Back On the Radar

5/16

As alot of people during my long partime break Mandy bought me Boy Meets World, seasons 5-7. Not only did this complete this series in our collection, it also gave me the ability to watch the college years, which even as a huge fan, I didn't watch that closely. The humor got mature and I just wasn't ready for it. Now I appreciate it.

Coupled with Glee as of late, my mind has been in overdrive.

For those who haven't noticed, I've been pretty quiet lately, except hockey talk, especially since my birthday. Yes I've been trying to make plans with people, and I talk to people who want to talk to me, but honestly I've been off radar.

This mainly started after I left the airport. Leaving was pretty hard on me. I wrote that blog saying goodbye, and all things considered, especially how things have gone since I left, I have no regrets. But after six years it was still weird.

Plus then I gave myself a week vacation, and then went into training right away. Right as that started, the Devils got red hot, all while the weather got alot nicer. So my life has become very adult again all of a sudden.

I guess this is the shot in the ass I needed to get back into gear.

Now to get back into the gym at least twice a week. That seems impossible right now but have to do something soon.

Otherwise for those wondering, especially after reading those random paragraphs that I have no way of tying together, I'm good.

I'm good, just busy and getting things in order so I can get into a new routine. It's taking alot longer than I expected.

Ramblings from My Notebook

With my new job, I have time to write again. It's nice I must admit. That being said I'm going to share some of what I write in here as I see fit. so when you see the notebook logo pop up there's where it's coming from. It may not make sense but when do ramblings make sense?

5/13/12

Ever sit on a delivery dock with one of your favorite movies on in the background and think about life?

What a silly question I know.

That's me today.

How did i get here??
How did I end up sitting on a delivery dock on a Sunday as a security officer of an empty warehouse facility?

Two weeks ago, I was an airport employee, depressed and struggling to even get out of bed in the morning.

Now I hang out as a security officer daily. 40 hours in uniform.

I've been asked do I like it?
How's work?
Honestly I'm still in an adjustment period.

Blake Reilly, Frontier Ramper *12/12/05-4/24/12*...Farewell and Thank You

"And now the end is here, and I've reached the final curtain."

At about 8:30 this morning I put in my notice. This is a big deal for me. As of tomorrow around 9, I will no longer be a Frontier Airlines employee.

It's weird because it's a journey that started so long ago. It was December 12, 2005 when I got hired by Skyway Airlines. Soon to be a Midwest ramper. I was young. It was just three months after I moved to WI. I was very unsure of myself. It was a new world as it was and now I was taking a job in a universe that seemed like it already exsisted.

Fresh out of training, I was confused. To this day I don't think we were ever truly fully trained. Even after 2 1/2 weeks. After a while I started to get the hang of things. The fact is without 6 months we already done to four people left from our training class. It didn't help that we got brought in in the dead of winter. If you aren't used to it, it can get the better of you.

Then the years started going by. Work became a 2nd home. I was seeing coworkers more than my family, but I guess that's how it is when you work full time. This where I will say a few things.

Alot of people look at the rampers, and even the airport employees, like they are nuts, especially lately. The fact is that we have turned into a family.

Are there fights? Hell yeah!

Do we all like each other? Hell no!

But being a ramper has taught me alot about growing up. It got through the rough patches in my marraige. It helped me go from a child trying to act like an adult to a grown up. Someone who is ready to let go of the training wheels and look into the future.

If there is one thing I was to say to the people from the ramp over the last six years, especially those few who have been there as long, or longer than me, thank you.

I'd be lying if I said I'd be the person I am today without all of you. This ride has not been easy, not by a long shot.

Every person I met along the way, from day 1 to now has showed me and taught me something about myself.

I'll be the first to admit that tomorrow is going to be strange. The ramp has been such a HUGE part of my life for so long that it's going to be so weird to move on. To walk away.

The one thing I can say I did though was leave on my own terms.

That being say. Tomorrow is my goodbye, my farewell.

Tomorrow I will retire my vest, turn in my badges and turn back into an airport guest instead of an employee. It's going to be weird but it's also going to be a HUGE weight off my shoulders.

That being said, here's my tribute video one last time for all my fellow rampers, past and present. Thank you again. I will miss you.

Change is Good

Well today everything changed. I left work today. The ramp room was being changed over. We were trying to figure out as a team how to work out all these changes in the flight schedule. Well I left early today to goto a job interview.

After a drive downtown nervous as hell, I got in there and got offered a position in South Milwaukee with Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. Full time work. Workable hours on the day shift. Orentation next Tuesday morning and start training on May 1st.

So soon I will no longer be a Frontier Airlines employee.

This was unexpected turn of events and a shocking conclusion to a wild six plus year ride.

Over the next two weeks I will be tying up all my loose ends and will be able to process everything.

Saying goodbye won't be easy, but hey I guess it's finally my turn to move on.

A Letter to My F9 Friends

I've been quiet on here about work stuff. Mainly because when the Frontier new broke two weeks ago, I was in shock, angry and sad. With all the emotions that were going through my head there was no way I could write a clearheaded post.

That being said, this isn't just a post about work, this is a letter to my fellow rampers and co-workers reading this.

April 16th. it feels like D-Day. The end of the line. The day that everything changes. Alot of people will, or will have already, be leaving. It's a rough and it will honestly be extremely sad. but that's not till Aprl. There's the whole month of March.

March is a big month for us as rampers and F9 employees. We have all been working together for four+ years.We've been together through everything, personal & professional, and just about every weather condition you can think of.

That being said, let's go out on a high note. Let's do our jobs, to the best of our abilities, be there for each other. Also remember one thing that has always been true. At the end of the day, it's never been about what our name was/is, who owns us or even who pays us. It's always been about the employees, the friendships and the relationships.

When my time as a Frontier ramper does come to an end I want to leave with great memories, not with the shitty attitudes at the people that got cut the last time.

Our time together will end soon, but that doesn't mean the memories and good times will ever be erased.

New Chapter Begins Now...

It's very cliche at this point to say...new year, new this, new that. But it my case that's exactly what it is.

It's 2012. Not even two weeks in yet. So I figure I still have time to get the "New Year" blog post up.

All joking aside, things feel different this year.

Nice eh?

First of all, this blog is being typed up on me and Mandy's new computer that we got over the weekend. It's a nice all for one unit with no tower, an HD touch screen, wireless keyboard and mouse and even a remote. The sound system is awesome and I can't wait to make videos on this thing. It's also nice to have a working computer in our room again. It's a massive step for us and now I just have to re clean up our desk around this system. It's alot bigger than what we used to have so I had to move alot around to make it fit. No biggy. Gives me something to do.

Also on this blog, as you probably see, I have a new easier to read template and to the right you can see the three blogs that I regularly read. I hope to also add some more links soon. 

Mandy's amazing blog

As for me, what am I up to? Currently I'm working a part time schedule. Mondays 5-9am, Tuesdays-Fridays 4-9am. Sounds a little nuts huh? Well it's a schedule that I actually chose. It's for money reasons. When I'm not at work I'm not just sitting around. I'm always busy. As a matter of fact today has been one of my laziest days. I'm always doing something around the house, cleaning, reorganizing something, even moving something to a DVD. I'm working out three days a week at Ballys and me and Mandy have gotten back to watching our calories on myfittnesspal.com.

On the work front, besides the part time schedule, to be honest I'm not going to use my blog as a soapbox about Frontier Airlines. If that's what you are expecting from me, just turn away now. It's been a rough couple of months. Good friends of mine have lost their jobs and right now moral is pretty low at work. I am job hunting but at the same time I'm not going to sit here and trash the company I still work for. It's not worth it.

Now a few other things that I want to also announce in here, especially since I have some more free time right now.

• I plan on getting back into a groove working on videos again. I miss doing it and now that we have a computer that I can actually work on them I plan on it.
• Once in a while I plan on reopening my other blog, Thoughts of the Common Viewer. It won't be the regular TV reviews that it was the last time I ran it. It will be more of my opinions on various subject matters, some predictions and thoughts as I see fit. I don't expect people to always agree with my opinion, or even care about what I have to say. I am going to do it again because, despite what some people think, it got alot of hits and it was a fun blog to run.

Also I plan on including some pictures in this blog, especially since I plan to update more often.

Scotty, Brandon and Me late last night at Amelia's.

It was Scotty's last day at work so we went for some drinks.

One more thing for the sports fans reading this that are expecting something in here from me.

Attitude Adjustment

I have to admit I hate change. Any kind of change throws me of. Over the last month that's all I've been dealing with. Just when things were finally going amazing well, then came the furlough.

Most people know what's going on, so I won't go into that, but we went from 101 people on a full time alone,to 98 people total in Janurary (F & P). With all that going on, I had to make a decision. Either leave, go nights, or go part time days. Leaving was a huge possiblity but honestly that wasn't going to happen. So the decision was made, mainly because I wanted to make sure that I had time with CJ, going part time days would be the best decision. With that, I took a part time line, now I filed for partial unemployment. So things are good right?

Well yes and no. With that decision, and other decisions made by other people, alot of the co workers that I'm close with either leave via the furlough, servence, retired or are working a shift where I'm never going to see them. So with all that I got into a massive depressive state. That depressive state hit hard after the furlough party at Landmark last Saturday and culminated in the "you rock" on Saturday. To be honest for a second, it's taking me alot longer than I expected to adjust to my new early morning schedule. (even though I do LOVE being home on the weekends completely)

With all things considered I should be happy and in a good mood. More free time, able to get stuff done. Life should be good. Then why am I so out of it?

Why am I eating so much and actually gaining the weight back that I spent all summer burning off?

Why is everything getting to me? Every little thing everyone does is bothering me.

Things don't make any sense to me.

I need to take this long weekend (I'm still working tomorrow and Friday morning, but overall I get four days with the family) and enjoy the nice weather and get my head on straight. There is no need for me to explode for no reason. There is no reason for me to act the way I'm acting.

I need get back in the gym on Tuesday morning. No more excuses.

I need to just relax. Be productive but also realx. Enjoy this turn of events instead of dwelling on everything bad that has happened over the last month.

*deep breath*

Special Midwest/Frontier Video Tribute

Changes on the Ship

I'll be honest it's been a while since I updated this thing. There HAS been alot to talk about. Problem as always is lack of time. When I can't blog at work anymore and we're always so busy at home, updating has been put on the backburner, for obvious reasons. That being said, with my part time work schedule and more free time, I will try my best to actually keep up with this thing.

It's the beginning of a weird week at work. I'm not going to go down the sentimental route, at least not in this entry. I'll save that for another time. But it's funny, people wonder why alot of us are taking this so hard. I've heard "at least you still have a job", "it's just a job".

Well back in 2005 when I took this job, with Skyway/Midwest at the time, I just looked at it as a place for me to work to get through school. That's what it did too.

Since that time, I've gotten married, had a kid, got a associates degree, made some of the best friends in the world and made a home for myself.

Back in 08, just after CJ was born there was a furlough. Due to the fact that CJ was just born I was in my own world. Things didn't really hit me hard, my head wasn't even in work mode for most of that time. It was almost like filler time between time with my family.

Now in 2011, it's different. This is a drastic change. People are leaving, almost like jumping off a sinking ship, retiring, moving to nights. All the people who I got close with, I won't see nearly as much as I'm used to. It's been rough.

In all honesty though, I'm looking forward to my personal change.

After much thought, back and forth, I decided to stay on the ship, go part time, stay on days and hope for the best. I'm looking forward to being a shorter schedule going into the winter months. Being able to have the rest of the day to goto the gym, keep up with the cleaning around the house and actually having the weekends to spend with my family.

The truth is, I was seriously thinking of jumping ship. But right now I still love going to work. I still like what I do. Do I have less to do then ever before? Yes. Are things ever going to be the same as they were even a year ago? No. But with every negative comes a positive, and that's how I have to look at it.

A long, winding, fun five years...

 This past Sunday, the 12th, I hit my five year mark at this place, in honor I figured I'd make a entry of photos of the friends I'vemade along the way, the fun times and a top five weirdest pictures I've personally taken in the past five years here. Enjoy. 



2007



2010



Omar, Randy, Mike and Me
in 2007, Bagroom



Me and Katie on her last day,
2008




Me and Christy on her last day,

2010

Me and Mike Phelps on his last day,

2010

#5

 

#4

#3

#2

#1

Honorable Mentions

Life is Good...for once

This has been a crazy summer for me, it's been fun and a roller coaster to say the least. It seems that every year by the end of the summer you have to turn around and figure out where you stand. Let the smoke clear and see who's still with you and standing. What you want the rest of your year to be like.

Now as we enter September, I find myself hanging out with new people, actually wanting to do more with my life than just sitting around the house. I want to go out more often. Maybe even travel more when there's a little more money to do that. I'm so sick of being stagnant.

I'm also sick of being over-weight and out of shape. I used to be in great shape, then I got lazy. I stopped working out and eating right. I stopped taking care of myself. I stopped truly caring. I am solving that problem now by going to the Y three times a week and actually tracking my food again. I have learned that diets aren't for me at all though. I don't believe it them and they don't work because it's not a lifestyle change, it's just short term.

I look at things around me. My life is actually good finally. I have a great family at home. Me and Mandy are both happily employed. CJ is actually in school. There is more freedom to do stuff. I have some of the best friends a guy could ask for, whether they be in Milwaukee or Jersey. It's funny, it took a long time to realize who I truly wanted in my life, now I'm actually happy with who I'm hanging out with.

I also like my job. I love working for Frontier. It gives me the freedom to do more. It's actually an easy job, I have respect here and I know what I'm doing. People think that I'm staying here because I don't want to do anything. That's not true. It's really hard to find work in my field in this economy right now. I like the people I work with, I like the fact that I'm guaranteed work no matter what and I have my flight benefits. I've been accused of thinking like a "lifer" because I'm not actively trying to get out of here and I am thinking about a future here. I don't understand that logic at all. Just because I have found a home here, and eventually want to move up in the company, means I can't be happy where I am? For the first time I'm at a job where I'm NOT trying to find a way out all the time. Most people don't understand that at all. I figure it's putting money in our bank account and helping pay bills, it's a good deal.

I guess that's it. This rambling mess of a rant is done for now.