I didn’t plan on talking gay stuff this week. I figured a #TBT story on social media from last year’s blog post would suffice for pride content on my blog. But then something happened that made me think more about it. An interaction with a coworker that stopped me in my tracks and made me question whether I have been living authentically enough.

I’ve been socializing lately. Trying to meet new people and have some fun. And when you’re a flight attendant, meeting new people means talking about work. People have questions. You can’t blame ‘em, it’s a world most people will never be a part of. A background job many people have never thought of doing—or maybe they’ve wondered about a lot. I’ve noticed that the questions about being a flight attendant come in two tints: Positive—as in “That seems so cool, do you get to travel for free?” or negative—“How do you put UP with people?”

“So, what’s your schedule like?,” the question every flight attendant dreads, but is inevitable when meeting new people. Today we’re tackling an aspect of flight attendant schedules not often talked about—the One Day at Home effect. This is what time off looks like when a flight attendant has only one day at home.

Summer is finally upon us! With this change in season, comes changes to flying. The routes are different, the crowds are different, and, though it goes without saying, the weather is different. The summer is a special time of year for flight attendants, in both good and bad ways. And today I’m counting down the best and worst things about summer travel, according to flight attendants.

I’m not talking about travel or flight attendant life today. In thinking about what I wanted to write this week everything fell short. After the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, dismantling 50 years of precedent and putting control of women’s bodies in the hands of their government, I couldn’t possibly tell you the 10 most extra things I bring on a work trip or how to pack a lighter suitcase. I have a lot of feelings about what’s happening, and writing is the best tool I have to process them. So we’re gonna do that.