Today is my last day of work at the best job I ever had. I was a
ramp worker for a major airline in Las Vegas. I am being laid off in
the Great Purge of 2008: the massive airline cutbacks triggered by
astronomical fuel prices.
Before you cry for me, I assure you that losing the best job I
ever had is one of the best things that ever happened to me. One of
the perks of working for an airline is that you get to fly free (or
nearly free) wherever your airline goes. The only downer is that
they also make you “work” on a regular schedule, which severely
cuts into ones vacation time. Now, thanks to the negotiations of my
union, I get to keep my basic flight benefits during my furlough
period—for up to three years or until I am rehired—without the
inconvenience of work. My only burden now is not having any money to
travel with, but it still feels like I have won the lottery.
Zen
and the Art of Baggage Handling
A long but interesting look at baggage handling and the perks of being
on, and off, the job.
You have my permission to link freely to any entry here. Go
ahead, I won't bite. I promise.
The dates are the permanent links to that day's entries (or
entry, if there is only one entry). The titles are the permanent
links to that entry only. The format for the links are
simple: Start with the base link for this site: https://boston.conman.org/, then add the date you are
interested in, say 2000/08/01,
so that would make the final URL:
https://boston.conman.org/2000/08/01
You can also specify the entire month by leaving off the day
portion. You can even select an arbitrary portion of time.
You may also note subtle shading of the links and that's
intentional: the “closer” the link is (relative to the
page) the “brighter” it appears. It's an experiment in
using color shading to denote the distance a link is from here. If
you don't notice it, don't worry; it's not all that
important.
It is assumed that every brand name, slogan, corporate name,
symbol, design element, et cetera mentioned in these pages is a
protected and/or trademarked entity, the sole property of its
owner(s), and acknowledgement of this status is implied.
![[It's the most wonderful time of the year!]](https://www.conman.org/people/spc/about/2018/1212.t.jpg "It's the most wonderful time of the year!")