The Adventrure Rides on........

Well, my stint as a Cleveland reserve turned into a four-day paid vacation.

It's funny how I quickly fell into a nice routine.

In the morning, wake up and bike over to the bookstore for coffee a read (gotta love a magazine selection that includes Hobby Farms, with glamour shots of pigs and produce), a quick stop at the market for munchies, then off to the airport to chill out in the crew room for four hours.

Each day I was scheduled to deadhead back to EWR, and each day when I called to be released, I felt like I had just anted up in some high-stakes poker game:

I'm here, I'm in. What you got?
Computer keys clicking.
"We're going to need you stay one more night."
JACKPOT!

So back to the hotel for a nice evening bike ride through the park.

I got myself one of those demographic-gathering, key chain-clogging cards for the local grocery store and started sitting in the front seat of the hotel shuttle so the driver and I could catch up better between airport runs.

And actually, I did hit the jackpot, because the whole adventure was pretty profitable. As an Airport Alert I watched movies from the random selection of VHS tapes under the crew room TV (the Truman Show, High Fidelity) and got four hours of pay for four hours of "work". What a concept! Plus, since I was technically away from my base, I was still getting non-taxable per diem and someone else cleaned my room every day!

The only stressful event was when I realized that I had only one knitting project packed...and that I had lost the last page of the pattern! Tragedy was averted when I discovered a Pat Catan's (the Ohio equivalent of Jo-Ann's or AC Moore) on my last night's ride and slipped in at closing to grab a big skein of cotton yarn to keep my fingers busy.

Eventually I did have to fly, so Friday I worked three legs, had a short overnight in Boston and was back in Jersey by 9:30am Saturday.

Since I had some free time, I decided to spend a couple hundred dollars.........

I bought a bike!

Actually, it was only $109 at Target, plus taxes and a snappy little lock chain, and it was worth every penny! I am now the proud owner of a red and white Schwinn Legacy Cruiser. It looks as cute as it sounds, and I look even riding it (wait until I get a little basket!).

Seriously though, riding around Ohio, I realized that most of the places I go in NJ on a regular basis are all within a few miles and it really is possible to bike around.

So yesterday I pedalled to church, over to the Barnes and Noble for coffee and knitting, to my Bally's for a (probably unnecessary) workout and to Peggy's house where we met up for Colleen's farewell BBQ. From there we took the train and walked to the park, so I didn't use my car the entire day!

It really was a perfect summer Sunday.

I got to spend some time with God, good friends, and the more scenic parts of New Jersey. I felt good about the environment and my health, gorged myself on rip watermelon and made it home before the thunderstorm.

Content, but completely exhausted I plopped down on my couch only to hear my phone singing the signature ring for Crew Scheduling.

Since it was my day off, I didn't have to answer, but I knew that it probably meant a "courtesy call" because I would have a VERY early check in the next day.

Cautiously, I answered, and my fears were confirmed: 6:20am report time for a 14 hour duty day. Yuck.

The scheduler apologized and added, "But you have a long downtown layover the next day."
"Oh yeah? Where?"
Computer keys clicking.....

"Cleveland, Ohio."

Tellin me about a party up in OKC. And can I make it? Damn right! I'll be on the next flight. Payin cash, first class, sittin next to Vanna White!*

Woo-hoo, I'm in Oklahoma!

My first time in Oklahoma City to be specific.

Allegedly it's a different city than Tulsa. It's considerably west, and I vaguely remember an NPR piece about how Tulsa tends to vote and act like deep south Arkansas and Oklahoma City has more of a wild West persona.

But it's a lot like Tulsa.

Maybe it's just my East Coast eyes and ears, but the airport looks the same, the people talk the same, and there's about the same amount of nothing to do.

No matter, this is the kind of layover where my suitcase full of fun proves itself despite curious eyebrow lifts from TSA every time I go through the x-ray. Good books, knitting projects, stationary and (of particular importance here in cattle country) vegetarian provisions.

And I have the leisure time to update my blog.

There hasn't been much to write about lately. I had a tremendously ordinary four-day trip last week (I actually layed over at LaGuardia in NYC, just minutes from my home base of Newark), and then made it home for a few days.

I came back to NJ a day early and on Wednesday saw Colleen receive her doctoral robes from Rutgers. She looked beautiful (and smart!), her parents were beaming, and the rain held off until everyone cleared the lawn. In all, a beautiful day.

That night, even though Colleen is the math professor, I was the one geeking out to a good game of Risk with the newlyweds. I held my ground for most of the night, but it's hard to take over the world from Iceland.

I'm not sure that I'd fare much better at global domination based here in Oklahoma City, so I guess I'll just stay on this trip and end up in Miami tonight.

_______________________
*My crew is fun and they appreciated my late night improvements on early 2000's Nelly raps. It's going to be a good trip. Now if I could only pimp my suitcase.