I've just returned from a few days visiting with a friend in Oregon, a friend who relocated to her home town after living in the desert for more than half her life. I loved being in an area where everything is green and moisture abounds. The flight up left on time, took the scheduled two hours, and was easy-peasy.
Then, it was time to return home.
We arose at 6 AM to be ready by the 7 AM leave the house time, arrived at the airport at 8 AM for the scheduled 9 AM flight. Breezed through my second full-body scan, but was chastised for leaving my cosmetic bag inside my luggage, instead of in a grey check bin. Got to the gate and found out that our departure was delayed an hour, so I could have enjoyed a second cup of coffee before leaving for the airport; instead, I began what was going to be a long day of sitting and waiting to leave for the return flight home.
That turned out to be the good news as the departure time went from 9 AM to 10 AM to 11 AM to 12:30 PM and finally landed on 2 PM. Yep, really. I sat in the airport from 8 AM until our 2 PM departure, and it's a very small regional airport, so not much to do except listen to all the people talking on their cell phones! Do people realize how much personal information they share with complete strangers during these calls?
To their credit, Allegiant apologized effusively and often for the delay, and brought in pizza for everyone inconvenienced by the delay, but that doesn't cancel out sitting for 6 hours before a scheduled flight departs for its destination.
It's a curse that has plagued me since I began flying to different destinations. I can hardly wait for the flights to China and back home this summer. I could end up spending my vaca in an airport!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
SPLASH!!
I watched the first episode of Splash and think the first 2 divers got a bad call. At the beginning, both Kesha and Katherine Webb did more difficult dives than the 3 men who followed, but they received the lowest scores (in the 6s)because they went first – and the 2 male judges had no idea how badly the following 3 men would dive. As it was, a 400-pound man who toppled over and fell into the water, scored a full point higher than either of the first 2 women who did “something” dives that showed a semblance of skill.
Although the womens' dives were equal to or better than the 3 male divers who dove after them, Kesha had to leave, but Katherine was saved, so she will dive again.
All 12 contestants should have dived a first time before any scores were given that would eliminate anyone. The technique of each contestant could be evaluated in the first round, with pointers for improving performances given by the judges. Then, let the competition begin with a baseline performance index guiding the judges' scoring.
I’m not going to watch further episodes of this reality show because it isn’t interesting or entertaining, and it’s also unfairly scored.
Although the womens' dives were equal to or better than the 3 male divers who dove after them, Kesha had to leave, but Katherine was saved, so she will dive again.
All 12 contestants should have dived a first time before any scores were given that would eliminate anyone. The technique of each contestant could be evaluated in the first round, with pointers for improving performances given by the judges. Then, let the competition begin with a baseline performance index guiding the judges' scoring.
I’m not going to watch further episodes of this reality show because it isn’t interesting or entertaining, and it’s also unfairly scored.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Another Oprah Survey
What is ...
the best advice I ever received is to try before determining whether I could or could not do something, or simply won't even try.
the best childhood memory is Uncle Nils's barbeques, complete with a homemade kite for his namesake, Nils.
my best guilty pleasure is a fresh box of See's candy.
my best souvenir is the tablecloth I bought in Greece and put under glass on my dining nook table.
my favorite hobby is cake decorating, which I really enjoy, but seldom do these days.
the best gift I ever received is one that was spontaneous and unexpected, a pair of pearl earrings with sapphires set in a ring around the pearl, that my Mother gave me for my 50th birthday and which I gave to my daughter on her recent marriage.
my biggest vice is eating sweets instead of a meal.
the best advice I ever received is to try before determining whether I could or could not do something, or simply won't even try.
the best childhood memory is Uncle Nils's barbeques, complete with a homemade kite for his namesake, Nils.
my best guilty pleasure is a fresh box of See's candy.
my best souvenir is the tablecloth I bought in Greece and put under glass on my dining nook table.
my favorite hobby is cake decorating, which I really enjoy, but seldom do these days.
the best gift I ever received is one that was spontaneous and unexpected, a pair of pearl earrings with sapphires set in a ring around the pearl, that my Mother gave me for my 50th birthday and which I gave to my daughter on her recent marriage.
my biggest vice is eating sweets instead of a meal.
Oprah’s Snapshots
O Magazine uses "complete this thought" ideas to get response from a wide variety of people. If she were to ask me, I'd say ...
1. One flaw I wouldn’t change about myself is my enthusiasm for talking to anyone, anywhere, anytime about anything.
2. My quickest stress reliever is a cup of coffee.
3. My most peaceful place is anywhere along the coastline, a river, or a lake.
4. My favorite comfort food is roast leg of lamb, accompanied by mashed potatoes and lamb gravy with broccoli hollandaise. Second best is homemade mac 'n lots of cheese, served piping hot and melty gooey.
5. When I’m feeling anxious, I call no one; instead, I write.
1. One flaw I wouldn’t change about myself is my enthusiasm for talking to anyone, anywhere, anytime about anything.
2. My quickest stress reliever is a cup of coffee.
3. My most peaceful place is anywhere along the coastline, a river, or a lake.
4. My favorite comfort food is roast leg of lamb, accompanied by mashed potatoes and lamb gravy with broccoli hollandaise. Second best is homemade mac 'n lots of cheese, served piping hot and melty gooey.
5. When I’m feeling anxious, I call no one; instead, I write.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Puny Post
I stole a post sent to me via a friend because it made me laugh.
1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13. I wondered why the cricket ball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.
21. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'
23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'
25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13. I wondered why the cricket ball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.
21. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'
23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'
25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Really? This is Customer Service at its Best
Last November, I sent an electronic check to US Airways to pay the first balance due on my new US Airways MasterCard. As is my practice, I sent payment several weeks before the date due as I don't like checks going astray and not being applied to my account. Imagine my surprise in December to receive my second bill from US Airways MasterCard showing that I still owed $179.10 -- plus a $20 late fee and interest ($2.40) accruing on my unpaid balance.
Thus began the customer service calls (20 minutes today with Tim) to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, culminating in a heart-felt apology from Jake, the manager with whom I asked to speak after spending the 20 minutes with Tim. Jake claims that an internal audit was completed on my complaint and the first check was never received, so the second check I sent cleared the problem from the first billing cycle. Nope, US Airways MasterCard Services does not owe me a refund or a credit for a double payment, but they "notified" me of that decision in December (NOT). When I disagreed and said I have had no contact from US Airways MasterCard -- or I wouldn't be wasting my time contacting them again -- Jake explained that uh, it was a phone call that went directly to FAX, even though I don't have a fax and he had the correct home number. I had been told to allow two billing cycles for the refund to be posted, which is why I waited until today to do the follow-up.
Jake sounded sincerely sorry, a most practiced delivery from customer services that grates like fingernails across a blackboard. I'm wrong; US Airways MasterCard is right; if there's anything else we can do for you ... . Yep, there is: credit $179.10 to my account. I paid it, the back of the check clearly says "For deposit only US Airways Inc," so credit my account with the second payment of $179.10. No big deal: just do the right thing.
Well, says Jake, when we examined the documents you submitted under case PYT0108274, we discovered that the payment, although it does say "For deposit only US Airways, Inc," was actually deposited by JP Morgan Chase, which is not the credit card's bank (they use Barkley's), so no one owes me a refund or a credit back to my card for paying the same bill twice. And, he says, I was notified of this decision, which, of course, I was not or I would NOT again be on the phone trying to clarify the situation and get a refund credited to my account.
The $179.10 is a piddly sum to US Airways MasterCard, but to me it's a big issue in the way US Airways MasterCard does business -- and I'm not going to be party to it. Therefore, I asked for my current balance due, will send them a check, and then requested that the account be closed. It isn't worth the aggravation to deal with this company because if they'll do it once, they'll do it again. ...
but not to me!
Thus began the customer service calls (20 minutes today with Tim) to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, culminating in a heart-felt apology from Jake, the manager with whom I asked to speak after spending the 20 minutes with Tim. Jake claims that an internal audit was completed on my complaint and the first check was never received, so the second check I sent cleared the problem from the first billing cycle. Nope, US Airways MasterCard Services does not owe me a refund or a credit for a double payment, but they "notified" me of that decision in December (NOT). When I disagreed and said I have had no contact from US Airways MasterCard -- or I wouldn't be wasting my time contacting them again -- Jake explained that uh, it was a phone call that went directly to FAX, even though I don't have a fax and he had the correct home number. I had been told to allow two billing cycles for the refund to be posted, which is why I waited until today to do the follow-up.
Jake sounded sincerely sorry, a most practiced delivery from customer services that grates like fingernails across a blackboard. I'm wrong; US Airways MasterCard is right; if there's anything else we can do for you ... . Yep, there is: credit $179.10 to my account. I paid it, the back of the check clearly says "For deposit only US Airways Inc," so credit my account with the second payment of $179.10. No big deal: just do the right thing.
Well, says Jake, when we examined the documents you submitted under case PYT0108274, we discovered that the payment, although it does say "For deposit only US Airways, Inc," was actually deposited by JP Morgan Chase, which is not the credit card's bank (they use Barkley's), so no one owes me a refund or a credit back to my card for paying the same bill twice. And, he says, I was notified of this decision, which, of course, I was not or I would NOT again be on the phone trying to clarify the situation and get a refund credited to my account.
The $179.10 is a piddly sum to US Airways MasterCard, but to me it's a big issue in the way US Airways MasterCard does business -- and I'm not going to be party to it. Therefore, I asked for my current balance due, will send them a check, and then requested that the account be closed. It isn't worth the aggravation to deal with this company because if they'll do it once, they'll do it again. ...
but not to me!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Use Your Big Boy Words ...
President Obama addressed the American people in a press conference the other day aimed at the polarity between Republicans and Democrats that resulted in a sequestration. The President's remarks targeted the failure of Republicans, absolving all Democrats of any blame, which is the same old/same old I've heard for the past 5 years. However, this time, the only word the President could find to describe the sequestration situation is "dumb," sounding like an immature child who hasn't learned any big boy words to describe his world.
The President demands compromise, which means, in his lexicon, "Do as I say, not as I do." There is finger-pointing, rather than strategic meetings designed to accomplish real goals for the economy. The President says that he has talked to the Republican leadership, but that's simply an excuse for his demand that a compromise is doing what the President wants done, no questions asked.
If the President put as much time/effort/energy into stumping the states for consensus based on facts and real plans to deal with real issues as he put into the effort to be re-elected, I'd be not just more supportive, but proud to be part of the decision-making process.
But, I guess that's another dumb idea.
The President demands compromise, which means, in his lexicon, "Do as I say, not as I do." There is finger-pointing, rather than strategic meetings designed to accomplish real goals for the economy. The President says that he has talked to the Republican leadership, but that's simply an excuse for his demand that a compromise is doing what the President wants done, no questions asked.
If the President put as much time/effort/energy into stumping the states for consensus based on facts and real plans to deal with real issues as he put into the effort to be re-elected, I'd be not just more supportive, but proud to be part of the decision-making process.
But, I guess that's another dumb idea.
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