A call to boycott United

Lack of home = lack of posting. sorry.

Had the world's worst experience with United Airlines this weekend. We had to buy tickets on priceline for this trip because all the tickets to my mom's house were $500 a piece. Friday morning started out auspiciously enough. We got up before the butt crack of dawn and made our way to Philidelphia airport. There was no traffic on the road and we got there in under 45 minutes. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:55. We barely made it because there were at least 200 people in line for check in and three open counters, including self-check in (no kidding). Okay, so I can blame that on heavy Christmas travel traffic.

We had a layover in Chicago (yeah, another reason I'm never flying United or purchasing from Priceline again). We got in around 8:30. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:10, so we checked the departure time and gate and got some breakfast. (Incidentally, it was yummy). When we meandered back to our gate we found our flight had been delayed until 12:49 pm. 'Scuse me? And why? Because they plane they had was having mechanical problems and so they had to find another plane. Things happen. We bought some magazines and settled in with Newsweek and MarioCart.

Delayed: 1:49
Delayed: 2:13
Delayed: 2:30
Delayed: 2:45

Finally, around 2:30, they load us onto the plane, which had to fly, empty, from Dulles. We get settled in only to hear that we're not going anywhere because the sink in the lavatory won't stop running and they have to get a mechanic to drain the water tank. Sigh. Delayed. The water is drained and the pilot comes on the intercom to tell us that the co-pilot has exceeded his allowable hours and we now have to wait for a new co-pilot. We finally leave O'Hare around 3:45. Touchdown in Memphis: 5:30. Total travel time: 13 hours.

But wait ... it gets better! Before we get on our flight home on Monday we check our flights. The first flight was delayed 1 hour, 15 minutes. Layover time: 1 hour ... last flight of the day. So I call the happy people at United. They want us to get on a plane to O'Hare and spend the night there. I ... don't ... think ... so. The earliest they could get us out Tuesday was 2:30. 'Kay.

Tuesday, all seems to be going smoothly. We get to the airport and check in to find that our flight has been delayed until 3:30. Why? Mechanical problems. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! The flight leaves at 3:45. We run to our connection and the flight boards in less than 5 minutes. Whew. The one thing United did right the whole weekend was get us home on time Tuesday night.

Every one of our delays was the airline's fault, not the weather's. I will not be flying United again.

3 Things

I got these from another blog I was reading. Now it's your turn!

1. Three things you like about yourself:
I'm a very loyal friend. I stay pretty balanced. I remember every day why I love my husband so much.

2. Three things you don't like about yourself:
I let work get to me. Patience is not one of my virtues. I don't always live my faith like I should.

3. Three parts of your heritage:
English, Cherokee Indian, Okie

4. Three of your everyday essentials:
Chapstick, kisses, downtime

5. Three things you are wearing right now:
Sweater, jeans, socks

6. Three things you want in a relationship:
Love, mutual respect, laughter

7. Two truths and a lie:
I wanted to work for the FBI, I make cookie dough and don't make the cookies, I had my toungue pierced.

8. Three things you can't live without:
Husband, faith, family

9. Three places you'd go on vacation:
Hawaii, Egypt, Australia

10. Three things you just can't do:
Wake up on the first alarm, play basketball, sew

11. Three kids names:
Tucker, Emma, McKenna

12. Three things you want to do before you die:
Live in Hawaii, get my scuba certification, have a family

13. Three things you wanted to do for a living:
Veterinarian, FBI agent, Professor

14. Three ways you are stereotypically a boy:
High maintenance women make me tired, I love college football/basketball, my house is cluttered

15. Three ways you are stereotypically a girl:
I love getting pedicures, I get ice cream and french fry cravings, I love my cats

Like watching hair grow

While most of my day was spent getting things accomplished and being productive, I would rather have spent the last two hours getting my toenails pulled out than how I actually spent it. I was supposed to receiving training on Crystal Reports and querying. Instead, I spent two hours watching a man stumble through a query builder that I already knew how to use. I had the conscience to feel guilty, because he was really a very nice man ... like Mr. Rogers on downers. I didn't, however, have enough conscience to sit through any more of the mind-shrinking. Instead, I said "I think I need some time playing with the software. I'll call if I need anything."

Coming Home!

So I got an email from Ryan yesterday. He's (supposed to be) coming home today. It looks like he'll get off the boat this morning!! I'm so ready for him to be home. My week overall was good and busy, so at least I didn't have a lot of time to mope around the house. I had a follow up meeting with some colleagues and got a lot of questions answered, so that was nice.

You may notice the time on this blog. I should be on my way to work right now. And yet you notice I'm not. Why? Well, because nothing is plowed and the main road on my way to work is speed restricted to 35 mph and already peppered with accidents. The snow is supposed to be over by mid-morning, so I figure I'll wait out the worst of it and go in a little late this morning. I usually try to sleep in on mornings like this, but I got up and showered, thinking I would be able to go into work at normal time. So ... I'm awake. It's ok though, I'll get some stuff done around the house.

He's coming home!!!

Stupid boats anyway

Ryan is floating somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean this week. Apparently they needed his expertise with some kind of "safety" testing. Meanwhile, my husband is in the middle of an ocean with no means of communication. While I knew this sucked, I didn't realize how much it sucked until last night. When you have talked to someone every single day for the past 3 or so years, it's very unnerving not to talk to them. It's amazing what a mind can create at 10:47 pm on a school night when you're used to saying "goodnight my love."

Chiminea

So after 2 weeks of going to work with me, we finally got our new Chiminea out of the Pathfinder and put it together. I was a little concerned when I took it out and the instructions said it would take 2-3 hours to assemble. Luckily for me ... my husband's an engineer, so it only took like 4 hours. Kidding, about 30 minutes. We ate s'mores and our butts turned to ice. All in all, a satisfying fire-in-your-backyard kind of moment.

First Christmas lights on our home!

So we got up some Christmas lights today. How do you like our tchotchke Christmas trees? They're no bloated blow up Santas, but hey, we do what we can. Here's my recommendation for anyone considering these "valance" lights. Don't. Just don't. They are a huge pain to unwind, and as you can see, have a mind of their own. We're hoping that with time and gravity they'll hang out and look better. If not, well, Christmas is the season for dumb looking decorations.