it's thursday ... but my *friday*. kinda stressful at work this whole week. since i've taken on control of the station's payroll -- i've just spent the whole week trying to catch up and not really going anywhere. i know for a fact that a messed up on quite a few people paychecks this week. it's that crazy program we have to use and the fact that i haven't really had any training on it. i feel really bad too -- but hey, at least i apologized in advance, right?

Since I moved into my new job over the past month … I’ve grown to appreciate the fact that I don’t really have to deal with people and customers as much as I used to. It’s a desk job – I move a lot of paper both real and virtual. Today, though, I just happen to answer the phone and get a message to relay from the airport information desk. Apparently the sister one of our customers on the next departing flight committed suicide by shooting herself in the head. The customer’s wife was urgently looking for him and I needed to relay the message. Of course, it wasn’t to tell him of his sister’s fate, but simply to call. When I walked upstairs to the gate to page the customer on the PA system, I notice a somewhat irate/anxious person in a wheelchair complaining apparently because of the long wait for a wheelchair attendant to bring him to baggage claim. All the while I’m trying to look for the guy whose sister died, the old man is becoming more and more escalated. So irritated that he starts cursing and shouting and the ENTIRE waiting area is just looking at us deal with the situation. Mind you, the waiting area was filled with people waiting to board the next flight, we had 2 planes at the gate, flight crews were buzzing about, etc. I try to calm him down and ask him to sit and we’ll take care of him. I even persuade the exiting flight crew to walk him down themselves. He doesn’t let up – I finally track down the other man – I walk the older man down to the baggage claim myself. After a little while – the old man figures out that I’m from the Philippines and starts speaking to me in Filipino. He asks me outright if I spoke ‘Tagalog’. I said no, but I understand it well and told him to speak as much Filipino to me he wants! Lord – just about the only time I can pull the race card to my advantage to try to settle a bad moment. On the way to baggage claim, I find out that he’s in town for the WWII memorial dedication. I speak to his grand daughter picking him up and find out that her family was worried that he’d be kicked off the plane because of his outbursts. Hmmm. Let’s just say that his reservation was ‘duly documented’. Right before I got myself into all of this, I was sitting at my desk chatting online with an old team member in Florida on how I must 'miss' working out there on the front line. I DON'T THINK SO.

cicadas are gross.

back at dulles. back to work! i had a middle the seat the whole over. it sucked but i slept for like 80% of the flight. came down with some kind of bad allergy reaction (sneezing, runny nose, etc.). it's killing me now. i think the hot weather has a lot to do with it. a humid low 90's will be the high today. i left long beach in with temps in the mid-upper 60s and clear skies. oh well.

trying to play catch up now at work. payroll is slowly creeping up on me. i think after this week, i HAVE to take control of it if it makes or breaks me. there are just soooooo many issues with the crew and their pay!

before i end -- last night's dance at pistons was some kind of leather themed event. all i know there was an s&m tying demonstration (i.e. someone tying someone up) all with onlookers and abba and assorted diva house being played in the background. it was just a little bit too surreal. :-)

ooh i think it works! sitting here now at the long beach airport waiting for my flight to dc. did an all nighter of course-no rest for the weary, eh? anyway-had a chockful of activities for their pride. i didnt realize how big it was here. of course the $20 entrance fee shouldve been a clue. i still had a blast tho. did the typical PISTONS BAR run. the first night (friday) kind of sucked but the next night was much more fun. had more guys plus they had dancing too. dancing bears! woo-hoo! thank god there was a decent dj this time. hot guys too. still didnt pick anyone up. but hey at least i was out and about. looks like my flight is about to board. gotta run.

trying this out for the first time using my pda phone and web access. posting now.

it's hot today. i'm at work. it's also sunday. i'm not used to my new work schedule yet. luckily i had nothing really going on this weekend. well -- compared to last week, thank goodness. it was cherry weekend here in dc last week -- lots o' boys. lot's o' parties. lot's o' things that come in between. my favorite was moody's unofficial event at club five. i've never had so much fun at a club in years!

been spending a lot of time with marc m. we've become very good friends in a short span of time. he's a cool guy ~ an old timer in the dc club scene. i wonder what he's doing tonight.

yesterday was apartment hunting day for me. me an collin are actually going to try to be roommates. he's a great guy as well -- it's just when he's in party mode (most of the time i ever see him), he's quite the handful. when he's not, he's surprisingly articulate and thoughtful. i'll sure we'll get along very well.

the new job is going along as well. getting my *groove* slowly but surely. my major hurdle i think is going to be payroll. everything else is a piece of cake.