This sunset was enjoyed on May 27 from the pier in Key West.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Finally ...Key West
Ahh….Key West, vacation paradise in the US. There are 4 of us enjoying this week long vacation. Pam and Tom came in from Philly. They flew into Miami, rented a convertible and drove down. This method of arrival is highly recommended by them both. I flew in from Phoenix via Delta (see my airline adventure in the Delta postings). On Tuesday Kerry flew in from Atlanta – she didn’t have quite the adventure I did! Whew, Kerry will help Pam & Tom drink the rum they bought – I had a handle on the beer ;)
The house we rented, Jasmine House, was incredible. Our rooms are nice, there’s a kitchen, living area and backyard at our disposal. The backyard has a hot tub, comfy chairs and a hammock for relaxing evenings. At the end of a long and fun filled day, we relaxed in the hot tub with our drinks. The place was worth every penny.
My first day, we start at Smathers Beach with blue sky, blue water and white sand. We rent beach chairs and rafts for the day and relax. The water is calm enough today to go out to the pylons and float. We all look at each other and say “This sucks” with big grins. It came to be our phrase for the week. Another beach we checked out was Rock Beach. It’s at the Ft Taylor State Park. Rock Beach is aptly named for the rocks and coral along the beach and the outcroppings creating the inlet. The water here was deeper and the outcroppings offered snorkeling opportunity.
Most nights we would head out to catch the sunset. Off to the pier outside the Hyatt Resort we watch Mother Nature paint the sky. Mallory Square and the Pier are the places to watch the sunset from the island. After the sunset, we wander through Mallory Square to join the festivities – performers, artists, crafts and drink. The Cat Man performs at Mallory Square. Even if you don’t like cats, you have to stop to watch. Dominique is as much if not more of the show as the cats! The guy is whacked (in a good way) and just has fun with life. He’s known for his trained house cats and his sayings such as “Hurry up, take your time!” “Back to your seat, stay where you are!” and “You are right, you are wrong, you are in perfect harmony with yourself!” His laugh is infectious; his love of his cats and his show is evident. Fully worth a stop to watch.
The house we rented, Jasmine House, was incredible. Our rooms are nice, there’s a kitchen, living area and backyard at our disposal. The backyard has a hot tub, comfy chairs and a hammock for relaxing evenings. At the end of a long and fun filled day, we relaxed in the hot tub with our drinks. The place was worth every penny.
My first day, we start at Smathers Beach with blue sky, blue water and white sand. We rent beach chairs and rafts for the day and relax. The water is calm enough today to go out to the pylons and float. We all look at each other and say “This sucks” with big grins. It came to be our phrase for the week. Another beach we checked out was Rock Beach. It’s at the Ft Taylor State Park. Rock Beach is aptly named for the rocks and coral along the beach and the outcroppings creating the inlet. The water here was deeper and the outcroppings offered snorkeling opportunity.
Most nights we would head out to catch the sunset. Off to the pier outside the Hyatt Resort we watch Mother Nature paint the sky. Mallory Square and the Pier are the places to watch the sunset from the island. After the sunset, we wander through Mallory Square to join the festivities – performers, artists, crafts and drink. The Cat Man performs at Mallory Square. Even if you don’t like cats, you have to stop to watch. Dominique is as much if not more of the show as the cats! The guy is whacked (in a good way) and just has fun with life. He’s known for his trained house cats and his sayings such as “Hurry up, take your time!” “Back to your seat, stay where you are!” and “You are right, you are wrong, you are in perfect harmony with yourself!” His laugh is infectious; his love of his cats and his show is evident. Fully worth a stop to watch.
Key West Sunsets & Snorkeling
One sunset was watched from a Sebago catamaran on a sunset snorkel & sail. This trip was my first snorkel experience. The Sebago crew was fun. Part of their instructions for snorkeling included to be sure to get back on their boat – the other boats have warm beer and ugly crews! LOL They weren’t exaggerating about the good looking crews on Sebago either ;) Interesting Key West fact – the 2nd largest coral reef of the world is in Key West. We motored out to Rock Key for snorkeling. Pam and I take the long way into the water by going down the ladder (Tom jumped in from the deck). I swim out a bit from the boat and take my first try at snorkeling. At first I couldn’t keep my face in the water more than a few seconds – it felt claustrophobic. I had no fear of sinking, I knew I could breathe but wow, it feels weird at first. For the first 15 – 20 minutes I figured this would be my last time snorkeling too. I was wrong. By the end of the hour I was loving every minute and wishing for more. It was awesome to swim with the fish and watch them in their natural world. At one point a school of Sergeant Major fish were swimming with me! Tom saw a sea turtle and on our sail back a trio of dolphin followed for a bit.
We signed up for a day time snorkeling trip on Sebago after all, the first crew was hot and the beer was cold! ;) This time we went to Sand Key for snorkeling. We saw even more fish this time. Bright sun lights up the world under the sea. We all saw more variety of life in the Sand Key. At one point I looked down and there was a fish as long as me! Talk about an adrenaline rush especially since I didn’t know what it was at first. After the second look to confirm it wasn’t a shark eyeing me up for lunch, I followed it for a bit. I found out later it was a Tarpon fish. At one mesa of reef I saw two schools of fish just hanging out for the longest time. I saw Sergeant Majors, Yellowtails (mmm…sushi), Groupers, and Parrot Fish among others. On the sail back we saw a sea turtle and more dolphins. The snorkeling was awesome, the beer cold and the boat fun. I love being on a boat and soaked it up from the deck both times.
We signed up for a day time snorkeling trip on Sebago after all, the first crew was hot and the beer was cold! ;) This time we went to Sand Key for snorkeling. We saw even more fish this time. Bright sun lights up the world under the sea. We all saw more variety of life in the Sand Key. At one point I looked down and there was a fish as long as me! Talk about an adrenaline rush especially since I didn’t know what it was at first. After the second look to confirm it wasn’t a shark eyeing me up for lunch, I followed it for a bit. I found out later it was a Tarpon fish. At one mesa of reef I saw two schools of fish just hanging out for the longest time. I saw Sergeant Majors, Yellowtails (mmm…sushi), Groupers, and Parrot Fish among others. On the sail back we saw a sea turtle and more dolphins. The snorkeling was awesome, the beer cold and the boat fun. I love being on a boat and soaked it up from the deck both times.
Key West Food & Bars
Duval Street is party central. Bars, restaurants, and stores line the street. So do people and alcohol. One helpful fact is Key West allows drinking in the street as long as it’s not in glass. Woo-hoo! Captain Tony’s was a favorite stop for us. According to Pam, they had the best rum punch. It’s also a hang out for Jimmy Buffett (don’t forget Pam & Tom are Parrot Heads). We didn’t run into Jimmy at all, however Captain Tony was there one day. Look up the definition of ‘dirty old man’ and there will be Captain Tony’s picture. He was a trip! 88 years young and he still flirts with the women and hangs at the bar. Capt Tony’s was the original Sloppy Joe’s. Where is Sloppy Joe’s you ask? It’s down the block. Many years ago, the rent was to be raised by $1 at the original site. The patrons and employees during the evening fun picked up their beers, their chairs and tables and moved to the new site! The bartenders kept on serving. Key West definitely has character :) Another fun spot is Two Friends Patio Bar. We stopped there for food to find out it was karaoke night. Oh boy, we thought we were in trouble. However, it turned into a wonderful night! The singers were all good – well, until I got up there! Pam and I danced and had a blast. We found out we were on their web cam! One place that is worth a stop is B.O.’s Fish Wagon. From a certain angle, you would never know this is a bar! At first glance it does look like a shack about to fall down. And what would a trip to Key West be without a stop in Margaritaville. We ended our Duval Street adventures there on Friday. On the way inside a bride and groom were on the sidewalk. Pam, Kerry and I admired her dress; the bride then asked Kerry if we were looking at her ass! The bride said, it’s ok, it doesn’t matter, we’re in Key West! Oh my!!
My first taste of Conch Fritters was my first night – it is the Conch Republic after all. Conch fritters are similar to hush puppies but with conch inside. What is conch you ask? Know those pretty shells that if big enough one can use as a horn? Well, conch is what lives in those shells. Conch fritters are delicious and addicting! Oh, and Yuengling Lager for drink! Yay – Florida serves Yuengling! :)
Food is not an issue in Key West. Even a food snob can find places to eat here. Restaurants range from fast food to fine dining. If you hate seafood, you still have options. If you like seafood, you’re in a good spot. Grouper and mahi-mahi sandwiches that could feed all 3 of us. Conch fritters every where! Half Shell Raw Bar has the best conch fritters and awesome oysters. Louie’s Backyard is incredible. Most of the seating really is in the backyard on a tiered set of decks leading to the water. We started with a round of drinks on the lower deck bar. Up one deck and we all had the fresh catch of the day – grouper wrapped in proscuitto served over creamy cous cous with red wine basil vinaigrette. For dessert, I had the warm dark chocolate cobbler with white chocolate ice cream. It was heavenly! We finished with another round of drinks on the lower deck.
My first taste of Conch Fritters was my first night – it is the Conch Republic after all. Conch fritters are similar to hush puppies but with conch inside. What is conch you ask? Know those pretty shells that if big enough one can use as a horn? Well, conch is what lives in those shells. Conch fritters are delicious and addicting! Oh, and Yuengling Lager for drink! Yay – Florida serves Yuengling! :)
Food is not an issue in Key West. Even a food snob can find places to eat here. Restaurants range from fast food to fine dining. If you hate seafood, you still have options. If you like seafood, you’re in a good spot. Grouper and mahi-mahi sandwiches that could feed all 3 of us. Conch fritters every where! Half Shell Raw Bar has the best conch fritters and awesome oysters. Louie’s Backyard is incredible. Most of the seating really is in the backyard on a tiered set of decks leading to the water. We started with a round of drinks on the lower deck bar. Up one deck and we all had the fresh catch of the day – grouper wrapped in proscuitto served over creamy cous cous with red wine basil vinaigrette. For dessert, I had the warm dark chocolate cobbler with white chocolate ice cream. It was heavenly! We finished with another round of drinks on the lower deck.
More Key West
We didn’t spend the entire time baking in the sun, drinking and enjoying sunsets. We stopped at the Hemingway House, Lighthouse and Ft Taylor State Park. I never knew Hemingway had 6 toed cats! I knew he had cats, but with 6 toes?! There are still descendents of those original cats living at Hemingway House. Ft Taylor was a functional military establishment through 4 wars! We also stopped at the Southernmost Point for photo opportunities. Key West is the southernmost city in the continental US. Cuba is only 90 miles away!
Sadly on Saturday we packed up the car and headed to the airport. It made quite a site to see Kerry & me in the back seat of the convertible with our suitcases! Those pictures will be posted once I get them developed. Pam and Tom headed north to Key Largo while Kerry and I headed home. The week was wonderful!!!!!! I’ve started posting pictures already. Keep checking back as I get more developed and Pam & Tom send me theirs.
So, who’s going with me next time? :)
Sadly on Saturday we packed up the car and headed to the airport. It made quite a site to see Kerry & me in the back seat of the convertible with our suitcases! Those pictures will be posted once I get them developed. Pam and Tom headed north to Key Largo while Kerry and I headed home. The week was wonderful!!!!!! I’ve started posting pictures already. Keep checking back as I get more developed and Pam & Tom send me theirs.
So, who’s going with me next time? :)
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Delta Does It Again
** If you haven't already, scroll down and read "Dela Airlines - Bah" first **
Delta couldn’t possibly screw up again could they? Well, at least I have 2 days before going back to work so if I get delayed or sent to another state, I have time.
Kerry (who lives in Atlanta) and I found an earlier flight out of Key West on Saturday. Not that we wanted to leave at all, however, Key West airport isn’t all that fun to sit around for 4 hours. So, we call Delta and the agent was very friendly, very helpful and changes us to the new earlier flight. Flight changes should be very simple, very basic travel agent 101 type of stuff.
I get to the airport and I look at my boarding pass and baggage claim. Hmmm....my bags are only going to Atlanta. That’s odd. I’m connecting to Phoenix. OK, maybe because my flight is 5 hours after I get to Atlanta I have to recheck. Doesn’t seem normal, but I’m in island mode. Let’s call Delta while killing time and see if I can bump up my Phoenix flight.
Delta Agent, Mya. She sounds bored with her job. I tell her I want to change flight 486 to Phoenix to an earlier flight. I have to explain where I am and what I’m doing twice before she asks what flight I want. Well, I say, you have your schedule in front of you, I don’t – you tell me what’s available. (OK, I’m already getting annoyed with her as she’s the 2nd person on this call I had to talk to). There are 3 flights available, which one would I like and on what day, she asks. What day?? Oh boy, I’m getting scared now. I say – first, tell me what time I arrive from Key West then book me on a flight after that. She asks again what day and do I just need one way. I tell her I live in Phoenix and I want to change flight 486 to an earlier flight. She doesn’t show me on flight 486. WHAT???!!!! It seems the first agent changed my Key West flight and proceeded to cancel my Phoenix connection. Travel Agent 101 – always reconfirm a passenger’s itinerary when making a change. I tell Mya to check the history of the PNR (my record) and find the flight, and then re-book me on ANY of the Phoenix flights. Now she gets it. She puts me on hold for 35 minutes before successfully getting me on a Phoenix flight. She can’t reissue the ticket as I’m in a checked in status in Key West. No problem, I have to get my bag anyway. After a 45 minute phone call (good thing my minutes are free on the weekend) I am now on flight 952 leaving Atlanta at 5:49pm EDT.
I get to Atlanta. Stand in line for 30 minutes and get to talk to a person (wow!) at the counter, Jimmy Z. He starts to look at my record and I explain what’s happened. I also mention I’m starving because I haven’t eaten yet. He starts to look, then looks harder, then talks to another agent, then looks again. He tells me they really screwed up my reservation (go figure) and he’s just making sure everything links together. I tell him some of their agents need to go back to training. He takes 20 minutes and successfully gets me a boarding pass and my record all linked properly so no fees showed up (I already paid the change fee the first time). Jimmy Z was very helpful and even gave me a $7 voucher for food because I was hungry. Now, that’s customer service. First class would’ve been nice, but he gave me what was in his power to give.
I think instead of writing a letter to Delta I’ll just send them a link to this blog!
Delta couldn’t possibly screw up again could they? Well, at least I have 2 days before going back to work so if I get delayed or sent to another state, I have time.
Kerry (who lives in Atlanta) and I found an earlier flight out of Key West on Saturday. Not that we wanted to leave at all, however, Key West airport isn’t all that fun to sit around for 4 hours. So, we call Delta and the agent was very friendly, very helpful and changes us to the new earlier flight. Flight changes should be very simple, very basic travel agent 101 type of stuff.
I get to the airport and I look at my boarding pass and baggage claim. Hmmm....my bags are only going to Atlanta. That’s odd. I’m connecting to Phoenix. OK, maybe because my flight is 5 hours after I get to Atlanta I have to recheck. Doesn’t seem normal, but I’m in island mode. Let’s call Delta while killing time and see if I can bump up my Phoenix flight.
Delta Agent, Mya. She sounds bored with her job. I tell her I want to change flight 486 to Phoenix to an earlier flight. I have to explain where I am and what I’m doing twice before she asks what flight I want. Well, I say, you have your schedule in front of you, I don’t – you tell me what’s available. (OK, I’m already getting annoyed with her as she’s the 2nd person on this call I had to talk to). There are 3 flights available, which one would I like and on what day, she asks. What day?? Oh boy, I’m getting scared now. I say – first, tell me what time I arrive from Key West then book me on a flight after that. She asks again what day and do I just need one way. I tell her I live in Phoenix and I want to change flight 486 to an earlier flight. She doesn’t show me on flight 486. WHAT???!!!! It seems the first agent changed my Key West flight and proceeded to cancel my Phoenix connection. Travel Agent 101 – always reconfirm a passenger’s itinerary when making a change. I tell Mya to check the history of the PNR (my record) and find the flight, and then re-book me on ANY of the Phoenix flights. Now she gets it. She puts me on hold for 35 minutes before successfully getting me on a Phoenix flight. She can’t reissue the ticket as I’m in a checked in status in Key West. No problem, I have to get my bag anyway. After a 45 minute phone call (good thing my minutes are free on the weekend) I am now on flight 952 leaving Atlanta at 5:49pm EDT.
I get to Atlanta. Stand in line for 30 minutes and get to talk to a person (wow!) at the counter, Jimmy Z. He starts to look at my record and I explain what’s happened. I also mention I’m starving because I haven’t eaten yet. He starts to look, then looks harder, then talks to another agent, then looks again. He tells me they really screwed up my reservation (go figure) and he’s just making sure everything links together. I tell him some of their agents need to go back to training. He takes 20 minutes and successfully gets me a boarding pass and my record all linked properly so no fees showed up (I already paid the change fee the first time). Jimmy Z was very helpful and even gave me a $7 voucher for food because I was hungry. Now, that’s customer service. First class would’ve been nice, but he gave me what was in his power to give.
I think instead of writing a letter to Delta I’ll just send them a link to this blog!
Delta Airlines - Bah!
Getting ready for vacation. Friday night – midnight, still up so I check my 9am flight. On Time according to Delta’s website.
7am Saturday morning. In the car, heading to the airport my phone rings – caller ID shows an 800 number. That can’t be good. It’s Delta – the flight has been delayed by 1 hour therefore I’ll miss my connection in Atlanta to Key West. And the battle begins…..
Delta Agent #1, Stephanie – she starts out helpful. There are no more Key West flights from Atlanta today. She will be happy to rebook my entire itinerary to leave the next day. Not acceptable – 1. I’m meeting people in Key West and 2. it’s my vacation – I’m not wasting an entire day of it traveling! OK, Stephanie tries to find an alternate flight. She comes back happy because she’s found an America West flight leaving at 9am to Atlanta. She’ll try to book me on this one. America Pest?! That does not instill confidence however I’ll take what I can get. Stephanie’s back – the flight is sold out. Her only other solution is for me to travel the next day or she’ll refund my entire ticket so I can try to find an alternative. Excuse me??!!! I ask if she’ll refund my vacation, the payment for the house and my time. I also inform her – again – that I am currently driving so looking up alternatives would be difficult at that moment. She now has the idea I’m not a happy camper. Finally I tell her I’m almost to the airport I’ll deal with a Delta agent there. And I ask, why is it delayed, what happened in 7 hours? Her notes stated “Crew Rest.”
Delta Agent #2, Kimberly – she starts out irritated. Phone service rule #1 – paste a smile on your face no matter what your mood. Kimberly wasn’t smiling. I’ve come up with my own alternative – what’s the first flight out of Atlanta Sunday morning. I’d rather start from Atlanta than Phoenix and only kill ½ day. Kimberly puts me on hold for 10 minutes and comes back to tell me I can’t even get to Atlanta today. WHAT??!!! It seems Stephanie in her infinite wisdom and experience took me OFF the original Atlanta flight. Kimberly informed me the flight is overbooked and my seat was already given away. She can do nothing for me. Wrong answer. Good bye Kimberly.
OK, can you guess my blood pressure is up by now? It doesn’t help that I started my career booking travel so I know how it’s done.
At the airport I look for a person. No, we’re not allowed to talk to people, please use the black Delta Direct phone. Sigh.
Delta Agent #3, Irene – she starts of friendly and helpful. First I summarize what happened so far stressing the fact I didn’t authorize Stephanie to take me OFF the flight! Irene seems to understand there are notes in the record, gets all the details and gets me back on the original Atlanta flight leaving at 10am. Next, she checks all routes from Phoenix to Key West – through Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida. Nothing is available. It seems Irene can actually think things through. She pulls up the Atlanta to Key West schedule for Sunday – there’s a flight at 11am. However, she’s determined to get me there earlier. Plus she tries to avoid another weather delay in Atlanta – which, by the way, is what started this whole mess! Irene finds a 9am Orlando to Key West flight – she books it. OK, now to get me to Orlando. A few more minutes and low & behold, I’m booked Atlanta to Orlando. Irene successfully gets me to Key West by 10am Sunday morning. Much better than the alternative of 7pm Sunday night! She also advised to get a discount hotel coupon from an Orlando Delta agent – they won’t comp the hotel as the original cause was weather, however due to the hassles a discount would apply.
Irene wins – she knew how to treat a customer, she tried every avenue she had and she knew how to think outside the screen!
OK. There I sit waiting for the Atlanta flight. I look at my boarding pass. UGH!!! My aisle seat was lost and I’m now in a middle seat. Unbelievable. Sigh.
The plane is boarding. I’m in Zone 8 at the back of the plane. As I get on the plane the first 2/3 is seated. Why in the world would they not load back to front? That’s how it used to work. I was informed on my return trip the zones system was set up to load windows, then middles, then aisle seats; that’s not how it’s working however. Go figure. At least I’m on the plane and heading to the right time zone!
Atlanta airport. Whew – at least I only have one terminal to catch my connecting flight. Have you ever connected in Atlanta pulling into terminal A only to have to go to terminal C?! Not fun!! You get good exercise though. Anyway, I hang in a Starbucks. A beer sounded better, however the bar was full. This airport is freezing!! Penguins could hang out here!! I have no jacket with me and I will NOT buy anything with Atlanta Braves on it! I look again at my boarding pass…..sigh….a window seat. Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’s a 2 – 3 – 2 configuration.
Florida at last!! I get off the plane in Orlando about 9pm EDT. Hmmmm….imagine that, not a single Delta agent to be found. All the counters are dark. So much for my discount coupon. I pick a hotel at random, get my bag, get the shuttle and off I go for a few hours sleep and hopefully some food. I pick the one hotel farthest from the airport and watch as all the restaurants within walking distance of every other hotel go by. Sigh. Ok, I check in and am on the 2nd floor. No elevators. Big sigh. In the room – it’s clean, the TV works and there’s a pizza place that delivers! Settle in and get ready for any Delta surprises in the morning.
May 22 – Sunday. I made it!! The flight was on time, it was smooth and there I am in Key West. Ahhhh……finally vacation truly begins.
7am Saturday morning. In the car, heading to the airport my phone rings – caller ID shows an 800 number. That can’t be good. It’s Delta – the flight has been delayed by 1 hour therefore I’ll miss my connection in Atlanta to Key West. And the battle begins…..
Delta Agent #1, Stephanie – she starts out helpful. There are no more Key West flights from Atlanta today. She will be happy to rebook my entire itinerary to leave the next day. Not acceptable – 1. I’m meeting people in Key West and 2. it’s my vacation – I’m not wasting an entire day of it traveling! OK, Stephanie tries to find an alternate flight. She comes back happy because she’s found an America West flight leaving at 9am to Atlanta. She’ll try to book me on this one. America Pest?! That does not instill confidence however I’ll take what I can get. Stephanie’s back – the flight is sold out. Her only other solution is for me to travel the next day or she’ll refund my entire ticket so I can try to find an alternative. Excuse me??!!! I ask if she’ll refund my vacation, the payment for the house and my time. I also inform her – again – that I am currently driving so looking up alternatives would be difficult at that moment. She now has the idea I’m not a happy camper. Finally I tell her I’m almost to the airport I’ll deal with a Delta agent there. And I ask, why is it delayed, what happened in 7 hours? Her notes stated “Crew Rest.”
Delta Agent #2, Kimberly – she starts out irritated. Phone service rule #1 – paste a smile on your face no matter what your mood. Kimberly wasn’t smiling. I’ve come up with my own alternative – what’s the first flight out of Atlanta Sunday morning. I’d rather start from Atlanta than Phoenix and only kill ½ day. Kimberly puts me on hold for 10 minutes and comes back to tell me I can’t even get to Atlanta today. WHAT??!!! It seems Stephanie in her infinite wisdom and experience took me OFF the original Atlanta flight. Kimberly informed me the flight is overbooked and my seat was already given away. She can do nothing for me. Wrong answer. Good bye Kimberly.
OK, can you guess my blood pressure is up by now? It doesn’t help that I started my career booking travel so I know how it’s done.
At the airport I look for a person. No, we’re not allowed to talk to people, please use the black Delta Direct phone. Sigh.
Delta Agent #3, Irene – she starts of friendly and helpful. First I summarize what happened so far stressing the fact I didn’t authorize Stephanie to take me OFF the flight! Irene seems to understand there are notes in the record, gets all the details and gets me back on the original Atlanta flight leaving at 10am. Next, she checks all routes from Phoenix to Key West – through Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida. Nothing is available. It seems Irene can actually think things through. She pulls up the Atlanta to Key West schedule for Sunday – there’s a flight at 11am. However, she’s determined to get me there earlier. Plus she tries to avoid another weather delay in Atlanta – which, by the way, is what started this whole mess! Irene finds a 9am Orlando to Key West flight – she books it. OK, now to get me to Orlando. A few more minutes and low & behold, I’m booked Atlanta to Orlando. Irene successfully gets me to Key West by 10am Sunday morning. Much better than the alternative of 7pm Sunday night! She also advised to get a discount hotel coupon from an Orlando Delta agent – they won’t comp the hotel as the original cause was weather, however due to the hassles a discount would apply.
Irene wins – she knew how to treat a customer, she tried every avenue she had and she knew how to think outside the screen!
OK. There I sit waiting for the Atlanta flight. I look at my boarding pass. UGH!!! My aisle seat was lost and I’m now in a middle seat. Unbelievable. Sigh.
The plane is boarding. I’m in Zone 8 at the back of the plane. As I get on the plane the first 2/3 is seated. Why in the world would they not load back to front? That’s how it used to work. I was informed on my return trip the zones system was set up to load windows, then middles, then aisle seats; that’s not how it’s working however. Go figure. At least I’m on the plane and heading to the right time zone!
Atlanta airport. Whew – at least I only have one terminal to catch my connecting flight. Have you ever connected in Atlanta pulling into terminal A only to have to go to terminal C?! Not fun!! You get good exercise though. Anyway, I hang in a Starbucks. A beer sounded better, however the bar was full. This airport is freezing!! Penguins could hang out here!! I have no jacket with me and I will NOT buy anything with Atlanta Braves on it! I look again at my boarding pass…..sigh….a window seat. Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’s a 2 – 3 – 2 configuration.
Florida at last!! I get off the plane in Orlando about 9pm EDT. Hmmmm….imagine that, not a single Delta agent to be found. All the counters are dark. So much for my discount coupon. I pick a hotel at random, get my bag, get the shuttle and off I go for a few hours sleep and hopefully some food. I pick the one hotel farthest from the airport and watch as all the restaurants within walking distance of every other hotel go by. Sigh. Ok, I check in and am on the 2nd floor. No elevators. Big sigh. In the room – it’s clean, the TV works and there’s a pizza place that delivers! Settle in and get ready for any Delta surprises in the morning.
May 22 – Sunday. I made it!! The flight was on time, it was smooth and there I am in Key West. Ahhhh……finally vacation truly begins.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Job Challenges
“When it quits being fun – quit.” I’ve read this in a book and heard this from my SVP in a Town Hall meeting he held in Phoenix. I support this philosophy. Why not? Why keep doing something you don’t want to do? This can apply to many areas of life – activities, relationships, work. Don’t get me wrong – try to fix what’s not fun first especially in a relationship or at work.
Sometimes it’s hard to fix what’s not fun. In my situation it’s work right now. It quit being fun a few months ago. I’ve been working many years – part time, full time, whatever. I’ve had to do things I didn’t like or didn’t agree with but lost the battle to not do it. That’s part of a job. But when your entire day becomes doing tasks you just have absolutely no f’ing desire to do therein lays the challenge.
Ok, now you’re saying – well, what do you want to do? Hmm….there is a bigger challenge. I have a college degree in Travel & Tourism Mgmt. Face it, travel is not the industry it once was. There may be some possibilities there – it’s something to research. But do I want to do that either? Don’t know. I’ve been at American Express for 15 years. What do I do? Currently I’m a Project Manager - and it sucks. Nope, that's definately not what I want to do. What else have I done for 15 years? Lots of things. I have one of those resumes with lots of skills, but no one particular thing I claim as my thing to do. A benefit and a negative at a big company.
And honestly, quitting is not really an option at the moment. There are these things called bills. They suck. They don’t seem to want to go away. Oh, to win the lottery, but reality says….pay your bills. Damn responsibility. Why couldn't my parents raise an irresponsible kid? ;) Hmmm…so back to what do I want to do? What would I look for in the want ads? What should I look for at Amex postings?
Aren’t these the questions we’re supposed to ask ourselves when we’re 18 and getting ready to go to college and not when we’re 35 and have dependencies? What the hell was I doing then???? What was I thinking? What was I drinking? Oh, wait, I didn’t drink then – maybe that’s the problem, I didn’t have philosophical discussions to help me make these decisions. I think I need a beer………..
Sometimes it’s hard to fix what’s not fun. In my situation it’s work right now. It quit being fun a few months ago. I’ve been working many years – part time, full time, whatever. I’ve had to do things I didn’t like or didn’t agree with but lost the battle to not do it. That’s part of a job. But when your entire day becomes doing tasks you just have absolutely no f’ing desire to do therein lays the challenge.
Ok, now you’re saying – well, what do you want to do? Hmm….there is a bigger challenge. I have a college degree in Travel & Tourism Mgmt. Face it, travel is not the industry it once was. There may be some possibilities there – it’s something to research. But do I want to do that either? Don’t know. I’ve been at American Express for 15 years. What do I do? Currently I’m a Project Manager - and it sucks. Nope, that's definately not what I want to do. What else have I done for 15 years? Lots of things. I have one of those resumes with lots of skills, but no one particular thing I claim as my thing to do. A benefit and a negative at a big company.
And honestly, quitting is not really an option at the moment. There are these things called bills. They suck. They don’t seem to want to go away. Oh, to win the lottery, but reality says….pay your bills. Damn responsibility. Why couldn't my parents raise an irresponsible kid? ;) Hmmm…so back to what do I want to do? What would I look for in the want ads? What should I look for at Amex postings?
Aren’t these the questions we’re supposed to ask ourselves when we’re 18 and getting ready to go to college and not when we’re 35 and have dependencies? What the hell was I doing then???? What was I thinking? What was I drinking? Oh, wait, I didn’t drink then – maybe that’s the problem, I didn’t have philosophical discussions to help me make these decisions. I think I need a beer………..
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Back to Phoenix -- now my home
I came back to Phoenix May 2. The longest vacation I've had in a long time - 10 whole days! I flew Southwest - my airline of choice these days. Southwest is on time, the employees make the trip fun and they haven't lost my bags yet. :) I am very happy they now have direct flights to Philadelphia; cheapest flights there too.
First, I must mention the remainder of the vacation. Friday night was the rehersal dinner. Amy forgot to warn Karin P about me and I kept her laughing the whole time. Threatened to make her laugh during the wedding too! I got to see Amy's parents, people from high school and a new friend I met last year. Dinner was delicious and for some reason Amy let me and Ed sit near each other - she should know better, we were able to team up and pick on her. Saturday the wedding was wonderful! Except for the rain, everything ran smoothly and everyone had a good time. And I did make Karin P laugh once during the wedding! The limo was a stretch Hummer - brand new; it was the maiden voyage. There were people stopping on Broad Street in Quakertown to take pictures of the limo!
Sunday had beautiful weather. We spent the day at the Sly Fox Brewery Bock Fest 2005. Had some good beer, visited for a while and got outside. Later I got to watch hockey!! The Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) had come home for Game 6 of Round 1 playoffs. Ahhhh....hockey....I missed it this season! It was a good game overall - most of the excitment was in the 3rd period and we won!
Anyway, I got to Phoenix the next morning, picked up my car and headed to Chandler to pick up my dog. She stays with Mom when I'm away; yes, she's spoiled -- the dog, not Mom. It was a beautiful 80 something degrees, sunny and blue skies. Leaving behind the rain and cold was OK with me. While I don't mind cool weather - jean, jacket weather -- I'm not used to the 30 something degree weather anymore.
Driving to Chandler I noticed the layout of the land more this time. Big difference than my hometown area. The streets are wider, sub-divisions plenty and grocery store and/or gas station on almost every corner. South Chandler still has open fields and a dairy farm or two, but even they are showing signs of development. The country feel isn't there; more city or smaller town feel to the area.
Don't get me wrong, there are still beautiful areas, but it's just not the same. Unlike Ed thinks, Arizona is not all arid desert land. Granted, Phoenix was pretty much desert and some farmland before the expansion of the valley took over. Now it's grassy and developed. I still haven't figured out why people insist on putting in grass -- it's too damn hot to mow in the summer! Outside the city - north or south - you can get to beautiful areas. Mountains, National Parks, forests and lakes surround the Phoenix valley. The desert is beautiful in its own way. Yes, there are some desert areas that are nothing but flat, dusty and dirty. There are others where the desert vegetation is plenty, it's not just flat and well, it's always dusty.
Back to my townhouse with my dog. She and the cats are happy to see me. I like my townhouse and my complex. It's quiet and I can walk to the grocery store, Starbucks, PetSmart and Blockbuster. I'm near my office (for now - that'll be another post!) and close to my friends here. Overall I'm pretty adaptable though I see myself eventually in a small town, with some yard around my house where I have to drive at least 10 minutes to the grocery store :)
First, I must mention the remainder of the vacation. Friday night was the rehersal dinner. Amy forgot to warn Karin P about me and I kept her laughing the whole time. Threatened to make her laugh during the wedding too! I got to see Amy's parents, people from high school and a new friend I met last year. Dinner was delicious and for some reason Amy let me and Ed sit near each other - she should know better, we were able to team up and pick on her. Saturday the wedding was wonderful! Except for the rain, everything ran smoothly and everyone had a good time. And I did make Karin P laugh once during the wedding! The limo was a stretch Hummer - brand new; it was the maiden voyage. There were people stopping on Broad Street in Quakertown to take pictures of the limo!
Sunday had beautiful weather. We spent the day at the Sly Fox Brewery Bock Fest 2005. Had some good beer, visited for a while and got outside. Later I got to watch hockey!! The Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) had come home for Game 6 of Round 1 playoffs. Ahhhh....hockey....I missed it this season! It was a good game overall - most of the excitment was in the 3rd period and we won!
Anyway, I got to Phoenix the next morning, picked up my car and headed to Chandler to pick up my dog. She stays with Mom when I'm away; yes, she's spoiled -- the dog, not Mom. It was a beautiful 80 something degrees, sunny and blue skies. Leaving behind the rain and cold was OK with me. While I don't mind cool weather - jean, jacket weather -- I'm not used to the 30 something degree weather anymore.
Driving to Chandler I noticed the layout of the land more this time. Big difference than my hometown area. The streets are wider, sub-divisions plenty and grocery store and/or gas station on almost every corner. South Chandler still has open fields and a dairy farm or two, but even they are showing signs of development. The country feel isn't there; more city or smaller town feel to the area.
Don't get me wrong, there are still beautiful areas, but it's just not the same. Unlike Ed thinks, Arizona is not all arid desert land. Granted, Phoenix was pretty much desert and some farmland before the expansion of the valley took over. Now it's grassy and developed. I still haven't figured out why people insist on putting in grass -- it's too damn hot to mow in the summer! Outside the city - north or south - you can get to beautiful areas. Mountains, National Parks, forests and lakes surround the Phoenix valley. The desert is beautiful in its own way. Yes, there are some desert areas that are nothing but flat, dusty and dirty. There are others where the desert vegetation is plenty, it's not just flat and well, it's always dusty.
Back to my townhouse with my dog. She and the cats are happy to see me. I like my townhouse and my complex. It's quiet and I can walk to the grocery store, Starbucks, PetSmart and Blockbuster. I'm near my office (for now - that'll be another post!) and close to my friends here. Overall I'm pretty adaptable though I see myself eventually in a small town, with some yard around my house where I have to drive at least 10 minutes to the grocery store :)
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