Back on track...

I've been silent these past few days, mainly because we had company in town. Dan and Rene came to visit, arriving here about 10:30 Friday night. We went out for a *really* late dinner at the new Cannery Hotel and Casino, located here in North Las Vegas, about ten minutes from our house. On Saturday, we did a little shopping in Summerlin and headed out to Red Rock Canyon where we walked around a bit, climbed some rocks, and did about as much hiking/climbing as one can do in sandles. There is a ten mile loop or so that you can drive, giving great views and access to all the rock and desert formations that make Red Rock so beautiful. If you haven't been, it's a must when you come to Vegas!

That night we decided to play tourist and hit the strip. Haven't been to the North end lately, so we went to the Venetian, Treasure Island (soon to be called T.I.) and the Mirage. We ate dinner at Taqueria Canonita, a modern/contemporary tex-mex resteraunt with great food. It is located in the Grand Canal Shops at the Venetian. They have old favorites with modern flare. For example, the rice served is white rice with cilantro, and their beans are black beans with sour cream sauce drizzled on top. I had a chicken, a pork and a fish taco for dinner in my Tres Taco platter. Dan had a fruit stuffed chile relleno, Beth had a vegetarian tamale filled with creamy polenta and Rene had a chicken quesadilla. All were excellent. Of course, it was all washed down with delicious sangria margharitas! They were great! Needless to say, two of them had quite the impact. Let's just say I didn't drive home.

The next morning we all slept in. I got up and made waffels for everyone. Dan decided to fancy his up with walnuts and chocolate syrup. Sounds nasty to me. I want butter and syrup or stawberries and whipped cream. Not chocolate and walnuts. Ick! We decided to go flying, with plans to head out over Lake Mead and fly over Hoover Dam. Dan has been up flying with me once, the only newcomer was Rene. He was really nervous, but very anxious to try it. I made it very clear to Rene that if he got too nervous, we could turn around at any time. About fifteen minutes after takeoff, he decided he'd had enough and went back to the airport. Although we didn't make it to Lake Mead, we did fly over the strip, and Rene wasn't too nervous to take a picture of that. :-) He said he had no idea what was going on, he was so nervous. It was windy that day and the ride, although not really bumpy, wasn't the smooth flight he would've enjoyed. That's ok, small baby steps like that one will help him feel more comfortable the next time.

Tomorrow I return to the friendly skies, this time as a flight attendant. It will be the first trip I've flown in over a month! I have to admit, the time off was nice, but I'd have rather had it for fun rather than for school. I am excited to return to work, however, I am sure this one trip would hold me over for another month! I am headed to the Caribbean, flying to San Juan, Aruba and then over to Tampa. It's a four day trip, and I my friend Edie is working it with me. That'll be a lot of fun. Tomorrow will be a long day as Edie and I make our way from Las Vegas to Chicago, then to Newark, then to San Juan. In all, our day will be about a 16 hour day, all on an airplane! Ick! Oh well, tis the life I live.

More updates?

Dixie Chicks: Hopefully some of you got the chance to watch the Dixie Chicks on PrimeTime Live with Diane Sawyer tonight. I found it painfully hard to watch Natalie because she had to choose her words so carefully. Trying hard not to say it, it was clear, in my eyes, she wanted so desperately to say, "Why? Why should I apologize. Why should I apologize when I've done nothing wrong?" She indicated her word choice could have been better and her intention was not to disrespect Bush. She admitted that her comment stood for so much more than what she actually said, and that it should have been phrased more appropriately. The Chicks said they make mistakes. I can't call Natalie speaking out a mistake. The mistake would have been to remain silent when your heart and mind told you different. What does it mean when we end up censoring ourselves in fear of what others may say or do in resposne?

Diane Sawyer asked Natalie, "Maybe President Bush is watching tonight. Is there anything you'd like to say to him?" She replied, "Your show isn't long enough." Good for you, Natalie. Bethany and I have yet to buy their new Album "Home" and have vowed to purchase it tomorrow. I know this topic has gone on for a while, but it brings up so many more important issues than the Dixie Chicks themselves. Like the Chicks mentioned in the interview, just prior to the war breaking out, during that same week, the top news story was about the Chicks. Shouldn't there have been more important questions asked during that time? One of the Chicks quoted a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. I am going to try and find it, and when I do, I'll post it here. It says it all. In the meantime, please check out the comments for the entry titled "New Wisdom" below. There is more on this topic there.

School: The semester has finally ended. It wasn't the banner semester I had in the fall, but I ended it on top and with decent grades. I was enrolled in Math 1010 (College Algebra) and decided instead to take it this summer. Also, I had to take the FAA Instrument Written exam by today for a class. Although I'll need to retake it for my actual instrument rating, I earned a high enough grade on it to do well in my instrument ground course at UVSC.

Work: BREAKING NEWS. -- Ceo Don Carty announces resignation, AMR Board of Directors accepts the resignation and appoints a long time AA employee as CEO and former Sears Roebuck CEO as Chairman of the Board. -- While I am slightly saddened by the news, as I felt our CEO was poised to take AA into the future, I respect his decision, and also look forward to our new CEO, Gerard Arpey, taking the lead. He's been a high ranking, highly respected official by the employees at AA for years. The controversy regarding executive retension bonuses and pension plans has not fully played out yet, and it remains to be seen if the flight attendants will actually vote again or not on whether to accept the company's wage/benefit concession package. Although, the Board of the flight attendant union voted 17 to 1 for a revote. And so the ticker ticks.

Paint: Our bedroom remains unpainted. Bethany stepped up last week and painted the loft, guest bathroom, office and master bathroom. She finally decided to take a break and work on it this weekend. We now have guests coming to town, so that will be postponed to next weekend. Fine with me... I don't know how she's been able to do all she's done already.

Life: So much better! School was a huge weight holding me down. Isn't it always that way at the end of the semester? Now that that is over, I feel much relief. Dan and his boyfriend Rene are our guests coming to town. Can't wait to see them. Weather permitting, we're going to take a site seeing flight over the Las Vegas Valley, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon on Saturday. Those are all beautiful gems here in the desert.

New wisdom...

"Don't quit now. How about all those times when you get drunk and you puke? You didn't quit then." (From "Wanda at Large - FOX).

What great advice... a new day of sorts... a refreshed and renewed sense of energy to keep trudging through the daily crap. It's like I can breathe again. Ok, now seriously. This is one of the more hilarious lines on my new favorite weekly comedy, "Wanda at Large" on FOX. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It airs on Wednesday nights at 9:30. Next week is the season finale. The show just started about four or five weeks ago, and has achieved great ratings. It's probably helped by the fact it follows American Idol and Bernie Mac. Wanda plays a crab ass, not your typical reporter who truly tells it like it is.

Speaking of American Idol, the Mormon finally went last night. Carmen was finally voted off AI, and after what Sean said a week or so ago, I am sure her extended stay had a lot to do with her fellow Mormons in Utah. Well, they're no match for the rest of us! Ha! No, seriously, she just couldn't hack it. Randy (a judge) tore into her the night before, and I am glad he did. It's about time someone said what needed to be said to get her off the show. Next week I predict it will either be Josh Gracin or Trenyce. I think it should be Josh. Trenyce should go the next week. But as for the top three? Tough. They're all amazing!

Bethany was telling me while listening to one of our favorite morning shows on "94.1 The Mix" yesterday they had Dennis Leary on the show. Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chick's and her comment about The Shrub came up again, and the two talk show hosts went on about how stupid she was. It still pisses me off, that these radio personalities are still going on about something they fight to save everyday, too... Freedom of Speech. That's how they have a job. Will they just shut up about it? Come on! I've lost a lot of respect for those two now, and it's really sad because they are by far the best morning show in town. Bastards!

Well, that's my mid week entertainment wrap-up. Be sure to tune in next week for another Twinkie filled with the week's television and radio dues and don'ts. For now, I'm qqflyboy.

Updates II...

Painting: All that is left to paint is the master bedroom. Bethany decided to take a break yesterday, and didn't paint anything. I can't blame her! The loft, hallway, office, guest bathroom and master bathroom are all now painted. We still need to paint the area over the stairs, too, but have never figured a way out to do it. This might get done professionally. We went to Office Depot to get our new desk for the office today. Closed. Office Max: Closed. You'd think it was Christmas. Tomorrow.

School: Finished with all but one class... the big one. Studied quite a lot today, completed one test. Have two more, then the big FAA test on Thursday. Happy thoughts my way, please!

Life: Happy Easter! Went to Beth's grandma's house last night for an early Easter dinner. Had ham, scalloped pots and corn... pretty typical. Of course, there were all the yummy appetizers like deviled eggs, crackers and cheese, celery and homemade peanut butter cups! This morning, Beth and I went to brunch with Brad and Kanako. Had a nice time. Lots of good food, including crab legs, eggs benedict and mimosas! After that, came home. Beth painted, I studied.

Learned today Dr. Atkins died last week from injuries suffered in a fall outside his office. Sad. Although I think the guy was a nut (he claimed he can cure diabetes), no one deserves to die that way. What a waste and for what? Sucks.

Vote once, vote twice...

Ok, here's the skinny on whats been going on and what I think about it. First, a brief recap. The flight attendants were the last of the three unions to ratify a concession aggreement with the company on April 16th. The next day, AA filed its annual financial report with the SEC. In that report, it was disclosed that AA offered retention bonues and a supplemental pension plan for the top 45 brass at AA, despite the economic hardship the company is facing, and despite employees giving up substantial parts of their salaries and benefits. The employees and unions are fired up because the company didn't diclose this before the concession agreements went to membership vote for ratification. Everyone is crying foul, saying the agreements weren't made in good faith, and management knowingly and purposefully left this information out, worrying that the information may taint the votes, resulting in a NO vote. Sounds horrible, yeah? Well, kind of. It's not until you read the facts that things start to make sense.

The retention bonuses are offered to management every year. They are especially important now since most of upper management has a relatively low base wage... getting the majority of their compensation from bonuses based on performance and profits. Additionally, they are given stock options as part of their compensation. There are no bonuses if there is no profit, and who'd want stock options for a stock trading below $2? Not many. In order to keep these people from jumping ship and heading off to other companies (usually outside the industry), they try to make up for some of the loss with these retention bonuses. Employees are often concerned if mangement has taken their fare share of paycuts, and, in reality, they've been affected a lot more than I. Granite, they make a lot more money than I, but I have a different lifestyle, too. Management has seen a paycut of around 45%, a hell of a lot more than what I was asked to give. The good news out of all this? The majority, if not all of upper management, gave up their retention bonues. The other "atrocity" was the company made a payment of $45 million to a pension trust for the top 45 brass at AA. *gasp* Guess what? That pension plan was created in 1985 and the company has never put a single dime in it. How much did the company put in employee's pensions last year? $420 million. AA contributed to the plan in case of bankruptcy and liquidation, to ensure management had a pension to leave with. That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

But when you get a bunch of uneducated, blue collar workers together who can't think for themselves, you get a work group who feels they must watch their back, and that the company is out to get them. I can't blame the company for not disclosing this information. It would have swayed the votes to NO because people get too emotional over the issues and don't look at the facts. They only look at what they think will affect them, always failing to think about what might happen to others, more importantly, others who work for the same company. I hope there isn't a revote, because I can guarantee the vote will more than likely be more than 70% NO, even though the first vote was damn near split down the middle, with yes getting a little more than 11-hundred votes more than no.

I think the timing is a little bad on the company's part, and I think the informations should have been disclosed ahead of time. Had the company released it early enough, they could've done enough marketing and campaigning to the employees and union leadership to explain exactly what it all meant. Now, in the matter the information came to light, people can only deduce the company was hiding the informaiton purposefully. I think they were, but I am smart enough to know it was a must for the company, otherwise, we'd be sitting in bankruptcy right now.

What do I think will happen from here? I am not sure. I really hope we don't revote and things stay as is. I am worried about getting furloughed now, but if we file bankruptcy, it's a virtual given. It'd only be a matter of time.

Updates...

Painting: The guest bathroom is now painted and completely re-done. All new decor, towels and fixtures have rounded out this bathroom makeover. The master bathroom is taped and nearing painting. That, along with the office, will be painted today. Tomorrow, the master bedroom will be painted. Bethany got a little behind her self imposed schedule yesterday because we decided to hit up some stores to find the new stuff for the bathroom.

School: have nearly finished all classes, but one. The one is the biggest, requiring me to take the FAA Written Instrument Exam by Thursday. Just like last time, that scares the shit out of me!

Life: Doing well. We are heading to Beth's grandma's house tomorrow afternoon for an early Easter Brunch. On Sunday, Beth, Brad, Kanako and I are going to the Easter Brunch at the Cannery. Beth and I watched Spiderman last night. The graphics and special effects were cool, but I found the acting to be juvenile and the characters prepubescent. Toby and Kirsten are capable of much better so I won't blame them, I'll blame the script. Two stars.

Feeling better...

I guess I've been out of comission for a while, but more because of school and house work than for the allergies. I am feeling better though, with a slight cough from all the phlegm... ick! Bethany made me take cough syrup this morning and I'd have rather puked. That shit's disgusting! I've some school work done, and Bethany has accomplished quite a bit on the house.

The loft is now painted and finished... I need to put the finishing touches on the new ceiling fan I installed the other day. Otherwise, it will be finished... for now. We are planning to Pergo the floor their as soon as we can. Bethany also painted the hallway upstairs. Today's projects include painting the guest bathroom, master bathroom and the office. Boy, does she have her work cut out. Tomorrow, she's painting our bedroom. If all that get's done by tomorrow night, the only thing left will be the guest bedroom. We're not sure what color we want to paint it yet... we've decided to find new bedding first so as to coordinate the colors. It sure will be nice to get the painting done... then we can tackle all of the decorating we've wanted to do. The office is getting a complete makeover in terms of furniture, and the loft has never been furnished. We'll prolly hold off on furnishing the loft until we've added the Pergo. That only makes sense.

In other news... my brother was in town the other day with his wife, Rene. They made an unexpected stop in Vegas as they were making their way to So Cal to start a week of tourist activities up the Cali coast. Went to this really cool bar called the Whiskey Bar at Green Valley Ranch Station. Totally cool, totally retro. In the bar there is a huge square sofa thing (no sides) with lots of big, fluffy, shag pillows on it. Everyone can just pile onto the thing, drink their bevies and talk away. Great atmosphere. Outside the bar, near the pool, they have the same sofa things but set up like a bed, complete with a built in TV, all right by the pool. It's the coolest thing I've seen! If you come and visit, we must go!

The next morning, Brian came out to check out the house. He wanted to see the downstairs and all the painting we had done there. He and Rene are expecting to move into their new house in Sacramento in late June. They are planning on painting as well, and wanted ideas. After that... we went flying! It was the first time Brian has flown with me. It was a lot of fun. It was a very windy day... but within limits. He didn't mind getting bounced around so we had a good time despite the bumpy ride. We flew south over the city and then southeast to Laughlin. We did a touch and go there, and then flew up the Colorado River to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. From there, we flew west back over Las Vegas and then back to the North Las Vegas airport. It was all a lot of fun, and fortunately, fell in the category of "Homework." I needed 1.6 hours more for my required flight time for this semester, and flew 1.8 with Brian. See... it wasn't just for fun. I have a good reason to fly!

We went to the half of night at the buffet at the Cannery Hotel and Casino with our friends Brad and Kanako last night. Can't beat all-you-can-eat for five bucks! What a deal. And the food is desent, too. While there, we discovered they have open mic night on Wednesdays from 7-11pm. We didn't have time to attend last night, but definitely something I am interested in, especially after reading about all the fun Jenn has in Portland at open mic night. Also found out the Palms Hotel here in Vegas opened a new lounge a couple of months ago called The Palapa Lounge.The lounge showcases local talent twice a week: Tuesday is "Acoustic Asylum" night featureing unplugged gigs, and on Wednesdays its "Wired", or plugged in. Great variety. I saw a clip about it on the local news... seems like a great place to go, and best of all, its FREE!

Feeling green...

I woke up early yesterday morning with a little pesky itch in my throat. I immediately thought, "Ah, it's nothing. You'll be fine by morning." Didn't happen. But, I still ignored it, thinking it would go away. Didn't happen. Fortunately though, my throat now is just a little raw, it doesn't really hurt, but it's awefully annoying. It's hard to drink tea for soothing in the middle of the day when it's 85 degrees out... I have to crank the AC so I don't overheat. But it feels so good going down. If only I could devise a contraption to supply fresh, warm tea continusously to my mouth while awake. Hmm... I'll have to call the Inventor's Submission Group and see if they're working on any such device. Of course, the nose has gotten into the act, creating all the 'green tea' I can handle and then some. Don't throw up on your computer, ok? That's bad.

I don't feel awful, and for that I am extremely thankful. I thank my not-so-seasonal allergies for this. Hmm... sounds strangely familiar to Bethany last week and earlier this week, huh? We both suffer quite a lot from allergies. I guess it's time for me to get another poke in the ass. Oh, pull your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking needles... with Kenalog in them! The sneezing can stop soon, too.

I'm blind! I'm blind!

Well, not really. I had an eye doctor appointment this morning... the first "real" one in years. You know, where they dialate your eyes? What an odd feeling that is. Everything is fine though. The doc looked especially carefully since I have diabetes, checking to make sure none of the little blood vessels have ruptured and are leaking into my eye. Sounds like fun, eh? It's called diabetic rhetinopathy... something like that.

I had planned on doing more homework today... but one side effect of the dialating solution is the inability to see close up. I can see a TV across the room just fine, but put a magazine in front of me and I can't even make out the pictures. Wierd. It is starting to wear off though... finally. I got to watch a little of the FABULOUS daytime TV. Save me! I caught one of the encores of Sorority LIfe 2 on MTV. I have seen a few of the other episodes, and it comes down to this. Maggie is a bitch! Oh my gawd, she parades around the place like she owns it, she's ugly as shit and acts like she's the best thing since the EZ Bake Oven. I HATE her... kind of like I HATE Puck from Real World 2. Remember, Sean? Oh the days...

How many other people get sucked up into this reality shit? You all know by now the only one I watch religiously is American Idol. I was disappointed to see Hercules, um, Ricky, go last night. He is very talented, but I don't think he would have been top two anyway. I thought for sure Carmen would go last night... she wasn't even in the bottom three. Go figure. My favorites, in order, are: Clay, Ruben (Mr. 205), Kimberly Locke and hottie Kimberly Caldwell. Tough.

Just around the river bend...

Brad, Kanako and I are going to fly to Laughlin tonight for dinner. As I seek to rack up more time before April 24, taking small trips like these are often fun and necessary. Too bad... Bethany has a special event at her school tonight called Dedication. It is when the school is officially dedicated to its namesake. It is a formal event in the community with many dignitaries attending, so she has to be there. That's ok, as I continue to seek more hours I think Beth and I are going to fly somewhere Friday night for dinner. Oh, such is the life. And... we're planning a trip to Minden on Sunday, although it looks like weather will change that.

Long day...

Beth was home sick today... the wind last week really fired up her allergies (and mine) and they've been increasingly bothering her. She finally went to the doc today for a nice shot of Kenalog in the ass and some cough syrup. Shouldn't be long now before she's tip top again. It was nice to have her home the extra day... perfect excuse for delaying some homework. We went go grocery shopping and cleaned the house... two things sorely needed. Also, I managed to muster up a few extra minutes, ran to Target to pick up some Pottery Barn like shelves to add some accents to the living room and kitchen.

We are slowly making our house a home, even though we've been here for a year and a half. It's been hard enough for us to furnish and decorate... Jenn, you're amazing. I couldn't do all that I am doing on top of remodeling. Ick! But, it's worth it in the end, right? We made some progress with the downstairs today. This summer that entire area will be tiled, and we'll be adding some more furniture, like that ever elusive entertainment center we once thought we had and can't find one to replace it. Coming up next week, on Beth's spring break, we'll be painting the upstairs. Then we'll refurnish the office and furnish and decorate the loft. Those are the next projects -- should be done in a month or so.

Which, reminds me, you may have noticed I added the Home Sweet Home link back to the Links page. That's because I am planning on adding some new pictures to show how the house is now, and not what it was when we moved in. A lot has been done, but a lot more needs to be done. I am waiting for a little more progress before I add the new pix, and hence a slightly updated and slimmed down version of the house website. Notice will be given when complete.

Time for bed... I fully realize and accept that I am an adult now, and therefore allowed to be tired at what was once known as the middle of the day...1 AM.

We're back!

Bethany and I made it safely to, and safely back from Palm Springs. We landed at the Bermuda Dunes airport yesterday morning at about 9:30. My dad, uncle and grandpa came and picked us up and we headed to a street fair where my mom and aunt Sylvia were. There were a lot of great things there, but they were all a little pricey. But lets think about it... it's Palm Springs. Does anyone who live/visit there make less than several hundreds of thousands a year? Prolly not. Makes sense. We went to lunch at Tommy Bahama's. I knew about the clothing store, but have never seen the resteraunt. It was located in the this great shopping area called The Gardens. It was there they all convinced Beth and I to stay overnight, as they had two extra tickets for the Fabulous Palm Spring's Follies.

We needed clothes since we weren't prepared for an overnight stay with a trip to the theatre. Sadly, we were in that great shopping area I mentioned above! :-) Bethany and I had no problem buying new clothes for our extended stay, and were delighted to have the excuse. We both ended up with great outfits, complete with new shoes and underware, and paid full price for nothing. As a matter of fact, I got a new pair of black leather sandals, regularly $80, for 25 bucks! What a deal.

The show, was awesome! It is a group of older performers, ranging in age from their mid-fifties to mid-eighties! It was unbelievable. The star of the show, Jane Kean, played Trixie in Jackie Gleason's hit sitcom "The Honeymooners" in the sixties. The show was loaded with energy! The music was fun, the cast was great and the action kept coming. There was a ventriloquist with his obnoxious parrot :-), a juggler, a laugh out loud hillarious comedian who MCed the show and a lot of dancers. The Follies girls had one act where they were wearing HUGE, beautifully orante head dresses. It was incredible! The show ran almost three hours, and it kept moving for the most part. I am really glad we stayed. The show was a nice surprise and a great time!

We left Palm Springs about 8:30 this morning and made it back to Vegas about 10:00. Beth enjoyed the flight, despite having some ear problems on our way down to land. I think she has a lot more confidence in my ability to fly and get us there safe and sound. And for that, I am thrilled!

Still alive...

My brother called me this morning in somewhat of a panic... his first words, "I'm glad to hear your voice." "Why, what happened?" I asked. A Cessna 172 crashed in the practice area north of Las Vegas this morning, killing the flight instructor and his student. From the information I have been abale to gather, the airplane and instructor were NOT from my school, however, that has not been confirmed. Earlier this week, another plane crashed in a flood basin next to the airport. That pilot was attempting to land on Rancho Road after his engine failed shortly after takeoff. That pilot survived with only minor injuries.

Last night my instructor and I flew to Laughlin, NV. I needed to become night current, which allows me to carry passengers at night. In order to be night current, you had to have made at least three landings at night in the previous 90 days. I suspect when Beth and I return from Palm Springs this weekend we'll be flying back at night. So, I needed to become current in the eyes of the law. Done. What? Beth and I are going to PSP this weekend? My parents, unlce Mike, wife Sylvia and grandpa are all in PSP this weekend at Mike's house. I need more cross country time for school, so we decided to take the trip. It should be a lot of fun... I am looking forward to it. It will be the first trip Beth and I have taken with me as THE pilot, without my instructor, and hence, the first trip with just the two of us. I know she is looking forward to it, but prolly a little nervous. I don't blame her.

Last week when I was in Minden, my parents both flew with me. I know they were prolly a little nervous, too, but in the end, they both raved about my piloting skills, how fun it was, and how amazed they were at how well the landing was. That was a shining moment for me! Hopefully Beth will have the same experience... no reason why she won't.

Better than furlough?

I got the skinny on the proposed contract changes today from my Union. It doesn't seem too drastic, although I know a lot of flight attendants are going to scream. However, the terms make it VERY favorable for those who are of retirement age to retire NOW. The proposed changes will take effect May 1 if ratified by the membership. The biggest point: a 15.6% reduction in pay. For me, this equates to $5.23/hour less. The good news? I am scheduled for my annual raise on April 30. At that time, I'll receive five year pay, which is the largest single pay increase in our contract. That 15.6% will come from that new per hour rate. So, in the end, I'll only lose 75 cents from what I am making right now. It sucks, but better than how most will fare.

Also, I've heard anywhere from 2,400 to 5,000 (neither number is official) flight attendants will be furloughed. If the first number is true, I won't be furloughed. If the latter is true, I probably will be furloughed, but not sure. If I am, fine. I have other prospects which would work well for school and income. Either way, bring it on. There are numerous other changes to our extremely complicated contract that wouldn't make any sense to any of you. I am not sure even half of them make sense to me. No biggie, at any rate.

Why retire now? Our retirement plan goes like this: You are paid a monthly sum in retirement that is based on your salary from the best three of the last five years flying. It doesn't get any better than right now. If you wait to retire after May 1, you'll lose dearly on your retirement potential, unless you plan on staying around until 2014. Why? This proposed change is good until 2009, until which it would take you another five years to reap the benefits of any changes in 2009. And, whose to say those changes will be back to today's pay rates? Those teradactyls could be flying out in droves over the next month. We'll see.

Of course, all of this is a proposal and will go to membership vote in the next few days. I'll vote for it, since it is certainly better than anything a bankruptcy court judge would give. If this proposal fails, it will NOT be renegotiated. The company has made it very clear if any one of the three unions fail to ratify their proposal, the company will immediately seek bankruptcy protection. And so the turbine turns.

I, meantime, will be making a more assertive effort to secure more information about the options I have available pending furlough.