FTPs we are! Looking back... observations

(What is obvious to me is that I had no idea what hot flashes were in 2005 LOL! Still, I am amazed at folks who do not feel cold and knew a couple folks who never wore a coat in the winter. Anyway, although tainted, I had a great experience on this getaway.) 

3/3/2005

Something I will never understand, is the physical difference of folks who seemingly do not feel cold weather. I'm shocked and amazed that it's 23 degrees outside, and windy... and as I shivered standing in the kiosk of the economy lot of Newark Airport all bundled up, waiting for the shuttle, a white man steped into the kiosk with no hat, no coat, no gloves on. There I stood bundled up in faux fur hat pulled down over my ears, wool scarf wrapped around my face, insulated denim jacket and leather gloves. 

Meanwhile, there was that man, standing there with a pull over sweater and jeans on. He did have his hands in his pockets. But he appeared to only be chilled. I was completely puzzled by his ability to have no physical reaction, seemingly impervious to the windy, 23 degree weather. 

 Why do some people never feel cold?

And if that weren't shocking enough, in the airport, all scanned, searched and checked in... sitting at the gate and it's rather chilly since the doors leading to the jetways were open... I couldn't help but notice a woman sitting there with a light fleece jacket, cotton capri pants and flip-flops on her feet. I was trying to understand how someone woke up that morning and left their house in 23 degree weather with flip-flops on. There's something different about these folks.

Right after that, another woman walked up and sat down a few chairs away from me. She was closer to the windows and door that leads to the jetway. It was even colder over there. She had on a wool peacoat, cotton capri pants, no socks, loafers on her feet. How did she decide to leave her house like that? She pulled a pair of sweat pants out of her bag and wrapped them around the bare part of her legs. OK so she is able to feel cold. Wow!

Once I boarded the plane, I got comfortable because it was nice and toasty in there. This white man sitting in the aisle seat of my row complained that it was too hot. Boy oh boy!

3/4/2005

I'm on a ground shuttle from Flagstaff traveling to Williams, AZ after arriving in Phoenix. I am the only Black person on the shuttle, 3 White women and a rather large maybe Mexican or Native American in the back who looked rather scruffy with rotten teeth. 

As I took my seat on the shuttle, my phone rang and it was a co-worker. She let me know what the proposition was  that we were presented with, now that we've completed training our replacements. She said that we were being offered a job in Atlanta for 8 weeks and then we will be laid off 30 days after that. She told me that there was a possibility that they might keep one  person who accepts the assignment. We would have to fly to Atlanta every week and be on site by noon on Mondays, work 14 hour days, and then fly home on Thursday nights. 

I told her that it sounded like an abusive deal to me... 56 hours in 4 days for 8 weeks with a high probability of being laid off 30 days after that. Wow. And since we're salaried workers, there's no OT or anything like that. Ugh! I hung up feeling exasperated, and called my sister. 

Soon as I hung up, the snaggle-toothed guy in the back asked me if I were on my way to work. I looked around... and wondered if he thought that about the other women. I responded, 'no... I'm on vacation.' Then I asked him if there were jobs where we were headed LOL!

All the while I'm talking to my co-worker, and then my sister, I had no idea the shuttle driver was waiting for me to get off the phone. I felt kind of bad about that. He was very nice though. He wanted to tell me about some  places he recommended I should see. 

Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, AZ