Hi All,  I've been a bit out of the loop since the beginning of the year, largely due to some changes going on at work that had me in a bit of a funk.  In January, it was announced that my department at work was going to undergo some major changes, and it had all of us on pins and needles until last week.  Basically, we found out that my department was to be cut from 26 heads to 13 and many of us, myself included, lost our positions.  Since the news was first announced back in January, I have been unable to keep my excitement up over work, and doing things that reminded me of it was the last thing I wanted to do, so I've been spending a lot of time on my other passions.

Fast forward to the end of March, and the cuts were announced and the waiting was over.  The good news is, while I have lost my position, I have not lost my job!  I will still be working for United, only now I am going back to the ramp, a position I last worked some dozen years ago.  While I was initially upset over getting cut from Operations, I am now in a good place and getting excited about working outside again.  There are many positives to this move, and while change can be difficult, it can also be good!  I am looking forward to being a hands-on worker again, and being up close with the planes that I love.  I will actually have more time to take pictures again, and a less stressful work environment.  

Right now, I am in a "limbo" phase in between my two positions.  My last day as an Ops agent was March 31, and while I am now officially on the ramp roster, myself and the rest of my co-workers who were cut can't begin working outside until we've completed our training, which officially starts April 15.  In the meantime, we have been completing a bunch of pre-training training...a bunch of web-based classes which I completed just this evening.  By the end of April, I'm hoping that I will know what my schedule will be and I can get on with life!

So...if you've wondered where I've been, that's it in a nutshell.  I think this will be a good thing all around, and I anticipate you will be seeing and hearing a lot more from me in the future!

I want to thank you all for continuing to upload such wonderful photos and for sticking with us.  You all are a happy constant in my life, and I can't tell you how much that means to me!

-Chuck