The laundry is almost done, the extra stuff has been assembled, and I'm almost ready to start packing for our trek to Chicago tomorrow afternoon.
Mom called with news of impending blizzards tomorrow at about the time that we're supposed to take off, but it looks like it won't be that bad. Hopefully, we'll be able to get out and get to Mom's at a decent time. I would have been happy to leave early tomorrow morning and drive, but H was adamant that he didn't want to spend that kind of time in the car. Plus, he really doesn't have the time to take off and needs to work in the morning.
It will be interesting. I'm already worn out thinking about it.
Showing posts with label travel excitement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel excitement. Show all posts
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Never a Dull Moment
Things to do at JFK during your 13-hour wait for a flight:
- Revel in the fact that there is no college football on. Nor do you see anyone wearing college gear except from schools like NYU and the Carnegie Mellon School of Engineering.
- Try to guess the native countries of fellow passengers by eavesdropping on snips of their native languages.
- Count the passengers that would freak out the TSA at BNA and then give up. It would mean practically everyone except you and H.
- Look! A yarmulke! When was the last time that you saw one of those? Reflect.
- Try not to get sad about the exotic places that you're NOT going. San Francisco, Athens, Milan, Pittsburgh...
- Determine whether or not the Ladies' Room is suitable for a quick sponge bath in a pinch. Updated answer: absolutely not.
- Where are all of the flight attendants? Normally, you see them in droves. They're all hiding. Updated answer: the flight attendant on our trip to BNA confirmed this.
- Look for foreign aircraft, or make it up that you saw exotic ones while H was taking a walk. Watch him get irritated. Feel guilty for teasing him.
- Search everywhere for a socket so that you can recharge the phone/ipod/Nintendo/whatever died during the last 13 hours. Give up. There is only one socket in the entire terminal, and it's being used by someone wearing a yarmulke. See #4.
- Feel momentarily depressed that you've been in the airport longer than the barista at Starbuck's. Cheer up when you realize that you could BE a barista. Say a quick Hail Mary.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Crabby
I am not a very nice person. No, that's not entirely true. I'm not a bad person at all. But, airports bring out the worst in me every single time.
It's not the endless waiting in line. It's not the hike of 6 miles to get to the gate. It's not the schlepping of the overstuffed suitcase onto a shuttle bus. It's the talking.
I am one of those people that appear approachable. Strangers come up to me out of nowhere to ask directions, or questions, or for help, or just simply to make conversation. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but when I'm traveling, I want to enjoy the traveling. I don't want seven different strangers ask me what brings me to X destination. I don't want to watch someone's bags when they say that they'll be gone for 5 minutes that turn into 20. I don't want to explain, although the gate agent already has twice, how to get on the freaking plane.
I love to travel. Packing is sport. So is buying tickets and making all of the minute yet essential arrangements. I would travel professionally if I could figure out how, and it makes me sad that travel agents are going the way of dinosaurs in this age of Travelocity. When I'm in an airport, I want to soak it all in and relax. However, I must have some target that calls me out as a sucker for helpless little old ladies.
Don't get me wrong... some of my favorite people are little old ladies. However, none of them are helpless or act that way. Traveling isn't scary or terribly difficult. Just pay attention. And please, give me a break. Just once.
It's not the endless waiting in line. It's not the hike of 6 miles to get to the gate. It's not the schlepping of the overstuffed suitcase onto a shuttle bus. It's the talking.
I am one of those people that appear approachable. Strangers come up to me out of nowhere to ask directions, or questions, or for help, or just simply to make conversation. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but when I'm traveling, I want to enjoy the traveling. I don't want seven different strangers ask me what brings me to X destination. I don't want to watch someone's bags when they say that they'll be gone for 5 minutes that turn into 20. I don't want to explain, although the gate agent already has twice, how to get on the freaking plane.
I love to travel. Packing is sport. So is buying tickets and making all of the minute yet essential arrangements. I would travel professionally if I could figure out how, and it makes me sad that travel agents are going the way of dinosaurs in this age of Travelocity. When I'm in an airport, I want to soak it all in and relax. However, I must have some target that calls me out as a sucker for helpless little old ladies.
Don't get me wrong... some of my favorite people are little old ladies. However, none of them are helpless or act that way. Traveling isn't scary or terribly difficult. Just pay attention. And please, give me a break. Just once.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
One More Thing About Warnings from Locals
If they tell you to drink a lot of water, because the altitude affects alcohol and medication intake, DO IT. They're not kidding and you will be unspeakably embarrassing to your friends and H because your tolerance is only about a third of what it normally is.
The good thing is that I wasn't hung over the next day because I had hardly anything to drink, but I more than paid for it the night before.
Prudence is the better part of valor. Yes, you heard me say that.
The good thing is that I wasn't hung over the next day because I had hardly anything to drink, but I more than paid for it the night before.
Prudence is the better part of valor. Yes, you heard me say that.
Perils of Pike's Peak
After their class let out yesterday, H and his friend D and I decided to drive up to Pike's Peak. The entrance to the park is only 10 miles from the hotel, and it's less than a 40 mile round-trip drive. Just for a little background information, we started at about 6500 feet at the beginning, and the peak is 14,410. The drive was gorgeous. The aspens have all changed to an incredible golden color, and not many have dropped their leaves yet. As the elevation rises, the aspens disappear, and then the conifers at about 12,000 feet (the timberline).
It had also started to snow.
I was sooooooo excited. I can't get enough snow under normal circumstances. It was spitting at first, but then turned into beautiful flakes pretty quickly. At that point, I was only unnerved by the fact that we were in a rental car that I wasn't 100% comfortable with, but at least it was large. But, the drive up isn't paved the entire way, and I didn't know if the pavement or the unpaved area was more slippery.
We got to the peak, white knuckling and heavy breathing the entire time, and got out of the car into the gusting wind to go into the Visitor's Center. Of course, the visibility was only about 10 feet (as it was on the last 1000 feet of the drive). I was very dizzy and out of breath, but wasn't sure if it was because of the altitude or because I was freaking out, or both. Most likely both. We were in the Visitor's Center when they came on the loud speaker to "strongly advise" that we start down because conditions were worsening and Park Rangers would come to escort us down. We didn't wait for the Rangers, because other people were heading down as well.
No sooner did we start down then the car skidded. Not so much that H and D noticed, thank God, but enough that it made me want to throw up. One thing that I may not have mentioned about this glorious ride is that there are VERY FEW GUARDRAILS. Hmmmm. Not like a Dodge Charger in the slippery snow would have been stopped by one anyway. Thankfully, that was the only time that it skidded and we crawled down the mountain until the snow disappeared at about 10,000 feet.
Then, we were treated with some of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen. The sun was out, the trees were glowing, the water was so blue, and we stopped at every chance we could to get pictures.
Sorry we did it? Absolutely not. But, I'm paying for it today. I have had a screaming headache all day, partly brought on by stress and partly brought on by a klonopin hangover (see the next post about altitude and medication). H took D to the airport and did some running around, and I've slept all day. I'm starting to feel human now.
It had also started to snow.
I was sooooooo excited. I can't get enough snow under normal circumstances. It was spitting at first, but then turned into beautiful flakes pretty quickly. At that point, I was only unnerved by the fact that we were in a rental car that I wasn't 100% comfortable with, but at least it was large. But, the drive up isn't paved the entire way, and I didn't know if the pavement or the unpaved area was more slippery.
We got to the peak, white knuckling and heavy breathing the entire time, and got out of the car into the gusting wind to go into the Visitor's Center. Of course, the visibility was only about 10 feet (as it was on the last 1000 feet of the drive). I was very dizzy and out of breath, but wasn't sure if it was because of the altitude or because I was freaking out, or both. Most likely both. We were in the Visitor's Center when they came on the loud speaker to "strongly advise" that we start down because conditions were worsening and Park Rangers would come to escort us down. We didn't wait for the Rangers, because other people were heading down as well.
No sooner did we start down then the car skidded. Not so much that H and D noticed, thank God, but enough that it made me want to throw up. One thing that I may not have mentioned about this glorious ride is that there are VERY FEW GUARDRAILS. Hmmmm. Not like a Dodge Charger in the slippery snow would have been stopped by one anyway. Thankfully, that was the only time that it skidded and we crawled down the mountain until the snow disappeared at about 10,000 feet.
Then, we were treated with some of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen. The sun was out, the trees were glowing, the water was so blue, and we stopped at every chance we could to get pictures.
Sorry we did it? Absolutely not. But, I'm paying for it today. I have had a screaming headache all day, partly brought on by stress and partly brought on by a klonopin hangover (see the next post about altitude and medication). H took D to the airport and did some running around, and I've slept all day. I'm starting to feel human now.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Purple Mountains Majesty
Whew. What a week.
It stared off with Job #1's biannual seminar. Nothing like being at the Opryland hotel, getting lost, and walking for miles and miles and miles while being happy and wearing lipstick. :(
On Wednesday, I was able to escape a little early, but still had to go home to do laundry, clean up the house, and get both of us packed for Colorado. H has a seminar here, and I came along for the ride. We both really needed to get away.
The view from the hotel is gorgeous. We're on the 10th floor on the Northwest corner, so we have views of the mountains from both the West and the North. So much better than the time that we had the view of Ground Zero from the 55th floor! We're going to Pike's Peak tomorrow with one of his colleagues, and then the USAF Academy chapel and USOC training facility. My friend A, who we're meeting for dinner tonight, might be able to give us some hints as well.
The only real snafu is that my luggage didn't make it with me. However, Southwest was great about the whole thing, and a courier brought it to me about half an hour ago. Yay! I had a feeling that I should have carried the bag on, but I was so tired from the busy week that I just didn't feel like lifting the bag over my head. Lesson learned.
I have to jump in the shower now, as I have an appointment for a facial at 2:45. Shameless, no?
It stared off with Job #1's biannual seminar. Nothing like being at the Opryland hotel, getting lost, and walking for miles and miles and miles while being happy and wearing lipstick. :(
On Wednesday, I was able to escape a little early, but still had to go home to do laundry, clean up the house, and get both of us packed for Colorado. H has a seminar here, and I came along for the ride. We both really needed to get away.
The view from the hotel is gorgeous. We're on the 10th floor on the Northwest corner, so we have views of the mountains from both the West and the North. So much better than the time that we had the view of Ground Zero from the 55th floor! We're going to Pike's Peak tomorrow with one of his colleagues, and then the USAF Academy chapel and USOC training facility. My friend A, who we're meeting for dinner tonight, might be able to give us some hints as well.
The only real snafu is that my luggage didn't make it with me. However, Southwest was great about the whole thing, and a courier brought it to me about half an hour ago. Yay! I had a feeling that I should have carried the bag on, but I was so tired from the busy week that I just didn't feel like lifting the bag over my head. Lesson learned.
I have to jump in the shower now, as I have an appointment for a facial at 2:45. Shameless, no?
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