New Respect for Hubby

[Doogie]

Aroo?!

Mmmm'kay....

I'm not one of the 'round the edges off' types so 'no one feels uncomfortable'.

My perspective is my perspective, unfiltered. This is the internet and not Dr. Phil.

If my perspective isn't appreciated, that's absolutely fine but that doesn't change it.

"Hon" isn't meant to be derogatory. It's a polite "jib"! Toots, hon and dame are pretty much part of my weird vocabulary! You should meet me, I'm not as brooding/evil than you maybe think I am!

[roz]

No, this is Kristie's board where people felt safe to post. Your perspective is fine, but you post it as if it is the only way to functioning as a sane individual. That is not true for others and it is making them VERY uncomfortable. Again, Krisite founded a safe haven. Please don't make us feel unsafe.

And I may be the "enemy" HR person, but when someone says they object, I tell people to knock it off. You are telling me that my objection to "hon" is not valid. Not true. KNOCK IT OFF! If you ever met me in person and called me that, you'd be in BIG trouble because this momma lifts weights. And your momma would be right behind me giving me an extra boost for your disrespect!

It's late here--night, night and sleep tight.

[Doogie]

My perspective isn't welcome? Aren't I part of that mercurial world that the opposite sex tries to understand?

I mean, if my perspective isn't welcome, even though I'm about as "real" as I can be, lemme know, I'm interested! Seriously. Now I'm curious!

[Kristie]

Originally Posted by roz

Kristie did not found a board where members would get talked down to.

but that happens all the time simply between the girls...I've noticed that it's catty here, i'd like to help put an end to it. I've already started on my part.

[skyblupink]

Great post! Hope you won't mind me sharing my thoughts on the subject. In 2004 I retired from my position as head of training and developement for a small software firm which designed, implemented and managed airline crew scheduling software. I had sufficient experience in the airline industry to know that most pilots, upon arrival at any destination, be it domestic or international, just want a clean hotel room, a comfy bed, a bite to eat and some sound sleep.

As the then-fiance of a CAL 777 FO, I'd rarely heard him complain about his layovers other than the occasional comment about the rock hard beds in Narita Japan, or the expensive food in Hong Kong, London and such. Still, his love of the 777 coupled with his love of international destinations such as Tel Aviv, Paris, Frankfurt left me feeling fairly comfortable that his layovers were mostly positive.

Cut to the present. Now nearly 2 years married (together 5 total) I have had the huge blessing of accompanying DH on 38 international trips, as well as more than a few reserve stints in EWR in the early days. I love seeing him "in action". My heart swells with pride as I sit quietly watching my DH, so handsome in the uniform I lovingly prepare, assist passengers with the slightest request or need.

I can attest to the fact that despite the relative comforts of a 777, and despite the odd fascination with travel after more than 20 odd years of traveling ... there is NO GLAMOUR to being an airline pilot.

Not only does DH get interrupted during phone conversations with me and rushed meals before his departure for countless questions such as "where is gate 83?" and "how do I get my bags" ... he's regularly asked to lift bags into the overhead and even once or twice to hold a baby while mom settles into her seat.

That he does it all with a smile and a kind word amazes me and makes me proud beyond words. And yet, I see the travel weary man who's just commuted home 5 hours following a 16 hr flight from HKG. I can only smile and hand him a cup of hot tea as he settles into the car for the 40 minute drive home, while he recounts his entire trip from landing to landing. Once home,
I massage his aching legs before plopping him into a hot bath with Epsom salts in the hope that I can take away at least some of the days stress.

The funny thing is, he wouldn't change a thing about his career. Not the long commutes, not the 16 hour flights, not the requests for gate assistance, not the hard beds and expensive food. Having traveled with him enough to know it's not all it's cracked up to be, I wouldn't change a thing either. My DH loves his job, and I love knowing he's happy. What more could I ask for? My guy started out at the regionals, he did thousands of domestic trips as well as many, many months on reserve. He "paid his dues" and chose to move onward. But "onward" isn't necessarily "upward" if it's not YOUR personal goal. To each his own. If he chose to go back to the 737 flying Florida turns I'd be no less proud of him than I am today. Quite honestly, our quality of life is really what dictates his career choices now, and I for one am quite pleased with our life (even with the occasional 2 day recovery from an Asia trip).

I feel blessed to have been able to travel with my DH as much as I have.
I know full well that every trip could well be my last and I treat each as such. I know too that retirement is a scant 10 years away and my DH will sorely miss that beautiful airplane, those walks through the market in TLV, and the passenger requests for directions.

Glamour? Maybe not, but a joy in so many ways nonetheless.

Lori, wife of CAL 777 FO (EWR)

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by Kristie

but that happens all the time simply between the girls...I've noticed that it's catty here, i'd like to help put an end to it. I've already started on my part.

Catty and downright hostile are two different things. What Doug is saying to Roz is hostile.

Women can be catty, but in the end we tend to work it out ourselves, or try to "agree to disagree"!

I don't know what the heck is happening around here, but I don't like it.

[Doogie]

Absolutely disagree and I'd like to know where I'm accused of being hostile.

There's a lot of 'groupthink' going on in this thread. I'm kind of curious where I supposedly went from "nice guy who supports his wife" to condescending, threatening and demeaning.

[Doogie]

See, it's all in the avatar!

[rgphib]

Wow...this thread got ugly really fast. I hadn't read it since the first couple of posts.

I say "to each their own". Some people want to stay at the regionals...some want to move on...some want to fly the same airplane for the rest of their career (ie...DH could care less that he will only fly the 737 at Southwest)...some want to only fly large airplanes....some want to fly international. It all depends on the pilot and their situation. We all love our pilots and we are the only ones that know what is best for us in each of our individual situations. What is best for one....is not best for another. The career aspirations of one...is not necessarily what the other strives for.

[Anonymous]

I can not BELIEVE what I am reading! HUGE HUGE turnoff!