You love me, you really love me!

It would be easy in a job as low as mine to be swept aside or taken advantage of in terms of being appreciated. Actually, to hopefully not sound too emo, there are very few times in my entire life I've ever felt appreciated or wanted (cue violins). Two days ago, after struggling out of bed at 4am to do international departures, my supervisor for the shift pulled me aside and told me, straight out, that she loved working with me because I was so easy to get along with and did a damn good job.

I was flabbergasted. I really was. How many times does a superior admit to enjoying working with you? I can't recall it ever happening in any other job I've had. So wow. I'm pleasantly shocked.

Sunday marked my 6-month anniversary as an employee (and don't diss - my 6-month anniversary with my ex was, like, a big deal. Romantic writings in the beach and all. Oh to be 18 and in love again...I digress and apologise). 6 months at this company is kinda major because it means you're suddenly entitled to a lot of cool stuff, including pension plans and - BLISS! - staff travel.

The two sweetest words you will ever hear when you work for an airline. Staff travel. How wonderfully bizarre it was to book a flight to Christchurch for a fraction what I'd normally pay, then have to change it to a later flight for NOTHING. When I went to Dunedin last year on full fare and had to change my flight, it cost me over $150 just for the change! Now I can chop, change and cancel all for nada. Brill.

The reason I had to change my flight is because on Friday we finally get to vote on the big cost-reducing strategy. At first this looked destined to mean we were going to be outsourced to a foreign company, which would have been the pits, but it seems they have come up with an in-house solution. Now the vote just needs to pass and we're all good.

I'm voting yes because I'm a selfish bitch. My pay is going to go up on this new scheme. Many others' are going to go down. I also don't want to be outsourced and the new proposal is very fair, and the people losing money know that they can take redundancy in a very good package. Some of those people have been there 20 or 30 years and are ready to just take the nest egg and go. Plus they get to keep staff travel for a year after they leave. High five.

Everyone at work seems to hate our CEO but I guess as a boss's daughter I feel sorry for him. He must have the hardest job in the world, particuarly with aviation the crazy world it is today, and I'm sure he doesn't want to let staff go. But what choice does he have? It's a business. It has to make a profit. And everyone makes him out to be the bad guy because of it.

I hate the way everyone says "Oh yes, he's sitting up there in his Armani suit, writing with his Parker pen while his BMW gets polished by some $10/hr immigrant." I imagine this is miles away from the truth. Because people say the same things about my dad and he's the most down-to-earth, hard working person I know. So I wish people would just shut up, they don't know the guy and what he has to do to keep the company afloat.

Despite over 7 hours checking people in, I didn't have many dimwitted customers today. A rarity, I can assure you. My latest roster shows I'm doing ground training in a couple of weeks, SCORE! I thought it would never happen!

Actually I'm kinda nervous about doing the public announcements, even though I love public speaking. My friend stuffed up yesterday by requesting a passenger "travelling to Paraparam" return to the counter, when really this passenger was heading for Palmerston North. But we both laughed about it for ages afterwards.

I've fricken hurt my back but it doesn't feel like I've pulled it so I don't know if I can pin this one on work and the tons of bags we end up lifting every day. It feels more like I've trapped a nerve or something. It comes and goes but when it comes, bloody oath it hurts. If it's still playing up when I get back from CHC next week I'll have it looked at. Bring on ACC.

Well this was rather meaningless and drawn out so I might head off now. 4am start tomorrow, choice, I get to wake up at 3am! But at least it's not a completely thankless task.