A Happy Thanksgiving To All

I haven't had a moment to update my goings on of late but I will give a full report of my trip to Glasgow and also of my trip to Paris when I return on Friday. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone .... lots of love from me.

Hectic Week ... Lots of Travel

Both Chris and I were were, for some strange reason, thoroughly exhausted after our weekend in New York. Yes, we went out lots and had a few cocktails, but we were by no means crazy or up late. I felt as though I had arrived in Europe after an all-night party flight from the US when I got back home. Very bizarre feeling. Needless to say, Patois was delighted to snuggle up and snooze on the couch with me all afternoon.

Stephen treated Nancy and myself to cheese enchiladas at local hole-in-the-wall eatery, Andy's late in the afternoon then we all convened back here and caught up on each others' news. I was looking forward to watching the AMA's but also wanted to see Category 6: Day of Destruction which was a CBS special movie. I flicked between the two for a while and then, 30 mins before the end of the movie, I fell asleep! Wouldn't you know it, no-one I know or have spoken to saw that movie so I have no idea how it ended. They probably all died except for a couple of the characters who will live happily ever after in the desolation left behind ... or some equally sappy ending. It was, however, a fairly OK movie, from what I saw.

I left again for work on Tuesday, totally not in the mood for it. Luckily I was up front with Chris and we weren't totally full. Paris was cold and grey--no surprise there. Kim, Chris and I went out for champagne at the happy hour place and were joined by another crew member. Let's just say that I don't know if I can show my face in there again. Why do Americans act that way some time? (And I'm not talking about Kim or Chris.) Said embarrassing one left and so we dashed into a brasserie for some wine--we needed a drink after that fiasco. We saw a cute little mouse in the brasserie then ate at the little Italian restaurant, Il Canticore (sp ?).

Meanwhile, Jer and the Chris Botti band were in Ireland, stranded on a motorway with a broken down tour bus in the freezing weather and with a gig to get to in Belfast. Chris, the new passion of Oprah and number 1 on Amazon, was stuck in the middle of nowhere and almost late for the Sting show. They made it, barely, and had a rather good show.

I arrived home yesterday to be met up the driveway by the wee Moose. She always greets people when they pull in, provided tghat she's outside. Sooooo cute. Thanks to the lovely, kind, caring, sweet Nancy, she was out enjoying the nice evening weather, looking very fuzzy with her winter coat forming. Nancy stopped by briefly and we discussed the impending pay cuts at Continental. Ouch. It hasn't quite registered with me yet but at least we still have great jobs. And fabulous benefits. Speaking of which, I need to get ready as I am heading off to Glasgow tonight to see my Jeremy!!!

Weekend In New York

I'm amazed that I managed to get myself up early enough for the 8 am flight to La Guardia with Oscar and Chris, but I am so glad I did. After doughnuts and coffee in the President's Club, we boarded the flight and managed to get seats all near each other. Oscar immediately noticed the very Elissa-esque Marti who was seated across the aisle and one row in front of us. By the end of the flight, we learned that she is a professional body builder, that she is single and that she is having her period! They had exchanged numbers and we headed into the city to our home for the weekend, the Lombardy Hotel.

The Lombardy is owned by a friend of Danny's, and so we were given the star treatment--a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment suite for the price of a double room!! It was enormous--way bigger than we expected and totally done up. Turns out that we were the first guests to stay in that newly-refurbished suite. We were starving and so we immediately headed out in the rain in search of a bite. We knew that Mika and Danny would be having a huge lunch on their flight in so we didn't wait for them. After lunch we bought umbrellas and headed back to the hotel.

The five of us had a small champagne toast before heading out to see Dame Edna. She was a riot--I laughed so much at her insults, her offbeat sense of humor and her sheer glitz. At one point, she pulled a couple onstage for some "marriage counselling." (Turns out that he is the manager of Def Leppard, Shania Twain and Red hot Chilli Peppers.) Dame Edna phoned his mother live from the stage, a la Graham Norton. The wife was so embarassed as Dame Edna told her mother-in-law that she was a busy-body, etc. It was hilarious! It was the first time for me to see her live, but Chris felt that she wasn't as funny as the time before.

After the show we all headed over to Joe Allens, restaurant where many of the Broadway theatre people go after the shows. I am not at all up on who's who on Broadway, but Chris, being the theatre expert extraordinaire that he is, spots celebs there all the time. He spotted one at the next table that night, but I can't remember who it was. Danny's ex-brother-in-law, Mody, joined us there for a while. After dinner, Oscar, Chris and I headed over to Barrymore's for martinis. Chris is definitely a celeb in there--everyone knew him and was delighted to see him in there, coming over for chats and hugs.

On Saturday morning it was even colder but the sun was shining. I woke up before the others and went off to Starbuck's for coffees and bagels. Clearly New York is gearing up for Christmas as Starbuck's is already serving their eggnog lattes and all the shops have their decorations up. The tree at Rockerfeller Plaza is in place, undecorated as of yet. A definite holiday atmosphere about town. Oscar had to head back to Houston in the afternoon so he did a run in Central Park then went to check out Ground Zero. It depresses me too much to go there so I opted out. Mika and Danny had made plans with Danny's friends and family for the afternoon and Chris wanted to catch a matinee, so I went with him.

No tickets were available for Mamma Mia but we lucked out with a pair of third row center orchestra seats for Reckless, starring Mary Louise Parker and Rosie Perez. After a delightful lunch at The Evergreen, where we were seated at a fabulous window table, we went off to the Biltmore for the show. Weird, zany and thought-provoking are the words that come to mind. This was my favorite show of the weekend but many of the theatre-goers were not as impressed. They just didn't get it. Post-show, we were treated to open discussion with the actors, which gave further insight to the play. A brisk walk back to the hotel, stopping for a wrap for Chris(and a free banana) along the way, before getting ready for the evening show.

Danny treated us all to a private car for the evening which took us to the Marquis Theatre at the Marriott for La Cage aux Folles. This show was funny and vibrant but not as splashy as I had expected. The set was phenomenal, as were the costumes and the dancing, but it lacked a little pizzazz. I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.

Our car picked us up outside the entrance and whisked us off to the white-hot Asian restaurant, Tao.There were limos lined up outside and dozens of people waiting for the chance to be allowed in to the restaurant/bar. (Tao is where Carrie and Big bumped into each other with different dates on the opening night of the restaurant in Sex And The City.) Danny's friend from the Lombardy knows the owner (who also owns Raymond Weill), and so he scored us a reservation at one of the best tables on the main floor. The manager kindly came over and introduced himself amid the buzz and the beat of the steamy house music. The place was hopping and the food was divine. We had several different appetizers and then all had different main courses. We ended the evening with some Buddha chocolates and a Grand Marnier. Perfect!!!

On Sunday morning Chris and I braved the cold and the early morning to catch the early flight back home to Houston. I had the pleasure of meeting the adorable Miss Poovey and the naughty Sherriff Taylor chez Chris after dropping him off at home. A truly wonderful weekend had by all.

G'Day Possums--I'm in NY

Just a quickie from a cyber cafe in NY with Chris Deas. We had a blast at Dame Edna (gigastar) last night. Will write more when I get home. Off to Reckless matinee in a few mins. Bye for now!

La Giberne With Kim

Huge drama as I was about to leave on this last Paris trip: the jusry had been deliberating for several days on the Scott Peterson trial and all of a sudden all players were present in the courtroom. I had to get to the airport but I also had to find out what was happening. Finally, just when I had to leave for the airport, it was announced that there had been a replacement of a juror. Whew--I could go to work in peace. I signed up for Court TV's Verdict Alert so that once the verdict is reached I will know instantly. I've followed this case throughout and I have to know the ending. Personally, I think that he is probably guilty but I will be shocked if there's enough evidence to convict him.

Arrived in Paris to find that it was really cold and so Kim and I opted to hang out in each others rooms rather than head staright out. After my nap, I spoke to Jer in Prague. he was about to head back to Frankfurt on the evening train and told me of the wonderful steak dinner he'd just had with Dave and Melissa. Suddenly the simple brasserie dinner that Kim and I had planned sounded dull and I knew I had to have a more substantial meal. We ate at La Giberne, a traditional French restaurant on the avenue de Suffren. What a great meal!! I had a cabecou salad (goat cheese in puff pastry) then a deer dish--braised in red wine. Delicious. Will definitely go back there ... often.

I treated Kim to dinner so she bought the post-dinner wine. We went back to my room where Andre joined us for a while. Listened to loads of music on the iPod and then realised that it was getting late ... at 3 am! A quick shower, packed my suitcase and then slept. The entire crew were miffed to find out that our wake-up call had been moved forward 30 mins. It seemed to put us all off all day long today. Valesta was saved by her clip-on hairpiece and Myrna and I were laughing at how out of sync we were.

Chatted briefly with The Jeremy (who was already in bed in Frankfurt) when I got home tonight. He is driving with Botti to the gig tomorrow so I'm sure he'll get all the scoop on Chris' escapades in NYC last night. Now I have to try to get a good night's sleep before I head off to NYC myself in the morning.

Work Day ... Again

Why is it that the more hours of sleep per night I get, the more tired I am? The night before last I only slept for about 5 hours and woke up at 5 am as though it was the middle of the day. Mooses was not really ready to get up but the thought of food allured her through to the back room when I got up at 5.30 am. Last night I was in bed a little after midnight and woke up at 9 am and have been tired all day. That just doesn't seem right. Hmmm.

Jer is on days off from the Chris Botti tour while Chris films more Oprah stuff. He's getting huge amounts of media coverage lately, mostly really good stuff. Jer is using his few days off to make the most of being in Europe and is in Prague. He said it's freezing there so he bought a coat to replace the one he misplaced somewhere. His hotel looks gorgeous--a small boutique hotel in the town centre. Tomorrow he promises to take photos (too rainy today).

I am off to Paris again tonight, with Kim again. Packed wintery clothes as it's going to be really cold and really wet. Maybe I'll actually accomplish that pedicure that I've meaning to do for the last week.

Back late; Jepson's B-day

Jer called me thismorning at 9.30 am. He was in Stuttgart, fresh in from Bielefeld (post-show). Seems that Chris Botti's shows are going great but that the merchandise sales are less than expected due to the economic climate in Germany. Was nice to hear from him first thing in the day. Upon hanging up, the receptionist at the Mercure called to say that we were delayed almost two hours. Score for me on extra sleep!!

Contrary to my intentions, I stayed up all day yesterday in Paris. It was Lana's first trip at this hotel and so I agreed to take her to the pharmacy. Unfortunately they can no longer sell us French pastries due to some inspection so we bought over-the-counter items then stopped off for a beer. Before long, one beer became three and it was starting to get dark--and cold. So we perused on over to the other Mercure for their Happy Hour. Sure enough, the deal on two-for-one drinks runs on weekends too. Sweet!! We ate dinner at Au Dernier Metro and got back to our hotel some time after 10 pm. So much for my pedicure and crosswords, but I did do a honey face mask.

So thisevening we landed two hours late and it was dark. The trip was stressful in the back but I was in BusinessFirst and thus avoided much of the agro. Due to my late arrival, the wonderful Nancy was not up for vino. She is such a doll and takes the best care of The Moose while we're gone. Speaking of whom, said Patossum is on my lap purring like there's no tomorrow. Jer called again before he went to sleep and made Botti sing me a song over the phone (half of which he whistled).

Rang Chris Jepson to wish him a happy birthday. He's in SLC with Kelly ... sounds as though they're having fun. OK, Chris, next time we're on the same trip we'll celebrate. Happy Birthday and lots of kisses to you.

Off Again

Well, we now all know who won the election. Hmmm. Not happy at all about Bush having power again for 4 more years but that's the way it'll have to be.

Kim and I caught up in Paris on the layover. We discovered that the other local Mercure hotel had a two-for-one happy hour from 5-7 pm. What a deal!! How can they possibly make a profit on us though when it's only 7 euros for a glass of Veuve Cliquot then the next one is free??!!

Had a good, albeit bumpy, flight in yesterday then Paul came over for a few hours. We mused on all sorts of topics over some Dancing Bull Zinfandel then I took a nice hot bath in my lavender bubbles from l'Occitane. It was freezing last night (i.e. it got down into the 50's), so much so, that little Patois climbed under the covers with me.

Got up at some ungodly hour to try to pick up an Amsterdam trip only to find that the open position had been for yesterday and not today. Went back to bed for a couple of hours and kept my eye on open time all morning. Fianally lucked out with a Paris trip in the B-zone galley. I plan on being totally lazy on this layover .... pedicure, face mask and loads of crosswords.

Election Day

OK, this one had better be less confusing than the last one. I was flying to Paris on election night and first, it was announced that Al Gore was the new president .... then later, it was George Bush. Ultimately we didn't really find out at all that night and I spent the entire layover glued to CNN, as I do every time there's any sort of world crisis.

This time, I will also be flying to Paris and so I want to know during the flight so that I won't be compelled be a square-eyed CNN nut. I want to spend my layover doing more interesting things, like playing cards with Kim, painting my toenails and drinking French wine. Everyone knows that I voted for Kerry, mostly in protest of Bush, but I hope that I'll be toasting our new presedient-elect tomorrow night from France.

Meanwhile, just had an impromptu internet chat with The Jeremy. He was in Chris' dressing room in Amsterdam. Dom and Chris were playing chess on my wee travel chess set. That set has been all around the world and back again! Jer is having a really good start on the tour. Sting is about to take the stage as I type this so I'm sure I'll here from Jer soon. I love my Mac, so easy to keep in touch with it. And Nancy, if you are reading this, the chat was not through typing--we were actually talking through our speakers to each other.

Farewell to Gordon

When I started at Continental I had no idea what I was getting into. I was 20 years old and newly arrived in the US, without a clue as to the bad climate that this airline operated in. It was pretty grim for a while, with bancruptcy, pay cuts and general dissent among the ranks. Even our passengers hated us. How things have changed since Gordon Bethune came on board. To say that he turned things around would be an understatement--he literally changed every aspect of Continental except for the employees. 10 years after he joined us, we are now winning awards left and right, the employees are all happy and our passengers love us. I have no intention of quitting this job, thanks to the way that Gordon has made the company.

A few months ago he announced that he was resigning at the end of 2004 and we were all shocked. Will it all change now? What will become of it all? No-one can really say but no matter what, everyone is sad to see him go. Last night Boeing threw him a going away bash at Hangar E over at IAH. It had rained all day and I didn't feel like going but I'm so glad I did. Nancy came over after work and picked me up to drive there. There were hundreds of people all gathered alongside ship 001, our first 777. With a new paint job, it looked brand new, although I noticed that they omitted the SkyTeam logo. We didn't eat any of the burgers or hot dogs, but we did have a beer--rather synthetic tasting and I suspect that it was O'Douls, and not Budweiser as the pump depicted.

Gordon took the podium to the tune of Born To Be Wild and was presented a plaque by Larry Kellner and Jeff Smisek (who is rather dashing, in an Anderson Cooper sort of way). They also gave him a gift from the entire company in the form of a painting of him on his Harley, done by none other than Peter Max. Clearly Gordon was moved by all of this. I knew very few of the attendees last night as they were predominantly HQ'ers, but Nancy was able to point most of them out to me. Those I did know included Paul Dunham, Rodney Rogers, Yosoke (Japanese speaker and self-professed no. 1 fan of Gordon), Debbie McCoy and several supervisors.

Bon Voyage, Jer!

Last night I took Jer to the airport for his flight to Amsterdam for the Sting/Chris Botti tour. He looked really sharp in his new togs. I am sooo excited for him but The Moose and I will miss him. He lucked out, as usual, and got my favorite seat: 1A. Nice flight until they all got rocked about and woken up a little over two hours out. Eek, I guess the winter weather is already affecting the flights.

It has been raining here all day so far and the temp has dropped significantly. I can see all the trash cans still in the street from the earlier trash collection--no-one is venturing out in the wet to get theirs in. Little miss Patois is curled up inside her wee cat house outside. So cute! I don't think she's gone inside it since New Year's Eve.

The Today Show Today

Interesting, at the end of her interview with Nicole Kidman, Katie Couric asked Nicole if she was seeing anyone at the moment. Nicole said that she's not seeing anyone at the moment and then asked the same of Katie. She too denied having anyone special in her life at the moment and then told Nicole that maybe the two of them should go out together!