That's what Hector The Gate Agent said to me earlier.
He saw us dragging into the departure lounge around 11:30, you see, and he comes over with this big smile all on his face, and he says, "Hi! How've you been since I saw you not all that long ago?" (Total cheese, and not just because he reeked of insincerity, but also because when I called his bluff and actually TOLD him how we've been, he suddenly found lots of other things to do.)
When I told him that the best part was that the stupid vouchers that he'd said were good in the bar were actually NOT good in the bar (and we therefore wound up with a $50+ bar tab that we could have done without), what did I get? An apology? No. An offer of reimbursement in trade for a receipt? No. Any sort of empathy at all? No.
I got, "Oh, that sucks."
D'you think maybe he's taking personality and sincerity lessons from George W. Bush?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Your Seats Are Confirmed ...
... however, apparently our flight is not.
It is 11:00 PM CDT and we are at O'Hare in Chicago. In fact, we've been at O'Hare in Chicago since 2:05 this afternoon - fully 25 minutes ahead of schedule. Amazing, eh? Yes! Fantastic! And we'd got our boarding passess at OKC, so we were feeling quite savvy in just hopping into the queue for the security point.
And then we got to the scary bit.
Oh, we had all the liquid and gelatinous substances in the proper and prescribed 3-1-1 format. We all took our shoes off, and each of us was holding our own boarding pass in our own passport, and I had the laptop halfway out of the wicked cool new rolling laptop carryon thingie I'd got at Circuit City, ready to stick it in its very own Dull Gray Security Tub for scanning. No, the scary bit started when we'd stood in the freaking line for 45 minutes, only to be told that our flight was "very, very late" and that we had to go back to the BMI ticket counter for a chat. Ever the intrepid travellers, we went.
Well, yeah. Apparently there's a mechanical failure on the plane that was supposed to leave Manchester at 11:05 this morning and get here at 1:05 this afternoon and then sit and wait for us to get on it and leave at 6:30 this evening and get to Manchester at 8:05 tomorrow morning and then sit and wait for kids to get on it and leave at 11:05 - but I think you get the point, yes? No, no, the scary bit is that WE ARE WAITING SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS TO GET ON A PLANE THAT HAD "MECHANICAL PROBLEMS" AND THEN FLY FIVE THOUSAND MILES ON THE STUPID THING.
Oh, but BMI coughed up $10 per traveller in food-court vouchers, so that's okay, isn't it? Hector, the guy at the ticket counter, told us they were good at the bar, too.
They aren't.
>sigh<
It is 11:00 PM CDT and we are at O'Hare in Chicago. In fact, we've been at O'Hare in Chicago since 2:05 this afternoon - fully 25 minutes ahead of schedule. Amazing, eh? Yes! Fantastic! And we'd got our boarding passess at OKC, so we were feeling quite savvy in just hopping into the queue for the security point.
And then we got to the scary bit.
Oh, we had all the liquid and gelatinous substances in the proper and prescribed 3-1-1 format. We all took our shoes off, and each of us was holding our own boarding pass in our own passport, and I had the laptop halfway out of the wicked cool new rolling laptop carryon thingie I'd got at Circuit City, ready to stick it in its very own Dull Gray Security Tub for scanning. No, the scary bit started when we'd stood in the freaking line for 45 minutes, only to be told that our flight was "very, very late" and that we had to go back to the BMI ticket counter for a chat. Ever the intrepid travellers, we went.
Well, yeah. Apparently there's a mechanical failure on the plane that was supposed to leave Manchester at 11:05 this morning and get here at 1:05 this afternoon and then sit and wait for us to get on it and leave at 6:30 this evening and get to Manchester at 8:05 tomorrow morning and then sit and wait for kids to get on it and leave at 11:05 - but I think you get the point, yes? No, no, the scary bit is that WE ARE WAITING SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS TO GET ON A PLANE THAT HAD "MECHANICAL PROBLEMS" AND THEN FLY FIVE THOUSAND MILES ON THE STUPID THING.
Oh, but BMI coughed up $10 per traveller in food-court vouchers, so that's okay, isn't it? Hector, the guy at the ticket counter, told us they were good at the bar, too.
They aren't.
>sigh<
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Get Me Outta Here.
Okay, so it's one more week until we're on a plane (well, two planes, but that's not the point). I have told everybody I work with (realtors, title kids, appraisers, wholesalers, etc.) that I'm going, and when, and my return date. So everybody has all their stuff done already in order for it to be accomplished while I'm still here ... right?
Wrong.
No, no, quite the contrary. Starting last Friday, I've had at least three calls a day about new deals. I'm not bitching, mind you, because I'd be in a right mess if the phone wasn't ringing. It's more that there is no way in hell that I'm going to get all these loans done, get the laundry done, get the house tidied, and get packed to go without being forced to either hire someone to help me or letting go of the eight shreds of sanity I've been so parsimoniously saving for this holiday.
What gnaws at me is the fact that the calls I'm getting are from people that have bloody well known for as long as six months that I'm leaving. Heck, some of them are people I talk to at least three times a week, and they know how jazzed I am about being somewhere else for a while. Instead of being able to have a nice, civilized wind-down during these last few days, I'm going to be beavering away like a rabid animal, trying to get everything accomplished. Adding insult to injury, I've had four different people ask me if I'm taking letterhead for pre-qual letters and if I'll have a scanner to send them (since I won't have an outgoing fax - I mean, I could use Uncle Brian's, but why would I do that to his phone bill?), and if I'll be able to receive faxes.
Let a girl have a break, already! ARGH!!
Wrong.
No, no, quite the contrary. Starting last Friday, I've had at least three calls a day about new deals. I'm not bitching, mind you, because I'd be in a right mess if the phone wasn't ringing. It's more that there is no way in hell that I'm going to get all these loans done, get the laundry done, get the house tidied, and get packed to go without being forced to either hire someone to help me or letting go of the eight shreds of sanity I've been so parsimoniously saving for this holiday.
What gnaws at me is the fact that the calls I'm getting are from people that have bloody well known for as long as six months that I'm leaving. Heck, some of them are people I talk to at least three times a week, and they know how jazzed I am about being somewhere else for a while. Instead of being able to have a nice, civilized wind-down during these last few days, I'm going to be beavering away like a rabid animal, trying to get everything accomplished. Adding insult to injury, I've had four different people ask me if I'm taking letterhead for pre-qual letters and if I'll have a scanner to send them (since I won't have an outgoing fax - I mean, I could use Uncle Brian's, but why would I do that to his phone bill?), and if I'll be able to receive faxes.
Let a girl have a break, already! ARGH!!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Cue the Alice Cooper track ...
Kieran and Kendall have successfully completed kindergarten! There was even an awards ceremony of sorts (but at least they didn't do that stupid graduation thing ... those just strike me as being ridiculous beyond belief, unless you're actually finishing a diploma or degree).
Every child got a reading award, as we'd spent the last three quarters reading a sent-home book every evening and signing off on a "we did it" sheet. Then each child got an award in a specific category: art, math, writing, or science, and four students from each class got a library award.
Kieran's award was in science. He likes to learn about and discuss things like robots, dinosaurs, bugs, and cause-and-effect. Kendall's award was in art, which is well-deserved judging solely by the number of works that she's done in various places around the house (different media - crayon, marker, pencil, pen - on walls, doors, tabletops, etc.).
Kendall with her Art award and Kieran with his Science award
Mrs. Crain and Kendall
Every child got a reading award, as we'd spent the last three quarters reading a sent-home book every evening and signing off on a "we did it" sheet. Then each child got an award in a specific category: art, math, writing, or science, and four students from each class got a library award.
Kieran's award was in science. He likes to learn about and discuss things like robots, dinosaurs, bugs, and cause-and-effect. Kendall's award was in art, which is well-deserved judging solely by the number of works that she's done in various places around the house (different media - crayon, marker, pencil, pen - on walls, doors, tabletops, etc.).
Kendall with her Art award and Kieran with his Science award
Kendall and Kieran with their reading awards
We got totally and completely lucky in whatever draw there was to determine who got which teacher. Mrs. Crain and Mrs. Lewis are very different in their teaching styles, yet they are both quite effective and achieve fantastic results! They each ran different class schedules, yet were happy to coordinate activities (holiday parties and feasts, etc.) so that I could be with each of the twins at the right time, without having to choose one or the other. Besides being absolutely the best first school teachers we could have dreamed to have for Kieran and Kendall, they have gone far beyond and become friends as well. Ladies, a very special and heartfelt standing ovation to each of you for your warmth and loving and accommodation and caring ... and everything else.
Kieran and Mrs. Lewis
Mrs. Crain and KendallSo, on to the great summer adventure ... our annual pilgrimage-in-reverse to England, where we will hang out with Mark's parents, visit Paris, travel to London for the launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, go to the seaside, and anything else we can dream up. We're back at school on 15 August for Meet The Teacher day, and then first grade *officially* begins on 16 August. Woohoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)