8 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant

A dear friend sent me this as an email and i had to pass it along...

1. Bring your pet on the plane and then act like an animal.
Over the years, I've seen a pet on a passenger's lap, a pet tucked into a seatback pocket, and a pet loose in the aisle (I nearly hit one with my beverage cart). All of this is against federal regulations. People tell me how well-behaved their pet is, but they can't follow the rules themselves! Your pet must stay in its carrier while you're on the plane. Yes, even if you've paid a "pet-in-cabin" fee.
2. Shove your bag into the first bin you see and then walk to your seat in the back of the plane.
You think you're clever, I know. You expect to grab your bag on your way out of the plane, but you're selfishly inconveniencing others. I can't lie and say we flight attendants don't take some small satisfaction when we tell you, "We couldn't identify the bag's owner, so we sent it to cargo." It's a security issue, for real. Carry-ons need to stay near their owners! So don't look so shocked when we say, "The signs will direct you to baggage claim. You can pick up your bag there."
3. Think that because you're on an airplane you're off-duty as a parent.
Stop expecting us to have spare diapers, formula, medicine, toys, playing cards, or batteries for DVD players or Game Boys. It's an airplane, not a 7-11. Take your kid to the restroom before you board. Leave the dry cereal and Legos at home and bring snacks and toys for your kids that won't make a horrible mess.
4. Drag on an oversize bag that's too heavy for you to lift by yourself.
I won't be compensated for any injuries I might sustain if I heft your bag into the overhead compartment for you. (And other passengers shouldn't have to step up and take the risk either.) The guideline is simple: You pack it, you stack it. Try this at home as a test (and this is to you ladies, especially): After you've packed your bag, put on the shoes you plan to wear on the plane and see if you can lift your bag and place it on top of your refrigerator. You can't? Pay the fee and check the bag.
5. Gripe that you haven't been seated in a roomy exit-row seat.
The exit rows weren't created as a reward for people who are tall, overweight, or just plain nice. They were designed to help passengers get out of the plane in an emergency. The people seated in an exit row must be able to see and speak clearly, open the emergency door, and help others. I prefer to see uniformed military, firefighters, law-enforcement officers, or off-duty pilots and flight attendants sitting in those seats. While the gate agent may assign exit-row seats first, the flight attendant makes the final determination about who gets to sit in them. And the quality of our choices is one of the frequent concerns of Federal Aviation Administration officials when they audit airlines for safety practices. So please don't complain. I'm just doing my job.
6. Act like you don't know the meaning of the words "under the seat in front of you."
Someday I will be muttering "under the seat in front of you" in the old-age home for flight attendants. What is it that you don't understand? To be clear, items should not be stowed behind your calves, under your feet like a footstool, in the open seat next to you, or in your lap. It's under the seat in front of you. And it applies to everything you carry on board. Items stored carelessly can trip others, or dislodge during takeoff and get lost, or inconvenience others. And while I'm on the topic: Please don't wrap your purse (or umbrella strap) around your ankle to keep from forgetting it. What will happen in an emergency, when every second counts and there's no time to disentangle yourself from your precious bag? Will you drag it ball-and-chain-style down the aisle of a burning plane?
7. Whine about the high price of flying.
When I hear people complain about coach airfares, I know they're not keeping up with the news. Fares have rarely been cheaper. In recent years, it's not uncommon for you to be able to cross the continent for under $130 each way, with a maximum of one layover. It's a bargain! At that price, you're barely paying for the fuel to get your body there—never mind the cost of shipping your 50 pounds of gear. You're already on the gravy plane. People point to first class ticket holders and want to know why they don't get the same treatment. Wake up folks: You're getting a great deal. If you want even more, pay more!

8. The seatbelt sign on during flight....this is actually number one.....Passengers that think that the seatbelt sign doesn't apply to them, they will get up during turbulence with the chance of falling and injuring others as well as the defiance of "Nothing can happen to me attitude" Its a fine-able FAA LAW that all Passengers be in their seats, belts fastened when the seatbelt sign is on ....NO exceptions ( even if you paid allot for your ticket, it doesn't apply to breaking the Law and disrespecting the Flight crew members ...if you can't abide by these simply rules....seek other means other than air travel...because all airlines are Governed by the FAA...PERIOD.

Two more projects finished

I cleaned and organized my sewing room last week and re-found some projects that were in the "started" phase...there were 2 dresses for me, 1 to sell, and a shirt for DH. The most recently started projects were the 2 dresses, and they were cut out over a year ago! Since I needed a dress that was a little bit looser for the next event and knew they'd been cut out off my older and a tiny bit larger fitting shell, I decided to get at least one of them finished. This one had a problem spot on the skirt (I have no idea how that happened, either!), but it turned out nicely afterall. I'll wear it with probably a navy blue belt (since the twill tape at the bottom is navy and there are blue flowers in the fabric) and a straw bonnet trimmed in blue. I also made not just one but 2 sets of collar and cuffs so I just have to sew the second set onto one of my older dresses, and I'm set for our weekend in Gettysburg at the end of the month. I don't have any Red (I know, this is more burgundy) dresses, and this one actually has a lattice work of lines and flowers within the lines...you can see where the flowers are in this picture. So many of my dresses are dark colors and I am really glad I got this one finished to supplement the more somber ones. Now I'm thinking about working on the next one...oh for more hours in each day!
...Last night I finally finished my March of 2009 kit from Socks that Rock. It took knitting many hours, and my hands ache this morning, but I really wanted to get them done. I was waiting for DH to get home, I had the time so I just kept at it. The sock pattern is called "Rogue Roses" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee www.yarnharlot.com , and the pattern had cables which scared me initially. There is an error I made on the right sock, but I didn't have the heart to rip back 25 rows to the point where it started since they're going to be in shoes anyhow when I wear them. They're not a colorway or yarn I would have chosen, but the color certainly does go well with the Rose pattern, and it allowed me to step out of my color and pattern box. I'm happy and proud that I managed to finish them after putting it off and getting over being intimidated to the point of ignoring them for awhile...well, since late March! Now I'm on to the May kit, and some other unfinished socks that are in my knitting basket.

Rainy days are meant for napping

I spent most of yesterday moving around furniture and rearranging and organizing my sewing room. It was way too crowded in there and I thought over ways to make more floor space so that it wasn't so difficult to walk around and so I could vacuum. This morning I'm a bit sore. It's raining again, a cold and damp day that is good for staying close to home and doing quiet things. I was knitting and Belle climbed on the sofa right next to me and promptly fell asleep on her cat blanket. It looked like a good idea to me, so I laid down next to her for a little while to snooze.

I awoke for the phone to find that the othe two cats had also decided that the sofa was a good place to nap this afternoon! Here's Rosie who loves to lie upside down and all stretched out. She was sleeping right behind me and I didn't even know that she'd come up close by.

Gracie's favorite place to sleep is on the back of the sofa in front of the front window. She and Belle still don't get along well so that way she can see where Belle is and what everyone is doing. If Belle isn't on the sofa, Gracie often will come lie right next to me and snuggle.

This is the first sock of a pair I'm working on from the March Socks that Rock Club entry...It's called Rogue Roses. The second sock of this pair is what I'm presently spending time with.

When I saw this pattern, I simply couldn't resist! This is an Alligator Scarf from Morehouse Merino. They have the most absolutely adorable scarves on their website to knit. I've only gotten to the first repeat of 12 for the body and it's slow going because of the bumps, but I'm loving it, he's so cute! Now that the sewing room is usable again, I might have to spend time finishing some pending sewing projects too. Never a moment lost...

WARNING about Fabric Club online

I'm working in my sewing room today, cleaning and organizing my stash. I unrolled a piece of fleece I bought last year and hadn't taken out of it's bag yet from www.fabricclub.com and it has a gigantic hole cut out of the center of it. Lucky I wasn't making a blanket or something that required all the 5 yards I purchased. Nothing was mentioned in the website listing about that fabric having a flaw. That is only one of the reasons why I will NEVER shop with Fabric Club again.

Let me back up. FabricClub is a bolt end internet store that sells some designer fabrics in small pieces, sometimes they have larger yardage available. I'd been shopping with them for quite some time, and had spent literally hundreds and hundreds of dollars (actually over a thousand easily) on fabrics. I got to know the owner (Rick) through calls and emails. Some fabrics were ok (none were great) and some were damaged or had stitched up cuts in the fabric, I was willing to work around that for the price. But a year ago I had the ultimate bad experience.

I ordered well over $100 worth of fabric from them. I paid via paypal just as I'd done before. I've never been able to use my "club discount" but that's another story entirely. I didn't think much about the order and got busy with other things. It was summer, I belive it was before August but I'm too lazy to look it up. By the end of September I realized that I hadn't gotten my order. By this time it was too late to make a claim via paypal (my fault) as that has to be done within 30 days. I emailed and called Fabricclub and eventually they got a box out to me, the tracking information showed up on my paypal transaction. The receipt in the box showed that this was box 1 of 2 and that over $56.00 of fabric was not in that box.

I waited and waited for the second box. I wrote. I asked for tracking information. Excuses for not having it or having to look for it were given each time. They ship priority mail, so there should be tracking information. My mail lady knows me well so she would have seen the box if it were at the post office. I wrote again. I called. I spoke to Barbara, I'm guessing Rick's wife. She said no problem, a refund would be issued if they couldn't find the fabric or the tracking information. I told her I'd rather have the fabric but that I'd look for a refund. After 2 weeks and now no responses to my emails, I sent them a paypal invoice for the amount on the fabric that was not in the box. Nothing. I sent reminders 2 or 3 times, nothing.

Still to this day I have not gotten a refund nor the fabric from FabricClub. Since they put the tracking information on box #1 into paypal, they effectively said they sent the order, and paypal won't do anything about it even though only half was sent. I write to them periodically and I never receive an answer. If the box was lost it would be able to track, unless it wasn't sent at all. Honestly, to keep my business, wouldn't you think it would be worth the $56 or $57 dollars that they should refund me? I mean I've spent probably over a thousand dollars with them in the past. I'm a business owner too...There have been a very few boxes of mine that the post office lost and I give the tracking information to the customers and have refunded the people if the package was lost.

This hole in the fabric just makes me fume on top of losing the money.

So it is not lightly that I advise you NOT to shop with www.fabricclub.com. Don't put yourself in a position to have your money taken and not get any customer service. :(