The other day at lunch, I saw a girl walking through with a mask on. It could be for some reason other than swine flu fears, but it seemed too coincidental. It really amazes me how crazy the whole world seems to be getting about the "swine" flu. I've read a lot of articles about the flu, about how it's becoming a pandemic, etc. But more and more of the articles, rightly so, are concentrating on downplaying the threat.
First of all, calling it swine flu is a misnomer. It is a flu that can live in people, birds and swine, but there hasn't been a documented case in swine! Secondly, the flu isn't that deadly. Annually the normal flu kills tens of thousands of people in the US alone, the so called swine flu is still in the double digits.
It really bothers me all the fear-mongering going around about the swine flu. Before that it was the avian flu. Can people not get along without having something to fear? Do we actually need the boogie man to be able to sleep at night? I would blame the media, but they are just giving people what they want.
After 9-11, the media went on endlessly about how bad the economy was as a result of the attacks. Even after the economy recovered and was doing well, they kept hounding on the fact that the economy was in shambles. After five years of doomsaying, the economy did tumble. But the economy is a self fulfilling system, so how much was caused by the predictions and how much by the actual conditions? I wonder if the economy could have had a minor "correction" instead of a recession, if people were more confident.
Anyway, as Gabriel Heatter used to say, "There is good news tonight." I made simple syrup for mint juleps. As the name implied, it is a rather simple process. Combine equal parts sugar and water and bring the liquid to a boil and make sure all of the sugar is dissolved. Then let it cool (although a couple of web sites suggested boiling for 5 minutes, I boiled a couple of minutes). Once the concoction was relatively cool, I poured it into three glasses. The first glass had unbruised mint leaves, the second bruised leaves, and the last was empty (which will be my control group). The glasses are now in the refridgerator steeping or controlling.
I do have to say, mint is powerfully strong smelling! When I opened the little package, I just about seized up from the smell. I'm curious as to how I'll feel about the smell tomorrow, or I suspect for a few weeks to come.
30 April 2009
25 April 2009
Complaint
I dislike cigarette smoke, to put it mildly. Despise might be a more accurate term. As I was coming home from 6294 tonight, I had the misfortune of catching the very last train. When this has happened before, I didn't mind so much. Sure it is a little slower than normal (the last red line train waits for the last green line train and orange line train, so delays in either of those lines means a wait).
But tonight was an entirely different sort of issue. Two guys got on the train smoking cigarettes. There are a number of signs saying that it's illegal, but that didn't phase them. I told the guy to put out the cigarette, and he refused.
I won't go into the nitty-gritty, but it put me and everyone else on the train in an awkward position, although me more than most. If I had insisted, I know there was a good chance the confrontation would have escalated. I thought about pushing the call button, but again, an escalation would be likely. Even if I stood up, it could have been construed as a confrontational move. Also, if I had tried going forward to the talk to the conductor directly, there was a decent chance the doors would have closed and I would miss the last train.
There was more drama to the story, but my part ended when I got to my stop and informed the attendent at the station about the two guys who were smoking. I have no idea if anything will come of it (I doubt it), but... Actually, my part didn't quite end there, since I also wrote a message to the MBTA explaining the situation, and asking what a person is supposed to do.
On a slightly unrelated note (only relating in that it also happened on the train), I felt rather overdressed on the subway. Wearing a jacket and tie on the subway, on the first nice day (a weekend day none-the-less) made me stand out more than usual. Heck, wearing long pants put me in a very small minority.
P.S. I feel I should justify this posting a little bit more. I try to be the sort of person who is not upset by things. But sometimes something happens that really causes my blood to boil (and in this case triggers my asthma and causes my eyes to burn). Even though it is two in the morning, and I really should be going to bed, this had me wound up enough that blowing off steam writing a blog entry seems like the sane option.
But tonight was an entirely different sort of issue. Two guys got on the train smoking cigarettes. There are a number of signs saying that it's illegal, but that didn't phase them. I told the guy to put out the cigarette, and he refused.
I won't go into the nitty-gritty, but it put me and everyone else on the train in an awkward position, although me more than most. If I had insisted, I know there was a good chance the confrontation would have escalated. I thought about pushing the call button, but again, an escalation would be likely. Even if I stood up, it could have been construed as a confrontational move. Also, if I had tried going forward to the talk to the conductor directly, there was a decent chance the doors would have closed and I would miss the last train.
There was more drama to the story, but my part ended when I got to my stop and informed the attendent at the station about the two guys who were smoking. I have no idea if anything will come of it (I doubt it), but... Actually, my part didn't quite end there, since I also wrote a message to the MBTA explaining the situation, and asking what a person is supposed to do.
On a slightly unrelated note (only relating in that it also happened on the train), I felt rather overdressed on the subway. Wearing a jacket and tie on the subway, on the first nice day (a weekend day none-the-less) made me stand out more than usual. Heck, wearing long pants put me in a very small minority.
P.S. I feel I should justify this posting a little bit more. I try to be the sort of person who is not upset by things. But sometimes something happens that really causes my blood to boil (and in this case triggers my asthma and causes my eyes to burn). Even though it is two in the morning, and I really should be going to bed, this had me wound up enough that blowing off steam writing a blog entry seems like the sane option.
Alumni Weekend
April 29, 1864 was the date of the founding of my fraternity. Every year to commemorate the anniversary every chapter has a Founder's day celebration called 6294. My chapter, the fourth chapter, Delta, was also founded on April 29, but 1885. So we've been at MIT almost as long as MIT has been around.
Anyway, this weekend is the celebration, so the tradition is to have a BBQ at the house, then go play an alumni vs. actives baseball game. Everyone then gets cleaned up and we return to the house later that night to have a "nice" dinner. Quite a few alumni come back to the house for this event, depending on the year. Some pledge classes coordinate, so their entire class tries to come back, even if they are spread across the country.
I just got back from the softball portion of the event. After 4 innings or so, the alumni's lead was in the double digits. The alumni virtually always win the event, and it's not always because we cheat and get to bend the rules (the alumni bat first and last, for instance). I hadn't intended on playing, but since pretty much everyone was as bad as I am, and as disinclined to running, I decided to play a bit. Although I did leave early as the sun started to get too much for me. Hopefully I didn't get sunburned, for which I largely thank my baseball cap (since a bald head is prone to burning). Anyway, I went 2 for 3 and scored a run.
The turnout this year has been much better than last year. Of course, last year was maybe 60 degrees and cloudy (which for me was wonderful) and this year was 80 and sunny. So that could have had something to do with it. Hopefully even more people will be at the dinner tonight.
Now, I have an hour or so to recover, get cleaned up and head back for the dinner.
Anyway, this weekend is the celebration, so the tradition is to have a BBQ at the house, then go play an alumni vs. actives baseball game. Everyone then gets cleaned up and we return to the house later that night to have a "nice" dinner. Quite a few alumni come back to the house for this event, depending on the year. Some pledge classes coordinate, so their entire class tries to come back, even if they are spread across the country.
I just got back from the softball portion of the event. After 4 innings or so, the alumni's lead was in the double digits. The alumni virtually always win the event, and it's not always because we cheat and get to bend the rules (the alumni bat first and last, for instance). I hadn't intended on playing, but since pretty much everyone was as bad as I am, and as disinclined to running, I decided to play a bit. Although I did leave early as the sun started to get too much for me. Hopefully I didn't get sunburned, for which I largely thank my baseball cap (since a bald head is prone to burning). Anyway, I went 2 for 3 and scored a run.
The turnout this year has been much better than last year. Of course, last year was maybe 60 degrees and cloudy (which for me was wonderful) and this year was 80 and sunny. So that could have had something to do with it. Hopefully even more people will be at the dinner tonight.
Now, I have an hour or so to recover, get cleaned up and head back for the dinner.
20 April 2009
Two blogs in two days...
I know it's hardly setting the world on fire, but I haven't blogged this consistently since I started this thing. Actually, thinking back to why I started the blog makes me wonder if there wasn't something subconscious going on.
I started this blog when I was moving from California. I thought it might be easier to give everyone the blog address and just post messages here letting everyone know how the move and the home-hunting was going. Once I moved in, I had a lot less to blog about.
Not that there is so much more excitement in my life right now... Well, I suppose there might be, but writing this is also a form of procrastination, I should probably be going to bed instead of sending out thoughts to the ether.
Anyway, today wasn't a very good day, as far as days go. Really Friday was a bad day, but I didn't realize that Friday was a bad day until today, making today the bad day instead. It isn't the day itself that is bad, so much as the news it brings, or the results of the news.
In this case, I came in this morning and found that the work I had done on Friday wasn't saved. I don't know if I accidently forget to save it, or if there was some glitch that caused it not to save, or what, but the result was the same, I had to redo the work. Luckily doing it a second time was easier and faster, but it was still annoying to do something twice. So that was information that would have made Friday a bad day, and instead made today a bad day.
The other bit of information was that the big contract that my company was hoping for, and for which I put in a ton of effort, didn't happen. The announcement was sent out on Friday after I left work. Since I didn't check my email after I left work on Friday, the news was waiting for me when I got in this morning.
Neither outcome was particularly devastating, but they both came as a blow to the psyche. The one two punch definitely left a hollow feeling in me for most of the day.
One of the real ironies is that I am procrastinating going to bed, by writing what a psychic blow today has been. But, I have always found that when I get this hollow feeling in my gut, the best and often only solution is sleep. Whatever pain or difficulty caused the feelings remains the next day, but the hollow feeling goes away, letting me work through it.
Anyway, I should at least brush my teeth...
I started this blog when I was moving from California. I thought it might be easier to give everyone the blog address and just post messages here letting everyone know how the move and the home-hunting was going. Once I moved in, I had a lot less to blog about.
Not that there is so much more excitement in my life right now... Well, I suppose there might be, but writing this is also a form of procrastination, I should probably be going to bed instead of sending out thoughts to the ether.
Anyway, today wasn't a very good day, as far as days go. Really Friday was a bad day, but I didn't realize that Friday was a bad day until today, making today the bad day instead. It isn't the day itself that is bad, so much as the news it brings, or the results of the news.
In this case, I came in this morning and found that the work I had done on Friday wasn't saved. I don't know if I accidently forget to save it, or if there was some glitch that caused it not to save, or what, but the result was the same, I had to redo the work. Luckily doing it a second time was easier and faster, but it was still annoying to do something twice. So that was information that would have made Friday a bad day, and instead made today a bad day.
The other bit of information was that the big contract that my company was hoping for, and for which I put in a ton of effort, didn't happen. The announcement was sent out on Friday after I left work. Since I didn't check my email after I left work on Friday, the news was waiting for me when I got in this morning.
Neither outcome was particularly devastating, but they both came as a blow to the psyche. The one two punch definitely left a hollow feeling in me for most of the day.
One of the real ironies is that I am procrastinating going to bed, by writing what a psychic blow today has been. But, I have always found that when I get this hollow feeling in my gut, the best and often only solution is sleep. Whatever pain or difficulty caused the feelings remains the next day, but the hollow feeling goes away, letting me work through it.
Anyway, I should at least brush my teeth...
19 April 2009
Weekend
Last night I went to the Roller Derby to see the Boston Derby Dames in action. I believe I have a new favorite player in the guise of Sugar Hits. She played both games of the double header, and was amazing in the opening match vs. the Wicked Pissahs. At times she would simply sneak through the pack of blockers, at other times she used more powerful methods to get to the front (I would say brute force, but there is nothing brutish about her). In the opener, I was also quite impressed with the rookie, Lil' Pain.
The second game, which pit the Boston Massacre aginst the Philly Liberty Bells, was quite an exciting match. Even though the Derby Dames lost the match against Philly, it was a lot of fun, and I found my throat a bit sore this morning from the cheering.
As I drove to and from the match, I was distracted (as I often am) by the behavior of people in traffic. First of all, very few people stay to the right when they are the slowest car in vicinity (not even the second to right lane, leaving the far right lane for oncoming/exiting traffic). People who try to travel faster, should also pass on the left. The net result would be a negative curl in the velocity field, resulting in smoother traffic flow.
Secondly, people tend to travel in packs rather than as individuals. I have noticed than many people who drive fast, actually tend to slow down once they get to the front of the pack of cars, and seem reluctant to detach from the pack. Also the slower drivers tend to speed up when the pack threatens to leave them behind. The result is a group of cars that all move at approximately the same speed, making progress through them very difficult.
The third observation is that people can't seem to maintain speeds when the slope changes. Going uphill people slow down dramatically, and heading downhill the speed increases. Traffic seemed to average about 70-75 going to the match, but would slow to 60 when going uphill and reach 85 on the back side of the hill. This meant that traffic would clump before the hill started as the wave propogates backward.
Anyway, enough traffic observation...
So this morning, before church started there was a bit of a distrubance. A man was making a bit of noise and one of the ushers was trying to keep him quiet. The man who was making the noise at first sounded mentally handicapped, but it became clear he was drunk (although mental handicap and/or mental disorder are not to be ruled out). He had a large scar vertically across his forehead. He was also in possession of a number of bottles and cans in plastic bags (which I heard spill when he left).
Before the man was convinced to leave, he said, "I wish I were dead" more than once. He also said that if he left he would never come back. During his sermon the pastor brought up this incident and said the man had worked for the Missouri Synod for a number of years, and that when he was once again sober he would be welcomed back with open arms. I hope the man does find sobriety and peace.
The whole situation left me with strong, and conflicting feelings. At first when the man was making noise, I felt indignent, "doesn't that man know how to behave in church." As the usher began getting mad at the fellow when he wouldn't leave, I felt indignent, this time at the usher for not remaining calm and showing scorn instead of kindness. As the man left, proclaiming his desire to die, I thought about following him out, since clearly the man needed help, but unclear what help I could offer. As I looked around the church, I saw the same mix of feelings on the faces of those who saw what had happened, as well as those who just tried to ignore it all.
It also put some of my own previous thoughts in perspective. I wondered why people would come to church in sneakers and running pants. But they did come to church, even though they had a very big race the next day and had come into town from hundreds of miles away.
Since the Boston marathon is tomorrow, a number of people were in church from out of town, some families from Pennsylvania and Florida. There was also an early baseball game, so the streets and T were more crowded than usual. Actually it was a bit difficult getting to church because of the crowds, having to wait for a second train to have room to get on. Although, tomorrow might very well be worse.
Last week, I was the "White Isaac Hayes" this week, I'm "The man who casts a shadow." The former is more flattering, the latter perhaps more accurate, literally and figuratively.
The second game, which pit the Boston Massacre aginst the Philly Liberty Bells, was quite an exciting match. Even though the Derby Dames lost the match against Philly, it was a lot of fun, and I found my throat a bit sore this morning from the cheering.
As I drove to and from the match, I was distracted (as I often am) by the behavior of people in traffic. First of all, very few people stay to the right when they are the slowest car in vicinity (not even the second to right lane, leaving the far right lane for oncoming/exiting traffic). People who try to travel faster, should also pass on the left. The net result would be a negative curl in the velocity field, resulting in smoother traffic flow.
Secondly, people tend to travel in packs rather than as individuals. I have noticed than many people who drive fast, actually tend to slow down once they get to the front of the pack of cars, and seem reluctant to detach from the pack. Also the slower drivers tend to speed up when the pack threatens to leave them behind. The result is a group of cars that all move at approximately the same speed, making progress through them very difficult.
The third observation is that people can't seem to maintain speeds when the slope changes. Going uphill people slow down dramatically, and heading downhill the speed increases. Traffic seemed to average about 70-75 going to the match, but would slow to 60 when going uphill and reach 85 on the back side of the hill. This meant that traffic would clump before the hill started as the wave propogates backward.
Anyway, enough traffic observation...
So this morning, before church started there was a bit of a distrubance. A man was making a bit of noise and one of the ushers was trying to keep him quiet. The man who was making the noise at first sounded mentally handicapped, but it became clear he was drunk (although mental handicap and/or mental disorder are not to be ruled out). He had a large scar vertically across his forehead. He was also in possession of a number of bottles and cans in plastic bags (which I heard spill when he left).
Before the man was convinced to leave, he said, "I wish I were dead" more than once. He also said that if he left he would never come back. During his sermon the pastor brought up this incident and said the man had worked for the Missouri Synod for a number of years, and that when he was once again sober he would be welcomed back with open arms. I hope the man does find sobriety and peace.
The whole situation left me with strong, and conflicting feelings. At first when the man was making noise, I felt indignent, "doesn't that man know how to behave in church." As the usher began getting mad at the fellow when he wouldn't leave, I felt indignent, this time at the usher for not remaining calm and showing scorn instead of kindness. As the man left, proclaiming his desire to die, I thought about following him out, since clearly the man needed help, but unclear what help I could offer. As I looked around the church, I saw the same mix of feelings on the faces of those who saw what had happened, as well as those who just tried to ignore it all.
It also put some of my own previous thoughts in perspective. I wondered why people would come to church in sneakers and running pants. But they did come to church, even though they had a very big race the next day and had come into town from hundreds of miles away.
Since the Boston marathon is tomorrow, a number of people were in church from out of town, some families from Pennsylvania and Florida. There was also an early baseball game, so the streets and T were more crowded than usual. Actually it was a bit difficult getting to church because of the crowds, having to wait for a second train to have room to get on. Although, tomorrow might very well be worse.
Last week, I was the "White Isaac Hayes" this week, I'm "The man who casts a shadow." The former is more flattering, the latter perhaps more accurate, literally and figuratively.
16 April 2009
White Isaac Hayes
On Sunday when I was walking to lunch after church, a guy the street corner got my attention and said, "Here comes a white Isaac Hayes." I suppose in a round about kind of way, it could appear that way. Bald head, full beard, and at the time I was wearing sunglasses. I also had on a very snazzy tie. But, I think the similarities break down about there.
Anyway, this being a street corner in Boston, in the middle of the day, I assumed he was soliciting money rather than just being friendly. As it turns out he was, but I'm jumping ahead abit. So as I got a bit closer he said, rather more loudly than necessary, "You look like the kind of guy who isn't afraid of a black man," and offered to shake my hand. So, while I was mildly offended by the statement, I didn't have a strong reason not to shake hands.
He then went into his sales pitch. He was apparently raising money for a book drive in Roxbury to help black children. He was the one who emphasized that it was for black children. I suppose that his loud manner, and frequent reference to race was an attempt to get me to donate based on "white guilt."
I declined.
As I started to turn away, the guy said, "You aren't going to hit me, are you?" He held up his hands in mock surrender. Nothing else the guy had said, or how he acted, made me even consider physical violence (or even saying something mean), but that one question did inspire violent thoughts.
I don't know whether he was fooling around, or if he was making a scene to attract attention/pity from other pedestrians. To me, it was insulting, a verbal slap in the face. I realize I am a big man, and I was probably 6" taller than this fellow, but I find it incredulous that he felt physically threatened by my movements/posture.
Anyway, it wasn't an entirely unpleasent walk to lunch. I also walked past an old woman sitting on a park bench. I said hello, and she responded with a "Good morning." I'm not sure if I flinched in some way, or if she caught the mistake herself, but with chargrin she started to amend her greeting, since it was in fact afternoon. But, it did feel like morning, and with a glance at my watch, I reassured her that it was only half an hour after morning.
Anyway, this being a street corner in Boston, in the middle of the day, I assumed he was soliciting money rather than just being friendly. As it turns out he was, but I'm jumping ahead abit. So as I got a bit closer he said, rather more loudly than necessary, "You look like the kind of guy who isn't afraid of a black man," and offered to shake my hand. So, while I was mildly offended by the statement, I didn't have a strong reason not to shake hands.
He then went into his sales pitch. He was apparently raising money for a book drive in Roxbury to help black children. He was the one who emphasized that it was for black children. I suppose that his loud manner, and frequent reference to race was an attempt to get me to donate based on "white guilt."
I declined.
As I started to turn away, the guy said, "You aren't going to hit me, are you?" He held up his hands in mock surrender. Nothing else the guy had said, or how he acted, made me even consider physical violence (or even saying something mean), but that one question did inspire violent thoughts.
I don't know whether he was fooling around, or if he was making a scene to attract attention/pity from other pedestrians. To me, it was insulting, a verbal slap in the face. I realize I am a big man, and I was probably 6" taller than this fellow, but I find it incredulous that he felt physically threatened by my movements/posture.
Anyway, it wasn't an entirely unpleasent walk to lunch. I also walked past an old woman sitting on a park bench. I said hello, and she responded with a "Good morning." I'm not sure if I flinched in some way, or if she caught the mistake herself, but with chargrin she started to amend her greeting, since it was in fact afternoon. But, it did feel like morning, and with a glance at my watch, I reassured her that it was only half an hour after morning.
06 April 2009
Travel
This weekend I traveled to Knoxville to visit my sister and her family, most notably my niece. I checked the weather the day before and it looked like there was going to be some rain, but not enough to worry about. Boy, was I wrong.
I got to the airport with time to spare and the board listed my flight as on time. Groovy, but again wrong. We all got on the plane and then the pilot came on to say there was going to be a delay. A few minutes later the pilot came on again saying that there was going to be a long delay and that we could de-board once they got the jetbridge back in place. Luckily we hadn't actually pulled away from the gate.
Most of us on the plane went back out to the terminal to get the low-down on the situation. Turns out there was severe weather in Philadelphia which was holding us up. There was also severe weather in DC and NY making it difficult to reroute people. I got in the line at the counter and proceeded to wait my turn.
I've been in similar situations before and it always amazes me how rude people can get. A number of people were yelling at the woman doing her best to reroute people. They of course did this without waiting in line first. Apparently it is okay to cut in line if you just need one thing... Don't get me wrong, I can understand being upset that the flight was delayed, but why take it out on someone who didn't cause the problem? It's hard to even say it is the airline's fault since the weather was an ongoing situation (as opposed to the downstream rescheduling problems caused by not carrying margin in the system).
I got lunch in Boston, and eventually got on the flight to Philadelphia. I also got a new connection scheduled since we were still on the ground when my connecting flight to Knoxville was supposed to leave.
I'm not a big fan of the Philadelphia airport, at least the parts of it I've seen. Maybe I'm just unhappy that they have a terrible selection of restaurants. Also since everyone and their mother had a delayed flight, the one bar in the F terminal was packed. It actually took close to twenty minutes to get a seat. And the bar stayed back.
I will say I talked to a number of interesting people as we all passed the time. My sister always said that she likes airport bars. The people are interesting, there is no pressure, and most of them are just there to pass a bit of time.
After a number of hours at the bar in the terminal in Philadelphia, I went to the gate to await my flight. The scheduled 6:50 departure became 7:10, and the 8:10. Another flight to Knoxville was leaving at 8:20. That flight (unlike the one I was booked on) was direct to Knoxville. Unfortunately the Royal Stiltsters (or something like that) from Belgium had apparently taken all the seats on that flight, and even overbooked it.
Eventually I got on the plane to DC. It being a smallish plane, I had to gate check my bag. Not such a bad thing, but a bit annoying. Anyway, the first part of the flight was fine, but the descent into DC was... exciting. Depending on the wind direction, the approach into DC can be business as usual, or a bit harrowing. This was the harrowing approach and in bad weather. Due to airspace restrictions a good deal of flight space near Reagan National is off limits. So when the wind is blowing towards DC, you have to make a sharp descent and a crazy turn to avoid the airspace and still land upwind. As an aerospace engineer, I should know everything is fine, but I was still quite white-knuckled on landing.
Remember the gate checked bag? Well, because this was a continuing flight, it was the same airplane. I had the foresight to mark the bag's tag with my final destination. Yeah. Anyway, we didn't get to arrive at a gate, but had a bus come out to ferry people between the airplane and the terminal. Since I was continuing on, I didn't have to get off, right? Actually I did, to claim my bag and give it right back to the guy. Apparently they go through this because sometimes they send the bag with the bus if no one claims it. Anyway, those of us staying on the flight, gave our stubs to the flight attendent so he could call the gate and let them know we were already on board.
With all the excitement in Philadelphia, not everyone had normal seat assignments. Not a big deal, people can cope right? So, when the DC passengers got on the plane there were some problems. An older man found a woman in his assigned seat. So he told her so, except she was on the phone and so not responding quickly enough. The man started yelling at her. She in turn yelled back that she was trying to get a car in Knoxville because everything had fallen through and the man was being rude. The guy yelled at her for holding everyone up by not moving (did I mention that he was standing in the middle of the aisle this whole time, even though he could have sat next to her and let everyone go by? He demanded to see her ticket stub, which of course she had surrendered to the flight attendent.
The flight crew made numerous announcements that people who were continuing the flight had seat assignment issues and that everyone should just take a seat. People didn't just take seats though. They sat and then said they should be in different seats. It even seems like too many people got on the plane because there was someone standing when all the seats were full.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I eventually made it to Knoxville, only eight hours after I was supposed to. The real bummer was that when I asked my sister if she was up for a visit, she decided to have a bonfire party to celebrate. Since I didn't get there until after midnight, this meant I missed the party entirely.
But, I did get to spend two full days with my sister, her husband and of course Veronica (my niece). I also got to spend all a day with my brother who drove down from Pennsylvania. Although, he was lucky enough to arrive in time for the party.
The trip back was much less eventful. The rain was pretty bad the whole way, but aside from a few bumps everything was fine. Of course, the rain wasn't very fun when I got back to Boston. It was cold, super windy and raining. It was raining hard enough that when I walked back from the T station my leather shoes soaked through the top!
I got to the airport with time to spare and the board listed my flight as on time. Groovy, but again wrong. We all got on the plane and then the pilot came on to say there was going to be a delay. A few minutes later the pilot came on again saying that there was going to be a long delay and that we could de-board once they got the jetbridge back in place. Luckily we hadn't actually pulled away from the gate.
Most of us on the plane went back out to the terminal to get the low-down on the situation. Turns out there was severe weather in Philadelphia which was holding us up. There was also severe weather in DC and NY making it difficult to reroute people. I got in the line at the counter and proceeded to wait my turn.
I've been in similar situations before and it always amazes me how rude people can get. A number of people were yelling at the woman doing her best to reroute people. They of course did this without waiting in line first. Apparently it is okay to cut in line if you just need one thing... Don't get me wrong, I can understand being upset that the flight was delayed, but why take it out on someone who didn't cause the problem? It's hard to even say it is the airline's fault since the weather was an ongoing situation (as opposed to the downstream rescheduling problems caused by not carrying margin in the system).
I got lunch in Boston, and eventually got on the flight to Philadelphia. I also got a new connection scheduled since we were still on the ground when my connecting flight to Knoxville was supposed to leave.
I'm not a big fan of the Philadelphia airport, at least the parts of it I've seen. Maybe I'm just unhappy that they have a terrible selection of restaurants. Also since everyone and their mother had a delayed flight, the one bar in the F terminal was packed. It actually took close to twenty minutes to get a seat. And the bar stayed back.
I will say I talked to a number of interesting people as we all passed the time. My sister always said that she likes airport bars. The people are interesting, there is no pressure, and most of them are just there to pass a bit of time.
After a number of hours at the bar in the terminal in Philadelphia, I went to the gate to await my flight. The scheduled 6:50 departure became 7:10, and the 8:10. Another flight to Knoxville was leaving at 8:20. That flight (unlike the one I was booked on) was direct to Knoxville. Unfortunately the Royal Stiltsters (or something like that) from Belgium had apparently taken all the seats on that flight, and even overbooked it.
Eventually I got on the plane to DC. It being a smallish plane, I had to gate check my bag. Not such a bad thing, but a bit annoying. Anyway, the first part of the flight was fine, but the descent into DC was... exciting. Depending on the wind direction, the approach into DC can be business as usual, or a bit harrowing. This was the harrowing approach and in bad weather. Due to airspace restrictions a good deal of flight space near Reagan National is off limits. So when the wind is blowing towards DC, you have to make a sharp descent and a crazy turn to avoid the airspace and still land upwind. As an aerospace engineer, I should know everything is fine, but I was still quite white-knuckled on landing.
Remember the gate checked bag? Well, because this was a continuing flight, it was the same airplane. I had the foresight to mark the bag's tag with my final destination. Yeah. Anyway, we didn't get to arrive at a gate, but had a bus come out to ferry people between the airplane and the terminal. Since I was continuing on, I didn't have to get off, right? Actually I did, to claim my bag and give it right back to the guy. Apparently they go through this because sometimes they send the bag with the bus if no one claims it. Anyway, those of us staying on the flight, gave our stubs to the flight attendent so he could call the gate and let them know we were already on board.
With all the excitement in Philadelphia, not everyone had normal seat assignments. Not a big deal, people can cope right? So, when the DC passengers got on the plane there were some problems. An older man found a woman in his assigned seat. So he told her so, except she was on the phone and so not responding quickly enough. The man started yelling at her. She in turn yelled back that she was trying to get a car in Knoxville because everything had fallen through and the man was being rude. The guy yelled at her for holding everyone up by not moving (did I mention that he was standing in the middle of the aisle this whole time, even though he could have sat next to her and let everyone go by? He demanded to see her ticket stub, which of course she had surrendered to the flight attendent.
The flight crew made numerous announcements that people who were continuing the flight had seat assignment issues and that everyone should just take a seat. People didn't just take seats though. They sat and then said they should be in different seats. It even seems like too many people got on the plane because there was someone standing when all the seats were full.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I eventually made it to Knoxville, only eight hours after I was supposed to. The real bummer was that when I asked my sister if she was up for a visit, she decided to have a bonfire party to celebrate. Since I didn't get there until after midnight, this meant I missed the party entirely.
But, I did get to spend two full days with my sister, her husband and of course Veronica (my niece). I also got to spend all a day with my brother who drove down from Pennsylvania. Although, he was lucky enough to arrive in time for the party.
The trip back was much less eventful. The rain was pretty bad the whole way, but aside from a few bumps everything was fine. Of course, the rain wasn't very fun when I got back to Boston. It was cold, super windy and raining. It was raining hard enough that when I walked back from the T station my leather shoes soaked through the top!
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