Anchorage! Behind the scenes banter...

A supplement to episode #18, Matthew and Cody share a relaxed behind-the-scenes trip to Alaska, trading formal announcements for candid banter about the perpetual daylight, hotel trains, and local food (including a crab grilled cheese and beer-cheese pretzels). They laugh about uniform quirks, especially a drapey “Ruana” scarf, and brainstorm turning it into a muumuu-style pullover while poking fun at body image and clothing choices. Travel frustrations come up too: long delays, weight-and-balance training, and circling approaches in Denver that almost cause missed connections. The conversation is warm, informal, and goofy, giving listeners an intimate snapshot of the messy, human side of flight attendant life.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_04 0:00

Welcome aboard. I'm Matthew and I'm Cody.

SPEAKER_03 0:03

This is Breaking Sterile, a show about flight attendance at a major American international airline where professionalism is the baseline.

SPEAKER_04 0:10

And humanity is what actually gets us through the day. And this show is about the part of the job that lives just outside the announcement.

SPEAKER_03 0:18

The part where you're exhausted, proud, frustrated, grateful.

SPEAKER_04 0:22

Sometimes all on the same leg. And this show exists for everything else. Alaska. Cody is getting ready. We're going out to dinner. It's totally bright out.

unknown 1:09

Are you doing a thing? What?

SPEAKER_04 1:10

Type thing. Yeah, we're doing a thing. This is the start of our Alaska adventure.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

Yeah, it's almost nine o'clock and it's It's so bright out. It's Alaska. It's what Alaska does.

SPEAKER_04 1:25

This is, you know, I don't I don't think people should live here.

SPEAKER_03 1:28

Why? It's amazing here.

SPEAKER_04 1:29

Why?

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:31

There's nobody here, Cody. Like the last time I was here, I told you there's nobody here. There's like a greenhouse.

SPEAKER_03 1:35

That's because we're looking at a residential spot. It's also nine o'clock at night. Everyone's gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_04 1:42

But it looks like it's four o'clock in the afternoon. I know, it's great. There's something awesome.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

No, because you know what? What you do, like especially in the summertime, like you go and you do stuff, right? You go to the gym, you go to the rock climbing gym, you go to you go watch your kids play soccer or whatever until nine o'clock at night, and then you go have dinner at 10 o'clock at night or 11 o'clock at night, and it's great. Last time I was in this hotel, I was in this actually this same room, and I was standing at the door, at the window, full Monty, and I looked out and I was like, oh, those are houses. Cool, that's great.

SPEAKER_04 2:16

Well, you also like trains, and the train tracks are right there.

SPEAKER_03 2:19

Yeah. I like trains until I don't like them anymore because they start honking at the cut off the track.

SPEAKER_04 2:26

Is that like a what kind of freight yardy situation happening over there?

SPEAKER_03 2:30

Over there, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:31

It's very pretty. I mean, it is like there's a lot of trees in nature. Well, it's Alaska. Yeah. It's the last frontier. It is the last frontier. It's almost like you live on an you're on an island in the middle of nowhere, but you're on a co you're on the continent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

I mean, that's kind of what it is.

SPEAKER_04 2:50

You're kind of so far away from you do feel like you're far away from everything. Well, you are.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

Yeah, that's why I can't live here. Oh, that's great.

SPEAKER_04 3:11

Okay, I'm wearing my puffy jacket and Cody's wearing flip-flops. Why why are you wearing flip-flops?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

I've been in freaking work shoes for 12 hours.

SPEAKER_04 3:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

I don't want to wear shoes.

SPEAKER_04 3:31

And I'm in my puffy cold jacket. And another layer. I've like got two layers.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

A lot of layers.

SPEAKER_04 3:38

Everybody looks cold downstairs in the lobby.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

It's 60 degrees. So should I take this off? Take it with you. You always think you typically wear your plane.

SPEAKER_04 3:48

I love my Romana. If you don't know what a Rwanda is, you can look it up. But it started in Central America and it migrated over to our airline as part of our uniform.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Yeah, it's real special.

SPEAKER_04 4:01

Cody hates it. And my husband and my husband hates it.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

I don't hate it. Stephen is just so funny.

SPEAKER_04 4:07

When I walk off the plane.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Walking off the plane with this Rwanda.

SPEAKER_04 4:11

Because I have like the Branif advertising music in my head when I walk off the You better be better. It's Braniff. You know, and so I and I feel like I have like a 1970s vibe.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

That's what you do.

SPEAKER_04 4:26

Yeah. It's very noisy something. So we're walking to our restaurant now. And it is not that cold out. But it's actually, but I'm glad I'm wearing the multiple layers. It's brisk.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

I know I Matt, you you say these things like I'm like I don't know you.

SPEAKER_04 4:57

It's nice out.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 4:59

Oh, there's ice cream. Do you think they have ice cream at the were we eating? What's it called?

SPEAKER_03 5:04

40 49th State.

SPEAKER_04 5:05

49th State. Cody says it's great. That's amazing. So but I see ice cream, which is way more important. Oh, there's the train, Cody.

SPEAKER_03 5:16

It's charts.

SPEAKER_04 5:18

You know, the there's also a train in our long lay over Newark. And it's literally outside the hotel.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

And it's a isn't that the commuter rail?

SPEAKER_04 5:29

No, it's the Newark inner City train like tram system.

unknown 5:35

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:35

And you hear it. That's what it sounds like. So you can't sleep.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Yeah, I know. That's how it is here. So like it's gonna be like that the whole time. But this morning I'm I'm like fucking egg.

SPEAKER_04 5:47

But where are the trains going?

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Because there's it goes to Seward, which is south of here. It goes to Fairbanks, which is north of here.

SPEAKER_04 5:53

And that's it.

SPEAKER_03 5:53

Yep. I mean it's there's there's like stops. I mean it also it also goes to Whittier too.

SPEAKER_04 6:00

There's no do they go into Canada?

SPEAKER_03 6:02

No. No.

SPEAKER_04 6:03

Do they have a road to Canada?

SPEAKER_03 6:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

So you can drive from here to Canada?

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Drive from here to here to the US.

SPEAKER_04 6:09

Really?

SPEAKER_03 6:10

Yeah, here to the mainland. Well, to the lower 48th area.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

Okay. How long does it take?

SPEAKER_03 6:18

Two or three days.

SPEAKER_04 6:19

Do they have gas stations? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

It's like it's a road.

SPEAKER_04 6:25

It just seems it seems like it would be like who where do they where like people live in the middle of nowhere?

SPEAKER_03 6:32

Yes, there's there's towns. Oh, okay. I mean there's l there's also long stretches of road with nothing.

SPEAKER_04 6:37

Right. You better bring gas just in case. Do you think you run into some wild moose?

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Probably. Okay, we have to go now. Bye bye. Okay bye.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

There's a moose in my house. I thought it was a deer who's a moose in my owl. But now it's really clear. Got a major problem here. Moose Moose.

SPEAKER_04 6:57

Okay, so we just ate, and it's 10.35 at night, and it looks like it's 4 p.m. in the afternoon. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with crab, but like real crab. But I was only able to eat half of it because my stomach has been bothering me this entire trip.

SPEAKER_03 7:22

It was kind of pathetic.

SPEAKER_04 7:24

What? What was pathetic?

SPEAKER_03 7:26

Look at you on the on the dove seat.

SPEAKER_04 7:29

You're like on the jump seat?

SPEAKER_03 7:32

Because I had gas.

SPEAKER_04 7:33

I was like farting the entire flight.

SPEAKER_03 7:36

I'm so glad you were over on the other side of the plane. I was in my little galley.

SPEAKER_04 7:40

I was crop dusting the entire aircraft. Constantly.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

That's okay.

SPEAKER_04 7:48

And why did I eat a meal on the plane? It's against my rule.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

I don't know. You I mean you finished it before I did.

SPEAKER_04 7:56

I was so hungry. That's why I'm like, well, because I didn't eat breakfast this morning and I just I commuted in. And so then I or lunch. And I just I thought I wasn't I thought I wasn't hungry. And then I and then I kind of wasn't hungry when we wanted to eat now, but I just felt this internalized guilt that I had to eat something. Jew guilt? Yeah. Yeah, maybe.

unknown 8:25

Yeah, I need that.

SPEAKER_04 8:28

It's hard to be me.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

Is it?

SPEAKER_04 8:32

It is. It is. And then I had, wait, oh, we had this delicious pretzel with queso cheese.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

No, and beer cheese.

SPEAKER_04 8:43

That's is beer cheese? I mean, it's the same cheese as queso.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

No, it's not.

SPEAKER_04 8:48

It's not?

SPEAKER_03 8:49

Beer cheese is thicker.

SPEAKER_04 8:49

It tastes oh well, maybe it's thicker, but it's the of the same family of cheese. Yellow. Yellow. Processed. Not natural.

SPEAKER_03 9:00

But you know what?

SPEAKER_04 9:01

What?

SPEAKER_03 9:02

That's not gonna give you diarrhea. It's not gonna give you parasite.

SPEAKER_04 9:06

No. I'm worried that I I won't eat lettuce because the last thing I need is explosive diarrhea for the next month and to call out.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

And yet you had coleslaw. Oh yeah, but they don't have any cases here. That's okay.

SPEAKER_04 9:21

And also the coles coleslaw is protected by the mayonnaise or whatever. Whatever what is coleslaw? Is it like no, it's cabbage. It's cabbage with what?

SPEAKER_03 9:33

Mayo.

SPEAKER_04 9:34

Mayo? Really? I should know that.

SPEAKER_03 9:39

Yeah, but they uh they add a bunch of citrus, which I which I think would kill the parasite.

SPEAKER_04 9:44

That's not how parasites work. No. Do you know my friend Sarah in Costa Rica? She takes that she lives in Costa Rica, and every six months they in Costa Rica do this. Uh it's not a cleanse. It's just like a normal thing they do, which is they make sure that they they have a s a drink that they take and they're and no, and they all drink it because they all have paras so many parasites in the jungle down there. And so they drink, they have to drink this drink and then they poop it out, and it's totally normal. No, yes, absolutely not. Nope. Makes you want to pick up a Liberia and eat some lettuce.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

No, it doesn't. Nope. Speaking of diarrhea, what would you do if you got that parasite and had the the cyclosporine?

SPEAKER_04 10:40

On the plane?

SPEAKER_03 10:42

Yeah, no, like just like what would you do? Like how would you handle that?

SPEAKER_04 10:46

Not very well.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

I told my supervisor today that would call off the whole month. Or probably two months. I'm like, I got I got the FMLA.

SPEAKER_04 10:54

I have I have all of the I think the AFA needs to address this issue immediately.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

I have I have all the all of the MLAs.

SPEAKER_04 11:04

But it's not funny though, because I bet you like there's some people are gonna be affected by it and they need to have people who are already affected by it. Right, and they need to like give them a little grace and just be like, okay, I mean, you know, it's like COVID. You didn't you couldn't control getting COVID. Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:20

Well, they gave us grace until they didn't.

SPEAKER_04 11:22

Right. Then they were like, okay, you can die now. Here's some points. Here's some points. Mistrip. Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

Oh, you want another one? Cool.

SPEAKER_04 11:34

Oh, you're in the hospital with lung disease? Okay. With the black lung. With the black lung? In the lung machine. Did you see that this lady who was who had polio was the last person in uh she just passed away. She just passed away.

SPEAKER_03 11:53

She was in the bla and the and the iron lung for her whole life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:58

That's really awful. She never got to go on an airplane, Cody.

SPEAKER_03 12:06

She's basically in one already.

SPEAKER_04 12:10

Here we're going to hell.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

I think I'm getting the black lung pop.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

I bet I bet you if they gave her hospital food, it's kind of like airplane food. I mean, she's basically there.

SPEAKER_04 12:29

That always scared me, the iron lung.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

Well, yes, you get polio.

SPEAKER_04 12:35

I well now, you know, like they don't want anybody to have vaccine shots anymore. I don't want to get into this, but I'm not getting political. But I I think it's bad that you don't get the vaccine for polio.

unknown 12:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:48

Or any of the or any of the other vaccines.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

We're not gonna start that part.

SPEAKER_04 12:54

I'm but here, but personally I'm very Western medicine and I take everything. But I also take everything.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

When he says he takes everything, he takes everything. His bag, you should see his bag full of like potions and lotions.

SPEAKER_04 13:08

Yeah, but who doesn't call out? Me.

SPEAKER_03 13:12

Yeah, that's because every doctor sees you and they're like, that's the one. Get him. He's he'll buy everything. Yeah. Even your husband says that. Yeah, he does. So.

SPEAKER_04 13:24

Well, I get very nervous because I have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, but I think it's all sort of under control because I of the turzepatide and the I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 13:35

I'm getting blood tested soon, so I'll I was gonna I was gonna I was gonna see if I could take the GLP one, but I don't want to.

SPEAKER_04 13:43

Why?

SPEAKER_03 13:43

You could know you could get the pill now. I don't want to.

SPEAKER_04 13:49

It's hard. I think it's hard on your body.

SPEAKER_03 13:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:52

But at least I'm thin. Can you tell I have body dysmorphia? We all do. Yeah, but I have like, and I'm so insecure about my weight, and my self-image is destroyed. I blame my mother. Who I love dearly. But you know, it is all her fault. In the sweetest, kindest way.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

It's because you wear that Rwana, that's why.

SPEAKER_04 14:24

Because I want I wear the Rwanda. The Rwanda is great.

unknown 14:32

Sure.

SPEAKER_04 14:32

I've started seeing more people wearing it. Boys.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Really? Yes.

SPEAKER_04 14:38

Have you? Yes. Where their gender expression is male versus female.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Okay. Is one of them?

SPEAKER_04 14:48

What?

SPEAKER_03 14:49

Right. No. I mean good for the good for you. I I appreciate that you can't.

SPEAKER_04 14:56

It's like a giant scarf. I well, here's the thing. You know my big dream in life is to just wear a moo moo.

SPEAKER_03 15:03

I think, I think if it was if it was like sleeves. If it had sleeves and it was like a pullover, you just put it, I think it would look better. I do too. Because then it's not it doesn't have that drapey thing that's just like you don't know where to put it.

SPEAKER_04 15:17

And you know, okay, because I know my airline history, but I want to say that it was a where they had that.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

I think you should sew it.

SPEAKER_04 15:32

Sew it? Sew it together? Sew it together, and then like and so it's like Yes, like a sh like a like a moccasin like a moccasin. Well a moccasin is a shoe, but like whatever the equivalent word for moccasin is for Rwanda on your body. I know what you mean. Like it's like a double, I would double sew it.

unknown 15:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:54

Yeah. But so you so you put it over like a moo moo.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:00

I think they should just design a moo moo.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

People wear it would wear that.

SPEAKER_04 16:05

I would wear so many people.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

Put their house slippers on.

SPEAKER_04 16:09

I mean, but the thing is, is I already wear a sweater with just a t-shirt under it.

unknown 16:13

I know.

SPEAKER_04 16:14

Which is great. Why don't you do it? It's not that hot.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

I guess it is. Because I don't like to wear the sweater without the vest. Because the sweater by itself shows if you have any kind of handle in your midsection.

SPEAKER_04 16:28

On your midsection? Again, body dysmorphia image problems.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

Well, it's not that like like I tried it on and like you can see all of your lumps and bumps, and I don't like that.

SPEAKER_04 16:39

I know. And also the people that not if you wear a vest over it.

SPEAKER_03 16:47

No, I I will wear the vest over it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:49

That's also that in the winter.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

And just for one leg.

SPEAKER_04 16:53

Yeah. Well, it'll start to disintegrate on the because you start sweating and then the fabric.

SPEAKER_03 17:01

My sweater that I have is it's a schmedium.

SPEAKER_04 17:05

A schmedium?

SPEAKER_03 17:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:06

Like a large medium. Yeah. Like a tall, big, tall, medium.

SPEAKER_03 17:10

No, it's like a it's like it's a size smaller.

SPEAKER_04 17:13

It should be. Oh.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

And I ordered that way.

SPEAKER_04 17:15

Oh, it's tight.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Yeah, because otherwise it looks weird. Like it's got the weird baggy thing in the arms, and it just looks like Oprah back in the 90s.

SPEAKER_04 17:23

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

You know? And I can't hand I can't do that. No disrespect to you, Oprah.

SPEAKER_04 17:28

I'm just saying, because that's that's like remember when she did this on on on on air and she's Okay, well, because she can't see, but Cody is like swinging his his arm fat his arm fat.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

Which isn't really there. But that's kind of what it reminds me of.

SPEAKER_04 17:42

Alright.

SPEAKER_03 17:43

So I got it at the just at the direction of one of our supervisor friends, they said you should get it smaller. So I got it smaller, but then the neck is too small, and then like then it stretches out. It feels like it's like sandpaper rubbing on my neck.

SPEAKER_04 17:59

Do you know? I do I do think of like what uniform I'm gonna wear like the day before I get before a trip, I get very excited. I have to like plan it in my head. Like, how am I gonna go to the airport for commuting? What am I am I gonna change when I get to the crew in Denver? Am I gonna like do I wear the sweater with the t-shirt? Do I bring the Rwanda on the airplane? Am I wearing a hoodie first? I like what do I which which which uniform am I wearing on this flight? Because it depends, because it depends what where the weather is. I feel like Hawaii you have to wear like I like to wear short sleeve.

SPEAKER_03 18:36

I wear what?

SPEAKER_04 18:37

Every day? The same thing.

SPEAKER_03 18:38

The same thing, short sleeve and the best. I don't, I'm not, I don't know. I know. Unless, unless I'm the fistal winner and I'm working one leg somewhere, it's cold. I I brought this winner.

SPEAKER_04 18:50

I brought a long sleeve shirt for tomorrow. I've never worn it before. So I figured I should do it. But I might not.

SPEAKER_03 18:59

I mean it'll keep you warm.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

It is cold on the plane. It was a very long flight today. Five hours and two minutes on a 737-800 max.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

That is true. I was actually it was very long.

SPEAKER_04 19:17

I don't you know.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

It took us and it took us two hours to get from Vale, Colorado to Denver, Colorado.

SPEAKER_04 19:24

So it took us two hours.

SPEAKER_03 19:25

A friend of mine said that's just because they fought they they they took I-70 all the way down. Oh, it's actually 5 35 today.

SPEAKER_04 19:35

Oh wow. Yeah, it took two did it really take two hours from Vale to two hours and no, at 1 45.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Almost dropped.

SPEAKER_04 19:43

Wow.

unknown 19:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:44

We had it.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

And it's a and it and it was a 24-minute flight.

SPEAKER_04 19:47

Yeah, it was a 24-minute flight, but it took like almost two hours total to get from the because of paperwork and weight and balance and then aircraft control issues. Didn't the pilot say that it was they were training on weight and balance?

SPEAKER_03 19:59

So they were They were training the and corporate. In corporate. Yeah, yeah. About how to that's part of it, I get it. But it's just like, Lord have mercy. Well, no one was like, no one was. And then the PA goes, alright folks, we'll flow time for whatever time o'clock. And I was like, What did why did you s why did you do that, Cody?

SPEAKER_04 20:32

Like you knew it was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

100%.

SPEAKER_04 20:36

There's so many runways in Denver, you would think it wouldn't be a problem.

SPEAKER_03 20:40

It's not the runways, it's the um the the the arrival um channels, essentially. So like they don't do like planes don't just come in from whatever, they they come in from the southeast, the northeast, the northwest, and the southwest.

SPEAKER_02 20:59

Right.

SPEAKER_03 21:00

Right. And so they have to kind of give us a slot within within wherever they're that's coming in. So that's the issue.

SPEAKER_04 21:10

Well, one day, like last week when I flew in, I thought I was gonna miss my trip because we flew in, then we started circling, and I was like, oh. And then I started seeing on uh flight radar while we were circling, like people were diverting, other flights were diverting, and I kept like crossing my fingers that we weren't gonna divert because they kept changing, the wind kept changing, and so then you would see like all the planes on the map in Denver Airport just go from full airport to no planes, like it would disappear, and then they'd reappear in a different place, and it it's like how they changed the runways, you know. We made it, it was fine, but today was fine.

SPEAKER_03 21:53

Well, and thankfully they got their the runway open again, that w runway 25, I think. There was a there was a closer for they were fixing it. It was closed for like six weeks, and it messed everything up, so like that's why we had like these crazy long lines for different departures. I don't know because there was that one runway and if the if the wind changed everywhere, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:23

Yes, who knew? It's very complicated, this whole aviation life is very very challenging. Okay, well, it's almost bedtime. I just want the sun to go down. It's not going down. It doesn't go down until 11.

SPEAKER_03 22:44

This is actually go down when we get a dust.

SPEAKER_04 22:49

And then it comes back up again. Okay. I have to take a second.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

It might be dark.

SPEAKER_04 22:56

Well, it's just not dark. Like, this is crazy. I can never live here. Hashtag elastolite.

unknown 23:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

Two thousand years later.

SPEAKER_04 23:12

Well, it's the next day, and we're going to more food. It's the morning, which I never wake up for.

SPEAKER_03 23:21

But I'm up. I know. It's it's impressive that you're Well, I woke up. I called you earlier and you didn't wake up.

SPEAKER_04 23:26

Oh, you know why? Not because I was passed out of sleep, but because my ringer was off. Oh. I know. I should have-shocked you because your ring your ringer's never off. I know. Oh, it's very loud here. What are you doing? You're taking a picture? Cody's taking pictures of himself because he's too tall for the hotel. And there's like a lot of fans in this hotel.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

This hotel's like 137 years old. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 23:57

I think so. So we're going for breakfast. We're very food-driven on this trip. Well, like really every trip. Well, but there's the weather's also really bad. Oh, let's go in the elevator. With Tim from Bellevue, Nebraska. Sorry, he's too big.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:21

There are other people in the elevator. I'm embarrassing Cody right now.

SPEAKER_01 25:06

Should I go?