Am I on vacation yet??
I am :) But it took me TWO DAYS to get here!! Easily the worst travel fiasco I’ve ever experienced. And no, it wasn’t JetBlue – it was Delta! I knew there was a reason I never fly that airline. Where am I, you might ask? In Honolulu, at long last, which should be an easy flight from Seattle. The problems all started when I booked the flight using frequent flyer miles, through Alaska. Because of that, it wasn’t a direct flight, but went through San Francisco, and transferred to Delta for the Honolulu leg of the flight. I left plenty of time between flights and figured it would be no problem.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. This would be funny if it weren’t so excruciating – it’s still a bit funny, so I’m posting the whole story just to get it out of my system. Maybe I’ll send a link to this blog to Delta customer service :)
The first leg went off with no problems. Sea-Tac was its usual busy self, but nothing out of the ordinary. Our Alaska flight left on time and arrived in San Francisco with 3 hours to spare. I spent the time relaxing, stretching, reading, and made one good decision – getting something to eat. It would be all I would get for a LONG time.
Our Delta flight to Honolulu showed up and boarded on time. All seemed to be well. Not only that, the attendants were friendly, the flight was nearly empty, and there was plenty of space to stretch out and relax. But, we hadn’t left the ground. Our first announcement was that there was a minor mechanical problem, and we’d be leaving in a few minutes. (the words of doom)
Time passed. Soon the pilot came on again and said he wasn’t sure exactly how long this would take, but just as soon as the part was cleared we’d be pushing off. More time passed. Then the pilot came on to explain that they couldn’t fix the part, and it was crucial to our flying over the ocean – something to do with cabin pressure that you just don’t want to mess with out there. Instead, he said, we’d fly to LA and board another plane to Honolulu tonight. Out came the cell phones as we all informed those who were meeting us of the change.
A bit later, elation reigned in the cabin as the pilot announced they had been able to switch out the part after all, and it seemed to be working. Just a bit of last-minute mechanical paperwork and we’d be leaving. Out came the cell phones again, for what would prove to be a mistaken call of relief that we’d be arriving after all.
A little later – the pilot informed us that our mechanics had been over-ridden by HQ in Atlanta, who didn’t feel it was safe to fly the plane over the ocean with a repaired part. It was for our own safety. So, we’d be heading for LA after all. Hard to argue with that – I get nervous enough thinking about all that expanse of ocean underneath, though I was not looking forward to LA. Little did I know just how bad it would be.
A while later, a very apologetic captain explained that the plane in LA we were supposed to transfer to also had mechanical problems and could not fly to Hawaii (later an attendant let it slip that in fact, they just didn’t want to disrupt their worldwide schedules by holding the plane for us). Our plane would be going to LA with or without us, including our bags. We could get off in San Francisco, but our bags would be in LA. Either way we would be rebooked on a next-day flight to Hawaii. Or so they claimed.
Most of us chose to stay with our bags, resigned to the day-long delay. Each time someone left the plane, they had to redo the paperwork, and the flight-plan also had to be revised. Time passed. We sat on the run-way for a couple of hours. Finally, we were ready to go… but there was no slot in LA to land. So, we waited longer :) To top it all off, they couldn’t give us the dinners that were planned, since they couldn’t heat them up in the time it would take to fly to LA. About 10:30 pm (4 hours late) we finally left.
In spite of the long delay, Delta really wasn’t ready for us when we landed. They had one (1) customer service agent to process the entire planeload, rebook all our flights, and give us hotel vouchers for the night. There were many agents standing around, and when we asked one of them to help out, he said he’d “get there when he got there.” Finally he did get there, but it still took about an hour to process the whole line. I had to ask him three times to print me an itinerary so I’d have some proof that I was rebooked and would know my flight number, while the woman next to him was giving them out automatically. Not only that, they didn’t just give out meal vouchers, people had to ask – in spite of it being midnight by this time and most people not having had anything to eat for 12 hours. Many people didn’t think to ask, and so didn’t receive. Those of us who did found that the only thing open at that late hour was McDonald’s, adding insult to injury.
About midnight, we headed down to pick up our bags. You’d think with that long wait in line that the bags would have been down already, but no. Perhaps they were searching them since we were all in the wrong airport – but whatever the reason, by the time they arrived we were convinced they weren’t coming. Delta invoked some national security rule for why they couldn’t simply put our bags on the morning plane, which was already at the airport.
Lugging our bags out to the curb at 12:45am, there were easily 100 people waiting for the promised hotel shuttles. Several of them came, but wouldn’t let us into the empty seats because the baggage compartment was full (!). Never mind that we have an 8:10 am flight and have to be back at the airport at 6am. Eventually we decamped to the taxi line and finally reached our hotel. Where the line, of course, snaked out the door into the cold night air.
It turned out Delta had given us a hotel that actually didn’t have rooms available. Some people weren’t given rooms at all (but perhaps just camping in the terminal would have been better by this time). Our hotel was frantically cleaning rooms while we stood in line, at 1am. They did their best to mollify us with free drinks, but at this point most people had had far more than enough of Delta’s “hospitality.”
At 2am, we reached our rooms. Many of us by this time really didn’t trust that we were actually rebooked on the morning flight, so we planned to be up by 5 and get to the ticket counter early (we also weren’t sure we could get enough shuttles to take everyone back to the airport). So, about 5:30 am found us on our way back to LAX for more fun.
Sure enough, we got to the ticket counter to find that Delta’s computers showed us all as having already flown to Honolulu. Which, we reasonably pointed out to the ticket agents, would have been a little difficult since our plane didn’t go! Agents up and down the line picked up their little red phones, which was supposed to connect them to their customer service. No-one picked up. They walked over to the office. No-one was there. At this point i have to say the agents themselves were unfailingly good-humored, polite, and funny, and really saved the day.
The problem apparently lay with those of us that had not originated on Delta. Other people’s itineraries could be updated to show our flight diversion, and reticketed, but for some reason, the computer locked up on ours. After they’d been on hold for 20 minutes with no answer, the most senior agent finally figured out a back-door way to make the necessary revisions in the computer to allow us to be reticketed and get on our way. Small miracles.
Could that be the end of the story? Nope – have to get through security first. A strangely large number of us were targeted for “special screening” by our airline (who put us through all this in the first place). A final indignity to cap off the trip. Once again though, on this day, TSA personnel came through and made the whole experience funny and friendly – wonders never cease. After a thank-you to the TSA supervisor for lifting my mood – I was finally off to the terminal to get breakfast, latte, and a few minutes chat with all our fellow travellers who had come to know each other so well. We had just enough time for that before boarding our 8:10 flight – which may give you some idea how long it took to get through ticketing and security. LAX – my favorite airport (NOT!).
It was almost anticlimactic when our plane lifted off on time, flew without incident, and landed in sunny, warm Hawaii :) Time to relax – and may this never happen again!
Russian publishers
Just got a copy of the Russian version of my book – I really like the cover. Somehow this seems much classier than the American version of it, shown below. And it’s hardcover, even. Beautiful :) What do you think?
The two versions certainly give you a different impression. Interesting what the publishers think will sell better in different markets (authors have little to no control over the covers of their books – something that takes a LOT of getting used to!).
My unromantic day
For all of us without sweethearts this year, I’ll post about my unromantic day :D Hmm… first my bowl of Cheerios – looking out onto the neighbor’s back yard in which they just decided to cut down all their trees. Yesterday the chainsaws and chippers were roaring and that seemed like the perfect time to do my taxes – can’t get any more unromantic than that! I got creamed this year – though it would have been worse without a few new deductions – like the sales tax deduction for those of us without state income tax, and the new ability to deduct the cost of health insurance if you’re self-employed. Saved my bacon, though I still took a beating.
Then I got a headache. Now if that isn’t anti-Valentine’s I don’t know what is ;) I was quietly resting with my cat, when the electricians arrived. I have a light which if turned on, blows the breaker for that room. And a few others that have been problematic since the last windstorm. Turns out I have $600 in electrical repairs to light fixtures to do, and need a $400 surge protector for the house to keep this from happening again. Ah, the joys of homeownership.
The pouring rain seemed like a good backdrop for this activity. Especially since i had worried that somehow water was getting in and causing this problem – when actually it was heat damage to the fixtures – either from the previous owners putting in lightbulbs with too high wattage or from electrical damage during the storms. Considering how blackened and exposed the wiring was, I was lucky I didn’t have a fire =/ Meanwhile I was answering an inquiry from a contractor I work for about proof of insurance to keep those work orders coming in and pay all these bills! Keeping the faxes and e-mails going in between the electricians shutting down the breakers was entertaining.
Somewhat recovered from the headache, I sat down to another chore in the afternoon – preparing a proposal to get on the mediation roster for Oregon (the only way to get mediation contracts with all the state agencies). Filled out a long and detailed request for qualifications, which required me to look up resumes, roster info, call past employers, etc. When finished, found that they wanted the printed out application AND an electronic copy – but could I send it on e-mail? Nooo… it had to be on a CD or floppy disk :D Seems a bit archaic. Turns out neither of the CD-ROM drives I have are writable… now what? Searched around in my closet for an old game with a 3.5 in floppy disk, erased the stuff on it, and copied my proposal onto it :D A geeky solution, but it got the job done. Off to the mailing place in the rain and sent that off in time for the deadline.
Are we having fun yet? Oh, yes, grocery shopping. OK – do that in the rain. Too tired to make dinner, eat rice cakes and fruit. Now it’s time for just a little Valentine’s remembrance – called up my other single friends who were home alone tonight and left them Valentines voice-mails :) Or maybe they’re not home alone since they didn’t pick up! Guess it’s just me and my cat. ;)
That’s OK – I think I’ll curl up on the couch and watch a movie. Sooner or later someone will call me back…
Spring Tarot Classes
Just wanted to mention the two tarot classes I will be teaching this spring – for more information and sign-ups, see the course description page on TarotMoon. I’m particularly looking forward to the Ethics class, as that is a new one that I haven’t seen anywhere. Hoping for lots of lively debate!
* Court Cards – Beginning/Intermediate – 8 weeks (Mar 16 – May 11, 2007). Get to know the court cards like never before – this course is designed to introduce the reader to this difficult group of cards from a wide variety of unique and in-depth perspectives. We will explore their personalities (good, bad, and …), elemental, psychological, and astrological qualities, address gender issues, experiment with significators, play with body language, and learn how to tell if a given court card represents the querant, someone else, or not a person at all. Meet the court cards disguised as approaches, professions, occupations, institutions, activities, animals, and more.
* Ethical Issues in Tarot Reading – All levels – 4 weeks (April 2007). This is a short course focusing on ethical issues in tarot reading that may arise when reading for the public. The course does not teach or promote a particular approach to ethics, but rather provides a forum for exploring the issues and assisting each reader to discover his or her boundaries and develop a personal code of ethics.
Update on Inconvenient Truths
Recently I reported that a neighboring city had decided that Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth could not be shown in local high schools without presenting a contrasting viewpoint (to which, local science teachers to their credit replied that there existed no such credible viewpoint that could be presented in a science classroom).
World events, of course, have made the Federal Way school district appear rather like those who espouse creationism in schools. No sooner had they decreed this than 2500 scientists from over 130 countries issued a report unanimously agreeing that global warming was now unequivocally happening and at least 90 percent likely to be caused by human activity, and outlining the likely effects of global warming over the next century. This is a group that’s known to be conservative in their predictions.
And now… England’s Environment Secretary intends to provide every secondary school in the UK with a copy of An Inconvenient Truth as part of a study packet on climate change, and Scotland intends to do the same. Why is it that USA school boards have their heads so firmly up their… ahem, in the sand? According to the IPCC report, the USA is responsible for 25% of carbon emissions (though China’s catching up fast). If anyone needs to teach their children about this, it’s us. Maybe they could have some influence on their gas-guzzling parents.
In search of the now
One of the things I have been frequently reminded of over the last few years is the need to live in the now, and how amazingly hard that can be. We all know how much time we spend thinking about the past, and planning for, or worrying about, the future. All of this at the expense of the now, which is of course, all there really is. The past is unchangeable, and the future may look nothing like we imagine.
The other night I was reading a chapter in a book on mediation about how meditation helps prepare one for mediation by teaching you to be fully present in the now. This is critical in a mediation because of the need to keep constant tabs on the ebb and flow of energies in the room, the responses and reactions of all the participants, and all factual and emotional details you are trying to keep track of. If you let your mind wander, you’re sunk, and valuable opportunities could be lost.
So as I’m reading this chapter, the author keeps yanking me back to the present by asking questions like “what were you thinking about as you read that last page?” Over and over I realized I was not in the moment with this book. I was worrying about what a friend was going to do in the future, and I couldn’t seem to stop. I finally put the book down and went to sleep, when it became clear I wasn’t getting full value out of it.
Later, I got to thinking about when I’m good at being in the now, and when I’m not. During mediations I don’t really have a problem with it – they’re so compelling they hold your interest like little else. Other times – watching a movie, reading a book (fiction – which for me is a lot like watching a movie), having an intense conversation with a friend, making love, being in nature and/or traveling to a new place, sitting in the hot tub, cooking and enjoying great food, petting the cat, yoga, playing games with friends… those are all things that keep me firmly in the now.
Sadly, work is not one of those things, unless it’s really difficult. My mind seems to constantly wander. Any kind of chores, exercise, all lead to avoidance by escaping into the past or future. That’s not really good – if I could learn to be present while exercising, maybe I would find a way to like it more. And procrastinate less with work and chores.
Then there’s relationships. Soooo much thinking about the past and future, over the last few years. Perhaps exacerbated by being in a long-distance relationship for so long in which there was way more time to think in between visits than to actually get to enjoy it. I invested so much in that… in spite of all my efforts had really high hopes and expectations, which made the loss so much harder.
Going through that roller-coaster of emotions has left me in an interesting state. I have been noticing lately that I am much more capable of just being present with someone, even someone with romantic possibilities – and even with the person that I hoped for so greatly. Not worrying about what else they’ve been doing, not wondering where we’re going from here, just enjoying being with them or talking with them. It’s really a nice feeling and a place I’d like to be for a while. This is a true gift that I gained from that experience, and its nice to feel I have learned something about how to be present in relationships. I hope it lasts!
In praise of macaroni and cheese
I felt moved to write about macaroni and cheese today, for no apparent reason :) Maybe I’m just craving it, which as you’ll read, is not unusual. Once upon a time in our childhood, my brother and I loved to play imaginative games (actually, every kind of game – and we still do). I remember the day we were trying to imagine weird things like, if we could only eat one kind of food for the rest of our lives, what would it be? Oddly enough, we both had the same answer – macaroni & cheese!
When my Mom would go out for New Year’s Eve, she would let us stay up and watch movies until she got home, and have as much of one kind of food as we wanted. You’d think we’d pick chocolate, or popcorn, or something like that. Noooo – macaroni & cheese! (I think we did have popcorn one year – but it wasn’t as good). Mac & cheese has a kind of iconic status in my life, as many times in later years I actually did have to live on it.
Later I had moved out and was living with my boyfriend in high school. We were really, really broke, having something like $5 left over after paying rent and utilities for the month. We used to buy macaroni & cheese in bulk and just eat that – back then you could get 5 boxes for a dollar, and I swear there was more in a box – seems like boxes now are pretty skimpy. He would eat one box for dinner at night and I’d eat at school, and that’s the way it was.
Then I got to college and it was pretty much the same deal. I just about lived on mac & cheese and I never got tired of it. The only problem was affording the milk and butter to make it with. We quickly determined you could make it with milk and not butter – but not the other way around (ewww). I also made a very weird version in college which was mac & cheese mixed with a can of corned beef hash, and fried. Strange and looked really, well, never mind – but tasted good and was very filling. Talk about broke college food!
Finally I emerged from poor studenthood, and amazingly enough, I still love it. Now I might make it with chopped fresh tomatoes and basil, with several kinds of freshly grated cheese and a bit of sour cream for the sauce.
Though it’s truly hard to resist the bright orange Kraft variety, childhood memories and all. Still there are other boxed choices for the discriminating diner-in-a-hurry, including new white cheddar and alfredo varieties, Safeway O (organic) versions that look and taste just like Kraft but are cheaper and better for you and the environment, and Annie’s organic varieties, of which there is even a whole grain pasta version now – not to mention the ever-wonderful psychedelic peace pasta :)
Such riches! The ultimate comfort food – I believe I’ll be eating macaroni & cheese ’til the end of my days :)
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