Woke up at 7:35, felt good, got the family up, got momz and her hubbie Deli up, and we were on the road at 8:10. It's about a 90 minute drive to the airport but it was snowing.... Flight was at 11:35 on Delta. Actually we were in the car at 8:08 and Deli took a phone call on his cell. We sat there for a few minutes, in the driveway, while he talked. I get nervous on travel days but especially when we have a long drive and it's snowing. So, at about 8:12 we actually pulled out of the driveway. We stopped for a bagel at Einstein's. I went for nova lox and red onion combo as I don't want them to stop carrying it in the Logan store since nobody else probably orders there! Actually momz did recently meet a Jewish family who recently moved there to teach at the University; so that doubled the population of potential nova lox eaters!
Ok, so we start the drive over the canyon toward the interstate. Deli is turning 75 this year and, frankly speaking, I don't think he should be driving on days like that. Sure he left the turn indicator on many times over the course of the weekend (luckily his new Sub alerts the driver after it's been left on for a minute or two so we stopped telling him). Everything is fine through most of the canyon until we are near the end. Snow is still coming down, plows had not been over it in a while so there was some accumulation and we were rolling at about 60 mph. As we plow down the road, gripping our seats, we notice we are VERY quickly approaching a small car ahead of us. VERY VERY VERY quickly approaching. At about the same instant the SacTownGuy, Kitty Kat and momz all said "SLOW DOWN." We went around the little car at the last minute, started breathing again, and at that moment I determined the Deli is about the same age as G'sid was when we started realizing that he shouldn't be driving so much. Luckily for G'sid he was just rolling around the streets of LA, cutting people off, and then getting made for at them for "honking for no reason...." Anyway, will have to chat with momz about cutting down on snow driving and other long drives.
Ok, so we survived the canyon and hit the interstate. It was quite snowy but Deli had slowed down and was cruising in the right lane. I assume this was due to almost running over the little car in the canyon. As we cruise down I-15 at 40 MPH I start to get nervous. I mean, I have an 11:35 flight and it's now 9:30 and we aren't even into Ogden yet. Have 45 minutes on a good day but it's snowing....
We somehow avoided potty stops and rolled into the SLC airport at 10:30. An hour to go, no line to check the bags at the curb with the white SkyCaps which always seems odd (only place on earth with white Sky Caps) and thus I am feeling fine... until the SkyCap tells me the flight is cancelled.
Damn!
Head inside where the line is LONG. I whip out the cell phone and get Kitty Kat on her cell phone. I call Delta and get her calling other airlines because I have work tomorrow (like my blog for instance). I talk to a Delta rep on the phone who tells me I have been reconfirmed on a flight Wednesday morning at 8:40. Today is Monday. Tells me everything is booked until then and since it's a cancellation due to weather that they won't pay for the hotel. I continue to wait and call other airlines. Oh ya, Sundance Film Festival got out today so it's EXTRA busy at the airport.
The best was the United rep. It's about 11:00 AM when I talk to her on the phone. I ask when the next flight to Sac is. She tells me it's at 7:30 AM. I say, "7:30 AM tomorrow?" She says, "no 7:30 AM today." I remind her that here in America it's 11:00 TODAY and thus 7:30 won't help me (no, I didn't really tell her the America thing, but I felt like it). I repeated, "when is the next flight to Sacramento TODAY?" A bunch of Mo's, standing around me who have never raised their voice in their life, look at me with fear. She says, "the only flight today is at 7:30 AM." I say, "WHEN IS THE NEXT FLIGHT ON YOUR AIRLINE TO SACRAMENTO?" She says, and I kid you not, "today or tomorrow?" The Mo's are getting really scared now as I am yelling at this lady. She is playing dumb in return... because no chance anybody on earth is as dumb as this lady was acting!? We finally determine they have a flight through Denver (the wrong way for those that don't know their geography) on Tuesday. Just so I know my options I ask how much. She then says, "is this one way or round trip?" I am in hysterics as I think I have made it clear I am trying to get home... but trying to act relatively calm. She slowly says, "the flight is United 567... on Tuesday January..." she rattles off every last f'ing detail... except the cost... and very slowly at that. She finally gets to the price... "one thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars... per person."
Ok, so I continue to wait in line. Call Delta back and get more unhelpful information. I call a few hotels and they are sold out. Damn, I am going to end up at the Comfort Inn by the airport until Wednesday, I think to myself, this SUCKS!
I get up the front of the line about 11:45. I heard all kinds of stupid stuff from other passengers but the best was the punk who was mad he couldn't take an EARLIER flight to get home earlier today that he is scheduled. I am thinking "dude, I might be staying at the F'ing Comfort Inn by the airport for a couple days and you are worried about getting hom a couple hours EARLIER!?"
Lucky for me I was given the Delta employee of the YEAR! Kavamahea H., by hame. She looked Hawaiian or Somanian. She saved my day as the idiots on the phone, at Delta, couldn't help me. I told her I would fly anywhere in NorCal but I wanted to get home today. She found a flight to OakTown at 2:50 which was only oversold by 2 and we would be first on the standby list; plus, she would confirm us on a flight to SFO on Tuesday at 1:40. Plus, she would give us meal vouchers for today and breakfast tomorrow. Plus, she told me to come back to her if we missed the OakTown flight and she would give us a hotel voucher and she would be there 'til 1o tonight! What a nice lady! I normally only write complaint letters but I will be writing a letter, to Delta, applauding her work. Oh ya, and she was smart enough to suggest, and arrange, to send our big suitcase through to Sac so we wouldn't have to schlep so much and, having only carry-ons we could easily switch flights. Smart lady!
I stood at her desk for 30-40 minutes to get everything worked out. The airport was a zoo, the ticket machine kept breaking but my lady kept smiling. Speaking of smiling Kitty Kat had taken the kids for some Gatorade and candy so they were smiling from ear to ear! Plus, some rich guy, in the first class line, had a little dog so the kids were happy. Actually, it was a Yorkie and the SacTownGuy has an affinity for the Yorkie due to my man BIG Drew and his Yorkie; RIP home boy Zac.
Well, we had our "free lunch" upstairs. Our awful waitress told us it would be a half hour wait for food but what did I care!? As long as she didn't take a half hour with my f'ing margarita and iced tea I didn't really care! Kid's were throwing jelly packets and what not all over the place and I could care less! Kitty Kat had gone off to buy some aspirin so SacTownGuy was in charge... fling 'um on the floor kids, I don't care! I tip big so I am ok with my kids making a little mess! Felt good to eat on Delta's dime but the money didn't work out right and I had $4 of Delta money about to go to waste. Wasn't thirsty but got another of $4 bottles of iced tea to go. Nothing like taking it to the man!
We get down to B-12 about 1:15. Ya, only an hour an half to go until the flight that we MIGHT get on... and that's to a city 2 hours from home. Yippeeee....
Well, after everybody got on they called for the "Pale-ey party of 3." Hmmmm, well maybe 3 of us were going home? He had mis-spoken, I guess, and we were the last 4 people onto the plane. Plane about as big as my car with 2 seats on one side and ONE seat on the other. Luckily, people were nice enough to move so we could sit two and two. I got the boy and Kitty Kat got the girl. The little dude has been really into boys v. girls lately and likes to spend time with dad. I can't blame him because guys are pretty cool! At one point the little dude turns around, looks through his seat, and tells the woman behind him to stop kicking his seat. I told him to stop but inside I thought, "that's my boy...." A few minutes later he told the woman in front of him to stop bouncing on her seat. I told him he had to chill a little. We had a fun flight. I got to answer all kinds of questions about the clouds, flying, snow, etc.... Apparently I hadn't heard but the little girl was screaming as the plane descended but Kitty Kat, with the aid of the stewardess, was able to hold it together. Good job by that Kitty Kat!
Got to OakTown, shuttle bus over to the rental car lot. I had reserved a couple different cars but Budget was cheaper so picked up a Hyundai to drive back to SacTown. Still, had to drive to SacTown airport, get our suit case, get Kitty Kat's car, drive to my office to get my G-ride, and then head home to the burbs to sleep so I could go to work today. Fun!
As we hit 880 North toward Oakland I commented that I hoped all the MLK events in OakTown were done because I could see traffic being bad in Oak-Town on MLK Day. Reminds me of the time in college I was driving the 5.0 in Oakland and ended up on Martin Luther King Blvd. I am down with the brother and down with MLK but a white guy, in a 5.0, on MLK can draw stares! Back to the story, we were ok on traffic through OakTown but traffic slammed to a halt in Emeryville, just before Bezerkely, of course. Talked about a hotel but kept driving. Stopped at In-n-Out for some burgers and kept on rolling. Got to the SacTown airport at 7:30 (just 7 hours after our scheduled arrival). Kitty Kat dropped me to get the luggage.
Kitty Kat kept the kids entertained in the car as they don't know how to travel for 2 hours without the DVD going. Plus, she didn't want them falling to sleep early and then not being able to fall asleep at home. More props to Kitty Kat!
At this point, let me say, the kids were great. It was a long f'ing day and they held it together. Sure they ate cookies and candy, bought toys, drank juice, etc... all day but they held it together!
After I got out of the car at SacTown airport, to go get the luggage, the little dude asked Kitty Kat where they were going and she told him to return the rental car. Apparently, he was confused and (thinking they were going to return it to the place we rented the car from... 2 hours away) said in total defeat, "we have to go all the way back there?"
That would normally be the end of the story but not today.... Went to get my car at my office which had NOT be broken into sitting on the streets of SacTown so that's good. We rolled east toward the 'burbs. I was in front the family behind. The little girl looked like death from a day of traveling. I knew the dude was happy as Kitty Kat had the DVD going. I believe the little dude will rival his uncle the Mr. Sether as top TV watcher of all time. However, Mr. Sether is doing well in life so it's ok!I see Kitty Kat behind me flashing her brights, I flash my breaks back to her, "hello to you too." Getting home I realize Kitty Kat is not behind me. "That's odd?" I call her on the cellie and find out she wasn't flashing her brights to say hello to me. The little girl had throw up ALL over the seat. They got home and I got to clean the car. Very fair after my not understanding the flashing of lights. The little girl got a large amount of the throw up right into the hole where the seat belt goes into the seat. Nice aim little girl! We paid extra for the car detail warranty when we bought the rig as the little girl has a propensity for throwing up in the car. We have already been warned by the detail warranty company that we have used the service too many times for cleaning throw up smell out of the car. We shall see what happens now... that could be another blog... when I sue the f'ers for selling me a car detail warranty that is good for ALL cleaning, including kid's throw up... except apparently not if you actually use it more than a couple of times.
With that, work is beckoning me.... peace out.
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