A 1940 jazz rendition of Rhapsody in Blue - the theme music for Sarah's employer.
I'm looking forward to my European trip, now only a few more days away. I will not be flying on Sarah's airline, but I will be flying on its main partner Lufthansa, and I will remain a United Premier into 2010. And more importantly, I need to walk away from Europe with inspirations that I can apply to Sarah's life story - inspirations and motivation have been very lacking as of late for me.
My life has been extremely high-stress (even a getaway to Vegas ended up being trashed, with an uncooperative new friend), but thinking of flying away to a saner place, either with Sarah or otherwise, is always a good thing.
The Facebook friend who shared this video with me remarks that many renditions of Rhapsody in Blue are played way too fast, like a rat race. I've heard a few renditions played at quite different tempos indeed. I personally prefer it fast - because I often think of my experiences being stuck in a hellhole city, where I'd like my getaway flight turned around and departing as soon as possible. Indeed, it happened to me at least twice - Amsterdam in 1999 and Indianapolis in 2008 - and both getaway flights were indeed on United. I also had the misfortune of hearing a slower rendition on XM Satellite Radio, and thanks to the digital compression, it sounded like my most recent United flight - a junk Boeing 737 staffed with a total a-hole of a purser; I'd rather listen on my iPod with superior sound quality, and think about flying in business class and being pampered by Sarah.
20 October 2009
29 September 2009
The first few days after 9/11
Based on what I've gathered from real-life United crewmembers, the first few days after 9/11, as the airline got back into the air after a few days of total shutdown of the US airspace, were a very emotional experience. Instead of elite customers yelling at flight attendants for not giving them the royalty treatment, they thanked each other and bonded like family members.
Snopes.com, a website which tracks and debunks urban legends, came across a story from United 564, which flew from Denver to Washington Dulles, the first day the US airspace was re-opened. The pilot of that flight gave specific instructions on how to fight back against another terrorist attack, as soon as the aircraft door was closed. His words are very poignant - they are less about fear, and more about hope and humanity. (Far preferable to a pilot on a competing airline, who tried to convert his passengers to Christianity, and scared them instead.) Snopes.com verified the story as being true.
Snopes.com
I love flight crews that report to their jobs with pride and passion. It's harder to see that given the worsening treatment for flight crews today, but nevertheless, my safety is the most important concern for these unsung heroes. The good treatment I've gotten from the vast majority of Sarah's coworkers is one key reason why I continue to fly her airline (and now count myself as an elite customer). I must make sure that Sarah carries this spirit of service as she continues her job.
If Kwan Yin represents the ultimate in kind-hearted transgender women, and "Ann" Coulter (widely believed to be trans, partly because of her Adam's apple and masculine appearance but more importantly because she's said things that a misogynistic male Log Cabin Republican would love to say) the ultimate in the most vile, I want Sarah to be found near the Kwan Yin end of the spectrum, certainly.
Snopes.com, a website which tracks and debunks urban legends, came across a story from United 564, which flew from Denver to Washington Dulles, the first day the US airspace was re-opened. The pilot of that flight gave specific instructions on how to fight back against another terrorist attack, as soon as the aircraft door was closed. His words are very poignant - they are less about fear, and more about hope and humanity. (Far preferable to a pilot on a competing airline, who tried to convert his passengers to Christianity, and scared them instead.) Snopes.com verified the story as being true.
Snopes.com
I love flight crews that report to their jobs with pride and passion. It's harder to see that given the worsening treatment for flight crews today, but nevertheless, my safety is the most important concern for these unsung heroes. The good treatment I've gotten from the vast majority of Sarah's coworkers is one key reason why I continue to fly her airline (and now count myself as an elite customer). I must make sure that Sarah carries this spirit of service as she continues her job.
If Kwan Yin represents the ultimate in kind-hearted transgender women, and "Ann" Coulter (widely believed to be trans, partly because of her Adam's apple and masculine appearance but more importantly because she's said things that a misogynistic male Log Cabin Republican would love to say) the ultimate in the most vile, I want Sarah to be found near the Kwan Yin end of the spectrum, certainly.
18 September 2009
Sarah's employer and its future
Just came across an article on USA Today, where there is some discussion on the makeover of United Airlines.
I do feel that Sarah's bosses are trying something constructive, after years of driving completely into the ground what used to be the greatest airline in the world. Nevertheless, in my opinion, both as a customer and a follower of the aviation industry, more needs to be done. It's great that performance bonuses are given to flight crews of on-time flights, but they are token payments at most; I need to see bonuses that mean something, and more importantly, better pay levels for flight attendants so that better candidates can be recruited and retained. As is, the employees have trouble keeping their morale high. I still have a very bad aftertaste from the a-hole purser on my flight out of Toronto back in May.
The makeover of the first and business class products is a huge step in the right direction, and the new products are competitive with highly regarded foreign airlines. However, it's not enough to have nice premium cabins, when they still sit in 20-year-old junk planes with unrenovated, obsolete economy cabins. Negotiations are still ongoing for a large order of new planes to replace the aging 747/757/767 fleet, and I hope to see something nice come out of that.
Some aggressive marketing should help too. United marketing has been very timid lately, and it's downgraded most of its Los Angeles services to Express puddle jumpers, which makes it more likely that loyal customers, including me, will defect to a competitor.
Low fares can only take an airline so far. The best airline is one that charges reasonable fares and delivers top-notch experience, something United used to do well in the past, but has since forgotten. One reason why I used to look forward to showing up over the skies of a great faraway city aboard a United plane was because of this perception of innovation and quality, which simply no longer exists today. Now, when I show up at a foreign city in a United plane, I just don't feel that pride, surrounded by newer planes from formerly "lesser" airlines that have continued to innovate. And the timid marketing and shrinking route network means that it's less and less likely that a United flight is the most convenient means of heading for my desired destination anyway.
It'll be a shame to see the airline that was an integral part of many of my past travels become irrelevant, or nonexistent even. A turnaround can't come soon enough. And more importantly, Sarah must continue to be able to fly - and more importantly, feel pride in her airline. Let's see how the next few years pan out.
On a related note, a USA Today blog post quotes an internal employee memo as saying that October 28th will be the final day of Boeing 737 service at United. A special 737-300, designated Flight 737, will start off at Washington Dulles, visiting Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles before finishing in San Francisco, with farewell ceremonies in each city. The 737 had served United since 1968, when it had become the launch customer for the -200 variant. I hope for a new generation of new planes - be it more of the A320 series or the return of the 737 in the form of the modern Next Generation models - to soon take their place, and combined with Sarah's expertise, deliver superior services for the customers.
I do feel that Sarah's bosses are trying something constructive, after years of driving completely into the ground what used to be the greatest airline in the world. Nevertheless, in my opinion, both as a customer and a follower of the aviation industry, more needs to be done. It's great that performance bonuses are given to flight crews of on-time flights, but they are token payments at most; I need to see bonuses that mean something, and more importantly, better pay levels for flight attendants so that better candidates can be recruited and retained. As is, the employees have trouble keeping their morale high. I still have a very bad aftertaste from the a-hole purser on my flight out of Toronto back in May.
The makeover of the first and business class products is a huge step in the right direction, and the new products are competitive with highly regarded foreign airlines. However, it's not enough to have nice premium cabins, when they still sit in 20-year-old junk planes with unrenovated, obsolete economy cabins. Negotiations are still ongoing for a large order of new planes to replace the aging 747/757/767 fleet, and I hope to see something nice come out of that.
Some aggressive marketing should help too. United marketing has been very timid lately, and it's downgraded most of its Los Angeles services to Express puddle jumpers, which makes it more likely that loyal customers, including me, will defect to a competitor.
Low fares can only take an airline so far. The best airline is one that charges reasonable fares and delivers top-notch experience, something United used to do well in the past, but has since forgotten. One reason why I used to look forward to showing up over the skies of a great faraway city aboard a United plane was because of this perception of innovation and quality, which simply no longer exists today. Now, when I show up at a foreign city in a United plane, I just don't feel that pride, surrounded by newer planes from formerly "lesser" airlines that have continued to innovate. And the timid marketing and shrinking route network means that it's less and less likely that a United flight is the most convenient means of heading for my desired destination anyway.
It'll be a shame to see the airline that was an integral part of many of my past travels become irrelevant, or nonexistent even. A turnaround can't come soon enough. And more importantly, Sarah must continue to be able to fly - and more importantly, feel pride in her airline. Let's see how the next few years pan out.
On a related note, a USA Today blog post quotes an internal employee memo as saying that October 28th will be the final day of Boeing 737 service at United. A special 737-300, designated Flight 737, will start off at Washington Dulles, visiting Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles before finishing in San Francisco, with farewell ceremonies in each city. The 737 had served United since 1968, when it had become the launch customer for the -200 variant. I hope for a new generation of new planes - be it more of the A320 series or the return of the 737 in the form of the modern Next Generation models - to soon take their place, and combined with Sarah's expertise, deliver superior services for the customers.
16 September 2009
Current status
The good news: while I have not really resumed my novel work, I am nevertheless moving forward. I have just started my Kirsten and Sarah combined interview in Los Angeles.
One crazy thing I have already discovered: their child will be named Sanford, and will have Sarah's eyes. In a way, Sanford lives on, as Sarah's baby boy.
I am having this interview take place in the form of me visiting the couple's upscale apartment just west of Koreatown. Initially it'll only be Kirsten and Sanford, with Sarah joining later due to a flight delay. She'll certainly be cursing about the sorry state of United Airlines aircraft these days!
I'm arriving straight from Las Vegas, where I had spent the previous evening at a Mariah Carey concert. (Indeed that was the case on Saturday the 12th, and this interview is dated Sunday the 13th.) That's a sure way to drive up Kirsten's jealousy level (she's a megafan herself), especially after Sarah had told her about seeing my autographed Mariah Carey CD back in Seoul last November. There will be tons of other things to gossip about.
I am keeping the residence a rental apartment, rather than a condo, due to the couple's decision that Southern California will not be an acceptable home for much longer. Relocation plans shall be discussed as well.
Let's see what I end up with.
One crazy thing I have already discovered: their child will be named Sanford, and will have Sarah's eyes. In a way, Sanford lives on, as Sarah's baby boy.
I am having this interview take place in the form of me visiting the couple's upscale apartment just west of Koreatown. Initially it'll only be Kirsten and Sanford, with Sarah joining later due to a flight delay. She'll certainly be cursing about the sorry state of United Airlines aircraft these days!
I'm arriving straight from Las Vegas, where I had spent the previous evening at a Mariah Carey concert. (Indeed that was the case on Saturday the 12th, and this interview is dated Sunday the 13th.) That's a sure way to drive up Kirsten's jealousy level (she's a megafan herself), especially after Sarah had told her about seeing my autographed Mariah Carey CD back in Seoul last November. There will be tons of other things to gossip about.
I am keeping the residence a rental apartment, rather than a condo, due to the couple's decision that Southern California will not be an acceptable home for much longer. Relocation plans shall be discussed as well.
Let's see what I end up with.
09 August 2009
Some updates
I haven't even blogged lately!
Between a crazy work situation, and my addiction to Facebook and The Sims 3, I have pretty much given up on blogging for the past several weeks. Also, I will certainly NOT be joining the UCLA Extension residency taught by my mentor Gayle Brandeis - I just don't have any worthwhile material.
But it's been interesting. A few days ago, I was in San Francisco again for an overnight business trip - and while I did not socialize with anyone (in fact, I found my San Francisco-based girlfriend to be so obnoxious and potentially dangerous, that I cut off all contacts with her), I did find a karaoke bar where Sarah and Kirsten might hang out.
On The Sims 3, I have more personality tweaking options which can be quite elucidating. I decided to start another household with three adult women - me, a Calista Flockhart lookalike as my wife, and Sarah. My wife has gone on to have an affair and bear an unemployed male neighbor's love child, while I have since divorced her and married Sarah. Sarah is a total slob, and always licks her dishes clean - something I had her do on a flight assignment.
And speaking of Sarah's job, I am in touch with a retired 16-year veteran United flight attendant - and he's been participating in the airline business simulation as my alliance partner. He's giving me some insider info on United Airlines, and it is NOT pretty. Sarah may not have a job much longer, based on what I gather; United is being transformed into a Pan Am-like operation with weakening domestic network, which is a doomed strategy given United's aging fleet. The Express subcontractors are now responsible for most of United's domestic network; I did notice that even trunk lines like Los Angeles - Seattle are now Express. The mainline services - be it the renovated 767s, the p.s. 757s to New York, or the 2-class 777s - are completely pathetic. He's run into some extremely loyal customers (at United's top-tier elite level, at that) who are now so fed up that they've defected to competitors, including Delta, which has been very well-run lately, and will even get stronger once it integrates Northwest into its system. (This low-level elite customer does share the frustrations.) He thinks there won't be a United anymore in 5-10 years; either it will have failed, or merged into a stronger competitor like Continental. It would indeed be a huge shame for Sarah's career to end, and for me to see the failure of an airline that was the key component of my most treasured travel memories.
Between a crazy work situation, and my addiction to Facebook and The Sims 3, I have pretty much given up on blogging for the past several weeks. Also, I will certainly NOT be joining the UCLA Extension residency taught by my mentor Gayle Brandeis - I just don't have any worthwhile material.
But it's been interesting. A few days ago, I was in San Francisco again for an overnight business trip - and while I did not socialize with anyone (in fact, I found my San Francisco-based girlfriend to be so obnoxious and potentially dangerous, that I cut off all contacts with her), I did find a karaoke bar where Sarah and Kirsten might hang out.
On The Sims 3, I have more personality tweaking options which can be quite elucidating. I decided to start another household with three adult women - me, a Calista Flockhart lookalike as my wife, and Sarah. My wife has gone on to have an affair and bear an unemployed male neighbor's love child, while I have since divorced her and married Sarah. Sarah is a total slob, and always licks her dishes clean - something I had her do on a flight assignment.
And speaking of Sarah's job, I am in touch with a retired 16-year veteran United flight attendant - and he's been participating in the airline business simulation as my alliance partner. He's giving me some insider info on United Airlines, and it is NOT pretty. Sarah may not have a job much longer, based on what I gather; United is being transformed into a Pan Am-like operation with weakening domestic network, which is a doomed strategy given United's aging fleet. The Express subcontractors are now responsible for most of United's domestic network; I did notice that even trunk lines like Los Angeles - Seattle are now Express. The mainline services - be it the renovated 767s, the p.s. 757s to New York, or the 2-class 777s - are completely pathetic. He's run into some extremely loyal customers (at United's top-tier elite level, at that) who are now so fed up that they've defected to competitors, including Delta, which has been very well-run lately, and will even get stronger once it integrates Northwest into its system. (This low-level elite customer does share the frustrations.) He thinks there won't be a United anymore in 5-10 years; either it will have failed, or merged into a stronger competitor like Continental. It would indeed be a huge shame for Sarah's career to end, and for me to see the failure of an airline that was the key component of my most treasured travel memories.
16 July 2009
Quick Updates
My work Internet connection is FUBAR - it may have been targeted by South Korean pro-government hackers, like my laptop. After all, it's unacceptable for them that I support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the US military - oh, the horrors of flaming faggots taking over the God-fearing US Armed Forces and the defense of the hackers' fair country from the Communist Menace.
But in the meantime, the following (in addition to a high-stress day job) have kept me super-busy:
On the aviation front, my airline business simulation is doing nicely, though my approach this time was too conservative, and I am not growing my business as well as I'd like. I did have some nice milestones, however - I co-founded the game's greatest airline alliance, and from my Athens hub, managed to kill a Prague-based competitor and turn Prague into my second hub. Most importantly, a Puerto Rico-based alliance partner is run by someone who lives in Florida in real life, and flew for United Airlines as a flight attendant for 16 years before being forced to retire for health reasons. I hope this person will be a gold mine of information for me - he says he was rated to be an international purser, and at the time of the 9/11 attacks, often indeed worked Flight 175, one of the hijacked flights. Lots of insights that can only be obtained from a real-life coworker of Sarah's - and I'm starting to exchange information. Although I have not told him that Sarah is trans or lesbian, I've told him everything else about her.
But in the meantime, the following (in addition to a high-stress day job) have kept me super-busy:
- Karaoke nights around Los Angeles. I'm really enjoying karaoke - especially when I am starting to get more and more of the female range AND tone.
- Las Vegas, where I ended up buying a vacation timeshare. Good thing I can afford to spend money on things like this. Could be something to share with my new girlfriend.
- OutFest, the annual LGBT movie festival in Los Angeles. I had to schmooze with many high-powered LGBT producers in Hollywood, including, of course, transgender icons Calpernia Addams and Andrea James.
- Even more time with Calpernia, at her new routine, Transfixed, performed with Jer Ber Jones, a drag performer.
On the aviation front, my airline business simulation is doing nicely, though my approach this time was too conservative, and I am not growing my business as well as I'd like. I did have some nice milestones, however - I co-founded the game's greatest airline alliance, and from my Athens hub, managed to kill a Prague-based competitor and turn Prague into my second hub. Most importantly, a Puerto Rico-based alliance partner is run by someone who lives in Florida in real life, and flew for United Airlines as a flight attendant for 16 years before being forced to retire for health reasons. I hope this person will be a gold mine of information for me - he says he was rated to be an international purser, and at the time of the 9/11 attacks, often indeed worked Flight 175, one of the hijacked flights. Lots of insights that can only be obtained from a real-life coworker of Sarah's - and I'm starting to exchange information. Although I have not told him that Sarah is trans or lesbian, I've told him everything else about her.
06 July 2009
Don't Ask, Don't Tell (10th anniversary of PFC Winchell's death)
As I spent this past 4th of July weekend, most of it driving to/from Denver, I was reminded of one sad anniversary. This is the tenth anniversary of the savage death of PFC Barry Winchell. Winchell had been dogged by rumors about a gay relationship he supposedly had, and of course, the rule Don't Ask, Don't Tell was in effect at the time (as it is today).
The media did not understand, and did not know, how to handle this matter, because Winchell's relationship was with a pre-operative transwoman. Of course, it's none other than Calpernia Addams, who, now post-op, is now in Los Angeles and my friend. People couldn't even agree on whether to consider Calpernia a woman that she really was, or a man by reason of physical anatomy, and this was important, because this would determine whether Winchell's relationship was gay or straight.
This senseless tragedy was a clear reminder that transpeople are out there, and are NOT going away, and as long as that is the case, homophobic legislations like DADT and Defense of Marriage Act will have problems standing. Such legislations assume a clear delineation between men and women, but in reality, such clear delineation is wishful thinking.
This tragedy completely destroyed Calpernia's privacy, and outed her completely. She pretty much lost the option of living a stealth life and blending into the society. However, this only made her stronger; she's presented herself in the Winchell matter and well beyond with composure and dignity. I am very grateful to her for that - and for showing a very dignified face of the transgender community. Calpernia has since moved on to a more fulfilling, productive life in her own right, and now asks that people do NOT bring up the issue of PFC Winchell, as it's such a painful chapter of her past.
This reminds me - I need to get back to Calpernia's memoir, Mark 947, and start reading it. But the memoir deals with many other painful issues, and PFC Winchell is just one of many that scar her life. I don't think I'm ready to deal with all the theocratic negativity and other things yet. In fact, I may never be ready.
And I must join Calpernia, the surviving family of PFC Winchell, and many others in demanding that DADT be replaced by a much more sensible policy - one that allows openly gay servicemembers, and punishes soldiers solely on actual misconduct. I also find it appalling that a talented Arabic/Persian/Korean translator, Lt. Dan Choi, has been discharged under DADT, and even more appalling that the far-right theocratic Korean-American community will NEVER even allow a fair discussion of Choi and his issues.
The media did not understand, and did not know, how to handle this matter, because Winchell's relationship was with a pre-operative transwoman. Of course, it's none other than Calpernia Addams, who, now post-op, is now in Los Angeles and my friend. People couldn't even agree on whether to consider Calpernia a woman that she really was, or a man by reason of physical anatomy, and this was important, because this would determine whether Winchell's relationship was gay or straight.
This senseless tragedy was a clear reminder that transpeople are out there, and are NOT going away, and as long as that is the case, homophobic legislations like DADT and Defense of Marriage Act will have problems standing. Such legislations assume a clear delineation between men and women, but in reality, such clear delineation is wishful thinking.
This tragedy completely destroyed Calpernia's privacy, and outed her completely. She pretty much lost the option of living a stealth life and blending into the society. However, this only made her stronger; she's presented herself in the Winchell matter and well beyond with composure and dignity. I am very grateful to her for that - and for showing a very dignified face of the transgender community. Calpernia has since moved on to a more fulfilling, productive life in her own right, and now asks that people do NOT bring up the issue of PFC Winchell, as it's such a painful chapter of her past.
This reminds me - I need to get back to Calpernia's memoir, Mark 947, and start reading it. But the memoir deals with many other painful issues, and PFC Winchell is just one of many that scar her life. I don't think I'm ready to deal with all the theocratic negativity and other things yet. In fact, I may never be ready.
And I must join Calpernia, the surviving family of PFC Winchell, and many others in demanding that DADT be replaced by a much more sensible policy - one that allows openly gay servicemembers, and punishes soldiers solely on actual misconduct. I also find it appalling that a talented Arabic/Persian/Korean translator, Lt. Dan Choi, has been discharged under DADT, and even more appalling that the far-right theocratic Korean-American community will NEVER even allow a fair discussion of Choi and his issues.
05 July 2009
Thoughts from Denver
I am spending the 4th of July weekend in Denver, which is about 850 miles from my place if I fly on one of Sarah's planes, but 1,000 miles, as it turns out, with my car. While Denver is a pleasant city in its own right, I feel that it's tame compared to cities on the West Coast or farther east, and its value primarily is as a regional transportation hub and gateway to the Rockies.
I don't think Sarah would be spending too much time in Denver, despite Denver being a major United Airlines hub. She might be just coming in from California, and going off to another point on a different flight after a quick rest.
But if Sarah ever bothers to spend time here, she might find a few places to hang out at. The Capitol Hill neighborhood, like its Seattle counterpart, is heavy on LGBT culture, and I indeed found a few lesbian bars that Sarah might want to hang out at, though they're kinda tiny. In any case, Capitol Hill is tame compared to its Seattle counterpart, or comparable neighborhoods in San Francisco or Los Angeles, but given that this is the Rockies and the prairies, where theocracy and homophobia run rampant, whatever scraps the progressive Denver atmosphere can offer will be like seeing an oasis in the desert. But honestly, I am far more likely to envision Sarah, either alone or with Kirsten, hanging out in other lesbian enclaves, probably Boulder or Estes Park; Estes Park also happens to be the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, where Sarah could put some of her hypoxia training to good use, because the air is so thin up there. At 12,000 feet, even a short hike can be extremely challenging, as I found out the hard way today.
Thinking of Sarah, I even ended up driving out to Denver International Airport, passing by the site of the old Stapleton Airport in the process. Denver International is so huge, that while its grounds stretch south to I-70, it's a 10-mile drive from the entrance to the terminal. But it was good to see some of Sarah's planes coming in to land in the shower. Denver is the last remaining United hub that I have NOT used as an origin or a final destination (I used Washington-Dulles two months ago, Chicago-O'Hare two years ago, and use San Francisco and Los Angeles all the time), and this was my first-ever visit to the landside of the airport. I do hope I can fly into Denver in the future, if only to explore the Rockies further.
It's almost 8PM and I am completely wasted. My plan is to start my drive back to Los Angeles around sunrise.
I don't think Sarah would be spending too much time in Denver, despite Denver being a major United Airlines hub. She might be just coming in from California, and going off to another point on a different flight after a quick rest.
But if Sarah ever bothers to spend time here, she might find a few places to hang out at. The Capitol Hill neighborhood, like its Seattle counterpart, is heavy on LGBT culture, and I indeed found a few lesbian bars that Sarah might want to hang out at, though they're kinda tiny. In any case, Capitol Hill is tame compared to its Seattle counterpart, or comparable neighborhoods in San Francisco or Los Angeles, but given that this is the Rockies and the prairies, where theocracy and homophobia run rampant, whatever scraps the progressive Denver atmosphere can offer will be like seeing an oasis in the desert. But honestly, I am far more likely to envision Sarah, either alone or with Kirsten, hanging out in other lesbian enclaves, probably Boulder or Estes Park; Estes Park also happens to be the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, where Sarah could put some of her hypoxia training to good use, because the air is so thin up there. At 12,000 feet, even a short hike can be extremely challenging, as I found out the hard way today.
Thinking of Sarah, I even ended up driving out to Denver International Airport, passing by the site of the old Stapleton Airport in the process. Denver International is so huge, that while its grounds stretch south to I-70, it's a 10-mile drive from the entrance to the terminal. But it was good to see some of Sarah's planes coming in to land in the shower. Denver is the last remaining United hub that I have NOT used as an origin or a final destination (I used Washington-Dulles two months ago, Chicago-O'Hare two years ago, and use San Francisco and Los Angeles all the time), and this was my first-ever visit to the landside of the airport. I do hope I can fly into Denver in the future, if only to explore the Rockies further.
It's almost 8PM and I am completely wasted. My plan is to start my drive back to Los Angeles around sunrise.
01 July 2009
My photos on Calpernia's blog
After our meeting together last night, I sent Calpernia Addams a couple of Facebook messages, sharing my transgender photo collection from South Korea and Hong Kong.
The Korean collection has now made it to Calpernia's high-profile blog:
Calpernia.com
Glad to be able to help spread the cultural insights wide and far.
The Korean collection has now made it to Calpernia's high-profile blog:
Calpernia.com
Glad to be able to help spread the cultural insights wide and far.
Some updates...
Yep, that's me hanging out with Calpernia Addams.Could become the cover for Perfect Girl as well!
(In that case, Calpernia as Sarah and me as Kirsten)
I've been very exhausted lately - I've been functioning like a socialite as of late, attending a zillion functions and going through a ton of time and money. All for a good cause, however.
First of all, one of the people I ended up meeting in San Francisco (edit: name and link removed) hit it off with me quite a bit - to a point where she's gone ahead and listed me as her girlfriend on Facebook! Well, I wasn't exactly looking forward to dating, but I could indeed use a dating life right now. And on top of this, since this "love flame" of mine is a transwoman herself, I now have a first-person look at a relationship between two trans lesbians, which I could translate into Sarah's first relationship, that with Martha.
And just two days after spotting Calpernia Addams (and her spotting me) at San Francisco's Pride Parade (but going nowhere beyond that), I met with her again, this time at Lucky Strikes Bowling Alley in Hollywood. Calpernia co-hosted a fashion show to benefit the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; being a cat lover myself, I was very happy to attend this event, and have some chances to discuss various things with Calpernia while at it. Calpernia really entertains the idea of me asking her to play Sarah, if Perfect Girl ends up in a movie deal. She does consider herself too old, however, and she would rather play Sarah's mother or older sister, she says, but if she must be Sarah herself, it'd be no problem losing her fear of heights and becoming a lesbian, she told me.
In the meantime, the website project that I had previously mentioned is taking too much toll on me. I will withdraw from that project, so that I can do my day job and also resume writing Sarah's story. After all, I want to have a working draft by mid-August, so that I can take it to the UCLA Extension residency class and have my trusted mentor Gayle Brandeis work with me to refine it.
First of all, one of the people I ended up meeting in San Francisco (edit: name and link removed) hit it off with me quite a bit - to a point where she's gone ahead and listed me as her girlfriend on Facebook! Well, I wasn't exactly looking forward to dating, but I could indeed use a dating life right now. And on top of this, since this "love flame" of mine is a transwoman herself, I now have a first-person look at a relationship between two trans lesbians, which I could translate into Sarah's first relationship, that with Martha.
And just two days after spotting Calpernia Addams (and her spotting me) at San Francisco's Pride Parade (but going nowhere beyond that), I met with her again, this time at Lucky Strikes Bowling Alley in Hollywood. Calpernia co-hosted a fashion show to benefit the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; being a cat lover myself, I was very happy to attend this event, and have some chances to discuss various things with Calpernia while at it. Calpernia really entertains the idea of me asking her to play Sarah, if Perfect Girl ends up in a movie deal. She does consider herself too old, however, and she would rather play Sarah's mother or older sister, she says, but if she must be Sarah herself, it'd be no problem losing her fear of heights and becoming a lesbian, she told me.
In the meantime, the website project that I had previously mentioned is taking too much toll on me. I will withdraw from that project, so that I can do my day job and also resume writing Sarah's story. After all, I want to have a working draft by mid-August, so that I can take it to the UCLA Extension residency class and have my trusted mentor Gayle Brandeis work with me to refine it.
28 June 2009
Another note
As I walked around San Francisco today, I came across a nice reminder of Sarah.
At Powell subway station, I saw a blonde lady in a navy blue coatdress giving directions to a passerby trying to buy a BART ticket. But before I could snap a photo, the lady walked away, a travel bag in tow, entering the BART system. Her coatdress, with the wing pin and white trim, was clearly a United flight attendant uniform.
It was so nice to see one of Sarah's coworkers, presumably reporting for duty, and helping out other people while at it. Not only that, but this is San Francisco, Sarah's home domicile as well as the primary gateway for United's Pacific services.
Again, I really believe in the power of air travel to make connections between faraway peoples and cultures. Sarah, and her colleagues at United and other fine airlines, have my thanks for making it all happen.
At Powell subway station, I saw a blonde lady in a navy blue coatdress giving directions to a passerby trying to buy a BART ticket. But before I could snap a photo, the lady walked away, a travel bag in tow, entering the BART system. Her coatdress, with the wing pin and white trim, was clearly a United flight attendant uniform.
It was so nice to see one of Sarah's coworkers, presumably reporting for duty, and helping out other people while at it. Not only that, but this is San Francisco, Sarah's home domicile as well as the primary gateway for United's Pacific services.
Again, I really believe in the power of air travel to make connections between faraway peoples and cultures. Sarah, and her colleagues at United and other fine airlines, have my thanks for making it all happen.
27 June 2009
San Francisco for the Pride festivities
I drove overnight from Los Angeles, and am logging on from San Francisco area, just north of the airport. My visit is to participate in the Pride activities.
As I drove drowsy by the airport, looking at the maintenance hangar for Sarah's airline, several thoughts went through my head.
Exactly 15 years ago (plus a few days), I went through San Francisco's airport for the first time, and it was to take my first international itinerary, flying to Seoul. Of course, it was on United - the first of several international itineraries I'd end up taking on United. Even to this day, United 807 is the most special flight I've ever taken (though United 2, in early 1996, which took me to London on a Boeing 777, is a close second). I keep thinking of that flight, whose details I still remember clearly.
In a recent complaint letter to United (which concerned my most recent United itinerary, leaving the US but only to Toronto), I discussed how I tend to hold air travel and airlines in a high regard, due to their ability to bring different people and cultures together, and hopefully prevent conflicts. I was mad because the purser on the flight out of Toronto had left me feeling really insulted (and more importantly, failed to live up to the premise of air travel). I seriously feel this way; it was more than a mere charm offensive to get some nice concessions from United customer service (and I did get a concession in the form of a voucher). As I work on Sarah and her story, I need to make sure that Sarah's dedication to her service to her passengers will truly reflect this mentality.
On a different note, with the death of Michael Jackson just two days ago, I can't get him out of my head. He was a very unconventional character - his androgynous presentation certainly was unconventional - but I would not expect a man of such talent to be conventional anyway. And back to United 807 in 1994, I had spent some time listening to Michael Jackson during the long 11 1/2-hour flight; Bad was one of the albums I listened to on my portable CD player, which had only 3 hours of battery power. Michael Jackson today reminds me of Flight 807 - and of all the other great music I listened to aboard that flight as well, including one of Jackson's proteges, Mariah Carey, who was my idol at that time. Of course, once in Seoul, I ran across too many Mariah Carey fans - and made sure to report back to Mariah herself in New York a few months later; of course, the journey back to the US, and on to Mariah, were on United as well, all the more reason why I believe in the ability of air travel to make connections between people.
As I participate in the Pride festivities today and tomorrow, these thoughts will occupy me. I want to make sure Sarah will carry some of these thoughts into her story. And I do look forward to getting on one of Sarah's planes again soon - to make new memories and connections.
As I drove drowsy by the airport, looking at the maintenance hangar for Sarah's airline, several thoughts went through my head.
Exactly 15 years ago (plus a few days), I went through San Francisco's airport for the first time, and it was to take my first international itinerary, flying to Seoul. Of course, it was on United - the first of several international itineraries I'd end up taking on United. Even to this day, United 807 is the most special flight I've ever taken (though United 2, in early 1996, which took me to London on a Boeing 777, is a close second). I keep thinking of that flight, whose details I still remember clearly.
In a recent complaint letter to United (which concerned my most recent United itinerary, leaving the US but only to Toronto), I discussed how I tend to hold air travel and airlines in a high regard, due to their ability to bring different people and cultures together, and hopefully prevent conflicts. I was mad because the purser on the flight out of Toronto had left me feeling really insulted (and more importantly, failed to live up to the premise of air travel). I seriously feel this way; it was more than a mere charm offensive to get some nice concessions from United customer service (and I did get a concession in the form of a voucher). As I work on Sarah and her story, I need to make sure that Sarah's dedication to her service to her passengers will truly reflect this mentality.
On a different note, with the death of Michael Jackson just two days ago, I can't get him out of my head. He was a very unconventional character - his androgynous presentation certainly was unconventional - but I would not expect a man of such talent to be conventional anyway. And back to United 807 in 1994, I had spent some time listening to Michael Jackson during the long 11 1/2-hour flight; Bad was one of the albums I listened to on my portable CD player, which had only 3 hours of battery power. Michael Jackson today reminds me of Flight 807 - and of all the other great music I listened to aboard that flight as well, including one of Jackson's proteges, Mariah Carey, who was my idol at that time. Of course, once in Seoul, I ran across too many Mariah Carey fans - and made sure to report back to Mariah herself in New York a few months later; of course, the journey back to the US, and on to Mariah, were on United as well, all the more reason why I believe in the ability of air travel to make connections between people.
As I participate in the Pride festivities today and tomorrow, these thoughts will occupy me. I want to make sure Sarah will carry some of these thoughts into her story. And I do look forward to getting on one of Sarah's planes again soon - to make new memories and connections.
17 June 2009
Gender transition in China
China is said to be considering the formalization of the gender transition process, according to a BBC report.
The proposals sound a lot like what South Korea enacted in 2006. It is less about the transperson him/herself, and more about preserving the Confucian social hierarchy and gender roles. Only singles over 20 years old will be able to apply for legal gender change, and even then, family notification/consent will be required. I'd also presume that a transwoman who doesn't live up to the stereotype (in other words, anyone who's not a hyper-feminine flaming boycrazy fag queen) will not be cleared at all; after all, trans lesbians, like me, are an unheard-of concept in Asia.
Nevertheless, having a consistent gender transition rule is not a bad thing at all. It does allow for a legitimate way to establish a transperson's new identity. I do hope that post-transition, a Chinese transperson can have full heterosexual marriage and adoption rights as well; South Korea ensured this with its regulations, and this is better than what many US transpeople can claim.
The proposals sound a lot like what South Korea enacted in 2006. It is less about the transperson him/herself, and more about preserving the Confucian social hierarchy and gender roles. Only singles over 20 years old will be able to apply for legal gender change, and even then, family notification/consent will be required. I'd also presume that a transwoman who doesn't live up to the stereotype (in other words, anyone who's not a hyper-feminine flaming boycrazy fag queen) will not be cleared at all; after all, trans lesbians, like me, are an unheard-of concept in Asia.
Nevertheless, having a consistent gender transition rule is not a bad thing at all. It does allow for a legitimate way to establish a transperson's new identity. I do hope that post-transition, a Chinese transperson can have full heterosexual marriage and adoption rights as well; South Korea ensured this with its regulations, and this is better than what many US transpeople can claim.
12 June 2009
Chastity Bono
Chastity Bono is the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono. She grew up in a very artistic setting in New York City, being the high school classmate of my favorite Greek Goddess Jennifer Aniston, among other things.
Today, Bono has issued a public statement, saying that she is a he, and he is a transman going through the early stages of gender transition.
One side of me - the hardcore lesbian side - is quite bummed. Chastity was a great lesbian power icon, and it's never easy losing a lesbian icon. On the other hand, Bono's future activism as a transman, bringing up the profile of great transpeople even further, will more than make up for the loss of him as a lesbian power icon. I also want to remember that some of the best men out there are transmen - while they went through the female socialization against their will, the more cooperative, holistic nature of female bonding makes them more empathetic, therefore better men.
Chastity Bono joins the ranks of other high-profile transgender transitions, the most famous being Alexis Arquette of the Arquette family. Best wishes to them all - and I hope Perfect Girl, once complete and published, can be part of the process in sharing the trans experience with a wider audience.
Today, Bono has issued a public statement, saying that she is a he, and he is a transman going through the early stages of gender transition.
One side of me - the hardcore lesbian side - is quite bummed. Chastity was a great lesbian power icon, and it's never easy losing a lesbian icon. On the other hand, Bono's future activism as a transman, bringing up the profile of great transpeople even further, will more than make up for the loss of him as a lesbian power icon. I also want to remember that some of the best men out there are transmen - while they went through the female socialization against their will, the more cooperative, holistic nature of female bonding makes them more empathetic, therefore better men.
Chastity Bono joins the ranks of other high-profile transgender transitions, the most famous being Alexis Arquette of the Arquette family. Best wishes to them all - and I hope Perfect Girl, once complete and published, can be part of the process in sharing the trans experience with a wider audience.
09 June 2009
Working for trans activism
In addition to my novel writing and other activities, it appears that I will be taking part in a web-based trans advocacy program, as sort of a webmistress.
The program will be in the form of a personal website of a trans activist in Hollywood. I know her well via Facebook and other contacts. No, this is not Calpernia Addams or Andrea James!
I do not wish to reveal any more details on this activist, nor my level of involvement with this project, until the website goes online. But I am honored to become a part of this project, another way that I can help the trans activists (in addition to my novel writing).
Let's see how this pans out!
The program will be in the form of a personal website of a trans activist in Hollywood. I know her well via Facebook and other contacts. No, this is not Calpernia Addams or Andrea James!
I do not wish to reveal any more details on this activist, nor my level of involvement with this project, until the website goes online. But I am honored to become a part of this project, another way that I can help the trans activists (in addition to my novel writing).
Let's see how this pans out!
06 June 2009
Sarah might finally get the boost she needs...
UCLA Extension has just mailed me a flyer, announcing two residency programs that consist of three 10-week classes and a 4-day residency. One of them is for screen writing, and the other is for novel writing.
At over $3,000, this is a huge investment of time and money. But I am not writing Perfect Girl for profit; I am writing it in hopes of enhancing the world's understanding of the transgender experience. In order to be eligible for the program, I must submit a draft of the complete novel, and I have until mid-August to do so. I will also need a one-page synopsis of the novel. It'll be LOTS of work coming up with the material, but if I want it bad enough, I should be able to put something together.
With this level of commitment, I also need to ensure that the program's setting is conducive to my creativity. It looks like I will be limited to at most seven classmates, with whom I will get to have intimate friendships. Moreover, the instructor is none other than my longtime mentor Gayle Brandeis; I expect my instructor to be not only a good teacher, but also have good chemistry with me, and seeing Gayle's name is pretty much a guarantee on both counts.
I have already notified Gayle of my intention to apply. Now, I need to come up with a game plan as to how I will proceed with coming up with a few hundred pages of Sarah's life story in just a few weeks. The draft will be horrible, but since I know that I can count on great feedback from Gayle and seven classmates, I'll be better prepared for lots of great tweaks. (The better writing styles of my classmates will also help tremendously, as inspirations.)
The four-day in-person residency is in March. Given my privacy, I think I can pull it off. Will see what happens!
At over $3,000, this is a huge investment of time and money. But I am not writing Perfect Girl for profit; I am writing it in hopes of enhancing the world's understanding of the transgender experience. In order to be eligible for the program, I must submit a draft of the complete novel, and I have until mid-August to do so. I will also need a one-page synopsis of the novel. It'll be LOTS of work coming up with the material, but if I want it bad enough, I should be able to put something together.
With this level of commitment, I also need to ensure that the program's setting is conducive to my creativity. It looks like I will be limited to at most seven classmates, with whom I will get to have intimate friendships. Moreover, the instructor is none other than my longtime mentor Gayle Brandeis; I expect my instructor to be not only a good teacher, but also have good chemistry with me, and seeing Gayle's name is pretty much a guarantee on both counts.
I have already notified Gayle of my intention to apply. Now, I need to come up with a game plan as to how I will proceed with coming up with a few hundred pages of Sarah's life story in just a few weeks. The draft will be horrible, but since I know that I can count on great feedback from Gayle and seven classmates, I'll be better prepared for lots of great tweaks. (The better writing styles of my classmates will also help tremendously, as inspirations.)
The four-day in-person residency is in March. Given my privacy, I think I can pull it off. Will see what happens!
Calpernia Addams update
The lovely redhead, who shall be the one to play Sarah should Perfect Girl ever become a movie, has two updates.
First, she did this wonderful interview with San Francisco Examiner, touching upon several key topics, including the rampant California theocracy/homophobia, the recent uproar over a Sacramento radio show encouraging violence against trans children, President Obama's progress (or lack thereof) working for LGBT rights, and of course the looming tenth anniversary of the death of her boyfriend PFC Barry Winchell.
Second, Calpernia announced, on her Facebook profile, that she's been asked to become the Grand Marshal of this year's San Francisco Pride Parade. This will be fantastic, especially since I will indeed be in San Francisco for the festivities. A few Facebook users jokingly commented that since Calpernia's straight, she's not quite the most logical Grand Marshal, but I added another joke comment that I needed to turn Calpernia into a lesbian, if only to cast her in the movie version of Perfect Girl. (Of course, sympathetic straights are very welcome to be Grand Marshals at gay pride parades - the most recent example being talk show host Stephanie Miller at Los Angeles Pride last year.)
I'm very grateful for all the hard work Calpernia does, often in collaboration with her BFF Andrea James. I certainly look forward to running into her again at the San Francisco Pride. (Hoping for a photo op together - it could indeed be the cover for Perfect Girl, with Calpernia as Sarah and me as Kirsten, though Calpernia may be a few years too old for that. :) ) I also hope to help their cause in other ways; if I had a way of hooking South Korea's Harisu up with Calpernia and Andrea on her next US visit, I surely would love to!
First, she did this wonderful interview with San Francisco Examiner, touching upon several key topics, including the rampant California theocracy/homophobia, the recent uproar over a Sacramento radio show encouraging violence against trans children, President Obama's progress (or lack thereof) working for LGBT rights, and of course the looming tenth anniversary of the death of her boyfriend PFC Barry Winchell.
Second, Calpernia announced, on her Facebook profile, that she's been asked to become the Grand Marshal of this year's San Francisco Pride Parade. This will be fantastic, especially since I will indeed be in San Francisco for the festivities. A few Facebook users jokingly commented that since Calpernia's straight, she's not quite the most logical Grand Marshal, but I added another joke comment that I needed to turn Calpernia into a lesbian, if only to cast her in the movie version of Perfect Girl. (Of course, sympathetic straights are very welcome to be Grand Marshals at gay pride parades - the most recent example being talk show host Stephanie Miller at Los Angeles Pride last year.)
I'm very grateful for all the hard work Calpernia does, often in collaboration with her BFF Andrea James. I certainly look forward to running into her again at the San Francisco Pride. (Hoping for a photo op together - it could indeed be the cover for Perfect Girl, with Calpernia as Sarah and me as Kirsten, though Calpernia may be a few years too old for that. :) ) I also hope to help their cause in other ways; if I had a way of hooking South Korea's Harisu up with Calpernia and Andrea on her next US visit, I surely would love to!
05 June 2009
Sarah, here's your new plane!
A Facebook friend in the aviation industry shared the following article:
Chicago Tribune
Sarah's bosses have not ordered a single new plane since 2002. But it appears that as the fleet ages (I was very unhappy with the 767, even more so with the renovation), new planes will be necessary. And as the aviation industry slumps, and existing aircraft orders are cancelled by other airlines, United may get a chance to put in a large order of new planes, on favorable terms.
Aircraft models under consideration, supposedly, are the Boeing 787, the Boeing 777-300 ER, the Airbus A350, and an improved Airbus A330. They will replace the current fleet of Boeing 767s, Boeing 747s, and early-model Boeing 777s. Even the 757s are due for replacement, and possible replacements are a smaller-scale Boeing 787 (under development) or the re-introduction of the Boeing 737.
Anything that lets Sarah more efficiently serve her passengers, in more comfort, is good news to me. The new planes will also keep the passengers less disgruntled and more content, and that means fewer complaints or air rage incidents for Sarah to deal with. Most importantly, United will be back on level footing against the Asian airlines that have recently acquired state-of-the-art aircraft, and that means there will indeed be more paying customers to pay Sarah's salary and other expenses.
The order should be firm later this year, but it should still take several more years for the new planes to actually enter service. I do hope the industry will be in good enough of a shape, and that Sarah will continue to hold her job as the best purser that United Airlines has ever had. I do know that she'll still be well under 40 by the time she starts working the first of the new planes - still very young (and pretty) by international United purser standards!
Chicago Tribune
Sarah's bosses have not ordered a single new plane since 2002. But it appears that as the fleet ages (I was very unhappy with the 767, even more so with the renovation), new planes will be necessary. And as the aviation industry slumps, and existing aircraft orders are cancelled by other airlines, United may get a chance to put in a large order of new planes, on favorable terms.
Aircraft models under consideration, supposedly, are the Boeing 787, the Boeing 777-300 ER, the Airbus A350, and an improved Airbus A330. They will replace the current fleet of Boeing 767s, Boeing 747s, and early-model Boeing 777s. Even the 757s are due for replacement, and possible replacements are a smaller-scale Boeing 787 (under development) or the re-introduction of the Boeing 737.
Anything that lets Sarah more efficiently serve her passengers, in more comfort, is good news to me. The new planes will also keep the passengers less disgruntled and more content, and that means fewer complaints or air rage incidents for Sarah to deal with. Most importantly, United will be back on level footing against the Asian airlines that have recently acquired state-of-the-art aircraft, and that means there will indeed be more paying customers to pay Sarah's salary and other expenses.
The order should be firm later this year, but it should still take several more years for the new planes to actually enter service. I do hope the industry will be in good enough of a shape, and that Sarah will continue to hold her job as the best purser that United Airlines has ever had. I do know that she'll still be well under 40 by the time she starts working the first of the new planes - still very young (and pretty) by international United purser standards!
29 May 2009
More on that flight to hell + California nightmares
I actually decided that it'd make a lot of sense to write an email to a dedicated elites-only address at United Airlines. I specifically dwelled on how the purser of my flight out of Toronto managed to insult, rather than serve, his customers.
I mentioned that the vast majority of United flight attendants live up to my, and their own, high expectations, and also that I hold air travel and airlines in high regard for bringing different peoples and cultures together, but this one exception has left me quite insulted.
I did not mention that I am writing a novel based at United Airlines, but Sarah was constantly on my mind, as an image of a top-notch United flight attendant, as I wrote that email.
Again, more often than not, the sight of one of Sarah's planes coming into a hostile airport (such as Amsterdam or Indianapolis) to pick me up is a very wonderful thing. I know I am about to get to a better place. My experience out of Toronto shattered that image - primarily because I was flying back to the Los Angeles theocratic hellhole, but also because of the poor service.
My writing mentor, learning of my experience via Facebook, hinted that the purser from hell could easily become a key character in Perfect Girl, throwing challenges into Sarah's line of work. It's definitely a great idea. I do want to push and challenge Sarah to the breaking point. The interview process already does a lot of that, asking how she would handle a hellish coworker like this, but there is nothing like on-the-job challenges.
In any case, I need to return to Sarah very soon. (And have her actually get mad at me for declaring her exhibitionism to the world.) I'm too mad at this point, however, as the California theocratic thugs have not only taken away my civil rights, but also my livelihood. I still have a job and a company but I am no longer able to perform my duties thanks to their false witness (a clear violation of Article #9 of the California Constitution, also known as the Ten Commandments) getting me banned from a major work site of my company. I'll have to work in exile via email while my reps actually do the supervising on-site.
Eventually, I'll have no choice but to part ways with the Holy State of California once and for all, before murdering transpeople will actually earn the murderer some praises and protection from the local police chief, as is done in the Central American hellholes many Californians came from. I don't know how Perfect Girl will shape up, in the wake of Prop 8, its aftermath, and the ever-worsening California theocracy. I've flirted with the idea of relocating Sarah and Kirsten to London, then Vancouver, but eventually dropped that idea. Plus, their marriage is technically heterosexual and legal. But I don't think California makes any sense as the land of the happily ever after. I do want to keep Sarah aboard at United, and Kirsten as well for a US-based employer, but on the other hand, Kirsten can telecommute, and even Sarah could commute to a United hub from a major Canadian city. I'll see what I end up doing.
I mentioned that the vast majority of United flight attendants live up to my, and their own, high expectations, and also that I hold air travel and airlines in high regard for bringing different peoples and cultures together, but this one exception has left me quite insulted.
I did not mention that I am writing a novel based at United Airlines, but Sarah was constantly on my mind, as an image of a top-notch United flight attendant, as I wrote that email.
Again, more often than not, the sight of one of Sarah's planes coming into a hostile airport (such as Amsterdam or Indianapolis) to pick me up is a very wonderful thing. I know I am about to get to a better place. My experience out of Toronto shattered that image - primarily because I was flying back to the Los Angeles theocratic hellhole, but also because of the poor service.
My writing mentor, learning of my experience via Facebook, hinted that the purser from hell could easily become a key character in Perfect Girl, throwing challenges into Sarah's line of work. It's definitely a great idea. I do want to push and challenge Sarah to the breaking point. The interview process already does a lot of that, asking how she would handle a hellish coworker like this, but there is nothing like on-the-job challenges.
In any case, I need to return to Sarah very soon. (And have her actually get mad at me for declaring her exhibitionism to the world.) I'm too mad at this point, however, as the California theocratic thugs have not only taken away my civil rights, but also my livelihood. I still have a job and a company but I am no longer able to perform my duties thanks to their false witness (a clear violation of Article #9 of the California Constitution, also known as the Ten Commandments) getting me banned from a major work site of my company. I'll have to work in exile via email while my reps actually do the supervising on-site.
Eventually, I'll have no choice but to part ways with the Holy State of California once and for all, before murdering transpeople will actually earn the murderer some praises and protection from the local police chief, as is done in the Central American hellholes many Californians came from. I don't know how Perfect Girl will shape up, in the wake of Prop 8, its aftermath, and the ever-worsening California theocracy. I've flirted with the idea of relocating Sarah and Kirsten to London, then Vancouver, but eventually dropped that idea. Plus, their marriage is technically heterosexual and legal. But I don't think California makes any sense as the land of the happily ever after. I do want to keep Sarah aboard at United, and Kirsten as well for a US-based employer, but on the other hand, Kirsten can telecommute, and even Sarah could commute to a United hub from a major Canadian city. I'll see what I end up doing.
26 May 2009
A thought
The following is a Facebook note I just wrote, as I made my way back to Los Angeles from Toronto on Sarah's airline.
I am certainly NOT in a good mood, and Sarah's employer was one of the many reasons today. While I always listen to Rhapsody in Blue, the George Gershwin composition that is the official theme music of United Airlines, whenever I am on a United plane, that was not the case today.
As in, the Province of Ontario in Canada, to the city of Ontario, east of Los Angeles, in the US state of California (which was named by settlers who had hailed from the Canadian province). Actually, I landed at LAX rather than Ontario Airport, but the title works better with two Ontarios.
I may have been flying quite a bit lately - enough to qualify as Premier (low-level elite customer) at United Airlines - but I still feel excited about taking a trip by air. And if a United flight is involved, it's even better - because of all my past trips on that airline (one reason why I am Premier now) and the fact that I am using the airline as the setting for my novel in progress. Often, seeing the familiar United tail at a faraway hostile airfield (whether it's Amsterdam or Indianapolis) meant a sense of relief - relief that I was now flying to somewhere saner. Just as lovely: showing up over the skies of a great faraway city in a United plane (preferably the Boeing 777). But today, traveling from Ontario to Ontario on United, excitement was the last thing I could find, and it was dread instead.
My first leg took me from Toronto to Chicago, and I was very displeased with the purser, who was an elderly man with a French language pin on his uniform. His announcements seemed to mock the intelligence of his passengers rather than thanking them for their patronage. Examples:
"At this time, all electronics must be off. Not "airplane mode," but completely off."
"Please give your undivided attention to the safety demonstration. If you don't want to, at least shut up so that others can."
"We are preparing to land. Make sure to bring your seatback and tray tables to their upright and locked positions. And wake up any inattentive passengers."
Not even a "thanks for choosing United" after landing, just a whole bunch of insulting instructions. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't rub in his airline's name into his announcement (except for once at the end of the safety demonstration); if this were my first United flight, it would certainly have been my last. Not even a mostly empty Economy Plus section (as opposed to a fairly full Economy Minus) would've been enough to mollify me.
I've seen a number of flight attendants do nonstandard announcements, and those at Southwest and Alaska are quite funny, but I've never experienced such an insult. This brings that old railroad mentality - "passengers are the most obnoxious form of freight" - back to life. Needless to say, I responded to United's post-flight survey and rated this flight very negatively; when a Premier complains, the management certainly better listen. Fortunately, I've had far better luck with the vast majority of United flight attendants, and I will make sure my novel protagonist, Sarah Radcliffe, lives up to the best of their standards (while still having to put up with an occasional cut-rate coworker like the purser today).
The second leg to Los Angeles was to be flown with a Boeing 757, but ended up being flown with an international Boeing 767 featuring the new lie-flat business seats. I was not happy at all with this plane; while the First and Business cabins had been re-done in the curvy 777-style interior and equipped with video-on-demand (VOD), the Economy cabin was still stuck in the 1980s, complete with damaged/stained interior panels, and its seats were the same 9-channel videotaped personal TVs (PTV) from the late 1990s. When the safety video was shown, the VOD showed the full video, but the PTVs went off, requiring flight attendants to do the live demonstrations to the soundtrack for the Economy passengers. If a plane can be grounded/refurbished to upgrade the front half completely, doing some minor tweaks to steerage (and adding VOD) wouldn't have been too much more trouble. Some Economy passengers got re-seated in Business, but they seemed to be Premier Executive at least, higher on the elite hierarchy than I'll ever be.
It did not help that instead of flying from a bad place to a good place, I was flying today from a good place (Toronto, home of North America's first legal gay marriages) to a really bad place (Los Angeles, the first place in the world to revoke legalized gay marriages). And sure enough, as the half-refurbished 767 was descending over San Bernardino, California upheld Proposition 8, the questionable gay marriage ban passed by the theocratic voters after tons of misleading ads from out-of-state and foreign interests. And it didn't help to remember that California is home to not one, but TWO United hubs - Los Angeles and San Francisco.
This was one of the worse air travel days for me (though I've had it worse before - United was once guilty of double-charging penalty on a reservation change, though I did eventually get both charges refunded - and I've once had it even worse on a major competitor that I've never patronized since).
I really look forward to a day in the near future, when I can see the familiar United tail show up to take me away to a better place, and I can actually look forward to the flight. I do want to fly enough in 2009 to keep my Premier status through 2010, and I want to enjoy it while I do it. Today was not one of those days.
I am certainly NOT in a good mood, and Sarah's employer was one of the many reasons today. While I always listen to Rhapsody in Blue, the George Gershwin composition that is the official theme music of United Airlines, whenever I am on a United plane, that was not the case today.
As I travel from Ontario to Ontario...
As in, the Province of Ontario in Canada, to the city of Ontario, east of Los Angeles, in the US state of California (which was named by settlers who had hailed from the Canadian province). Actually, I landed at LAX rather than Ontario Airport, but the title works better with two Ontarios.
I may have been flying quite a bit lately - enough to qualify as Premier (low-level elite customer) at United Airlines - but I still feel excited about taking a trip by air. And if a United flight is involved, it's even better - because of all my past trips on that airline (one reason why I am Premier now) and the fact that I am using the airline as the setting for my novel in progress. Often, seeing the familiar United tail at a faraway hostile airfield (whether it's Amsterdam or Indianapolis) meant a sense of relief - relief that I was now flying to somewhere saner. Just as lovely: showing up over the skies of a great faraway city in a United plane (preferably the Boeing 777). But today, traveling from Ontario to Ontario on United, excitement was the last thing I could find, and it was dread instead.
My first leg took me from Toronto to Chicago, and I was very displeased with the purser, who was an elderly man with a French language pin on his uniform. His announcements seemed to mock the intelligence of his passengers rather than thanking them for their patronage. Examples:
"At this time, all electronics must be off. Not "airplane mode," but completely off."
"Please give your undivided attention to the safety demonstration. If you don't want to, at least shut up so that others can."
"We are preparing to land. Make sure to bring your seatback and tray tables to their upright and locked positions. And wake up any inattentive passengers."
Not even a "thanks for choosing United" after landing, just a whole bunch of insulting instructions. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't rub in his airline's name into his announcement (except for once at the end of the safety demonstration); if this were my first United flight, it would certainly have been my last. Not even a mostly empty Economy Plus section (as opposed to a fairly full Economy Minus) would've been enough to mollify me.
I've seen a number of flight attendants do nonstandard announcements, and those at Southwest and Alaska are quite funny, but I've never experienced such an insult. This brings that old railroad mentality - "passengers are the most obnoxious form of freight" - back to life. Needless to say, I responded to United's post-flight survey and rated this flight very negatively; when a Premier complains, the management certainly better listen. Fortunately, I've had far better luck with the vast majority of United flight attendants, and I will make sure my novel protagonist, Sarah Radcliffe, lives up to the best of their standards (while still having to put up with an occasional cut-rate coworker like the purser today).
The second leg to Los Angeles was to be flown with a Boeing 757, but ended up being flown with an international Boeing 767 featuring the new lie-flat business seats. I was not happy at all with this plane; while the First and Business cabins had been re-done in the curvy 777-style interior and equipped with video-on-demand (VOD), the Economy cabin was still stuck in the 1980s, complete with damaged/stained interior panels, and its seats were the same 9-channel videotaped personal TVs (PTV) from the late 1990s. When the safety video was shown, the VOD showed the full video, but the PTVs went off, requiring flight attendants to do the live demonstrations to the soundtrack for the Economy passengers. If a plane can be grounded/refurbished to upgrade the front half completely, doing some minor tweaks to steerage (and adding VOD) wouldn't have been too much more trouble. Some Economy passengers got re-seated in Business, but they seemed to be Premier Executive at least, higher on the elite hierarchy than I'll ever be.
It did not help that instead of flying from a bad place to a good place, I was flying today from a good place (Toronto, home of North America's first legal gay marriages) to a really bad place (Los Angeles, the first place in the world to revoke legalized gay marriages). And sure enough, as the half-refurbished 767 was descending over San Bernardino, California upheld Proposition 8, the questionable gay marriage ban passed by the theocratic voters after tons of misleading ads from out-of-state and foreign interests. And it didn't help to remember that California is home to not one, but TWO United hubs - Los Angeles and San Francisco.
This was one of the worse air travel days for me (though I've had it worse before - United was once guilty of double-charging penalty on a reservation change, though I did eventually get both charges refunded - and I've once had it even worse on a major competitor that I've never patronized since).
I really look forward to a day in the near future, when I can see the familiar United tail show up to take me away to a better place, and I can actually look forward to the flight. I do want to fly enough in 2009 to keep my Premier status through 2010, and I want to enjoy it while I do it. Today was not one of those days.
20 May 2009
Some developments
I'm headed for Toronto in just a few more days. And yes, I am flying Sarah's airline again - and looking forward to it. And with a double elite-qualifying miles promotion at United through the end of June, I may be able to just keep my Premier status into next year!
Also, I decided that in addition to the San Francisco Pride, I will also attend the Los Angeles Pride two weeks prior. I am also working closely with trans and LGB activists around the US and the world closer than ever, relying much on Facebook. (In fact, I was honored to recently have one of the pioneers of the trans movement, Lynn Conway, ask to be my Facebook friend.)
Within DC last week, I had too much fun at Freddie's in Arlington, especially with its karaoke nights. I was able to sing a few different numbers, being able to hit all the high notes - with difficulty the first night, but perfectly fine the second night. There is no way I'll be able to walk into any heterosexual karaoke bar and pull it off, but in a trans-friendly karaoke bar, I should have no problems singing most numbers. My favorite trans nightclub in Los Angeles - Club Shine in San Fernando Valley - is letting its visitors sing starting next month, so I'll definitely be preparing a few numbers. Katy Perry's Sapphic anthem, "I Kissed A Girl," which I once sang back in Arlington, should really do well.
Also, I decided that in addition to the San Francisco Pride, I will also attend the Los Angeles Pride two weeks prior. I am also working closely with trans and LGB activists around the US and the world closer than ever, relying much on Facebook. (In fact, I was honored to recently have one of the pioneers of the trans movement, Lynn Conway, ask to be my Facebook friend.)
Within DC last week, I had too much fun at Freddie's in Arlington, especially with its karaoke nights. I was able to sing a few different numbers, being able to hit all the high notes - with difficulty the first night, but perfectly fine the second night. There is no way I'll be able to walk into any heterosexual karaoke bar and pull it off, but in a trans-friendly karaoke bar, I should have no problems singing most numbers. My favorite trans nightclub in Los Angeles - Club Shine in San Fernando Valley - is letting its visitors sing starting next month, so I'll definitely be preparing a few numbers. Katy Perry's Sapphic anthem, "I Kissed A Girl," which I once sang back in Arlington, should really do well.
12 May 2009
In and around Washington DC
It's always nice to travel around and see new things. And the capital city of a nation is always a good place to be - especially if the nation involved is, for now, still the greatest superpower in the world.
Here are some sights I saw in and around the Washington, DC area over the past few days, that would be of interest to Sarah.
The National Gallery of Art, located toward the northeast end of the Mall, is the premier depository of fine art in the US. It normally handles American and European art, but I could find a small section containing hundreds of Chinese porcelain objects.
And what would a Chinese porcelain section be, without a likeness of Kwan Yin, the transgender Goddess of Mercy?
Here is something more typical of National Gallery of Art - a famous French sculpture.
Although there is nothing transgender about Auguste Rodin's famous Le Penseur, I had to throw it in, because in an early draft of a scene I wrote very early on, Sarah was supposed to nag Kirsten about her lesbianism while touring the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art together. The two would come across a smaller likeness of this sculpture, and Sarah would talk about how embarrassed the guy would feel, sitting naked and showing off his goods to someone who couldn't care less. Of course, back then, Sarah was supposed to be boycrazy, but since then, I've turned her into a hardcore lesbian herself too.
For all the muscle mass, Le Penseur isn't too well-endowed. Honestly, I think Sarah's pre-op body is better endowed, though at this time she should be under the knife, turning her oversized clit into a smaller clit AND a vagina.
Across the Mall, the Freer Gallery of Art is where most Asian collections are stored. Freer is part of the Smithsonian system, and is located next to the Smithsonian Castle. I do have to say, however, that Washington, DC is not the best place to see lots of Asian art - that's better done in other American cities, in Europe, and obviously in Asia.
Here is a likeness of Shiva, sprouting multiple sets of arms. Shiva's wife, Shakti, is often considered to be a different aspect of the same Shiva, and the two are often fused into one body (though I couldn't find such an example today). Kwan Yin takes both her transgender history and her multiple arms from Shiva.
Here is a Nepalese rendition of a male Avalokitesvara. And yes, he's got six arms.
Here is a 12th Century Kwan Yin, hailing from the Kingdom of Dali, which occupied what is now today's Yunnan Province, China. She certainly looks female, but she does have an exposed male torso.
This statue certainly reminded me of the one I had seen over at South Korea's greatest Buddhist temple, Bulguksa. Bulguksa's Kwan Yin looked a lot like this, except that she actually had a very nice six-pack on her very masculine torso.
Another Chinese Kwan Yin. Dating from about 703 (Tang dynasty, near Xi'an), this Kwan Yin is sprouting eleven faces. Unfortunately, most of the faces have been mutilated. Also notable is one exposed, rather flat boob.
Another Kwan Yin. This one is from Northern Song Dynasty, dated 1095, and depicts Kwan Yin of the Water Moon, who takes a special significance in Chan Buddhism (which is better known by its Japanese name, Zen).
The inscription says that those who look up to this likeness of Kwan Yin will be spared from the pain of having his/her father pass away early.
I toured a few more museums while I waited for a local friend (Karen Bradley of Democracy Cell Project) to return to her place, a mile east of the Capitol. I somehow ended up at the National Air & Space Museum, at the extreme southeast corner of the Mall, and the most popular Smithsonian museum. This was my third visit.
There is a section devoted to commercial aviation, and I am looking at an exhibit showcasing progress made by women in the industry. From the 1970s on, women started working as pilots. And as shown here, pregnant women could still fly as flight attendants. The uniform was issued by United Airlines in the early 1990s, and was the first official maternity flight attendant uniform.
Sarah certainly has no use for a maternity uniform, but it's glad to know that the flight attendant profession now has the room to accommodate the likes of her.
Time for a look at the life of a 1950s air stewardess. The mirror and the checklist show all the things that a 1950s air stewardess had to go through, in order to carry out her work.
In addition, an air stewardess had to be between 5'2" and 5'6" tall and under 125 pounds. She also had to be single, attractive to the point of being just below Hollywood standards, under early 30s, and of course female. A two-year college degree and/or a nursing credential was also required. I don't think Sarah could meet any of these requirements.
These requirements were dismantled starting in the 1960s, thanks to the civil rights laws of the era. In the 1970s, larger, more fuel-efficient aircraft appeared, not only increasing demand for flight attendants (and the clout of the flight attendant unions) but also allowing the masses - not just businessmen - to take to the skies. Flight attendants were seen as less of pretty faces/sex toys for the businessmen, and more of safety professionals to cater to the needs of the new air travelers.
Here is the first Boeing 247 built. It was one of many models that were launched by the airline that Sarah now calls home. (And just a few days ago, I flew on the last of that long lineage - the Boeing 777.) Early on, it competed in the England-to-Australia air race, before returning to United duty.
Notable is the United route map of the era, which ran east from Chicago to New York, and west to Denver and San Francisco, and from there up and down the West Coast. The current United network still uses Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco as key hubs, though the main East Coast hub is now Washington-Dulles, and New York is only a minor footnote.
This section is also populated by a number of other aircraft. One is the nose of an American DC-7 with the registration number of N334AA. That registration was re-used on a Boeing 767 in 1987, but that 767 was the first plane to be hijacked on September 11, 2001. Another noteworthy exhibit - and a new sight to me - is the nose of N601US, Northwest's first 747, which flew from 1970 to 1999. The cockpit is open to the public, but due to the height of the 747, entry is from the upper level rather than the ground level.
The gift shop has these flight attendant pictorial books for sale. The middle one is discounted to $8.
I picked up both books. The photos certainly hark back to an era when the profession of air stewardess was considered very desirable and prestigious. Unfortunately, the reality was that flight attendants of the era were little more than sex objects, especially noted in the micro-miniskirt uniforms of the late 1960s. I did see a photo of United flight attendants wearing early 1970s colorful minidress uniforms; mercifully, those minidresses were of respectable length.
It is a nice era when a tall transgender woman in her 30s, in a lesbian marriage, is more than able to get and keep her flight attendant position, and even climb up the seniority ladder, using nothing more than her expertise and friendly personality. All the best to Sarah!
I didn't buy this one, but I took a photo anyway. It is a United Airlines Boeing 737-300 in the airline's current "Rhapsody in Blue" paint job. The 737s are being phased out due to fuel costs, however. And if I needed a scale-model United airliner, I'd pick the 777 instead, preferably in the 1990s "Battleship Gray" paint job and sporting the "Worldwide Service" slogan on the nose. After all, that's how I often showed up in some of the world's greatest cities - including Washington, DC this time.
I soon caught up with Karen afterwards. She told me that her transgender cousin, Aaron Raz Link (whose memoir, What Becomes You, gives a very fresh angle into the trans experience), is now based in Southern California. Maybe I need to meet him, say hi, and talk about various trans issues.
In addition, I had a blast in Arlington, visiting its Unitarian church and meeting up with my trans lesbian contact there. I ended up visiting Freddie's, northern Virginia's greatest LGBT hangout, with a group of lesbians. I'll be returning to Freddie's one more time, for its weekly karaoke night, before my time in the area is up.
Here are some sights I saw in and around the Washington, DC area over the past few days, that would be of interest to Sarah.
The National Gallery of Art, located toward the northeast end of the Mall, is the premier depository of fine art in the US. It normally handles American and European art, but I could find a small section containing hundreds of Chinese porcelain objects.And what would a Chinese porcelain section be, without a likeness of Kwan Yin, the transgender Goddess of Mercy?
Here is something more typical of National Gallery of Art - a famous French sculpture.Although there is nothing transgender about Auguste Rodin's famous Le Penseur, I had to throw it in, because in an early draft of a scene I wrote very early on, Sarah was supposed to nag Kirsten about her lesbianism while touring the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art together. The two would come across a smaller likeness of this sculpture, and Sarah would talk about how embarrassed the guy would feel, sitting naked and showing off his goods to someone who couldn't care less. Of course, back then, Sarah was supposed to be boycrazy, but since then, I've turned her into a hardcore lesbian herself too.
For all the muscle mass, Le Penseur isn't too well-endowed. Honestly, I think Sarah's pre-op body is better endowed, though at this time she should be under the knife, turning her oversized clit into a smaller clit AND a vagina.
Across the Mall, the Freer Gallery of Art is where most Asian collections are stored. Freer is part of the Smithsonian system, and is located next to the Smithsonian Castle. I do have to say, however, that Washington, DC is not the best place to see lots of Asian art - that's better done in other American cities, in Europe, and obviously in Asia.Here is a likeness of Shiva, sprouting multiple sets of arms. Shiva's wife, Shakti, is often considered to be a different aspect of the same Shiva, and the two are often fused into one body (though I couldn't find such an example today). Kwan Yin takes both her transgender history and her multiple arms from Shiva.
Here is a Nepalese rendition of a male Avalokitesvara. And yes, he's got six arms.
Here is a 12th Century Kwan Yin, hailing from the Kingdom of Dali, which occupied what is now today's Yunnan Province, China. She certainly looks female, but she does have an exposed male torso.This statue certainly reminded me of the one I had seen over at South Korea's greatest Buddhist temple, Bulguksa. Bulguksa's Kwan Yin looked a lot like this, except that she actually had a very nice six-pack on her very masculine torso.
Another Chinese Kwan Yin. Dating from about 703 (Tang dynasty, near Xi'an), this Kwan Yin is sprouting eleven faces. Unfortunately, most of the faces have been mutilated. Also notable is one exposed, rather flat boob.
Another Kwan Yin. This one is from Northern Song Dynasty, dated 1095, and depicts Kwan Yin of the Water Moon, who takes a special significance in Chan Buddhism (which is better known by its Japanese name, Zen).The inscription says that those who look up to this likeness of Kwan Yin will be spared from the pain of having his/her father pass away early.
I toured a few more museums while I waited for a local friend (Karen Bradley of Democracy Cell Project) to return to her place, a mile east of the Capitol. I somehow ended up at the National Air & Space Museum, at the extreme southeast corner of the Mall, and the most popular Smithsonian museum. This was my third visit.There is a section devoted to commercial aviation, and I am looking at an exhibit showcasing progress made by women in the industry. From the 1970s on, women started working as pilots. And as shown here, pregnant women could still fly as flight attendants. The uniform was issued by United Airlines in the early 1990s, and was the first official maternity flight attendant uniform.
Sarah certainly has no use for a maternity uniform, but it's glad to know that the flight attendant profession now has the room to accommodate the likes of her.
Time for a look at the life of a 1950s air stewardess. The mirror and the checklist show all the things that a 1950s air stewardess had to go through, in order to carry out her work.In addition, an air stewardess had to be between 5'2" and 5'6" tall and under 125 pounds. She also had to be single, attractive to the point of being just below Hollywood standards, under early 30s, and of course female. A two-year college degree and/or a nursing credential was also required. I don't think Sarah could meet any of these requirements.
These requirements were dismantled starting in the 1960s, thanks to the civil rights laws of the era. In the 1970s, larger, more fuel-efficient aircraft appeared, not only increasing demand for flight attendants (and the clout of the flight attendant unions) but also allowing the masses - not just businessmen - to take to the skies. Flight attendants were seen as less of pretty faces/sex toys for the businessmen, and more of safety professionals to cater to the needs of the new air travelers.
Here is the first Boeing 247 built. It was one of many models that were launched by the airline that Sarah now calls home. (And just a few days ago, I flew on the last of that long lineage - the Boeing 777.) Early on, it competed in the England-to-Australia air race, before returning to United duty.Notable is the United route map of the era, which ran east from Chicago to New York, and west to Denver and San Francisco, and from there up and down the West Coast. The current United network still uses Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco as key hubs, though the main East Coast hub is now Washington-Dulles, and New York is only a minor footnote.
This section is also populated by a number of other aircraft. One is the nose of an American DC-7 with the registration number of N334AA. That registration was re-used on a Boeing 767 in 1987, but that 767 was the first plane to be hijacked on September 11, 2001. Another noteworthy exhibit - and a new sight to me - is the nose of N601US, Northwest's first 747, which flew from 1970 to 1999. The cockpit is open to the public, but due to the height of the 747, entry is from the upper level rather than the ground level.
The gift shop has these flight attendant pictorial books for sale. The middle one is discounted to $8.I picked up both books. The photos certainly hark back to an era when the profession of air stewardess was considered very desirable and prestigious. Unfortunately, the reality was that flight attendants of the era were little more than sex objects, especially noted in the micro-miniskirt uniforms of the late 1960s. I did see a photo of United flight attendants wearing early 1970s colorful minidress uniforms; mercifully, those minidresses were of respectable length.
It is a nice era when a tall transgender woman in her 30s, in a lesbian marriage, is more than able to get and keep her flight attendant position, and even climb up the seniority ladder, using nothing more than her expertise and friendly personality. All the best to Sarah!
I didn't buy this one, but I took a photo anyway. It is a United Airlines Boeing 737-300 in the airline's current "Rhapsody in Blue" paint job. The 737s are being phased out due to fuel costs, however. And if I needed a scale-model United airliner, I'd pick the 777 instead, preferably in the 1990s "Battleship Gray" paint job and sporting the "Worldwide Service" slogan on the nose. After all, that's how I often showed up in some of the world's greatest cities - including Washington, DC this time.I soon caught up with Karen afterwards. She told me that her transgender cousin, Aaron Raz Link (whose memoir, What Becomes You, gives a very fresh angle into the trans experience), is now based in Southern California. Maybe I need to meet him, say hi, and talk about various trans issues.
In addition, I had a blast in Arlington, visiting its Unitarian church and meeting up with my trans lesbian contact there. I ended up visiting Freddie's, northern Virginia's greatest LGBT hangout, with a group of lesbians. I'll be returning to Freddie's one more time, for its weekly karaoke night, before my time in the area is up.
10 May 2009
In Virginia now
Too much stress, not enough progress on novel or anything, since my last post. I hope that changes over the next week, however.
I spent today flying from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. I had made sure to book on a United Airlines Boeing 777 - Sarah's favorite aircraft to work in, and my own favorite to travel in. No signs of Sarah today on board - among the eight flight attendants, six were men, and the women were a blonde and an African-American - but this was my first flight on a United 777 since starting to write about Sarah. My only regret was that I was flying on that 777 to show up in a familiar city, rather than a faraway exotic locale, as I used to do quite a bit in the past.
The 777 today was an XI - meaning three-class seating and international amenities (including personal video and air show) but merely a standard 777 rather than the Extended Range version. I did note the crew rest area in the right front of the Economy Plus cabin - complete with extra legroom. Due to the flight being a mere domestic run, the crew rest area was being used as extra revenue seats, though I wasn't allowed to get a seat assignment there, and had to settle for a standard Economy Plus seat on the left side (which is, nevertheless, a nice improvement).
It certainly was not a perfect flight (the plane was in bad need of a paint job), but it was nice to be on a plane that is an icon for both Sarah and me. I'm hoping there will be another flight on a United 777 later this year, to take me back to Europe and to ensure that I keep my Premier status. (When I return to California in a week, I'm downsizing to an A319.) In the meantime, I'll see what kinds of inspirations I can get for Sarah.
I spent today flying from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. I had made sure to book on a United Airlines Boeing 777 - Sarah's favorite aircraft to work in, and my own favorite to travel in. No signs of Sarah today on board - among the eight flight attendants, six were men, and the women were a blonde and an African-American - but this was my first flight on a United 777 since starting to write about Sarah. My only regret was that I was flying on that 777 to show up in a familiar city, rather than a faraway exotic locale, as I used to do quite a bit in the past.
The 777 today was an XI - meaning three-class seating and international amenities (including personal video and air show) but merely a standard 777 rather than the Extended Range version. I did note the crew rest area in the right front of the Economy Plus cabin - complete with extra legroom. Due to the flight being a mere domestic run, the crew rest area was being used as extra revenue seats, though I wasn't allowed to get a seat assignment there, and had to settle for a standard Economy Plus seat on the left side (which is, nevertheless, a nice improvement).
It certainly was not a perfect flight (the plane was in bad need of a paint job), but it was nice to be on a plane that is an icon for both Sarah and me. I'm hoping there will be another flight on a United 777 later this year, to take me back to Europe and to ensure that I keep my Premier status. (When I return to California in a week, I'm downsizing to an A319.) In the meantime, I'll see what kinds of inspirations I can get for Sarah.
23 April 2009
Even more travels...
Looks like I won't have to wait for Memorial Day to give Sarah some hell. I will be flying on one of her airplanes even sooner, for a week in the Washington, DC area mid-May.
In fact, the outbound flight will be a rare domestic service using a 3-class Boeing 777, a normally international model, which is Sarah's favorite model to work in (and my favorite model to fly in). It is the domestic portion of the flight that ends up, unfortunately, in my (and Sarah's) least favorite city - Amsterdam.
Once in DC, I'll have three full days of work, but I'll have enough downtime for myself. Getting around the area should be cheap, given that I managed to find and book a Toyota Prius for next to nothing. And I'll be visiting the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Virginia (uucava.org), where there is a lovely lesbian transwoman who runs the church's Rainbow Ministry. She had first contacted me via Facebook when I was in the midst of my Korean sojourn, and it'll be a very interesting experience to meet with her in person, 6 months and 7,000 miles later.
Looking forward to this experience AND Toronto. And maybe time to actually scribble something about Sarah and Kirsten - in the DC political setting while at that.
In fact, the outbound flight will be a rare domestic service using a 3-class Boeing 777, a normally international model, which is Sarah's favorite model to work in (and my favorite model to fly in). It is the domestic portion of the flight that ends up, unfortunately, in my (and Sarah's) least favorite city - Amsterdam.
Once in DC, I'll have three full days of work, but I'll have enough downtime for myself. Getting around the area should be cheap, given that I managed to find and book a Toyota Prius for next to nothing. And I'll be visiting the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Virginia (uucava.org), where there is a lovely lesbian transwoman who runs the church's Rainbow Ministry. She had first contacted me via Facebook when I was in the midst of my Korean sojourn, and it'll be a very interesting experience to meet with her in person, 6 months and 7,000 miles later.
Looking forward to this experience AND Toronto. And maybe time to actually scribble something about Sarah and Kirsten - in the DC political setting while at that.
14 April 2009
Watch out, Sarah!
I'll be bringing my trademark nasty temper and impossible-to-please attitude straight into one of your planes again.
My Toronto itinerary is confirmed, and yes, I am booked on United, primarily to take advantage of extra perks. (A time-limited perk this time will be to have each mile count twice for the purposes of re-qualifying as an elite next year.)
Once in Toronto, I am pretty sure I'll have a great time. I'll be exploring many of its diverse neighborhoods - including its fashionable gay district, which was the first place in North America to have legal gay marriages. Hoping to walk away with lots of extra inspirations for Sarah's life story.
My Toronto itinerary is confirmed, and yes, I am booked on United, primarily to take advantage of extra perks. (A time-limited perk this time will be to have each mile count twice for the purposes of re-qualifying as an elite next year.)
Once in Toronto, I am pretty sure I'll have a great time. I'll be exploring many of its diverse neighborhoods - including its fashionable gay district, which was the first place in North America to have legal gay marriages. Hoping to walk away with lots of extra inspirations for Sarah's life story.
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