I am not sure I have ever posted to the Who we all are thread before so forgive me if I had in the past. The following post is my contribution to this thread. Thanks.

As my FlyerTalk name indicates I work in the Robotic Industry. I am a Field Service Engineer for the largest supplier of industrial robot manipulators in the industry. I have been in this profession for 15 years. My responsibilities are to support our customers in any need that may arise once our systems have shipped. This means that I am responsible for electrical and mechanical repair, hence the my name RobotDoctor. I also program the robots for customers, do process analysis, provide technical assistance and conduct training classes. My company is based in Switzerland (Sweden for the Robotics segment) but I am domestic bound. My territory is generally the West and Midwest. However, as one of the "elder" members of our field service team, I have experience on robotic systems we have produced since 1982. Therefore, my realistic territory is the continental US. I would welcome the opportunity to travel internationally but unfortunately this is not a severe need as we have service organizations worldwide. I am on the road between 30 and 40 weeks a year to resort destinations such as LaCrosse, KS, Crossett, AR, Stilwell, AR, Versailles, OH, just to name a few. Of course I do go to some great locations like Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and the list does go on.

I am married with 2 daughters. My family is the cornerstone of my existence and without them, I would be a ship with no compass or rudder. The hardest part of my job is the time away from my family. This is the area in my life I wrestle with the most. I am a former athlete, playing baseball most of my youth until a serious eye injury derailed my potential career. I have an extreme competitive nature but I learned long ago how to win gracefully and lose with dignity. I now focus most of my competitive energy into Golf. I did play a little Golf in college, being the number 10 man on a 10-man team. I was so bad then that old men used to laugh at my scores and brag that they could score better than I did. Truth be told, those old guys were probably right. :D However that did not stop me from playing and learning about my favorite game.

Since finding FlyerTalk, I have come to love the community that is present here. I have come to know several members well and enjoy their company when the opportunity presents itself. I cannot express how wonderful it is to travel to a different city and know that there is a friend a phone call away. The sense of community I have come to know from my fellow FlyerTalkers is something that is difficult to express unless one is a member. I am fortunate to have this community and would like to thank Randy for offering this gift. FlyerTalk has filled many a lonely night with laughter, joy, tears, admiration, some intense debate, avenues to relieve my stress, insight into the wacky world of frequent travel and so much more. FlyerTalk has become a cherished friend to me, one of the greatest I have ever known. The members of FlyerTalk are the faces of my great friend and without you, my travel life would be less bearable. Thank you, members of FlyerTalk for the gift of friendship that has been bestowed to me. I would also like to offer great thanks to the members of FlyerTalk Chat for the personal friendship that you have offered to me. I always look forward to Chat to catch up with the people there. Also, I would like to thank the Seattle gang for your friendship for our time together means a great deal to me. The Buenos Aires Grill would never be the same without each and every one of you. There are many FlyerTalk members out there that I wish to thank and appreciate and you know who you are.

In closing, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Until our path cross, take care and safe travels.

Best regards to all,

Sam (aka: RobotDoctor).

Oops... my original disappeared!
 

I had posted on one of the threads (7 or 8 maybe?) a few years ago but the post seems to have disappeared. It was no doubt out of date, so I'll just repost here.

I'm techgirl... 32 years old and living in the DFW area about seven minutes due NE of the airport (the post office swears I'm in Lewisville, but I pay property tax to the city of Coppell because my house literally stradles the line). I'm a Texas native... grew up in Fort Worth, graduated from Texas Tech in '94 (hence the Tech-girl) with a political science (public policy emphasis) degree which I spun into a career in healthcare human resources. Ten years later, I've picked up a masters in accounting from UNT ('99) and run a healthcare intelligence consulting firm that we spun off as a funded group from the search firm I was with. I travel around the US now doing strategic planning and employee/provider relations for hospitals and health systems. Lots of surveys (patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction, etc.), focus groups, and managerial seminars. I also speak at healthcare industry conferences, primarily on generational dynamics in the workplace.

My biz travel takes me far and wide... from Seattle to San Diego to Maine to south Florida and all points in between. I can be in a rural town one day and NYC the next so there is never a dull moment. I've met many FTers in my travels and had some great times in a couple dozen countries since the millenium turned. My primary airline is AA (EXP) but I manage enough UA/US traffic to make 1K as well. I used to be a Delta/TWA elite as well but one bit the dust and the other just bites now. My hotel preferences are Starwood and Hilton although I sneak quite a bit of 6C and Intercontinental in as well as a boutique hotel here and there.

Whether at home or on the road, I love a great dinner party and never mind hosting if no one else is up for the challenge. I enjoy wine and have built a nice cellar. I also scout out cooking classes and local markets where I can bring goodies home. Shopping is another passion and I now know where to get the best custom suits for women (Bangkok), awesome custom purses and shoes (Hong Kong), or incredible jewelry designs (Bali). I can also point out the best off-the-beaten path shopping districts in a dozen European countries with good bar stops afterwards.

I'm happily single although I have no problem finding travel companions when I need them. I'm usually the one in the corner organizing the group to hop the next flight to Vegas. Buying a house curbed some of my "living out of a rollaboard" ways, but I still have the wanderlust in my blood.

Life is an adventure... and I don't know where it will take me next but I like knowing that wherever it is, someone on FT has been there first and can show me the ropes.

Your milepost was probably in the thread that would have been #9, but I was never able to find it.

By the way, congratulations on your 4,444th milepost, techgirl!

I did not even realize that all of the Who We All Are threads have indeed been combined. Thank you, moderator(s) who collaborated to make this possible!

I find it interesting how, at the very beginning of this now-massive thread, how many FlyerTalk members are original members whom I do not even recognize...

G'day all. My name is Karl, I am 27 and live between Hillcrest near Durban in South Africa and a small surburb of London. Due to my job, I spend 200 days a year on the road, spending time in Australia, New Zealand and most of all England. I work as a freelance strength and conditioning coach for several top rugby players. My rugby career was ended in 1997 when I was involved in a serious car crash in California. Although I was born and bred in London, I have a South African father and Russian/French mother, which leads to a very interesting accent!

I have enjoyed travelling ever since my father took me on my first flight in 1983 which was to travel to his birthplace Durban, a city where I have since made a home. I have travelled all over the world since, and am currently thinking about planning my first RTW trip.

This site was first recommended to me by a former FT'er based in London, and I have been lurking on the site for over a year before deciding to post. I am going to be spending a lot of the next three months in the Seattle area with regular weekend jaunts to DC and New York. If anyone fancies getting together for a beer, to talk travel or rugby or just generally hang out, give me a shout.

Well, hello, all. I'm brand spankin' new but looking forward to getting to know the FT folks -- I hear y'all are a friendly bunch. :)

My name is jesslynn and I jumped on FT after seeing a friend post. I'm a 25-year-old American woman, born in New York, raised in Atlanta, and currently, for work purposes (I'm a Web journalist) going back and forth between the two quite a bit -- hence you're most likely to see me on the AirTran forum. Single, with no pets (sadly) and one little brother.

Since I tend to travel for work, and since my office operates on the principle of "We're a dotcom! You fly business class on your own time, Buster!", I have only a smattering of FF miles in what seems like a zillion programs -- here a bit on Delta, there a bit on AA, and so on. (I'm not even Elite on AirTran! I know, I know . . . ) I don't really have a favorite hotel chain though I do seem to be booking at Marriotts a lot lately. And I'm planning to do quite a bit of travel this fall . . . I may be asking for some advice!

Welcome to FlyerTalk jesslynn and Karl S. I hope that you find FlyerTalk as a great source of information and friendship. See you in the air. :)

Best regards,

RobotDoctor

Sam, does this mean you've been to Poultry Days & done the cup dance? :)

Well, this is my 500th post, so I think it may be time to introduce myself… My name is Samuel. I just spell my name backwards to have my username. Clever, uh? I thought so… :p

I live in Wellington, NZ, although I was born in HK. Apart from a couple of years in London, UK, I’ve roughly lived half my life in HK and the other half in NZ. I’m 30 now, so you can do the maths… :) . I was first introduced to the Qantas’ Frequent Flyer programme by my Mum about 10 years ago. However, being a student at the time, I wasn’t active in it until I started working.

I work for a global IT company, but my job doesn’t allow me to travel. The client office, if I need to visit, is just down the road. Having said that, I was introduced to premium class travelling from a previous job. I’d to fly from WLG to LHR, and I couldn’t face a long-haul in economy ever since. (I’ve done it, but it wasn’t pleasant…)

I became actively collecting and managing miles especially when I was living in London. With the frequent travel (all non-work), I thought I must be able to get more out of my money without flying budget airlines… It took me a little while to find this site, but I’ve learnt a lot since joining – managing miles, booking fares, etc… I’ve also planned my round-the-world trip next year, thanks to this site.

During my time here, I’ve met a few people, not many, but I hope to change that gradually. I attended the (in)famous London-Do in November 2003 and have met a number of you (too many to list). I’ve also met tom911 when he visited WLG earlier this year. If any of you ever visits WLG, feel free to drop me a note. I’ll also post my round-the-world itinerary in the appropriate forum soon, so if any of you are around, I’m good for at least a drink…!

Sorry Cheryl,

I missed Poultry Days by one week. I can say this was one of my biggest missed opportunities in my life. ;)

That is clever. My name is Samuel, too. I just never thought to do that. Thanks for the tip. This makes sense since my life appears to run in reverse at times. ;)

Doh - all these times I've seen your handle and never thought of that. I thought it might have been some ethnic name!!

Thanks for the post :)

Some of us would not want our first name spelled backwards (would you want to call me Mot?...maybe not) :D I did have the opportunity to have dinner with Leumas in WLG and we had a most excellent evening. Hopefully we'll catch up again down the line.

i found myself back on pg 51
 

It's interesting to go back and read what people you have gotten to know said about themselves when they first joined, and compare it with where they are now.

As for me, I'm older, my kids are older, and my baseball team...well they're having issues. I still think Alaska Rocks the House.. although the fact that they issue my paycheck creates a bit of a bias ;)

Missy, sorry to hear about your firstbaseman. But I do have some good news .....

I saved money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

:D

Just kidding. The good news is that Nomar Garciaparra is now a Chicago Cub! Yipee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Well heck, why not post a few words about myself, now that I'm actually participating in this thing.

So, hi, my name is Sergey. I live in the NYC suburbs and work in Manhattan. I just turned 28. I joined a few years ago, as you can see, but didn't get actively involved in the forums until recently. I do enjoy travel quite a bit. My very first flight in F was on my first business trip -- JFK-SFO on TWA. Back then my company was willing to pay full coach prices, and on TWA that meant flying in F. Needless to say that flight spoiled me rotten and I've been addicted to points, miles and upgrades ever since. :D Now my co-workers come to me for travel advice. I should be charging comission, damn it!

My dream is to start an airline of my own. Of course since I work in IT, have virtually no business experience and no money, it is only a dream... But if *I* was running an airline....

Well, Canarsie, if I was running an airline, there would be no coach as we know it, for one. It would have better service, better interior layout and more comfortable amenities than we currently get here in the USA. The food would be better. The IFE would be better. The people would be friendlier. The FF program would be better designed, of course. The fare structure would be simpler. The web site would be more powerful, so people wouldn't have to spend 30 minutes on hold with CS. I could keep going... :)

Hey, anyone want to give me $$$ to conduct a business study to see if my airline would fly? :)

Click on the word “Yes” in my last milepost if you have not already done so, sxpsxpsxp. It is a link to a thread in which I thought you might be interested...

Ya, didn't figure that out until after I posted my message. :) Shall I add to your thread?

That is entirely up to you.

For now, though, let us (including me) please leave this thread to those who want to post who they all are...

Hi everybody! My name is Greg and I work in Equity Research on Wall Street. I'm almost 30 here in Chicagoland and I'm in the process of moving to NY. I learned about FT while reading the WSJ sometime over the past year, addicted ever since. Friends and family now think I'm a little nutty but I have FT people to console me. I've always loved flying and seeing new places.

I'm actually considering a career change to find a job that will require a lot of travel :D I like seeing places outside of the US and I can't wait to go to some places in Asia ^ I'm going to get myself to a DO eventually. Looking forward to meeting everybody!

:D ^ :D :cool:

Hi all! I'm Valerie. I'm 28 and live in the DC area (Dumfries) and work in D.C. I learned about this site from the great techgirl. I am in awe of all you on this site. I travel mostly for leisure but with some business trips thrown in there for good meaures, I mean mileage. Now it's back to the United thread to see what other goodies I can find. Thanks for all of your travel knowledge!

Valree, welcome to FT! One of the true strengths of FT is we learn from each other for we can't count on the hotels, airlines, ships, airports and rental car agencies to always get it right, straight, or out there. Also, we all started in the same boat as you once: new to frequent travel. Welcome, and we're happy you joined this sharing, inclusive community.

Thanks for the welcome, Ocn Vw 1K! I'm learning so much here!

VaVa!!!!!!! :D :D :D

(Tell the truth... you just want to figure out how to get that suite at the W.... ;) )

Hello! My name is Jassy-50 and I'm a travel junky. It started at an early age -- one of my first memories is of flying on AA from Oklahoma City to SFO with my mother and my 6 week old baby brother. I was 2 at the time (my poor mother!). It was such a wonderful adventure! I loved it. I still have my Sky Cradle Club Certificate of Membership from that AA flight -- it is over 50 years old, so that tells you how important flying has been to me.

My entire family has been airplane-oriented. Both parents were career civil service with the USAF and I grew up outside of Travis AFB, my brother was a loadmaster (AF) on C-141s, my uncle was a pilot instructor in WWII. Father, brother, uncle and cousin have all been private pilots. I, however, prefer to be a passenger and let others do the driving while I watch the world go by below.

So, as to the personals: I am past the half-century mark and am an attorney specializing in patents and trademarks. After many years in the corporate world and the successful IPO of the company where I was Patent Counsel, I decided to "semi-retire" a few years ago and started my own law firm. The semi-retirement was wishful thinking, as I am as busy as ever. The difference now is that I am my own boss, which is a wonderful thing. I can fly any time I want anywhere I want now - woo hoo! I am married to a wonderful man and we have a slightly strange but very loveable cat. It took me a while to get hubby traveling far and wide (it took 10 years to get him to Europe the first time :eek: ) but he is now a tried and true frequent traveler. He still doesn't quite grasp the necessity of mattress runs and mileage runs, never mind questioning the sanity of it all. But he does enjoy the upgrades to C and F and the free hotel stays in wonderful, expensive locations around the world.

I first discovered FT when I read somewhere about the Bhat Run. I had to check that out! And I was hooked. I discovered a terrific forum and an awesome community of like-minded folks. The things I have learned from you all have been amazing. FT has definitely enriched my life (not to mention my mileage and hotel points accounts :) ). Thanks so much!

After nearly 3 years of reading and posting, it's my turn.

My name is Geoffrey. I'm 25 years old and I live in various Starwood hotels. When I'm not traveling, I vacation at my apartment in lovely Battery Park City, Manhattan.

I first visited Flyertalk when a friend directed me here for information about United's Mileage Plus program. I've been hooked ever since!

90% of my travel is work-related. I work in sales for a large software company as a Technology Specialist. Basically, when selling software to large corporations, there are three people involved. Account Managers manage the overall relationship and uncover opportunities. Then, solutions people delve into the opportunities and try to hash out the business needs. Eventually, you have to call in someone who knows how the software actually works and can keep the sales guys honest - that's me.

I work in the Media and Entertainment Group and travel around meeting with various people in various departments of various subsidiaries of various media conglomerates. 75% of my work-related travel is back and forth from JFK-LAX, 15% split evenly between ATL and IAD and the remainder at random places including recent trips to CID and AUS.

I fly primarily on United where I'm a 1K, but my company prefers me to fly on American, where I maintain a lowly gold status. I prefer Starwood properties, but will stay in a Hilton property when needed. I rent cars from National exclusively.

I'm fortunate to have great management who understand that all work and no play make Geoffrey a very dull boy. This means that I take two extended vacations each year and burn all my miles and points. This spring, I visited SVO, WAW, PRG, BTS, BUD, VIE and MUC over a three week period. My next pleasure trip is a 40-day jaunt through SE-Asia, visiting SIN, BKK, REP, PNH, SGN, RGN, NYU and a side trip to DEL.

So there you have it - nice to meet you all. If you see me around, say hi! I'm guy with the yellow Flyertalk tags on his bags. ;)

I am 21 years old, living in Florida, home of 9 months of blistering heat & construction for tourism and elderly natives, and 3 months of annoying tourists and elderly visitors. :D

Hi, I'm Molly, and this is my first post on Flyertalk. I'm 32, and have just moved back to San Francisco from northern Italy, where I was a design professor. I'm United 1K, and do what I can to maintain my United status (am already 1P for next year, and am hoping to hit 1K again, so will be doing a mileage run or two, especially to Europe). In addition to Italy and the US, I've lived in Germany, the Netherlands and France.

It always seems surprising to gate and flight attendants that I am a 1K... I look several years younger than I am, and I'm not a typical business traveler. Curious about other people who don't fit the typical profile.

Anyway: glad to be here!

Before FlyerTalk, I thought I didn't fit the "typical profile" either. I showed up for my first FT gathering (the 2001 TPE run) and was floored because I was looking around for the group of middle aged businessmen and I was shocked to find a group that was my age - and actually mostly YOUNGER!

Hang around here a while... and attend a gathering or two. It will change how you "read" the airport departure lounge when scanning for other frequent travelers!

eta: Oh... and WELCOME to FlyerTalk! :D :D :cool: :cool:

maximolly, welcome to FT! As you might predict, with UA's presence in the Bay Area, we have a lot of FTers in the Bay Area who are UA elites of diverse ages and a number of AA, WN, etc. flyers. There are periodic Bay Area get-togethers announced in this Community forum that you should feel most welcome to join.

Hey! What's wrong with middle aged businessmen? As long as we enjoy travel, we're as cool as you young whippersnappers. OK, maybe I'm not quite middle-aged, but I'm well on the way.

Molly, welcome. I'm your opposite in that I've left California for eastern France (I drive over to Northern Italy often). Do try to get to a few Flyertalk events. They are all different and you will soon learn what you can get out of Flyertalk.

Hi!!

I am pretty new to this forum, but was never one to be shy!!!

I am 28, a technology Specialist for in DFW where I work for the world leading cell phone Manufacturer! We travel a lot for pleasure, using up the free flights! And I travel a lot with work, mainly to Finland/Europe and around the US somewhat.

Lived in Finland from 2000-2002 and thats when I got into the mileage programs, I was traveling a lot with work, but got into the mileage things wastefully late!!!

Have collected all my miles the hard way, few here, few there, but I think the mileage run sounds something I will try and work into my trips!

Glad I finally found this forum!!!

Hey all! I'm brand snew to this forum, and have been having a blast reading the pages. I guess it's time to introduce myself to everyone!

My name is Jen, and I'm 19 years old (three months shy of being alive for two decades)! I'll be a sophomore at Ohio University this year, majoring in Psycholoy. One day, I'd like to become a child/family therapist.

I like spending time with my family & friends, music, concerts, art, going to movies, reading, writing, good conversation, playing The Sims (I'm completely addicted!), and star-gazing. I also have an addiction to strawberry smoothies, and think watching a thunderstorm from a balcony beats almost any other form of entertainment. I also have a fear of elevators.

Well, I think that's about it!!
I look forward to spending more time on this board.

Jen

I just joined this evening. I reside in Orlando, Florida but recently began to travel and plan a move to Okinawa, Japan. I returned from a three month trip there February of 2004 and wish to go again. I currently work two jobs and do other side projects to keep busy with for the time being. I enjoy electronics and mechanical engineering and occasionally design parts for my robots or inventions. Hoping to take a trip to Manila next June as well. ^_^

Hi everyone. I just found out about this thread, so I thought I'd post a little bio on myself. I'm new to FlyerTalk. I signed up many moons ago and never visited really until leaving the airline world for a new world that keeps me on the road a bit. I subscribed to Inside Flyer and soon found myself reading the FT boards. I can't begin to describe how informative and helpful everyone has been in helping me transition to a life where miles really do matter. :D

In any event, old habits die hard, so I don't want to post too much info on here as I'm unsure how my old bosses would feel about things that I opine about in regards to the airline business. But a brief history of me:

I worked for American Eagle and American Airlines for over ten years in a handful of roles, most recently as Customer Service Manager at one of AA's ten largest airports. I've managed both Passenger and Ramp Service. Prior to that, I was in Maintenance Operations...essentially the "internal FAA" performing regulatory compliance inspections at AA supplier facilities worldwide.

I left the airline for those much vaunted "greener pastures" several months ago. And while I miss my AA friends, and AA pace, I couldn't be happier with my decision. My travels are about 50/50 business and leisure. Oddly enough, I think I travel more for pleasure now than I ever did working for the airline. I must admit, it's a tad strange walking into the airport now as a Platinum frequent flyer. :D And even stranger when I fly on an airline other than AA.... I feel like I'm cheating on someone!

I'll close for now. I just can't say enough good things about Flyer Talk!

Ummm. Like flyastrojets, I just found out about this thread - actually, I just found out about this forum. In locating this forum, I became instantly upset that I am missing the AAsia trip this weekend. I'll be among the first to RSVP for next year, though. And, in the interim period, I promise to be social and attend functions in MIA and DFW when possible.

I found FT by accident during a routine Google earlier this year. Since that time, I have been amazed by the wealth of information here and the helpfulness of all the members.

Business travel is relatively new to me. I qualified for Platinum on AA last year with zero business trips (and no idea a platinum challenge existed). That being said, I am conquering the learning curve with help from FT and those involved. I now work in Miami for a South African manufacturing company. We make gold jewelry in Virginia South Africa and sell it into Europe and the United States. My job is to handle the US retail accounts. That puts me in front of customers in exciting locations like Bentonville, Akron, West Chester, Plano and Irving. Oops - XNA, CAK, PHL and DFW. But, mainly I am on 1614 or 1945 between Dallas and Miami

I have family in Dallas.

Previous residences have included Quepos Costa Rica and Suva Fiji.

I was a chef of sorts for five years while working for a NZ based company. Along with the great Kathy Ruiz and others, cooked dinner for President Clinton at a Houston fund raiser and in doing so received a box of Presidential M&Ms. Since that time I have logged many more hours in restaurants, so I guess food is a passion and one of the few things I know much about - add Googling, surfing the Pacific and failed relationships to that short list.

Thanks again for the help and insight you guys provide on a daily basis. I would like to meet as many of you as possible, so I'll try to keep my eyes open for FTers as I traverse the country's airports in the coming weeks, months and years.

Sam