching your favorite drama on TBS. After that I had absolutely no motivation to look at apartments in person so I have now resorted to asking my friends to do it for me. Oddly enough no one has signed up to find me an apartment. Until I find the one place that I can call home I am sure there will be more stories to affirm how nutso this process is.
The first place I went was the Old Market Lofts. I was really excited about these because I thought it would be awesome to live to close to work and be right there on the downtown action. I sent in my 'whats available?' card and noted that I was not willing to spend more than $800 on rent each month. I walk in and first of all the girl did not even introduce herself to me - she just started asking me questions about how I heard about the place (as if the giant brick building that says "OLD MARKET LOFTS" isnt enough) and so on and so forth. Then she takes me on a tour and only speaks if I ask her a question. Well thats helpful. The first apartment she shows me is $850...ok, pretty sure thats not what I wanted. The kitchen was the size of a walk-in closet and the bedroom could maybe fit my bed and a small table...maybe. The next one she says she is going to show me is $950. Oh, great! Its only $150 more than what I told them I was willing to spend, no big deal. So needless to say that did not work out.
I was so frustrated after that visit that I went over to the Johnson's and played drinking SVU with Kelcy. I find that whenever life gets you down it is always best to play a drinking game while watching your favorite drama on TBS. After that I had absolutely no motivation to look at apartments in person so I have now resorted to asking my friends to do it for me. Oddly enough no one has signed up to find me an apartment. Until I find the one place that I can call home I am sure there will be more stories to affirm how nutso this process is.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
In the event of a water landing...
So the other day I had finally reached my breaking point with a friend of mine...we shall call him Murray because I think thats a funny name. I had been blown off for the 3rd time in a week and it all just exploded when I got the last 'I cant make it' text. At the epitome of my frustration my friend Jo came into the picture and let me vent. God really knew what he was doing when he created the patient friends who allow you to just vent all your frustrations and sort it out before you go nutso. So I told her the story of my day and all she said was...
"Kailey, he is like the Titanic. The best thing to do is put on your fur coat and hop on the last boat out of there"
Funny how a bit of advice meant in jest could actually put everything into perspective! Murray is my Titanic. He was great and wonderful at first and all I wanted was to be a part of his allurement. Everything was great until we hit that damn iceberg. However, much like the Titanic, it was unavoidable. It was a big, looming iceberg that in the back of our minds always knew could appear without warning - we just always hoped our friendship would be stronger. The damage was done, but we kept on trucking and I truly believed that we could still stay afloat. Even when the water was rushing in around my feet I STILL thought we would be ok. I held on as long as I possibly could and refused to give up - that is, until I realized that all my efforts to save the sinking ship were useless. I heard the call for the last rescue boat so I grabbed what I had left of my pride and paddled away.
Its hard to leave something you always thought was so strong and reliable. Its even harder to realize that there was nothing you could have done to save it. So while I will always have the memories of that magical trip, I also have the ability to paddle away with my head held high and knowing that a ship, whether it be friend or cruise, is only as strong as you build it to be.
"Kailey, he is like the Titanic. The best thing to do is put on your fur coat and hop on the last boat out of there"
Funny how a bit of advice meant in jest could actually put everything into perspective! Murray is my Titanic. He was great and wonderful at first and all I wanted was to be a part of his allurement. Everything was great until we hit that damn iceberg. However, much like the Titanic, it was unavoidable. It was a big, looming iceberg that in the back of our minds always knew could appear without warning - we just always hoped our friendship would be stronger. The damage was done, but we kept on trucking and I truly believed that we could still stay afloat. Even when the water was rushing in around my feet I STILL thought we would be ok. I held on as long as I possibly could and refused to give up - that is, until I realized that all my efforts to save the sinking ship were useless. I heard the call for the last rescue boat so I grabbed what I had left of my pride and paddled away.
Its hard to leave something you always thought was so strong and reliable. Its even harder to realize that there was nothing you could have done to save it. So while I will always have the memories of that magical trip, I also have the ability to paddle away with my head held high and knowing that a ship, whether it be friend or cruise, is only as strong as you build it to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)