The Offer: One Two Bedroom House for One Movie Role

Greetings from Hobbs, New Mexico, site of the Lea County Cowboy Museum
and your new home, if you accept my offer...Today, the city of Hobbs
unveiled the city's new slogan, "It All Happens Here," so apparently,
it does all happen here.

In trade for "One Movie Role", you will receive the free and clear deed
to "One 2 Bedroom House" in Hobbs, New Mexico.

The house, which is undergoing renovation in the heart of Hobbs, is on
S. Dalmont St. It's a diamond (not quite yet out of the rough) that is
only 15 minutes from Lea County Airport served by Mesa Airlines. Lea
County Airport will begin complete renovation in October of this year.

The people here are Hobbs greatest asset. Having traveled worldwide in
my job as a flight attendant, I can honestly say I have not encountered
a kinder, more welcoming and civic-minded group of folks than the
Hobbsans.

I acquired "One 2 Bedroom House" when I was looking for an affordable
yet desirable community in which to relocate. The airline I have been
employed by for 21 years, declared bankruptcy and my pension was lost.

Recently having been inspired by a library book; 'Life 2.0' by Rich
Karlgaard, I was seeking a community that matched the parameters
mentioned by the author but undiscovered by most of the world. Hobbs is
clearly a growing community with strong employment and in the midst of
a street beautification project 2 blocks from "One 2 bedroom House".

An aficionado of Ebay, I discovered the house and community when it was
listed for sale by a bail bondsman from Carlsbad, New Mexico. I talked
to him about the circumstance since I was not entirely comfortable with
the situation. He allayed my fears and as the winning bidder, my
friends now call me the land baroness. They have suggested I form an
alliance with Donald Trump.

As a subscriber to the local newspaper, the Hobbs News Sun, I read of
the community's efforts to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I
became acquainted with one of the community's volunteers, who
generously shared her contacts with me and put me in touch with other
local citizens who have been so helpful, even though I am a complete
outsider.

Although I am emotionally attached to this community, my airline has
now emerged from bankruptcy and since I still enjoy my job, the timing
for my relocation is no longer imminent. While on a layover in Sydney,
Australia, I learned of Kyle MacDonald and his creative trading of "One
Red Paperclip" so I considered the possibility of my house in Hobbs
fulfilling Kyle MacDonald's ultimate quest, should the right trade be
ventured.

"One Movie Role" will go to a deserving young woman (who happens to be
my daughter) named Jillian "Jillz" Trevors. Since at least the age of
5, she has declared her intention to have a life on the silver screen.
She has performed and taken various classes for the last 12 years. As
her mother, I have expressed concerns about the down side to this dream
but it is clearly her passion. I trust her level of maturity and have
heard how tough it is to get a break in the movie business.

Acceptance of this offer will rescue "Jillz" from relocation (when not
at school) to Hobbs. Her other true love, besides acting, is for Julian
"Julz". They were high school sweethearts and now attend college
together in Santa Barbara. Julz' only passion greater than his love of
Jillz, is for surfing and Hobbs is a long way from the ocean.

Just for clarification, the name Demi Kutcher is an identity I used for
an Academy Awards themed party. Everyone was supposed to impersonate a
celebrity and I chose Demi since passengers sometimes tell me I bear a
striking resemblance to Demi Moore. It could be that the lights were
low or the comments motivated in an effort to receive a free drink.
Just for the record, I am a HUGE fan of Corbin Bernsen.
________________________________________________________________________

The Saga, Part 2: The Layover in Sydney That Resulted In An Obsession With A Small Metal Office Supply

Here is a picture taken out the window of Door 2R of a 747-400 by flight attendant Robert Gallant of beautiful Sydney, one of the world's grand cities.

About a year and a half ago, I was in a hotel room in Sydney. It was early morning and I turned on the television and was watching the Australian version of the Today show. Kyle MacDonald was being interviewed and spoke of his intention to trade a red paperclip for bigger and better things until he eventually traded up to a house. His first trade was for a fish pen and at the time of the interview, he was up to a snowmobile. It occured to me that I could fulfill his dream. I started following his blog, oneredpaperclip.com and became hooked by the sheer fun of the crazy idea. There were lots of skeptics about Kyle's ability to accomplish the task. I was never one of them and was poised to offer up my Ebay house in Hobbs, NM if the right trade was offered. When I heard about a movie role, paid and credited complete with a SAG card; I knew it was something worth consideration. In spite of using a movie star alias, I personally do not aspire to such fame. My daughter has more talent and ambition in that area but when I presented the idea to her, she thought it might be percieved as paying for a role and she was skeptical. When we had a conversation with Kyle, she had a change of heart. He told us he wanted to make sure whoever got the role had a sincere interest. He announced that he wanted to complete the trade within one year. So 2 weeks before that year was up, I made the following offer which you can read in the next post.

The Saga, Part 1: "How Did You End Up In Hobbs?"

This is the question I am asked everytime I meet someone new. The answer is that I bought a house on Ebay that was located here. A listing was posted by a bailbondsman from Carlsbad and having never heard of an entire house for sale for $27,500, it seemed like a bargain. I searched on the internet and found that there were plans for a casino and racetrack and I decided to go for it and put in my bid. It was 2 years ago when I first drove to Hobbs to inspect my purchase. A tiny bit of buyer's remorse sat in as I stepped through a missing window and first toured the home. That remorse faded away and I've met the most welcoming group of people that live in this town. Even so, at one point, I thought I may have gotten in over my head since there are a lot of needed repairs and not as much available time as I would like to devote to the project. A opportunity nearly changed all that...

Airplane Flashbacks: DO YOU HAVE A FORBES MAGAZINE?

Flying out of Chicago (ORD) as a reserve, sometime in the early 80's, I was on a 727 working a Coach aisle position to Omaha, Nebraska. We served meals on domestic flights in those days and the service was finished. I was securing the galley in preparation for landing. A call light illuminates and I make my way to seat 15D where a gentleman asks me "Do you have a Forbes magazine?" (Before it was determined that a lot of jet fuel could be saved by removing them due to the weight, we used to have a selection of magazines.) I grabbed a Forbes and returned to the passenger. He said "Look at the cover". I asked "What about the cover?" Pictured was Bill Gates. "Look at Mr. 15C". In 15C, was a sleeping Bill Gates with his mouth wide open and body sprawled, contorted in the space. I could not contain myself and broke into a gut wrenching laugh along with everyone around. Mr. Gates slept soundly through the commotion. Mr. 15C said "Just wanted to see the look on your face!". I asked him why they were flying Coach and he told me it was the company policy and they always flew coach.

CALLING ALL PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE MARATHONERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD! Impersonate Elvis or Get Hitched or just Groove to the Blue Man Group!

DECEMBER 2, 2007 is the date for the next Las Vegas Marathon which means it's time to get off our bums and get the lead out! If you've ever wanted to run a marathon or if you've run several, the Vegas one is different. No matter where you live,if you start now, just follow a training plan and you can do it. There's now a half and a full to suit your preference. Only runners are allowed on the famous Vegas strip that morning and it is a wild & crazy party you won't have a hangover from!

It's a good thing to join a group because once a week, you can do a long run with coaching, in preparation for the big day. If you're local, you can join the Las Vegas Roadrunners who meet on Sunday mornings at the strip mall at the corner of Stephanie & American Pacific. Pictured above are a just a few of the people you can meet. Photos from left to right and top to bottom are: Dr. Hill, the medical director;Pam Hall, LV track club newsletter editor;Shelley Hovaniec and Lil' Bit (who will do the shorter training runs);Betty Cook, mega-athlete; Amanda Wing, moved from Maine and now training for her 2ND marathon;Reverend Bill Peterson,age 64 marathoner who did the marriage ceremony at mile 5 in 2005 and Demi (she told him if she ever finds the man of her dreams who can go the distance, wants to get married at the marathon); Sista Social, glamorous runner who embodies the spirit of LV(check out those medals!)

As the "rockstar"leader of the pack, Tim Kelly (bottom photo) says "We are not just a bunch of skinny whippets. We come in all shapes and sizes". Where can you experience this? Only in Vegas,baby!

Airplane Flashbacks: Hulk Hogan Bubblebath

In the good ole' days of aviation, before blogs, cellphones and a flight attendant's need to be an adept Kung Fu Fighter, I was boarding a flight from PHL to LAX. It was a 767 and I was the greeter and it was my job to create a welcoming impression and direct passengers to their seats. Life was much simpler then. There may have been a few problems to diffuse or an occasional medical issue to deal with but it was a more carefree time. It may have been March or thereabouts.

That holiday season (before Xmas was politically incorrect), I found the coolest present to give my girlfriends at Sav-on Drug Store in SoCal. On a display shelf with bronzed biceps and Wrestlemania belt was a plastic replica of Hulk Hogan containing bubble bath. Wouldn't have been happier with a gold Oscar! Swooped up several and kept one for myself.

Back to Philadelphia and the agent is almost ready to shut the door. A final passenger is sprinting up the jetway. My mouth falls open. Can it be? Hulk Hogan?
Yes! Clad in Snakeskin pants, a headband, and straight from Wrestlemania.

Let's get something straight here. I have met a lot of celebrities and most of the time, to respect their right to have some normalcy in their life, I treat them with no special deference except to protect their privacy and keep them from unwanted attention.

I open my mouth and say "Hulk!!! I just gave your bubblebath to all my girlfriends!
He replied, "Bubblebath? I didn't know I had bubblebath. I have sheets and underwear but I didn't know about the bubblebath."

We take off and I'm working first class aisle. Services are finished. It is a late night flight. I had just perfected a practical joke I call "the cup trick". I would place a plastic glass under my armpit and crunch it while twisting my neck. Kids loved it but it wouldn't work in today's environment! Anyway, Hulk enters the lavatory and I don't know what possessed me but...when he comes out, I am poised with my cup and ask him "You're an athlete. Do you know any good exercises for stiff necks? I crunch the cup while twisting my neck and then bust out laughing. He calmly says in his deep voice "You are too much" and takes his seat. He is definitely a good sport and made my plastic bubblebath even more valuable to me!

1971 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht (International Model) Docks in Hobbs!

As a child, my parents had friends who caravanned the world in their Airstream. Giant cranes would actually lift the trailer aboard ships and the couple would travel with other Airstreamer's to exotic locations all over the world. Their slide shows sparked my personal desire to travel internationally. While I've been privileged to do so in 4 and 5 star hotels (one of my great airline benefits), I have always loved Airstreams. My Hobbs house is still a work in progress, so thanks again to the power of Ebay and my vision board, this well-traveled model is now at home and my home in Hobbs. This particular trailer has quite a history and could write a book if it were human.