Post-travel and Post-birthday

I have my luggage. It was delivered yesterday morning. I can officially say that the trip has now ended. What a crazy experience.

I had a very low-key birthday. I still think it was a better birthday than last year when I spent the day traveling from New Orleans to New Jersey and then sleeping the rest of the day/night. I went to work for a few hours. I needed to touch base with an employee who is off all next week. They also had a birthday celebration for three of us. Who am I to reject delicious treats? I picked up Elston who was very happy to see me. She had a great time with B&A and Sophie. She also survived an attack by a pack of pugs. We took a long nap. I went out for late happy hour with K, E, and L to the Laurelwood. A few pints, mac & cheese, and catching up on apartment happenings is what I needed.

I am taking an administrative day today to catch up on things. Bills, grocery shopping and email. It feels so good to be back in Oregon.

Draft

NO!!!! I can't believe the Bulls drafted Noah. Don't they know that I can't stand him? Why didn't they check with me? Please let there be a trade...please let there be a trade.

I still believe that Portland had a tough choice between Oden and Durant. Either way, they couldn't go wrong.

Finally...

I stood in the economy parking lot last night and just inhaled the Oregon smell. At least I didn't get down on my hands and knees and kiss the ground. I was kinda too busy walking up and down aisles looking for my car.

I just need to rant a little more about my travel day. My flight from JFK to LAX went absolutely fine. We arrived a little late because we had to keep detouring around the weather. The problem on that flight was the evil woman who sat next to me. Wow. When we were still at the gate at JFK, she was checking email on her Blackberry. She refused when the attendant for the third time came by and asked her to turn it off.

"Why?" (all of this was said in the single snottiest voice I have ever heard)
"TSA regulations require it"
"I've heard it has nothing to do with the operations of the plane but to make sure we watch the safety demonstration which I already know"
"That has nothing to do with it. Turn it off now"
"Tell me the reason behind it and then I'll turn it off"
"It is for safety reasons so turn it off before I remove you from the plane"

My silent cheerleader should have become vocal and begged for her to be removed. Annoying woman with her Prada bag kept secretly checking her email up to the point the wheels were leaving the ground. What else? I've never seen anyone skim so many newspapers and magazines and throw the debris all around her. Yes, I know I am being picky but damn she was annoying. She was snotty when she asked for her drink. She took up extra space. She just looked mean. On the other side of me was the most mild-mannered little girl. She read books, worked on different activity books, and worked on a few craft projects. She had a million snacks and didn't speak the entire flight.

My flight from LA to Portland was not so fun. I find it hard to believe that an airport the size of LAX does not have a more efficient system for moving people from one terminal to another. It felt like amateur hour with different shuttle buses and walking up and down different stairwells. I had to hustle to make my flight. I sat in between a family that represented so many things of our culture that piss me off. The father kept encouraging the son to find different ways to test the flight attendant. Things like putting down the tray table to see if he would notice and stuff like that. Great. Why don't we encourage our children to become future assholes. Throw him a Blackberry and he could be the woman on my earlier flight. I should have been teaching him how to steal a tray of cookies for our row. At least put your nasty skills to practical use. The only amusing thing about this family was listening to them practice the Spanish they learned on their trip to a resort in Mexico.

So, I am home. I was too tired to make the drive to pick up Elston. Oh and did I mention that I don't have my luggage? The Alaska Airlines baggage representative laughed when she heard that I had flown American on the first leg of my trip. Apparently, they never get the bags to the connecting flights and they always come on a later flight. It is the first time my luggage has never arrived. Instead of going to work this morning, I am waiting for my bag to be delivered. Happy Birthday to me.

Progress

I am at JFK and it looks like I might leave on time. We all know the drill - we board and sit on the runway (see Dallas to Dulles saga) but I am hopeful. My plane is here. I am glad I am not going through Dallas today because it looks messy for at least another day or so.

American Airlines continues to suffer with customer service but I would probably be cranky if I worked for a crappy company.

Oh and we had a hearty breakfast/lunch at a NJ diner. As Mary pointed out, New Jersey is known for its diners. I then saw the lovely sites of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens.

Honestly

This isn't funny anymore. Let me backtrack to yesterday. Meg and I had to move to a different hotel because the other hotel couldn't accommodate our full stay. I thought it was going to be a great hotel because of its location, rooftop bar and historic significance. What a dump. We had twin beds and the place was dirty, dirty, dirty. Meg thought it was similar to being in summer camp with the beds and I thought it was like being in a mental institution. Remember this - never stay at the Hotel Washington.

Travel. I took a cab to Union Station and made my Amtrak train without any problems. The ride to Baltimore's airport was a breeze. I went to the self check-in for American Airlines. I noticed my flight to Dallas was delayed 2 1/2 hours. I talked to the ticket agent. Storms in Dallas. My flight to Portland was also delayed but not as long. She didn't think it would be a problem because everything was backed up. I go ahead to the gate. I noticed other flights to Dallas had been cancelled. I debated what to do.

I called American. The agent said I should stick with my plans because I could get to Dallas and everything could be fine with my connecting flight. I wait. I finally go on American's website and see that the plane we were waiting on had left Dallas. I noticed my Portland flight was probably going to leave before I arrived. I went up to the gate and the agent recommended that I go to the main ticket counter and get tickets reissued because everything was already oversold tomorrow from Dallas to Portland. She recommended a Northwest airlines flight that they could put me on.

I go back to the main ticket counter and stand in a very long line while I am on hold with American Airlines. I finally get through so I leave the line. The agent did not want to help me. She said everything was booked from the DC area to Dallas and from Dallas to Portland. I mentioned the Northwest flight. She put me on hold. 5 minutes later she tells me that those flights are booked. She puts me on hold to check with Continental. Nope. We are now looking at a Thursday return. No, I don't want to spend my birthday once again on a plane. Everything from Philly is booked. Finally, I get on a flight leaving JFK at 4 on Wednesday, going through LA to Portland. I don't get in until 10:30 pm. As I was leaving to get my baggage, I heard them announce that all remaining flights to Dallas were cancelled for the evening and they couldn't put people on flights for at least another two days.

How do I get to JFK? I try to rent a car. All gone. I get on an Amtrak train. Mary was kind enough to arrange a hotel room in Edison, NJ, and picked me up from the station. At 12:30 am, I am back in NJ. We are staying at a hotel located near an Exxon Mobil plant which is so appropriate on my return to NJ. If only we were here for my birthday and Jazzy thursday at the Clarion Hotel.

Cross your fingers for tomorrow. I can't take too many more posts detailing my travel woes.

DC

Last night before I start another long trek home. I would just like to thank whoever is responsible for the decent weather. I had visions of lots of humidity but it was the most pleasant weather I have ever experienced in DC.

First, I want to post about two sightings. Last night, I was walking with Mary to a restaurant when we noticed lots of police action on the street. I started to step out on the street to see what was going on when a motorcycle cop yelled at me to get back on the sidewalk. I heard a helicopter and saw lots of police blocking intersections. Sure enough, around the corner comes the presidential motorcade. It was this very weird sight. Everyone was driving fast and doing fancy maneuvers around the limo. One truck had very odd things on the back of it. Mary thought they were flamethrowers. Doubtful but impressive. Yes, it was our president (small p on purpose). He waved. Mary wanted to yell something at him but I told her not to because I didn't feel like dealing with jail. It wasn't until later that I realized how pathetic I've become as a protester.

Second sighting was much cooler. Last Thursday, we were standing in front of Union Station when two people were leaving a SUV. I made a sarcastic comment that it was Steve Van Zandt because he was wearing a bandanna. He turns around and we realized it was really him. As he walked past us, Mary said he looked better since his coma. He laughed and said he was feeling much better. His wife also laughed. Good 'ol Silvio.

I've had great meals on this trip. Okay, I've also had a lot of Potbelly. Everyone in Chicago knows what I am talking about because Potbelly originated in Chicago. I also went to Kramerbooks a lot for either beer or dinner. I had one of the best meals at Kramerbooks. Mary and I went to an excellent Italian restaurant (Luigino), one not so great Italian restaurant, dinner on the rooftop at the Hotel Washington overlooking the White House, and an amazing lunch at Acadiana. At the Italian restaurant in DuPont Circle, our waiter asked if he could leave a glass of red wine at our table. It was for some other table and he couldn't juggle everything. It took him a long time to remember where he left it.

It was great to see friends even though everything seemed a little rushed. This conference was just a little insane with meetings. My conference schedule should return to normal next January with 3 very long meetings off my schedule.

Travel Day from HELL

My flight from Portland to Dallas was fine except for the school group and a few kids throwing up during the descent. I had an hour layover in Dallas and everything appeared fine. We board our plan to Dulles on time. As I was walking past the flight attendant, I heard her comment to a service person that they needed more ice because we could be sitting on the runway for awhile. Okay. I get into my great seat next to a very nice woman who was taking her grandson on a trip to Botswana. People are still boarding when the pilot comes on to say that due to weather and traffic issues in the DC area, we would need to pull away from the gate and then sit on the runway for 2 hours. Shades went down and air vents pointed at our faces. I began text messaging Mary for updates. They came around with water. One flight attendant was so surly that I thought a guy was going to chuck his Blackberry at her head. Nice seatmate kept offering me ritz sandwich bits. No thank you. Lack of beverage service isn't the time to start eating gummy food.

An hour goes by and the pilot comes back on to say that we could end up sitting another 2 hours, so they were debating if we should return to the gate or stay on the runway in case our departure time changed. Hour and a half goes by and he says we are returning to the gate. This was a good thing because I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic with the heat. Plus, if the woman behind me let out another large sigh that the pilot could probably hear, I was going to shove her plastic cup down her throat. As we pull up to the gate, the flight attendant said the flight was now cancelled. She gets on a minute later to say that it was still on. We unboard and the gate agent says it is cancelled.

I get rebooked on a flight that was leaving at 8 pm. It was only 4:30-5:00 so I had lots of time to kill. By the way, I heard three different stories about our luggage so I was a tad nervous but figured it would all work out. I went off and had something to eat before I decided to plant myself at the gate. Little would I know that we would eventually move to 4 more gates and I would see two different terminals. Have I mentioned yet how much I hate the Dallas airport? My 8 flight kept getting delayed and delayed. I called my hotel to tell them I was going to be a late arrival and that I wanted to confirm the non-smoking/double room. I called the shuttle because I prepaid. They gave me a number to call when I arrived.

I eventually started bonding with some of my fellow passengers. At one point, I had to go to TGI Fridays (I guess it is now called Friday's) to slam a vodka tonic because of the kids playing soccer behind our seats. I think it shocked one of my group members. Clearly, I was the lush of the group. One woman who was not part of the terminal social group kept pacing back and forth. She came up to us to tell us of a gate change. At that point, Mary sent me a message that showed our flight leaving at midnight. I told everyone and there was a collective moan. This woman flipped out on me. I flipped our right back and told her I was not American Airlines and to settle down. She stormed off to our new gate. I get a new text from Mary saying she meant 11. Oops. We then realized that no one at our gate had told us of the gate change and they had all disappeared. The phone at the gate started ringing. It wouldn't stop. A woman in my group answered it and pretended to work for American Airlines and to get some information on our flight. I dared everyone to get the loudspeaker and say that American sucks in customer service. No one stepped up to the dare. At another point, I saw some bored TSA people quizzing each other on "security means what?" and "health and something are what." It was one of the strangest moments I've ever seen in an airport. I thought they were going to start a song and dance routine.

We finally took off at 11. I had Mary call the shuttle people to give them my arrival time of 3 am. Slept the entire flight. Land. Mary sent a message that the shuttle people were unreachable and to take a cab. Cabs from Dulles=lots of $$. Fortunately, there was no traffic at 3:30 in the morning.

I get to my hotel at 4. Get to my room. Ashes are all over the toilet. I realize I am in a smoking room that hasn't really been cleaned. Call the front desk. No other rooms are available. They didn't show the non-smoking request in the system and it doesn't matter because there aren't any other rooms. I would have to wait until 11 am to see if I could switch. I complain about the dirty bathroom. Nothing he can do. I fume. I then see the message light flashing. I call back to the front desk. The person who could read the message for me had stepped away. What the hell? Am I at a Hilton or at some 1/2 star hotel?

I barely sleep. I debated about going to the hotel lobby and camping out just to prove my point. Decide it isn't worth it. I woke up early and called the agency that booked this room. Yep, they had sent along my request to the hotel. I walk down to the desk primed for battle. My hair was kinda sticking up. I really did look a little deranged. The woman was very nice and quickly called to have another room cleaned (deranged=move ass quickly to get rid of crazy lady). She even gave me a free breakfast. Oh and she said..."you have a message...would you like it now?
It was from my boss.

Now I am in a nice room and I just asked Meg to bring a bottle of Vodka with her so we can have cocktails when she shows up.

Flights

Every teen school group in the country has descended either in Portland or in Dallas. Someone placed a magnet on me that is making them follow me around. Fortunately, I had such an early morning flight that I was passed out. It is a little more jarring now that I am on a layover and there is constant teen talk going on. Kinda cute but not right now.

Driving to the airport this morning (5 am), the sun was just starting to rise. Mt Hood looked amazing.

Neighborhood

Here is information on my hood here and here
I am also on the edge of the Grant Park neighborhood, which is more residential.

Father's Day

To remember my dad today, I went to Powell's and bought a few books that I had wanted for awhile. I am allowing myself one or two book purchases every few months, so today was the day. I also took the Sunday NY Times to a local bakery/coffeehouse and had breakfast.

I also talked today to my Godmother who is incredibly important to me. I hadn't talked to her in quite awhile and it is a phone call I've wanted to make for many months. I think of her and my Godfather as my second parents so it is only appropriate that I talked to them today.

I had a great time seeing former colleagues and friends at a party in Eugene. It was very surreal to be back in Eugene. I went past the former homestead and was surprised at how dumpy it looked. The former drug den across the street looked much better. It was nice to catch up with people, eat good food, and reconnect. M- I stopped at Dutch Brothers and they forgot to put cream in my coffee! I love Dutch Brothers coffee so I was looking forward to getting a nice cup for my 2 hour drive back to Portland. It was still great but I couldn't believe they missed such a crucial thing!

Crazy Night

Not only does it feel like I live in a dorm but last night it felt like I was back in college. So, M, E, K and I went out along with their friend, T, who was visiting from Chicago. Another friend, C, joined us later in the night. It was the Black Pride celebration so K was volunteering to work the door at one of the 18 and over spaces that had been created. We walked in and we were about the only people there for at least the first hour. It never did fill up which was kinda sad. We got our drinks and found a place by the window to sit. It was just an odd mix of people. The music was super loud and the cds kept skipping. They had a huge spread of food but none of us really wanted to eat. At one point, I looked outside and saw a massive bike gathering...of naked people. It was just weird to see tons of naked people riding their bikes past a bar.

They decided to shut the place down so we had to carry the food to another bar. I was walking across the street and through the bar with a platter of pita and hummus. At one point, I just started going up to people asking if they would want some food. This bar was much more packed. T's father kept talking to me. He was a very, very weird man. He was going on and on about his Hummer, the bbq place he owns, all of his men, and so on. The guy he was with was trying to give me love advice. I kept focusing on his missing tooth. Meanwhile, I made a new friend who went behind the bar to get our drinks. He didn't even work there and I don't even know if anyone noticed. I gave him a tip of $20. It was that kind of night. At one point, we were chasing some guy around for jello shots. Wait. I wasn't chasing him around but my friends were really into getting the jello shot via a plastic needle. Gross but it tasted good. We finally left there and decided to get some food. We filled up on breakfast food and we headed off. M was our designated driver. We drove and drove and drove forever to take T back to her dad's place. He wasn't there. He was still downtown in his Hummer. We all came back to the dorm. 4:30 in the morning.

I am too old for this. At least I am getting out and seeing Portland and hanging out with some very, very cool people.

Flowers and Neighbors

I am sitting here smelling the peonies that have just opened up and are filling up the apartment with their scent. Interestingly enough, Elston isn't smelling them when I hold them up to her but she'll sniff every single flower on our walk. Hmm...I sense a scam. She has been pretending to be smelling them just to prolong our walks and to make me think she is cute. I am on to her!

I had a rough day last Friday. It is an understatement. On Friday night, I ran into some neighbors and they invited me to hang out with them. It was a perfect way to end a long week. We went out for wings and beers at Fire on the Mountain. I was the designated driver so I only had a few beers. We ended up coming back to the apartment building and drinking the rest of the beer from a party a week ago. A few more people joined us - from the apartment and some of their friends. It ended up being a really late night but lots of fun. I hung out with them again Sunday for happy hour at the Laurelwood.

I really enjoy hanging out with M, K, and E. I kinda joke around that it is like living in a very expensive dorm. M is leaving for six months which is a little depressing because she has such a positive energy. All of us have dogs and can really joke around. It also feels good to know people in the building.

I spent a really nice Saturday day with S. We went to the farmer's market and I loaded up on some veggies and the flowers. We then went to Fleur de Lis for a little snack. We hung out talking. She gave me some excellent advice. I tell ya...she is wise beyond her years. I spent the rest of the weekend working on the boxes in the other bedroom. I am slowly making progress on finishing up the apartment.