Welll....
Me tell a story? Shucks.
Oh and buy the way, I can whip up a very convincing southern accent. People think I'm from LA.
Ahem.
First thing of course is all of my organizing the night before is thrown out the window come 9am, 2 minutes before I was to be gone, because I can't find my damn keys. It's always that way if it isn't the keys its the shoes or the glasses. I lose things, something passed down to me from my Mom. Genetic, there is no other excuse and because of it, I'm not responsible.
The trip to the airport was uneventful and arrived in plenty of time which turned out to be a very good thing.
I have to say something here about my little home town of San Jose. Oh, we pride ourselves in being the most forward thinking and technically advance community in California and you will hear some ego sophisticates say in the whole cotton pickin' world.
So tell me this...why in God's name did they have to lift me up to the plane (in the wheelchair) in a rickety contraption that had me scared half out of my wits? Other airports have those dandy little ramps that go right to the door but not San Jose's older building - we do have a bright and shiny newer building that has the dandy ramps but not where United takes off from.
I get to the gate after finding a very nice and obliging porter to help me navigate through the airport, only to find the travel agent didn't book an E ticket. All I had was an itinerary which doesn't get me flyin' anywhere. Of course this is on a Saturday and the travel agency is closed with only a really irritating message that says "If you are a corporate client (which I was) that has an emergency (which I considered I did) please call the emergency number...click?"
OK WHAT'S THE FLIPPIN' NUMBER!!!!!!!
They don't give you the number. Meanwhile the porter has worked off a needed 10 pounds running between me and the desk trying to help this situation out. I called DWA and the wonderful and God sent Justin answered the phone who then called Watson and Jay and who authorized me to use the credit card and buy a new ticket. Off to that insane lift I went and then had a lovely ride with a fabulous salad served to me and coke in real glass!
Then there was Chicago which has got to be the biggest airport I have ever seen. They had noted I needed help moving to one plane from another which was good on many levels including that I would have aged 4 years by the time I reached the other side. Once there I found people were in a rage over many flights being canceled, mostly those to Houston. I guess there have been some big storms and I had my nose pressed against the glass just waiting for a lightning strike or two - we don't get much of that in California.
The flight to Richmond was still scheduled but the flight before it was stalled for over an hour. This allowed me time to catch up on my book and I wasn't put out but I was wondering what I would do if I was stuck in Chicago. I was sure the exit from the airport and the closest hotel was a good 5 year walk from where I was so I set up a little camp for myself.
Finally we get on the plan where we sat for 2.5 hours before taking off. After 4 announcements from the captain saying we were number 10 which meant 18 minutes, he did he announced the same thing 4 times!) I stood up and have to admit here I fit under that low ceiling so for those wondering it is exactly 5'3" from the floor to the ceiling, and suggested camp fire songs to those in 1st class. We got to be good friends.
The man sitting next to me happened to be named Mr.. Edwards. I'm Ms. Edwards but the steward assumed we were married and had me Mrs.. Edwards the whole flight. I must look like a gold digger or something because God bless the man but he was nearing 80. Not the steward but my husband for 5 hours. Once I told the steward his mistake he blushed the most cranberry red I'd ever seen. Of course I enjoyed that.
I arrived in Virginia at 12 midnight Eastern time and waited another half hour for the luggage. Then I hailed a taxi and listened to the driver tell me all about his family, which he had every right to be proud of, for quite a while. Taxi's are expensive and I think I put one of his grand kids through college.
The hotel room is somewhere in the very end unit but quiet and my view is the pool (which is broken today as someone has awayed with the pump). We have had a few claps of thunder and a smidge of rain. I like storms out here. In California we don't have many to talk about.
So there you have it. Tomorrow I go in to work and look forward to it.
:-) |
