If you're a Facebook friend of mine of follow me on Twitter, you'll know that what was supposed to be a simple one night turn to Boston earlier this week turned into a quixotic adventure of cancellations and gambling for gates and I see no need to rehash it here. Suffice to say, it's been good to be home, safely ensconced in my home office.
It's funny what you get to observe when you work from home. I like my basement office. I've got a comfortable set up. I start the day with my office mates, the Morning Joe team, and after their three hours of awesome opining and interrupting is over, it's on to NPR. They make for good office mates, except when they interview Senator Harry Reid. He is, without doubt, the most boring speaker on the face of the earth. He's a member of our Church and I would hate, I mean hate, to be in his ward the day he speaks. He'd make the most boring High Councilor speaker sound like an over-amped Tony Robbins. I don't recommend listening to Senator Reid. Ever. For a host of reasons, but I digress.
Yesterday, I had a chance to see our dog "demonstrate" her bravery. By demonstrate, I mean see her run for cover like there was no tomorrow. Our dog, a borderline insane nine-pound Shih Tzu, considers herself something of an epic guard dog. She fears no rabbit or squirrel and she will bark them down with the best of them. Of course, I should point out that this bravado is always shown from her perch on the couch. Anyway, I'd run upstairs to get the mail and told Beijing to go outside so she could do her "thing." As she stood on the patio pondering her next move, she saw another dog coming, a much larger dog. Beijing began her bark defense and this other dog let fly with another louder bark and in a flash that no high-speed camera could ever catch, our little guard dog turned tail and fled back into the house so she could cower. Valiant effort, Beijing, valiant effort. You big chicken.
I laughed at her little run for cover but it got me thinking. Thinking about the "big dogs" in my life that I run from. I'd like to think that most of the time I don't turn tail and run like Beijing did when I'm faced with those bigger dogs. Ironically, I think it's the littler ones that I run from. I'm thinking I can take those little ones on. Huh, I think our cowardly little dog taught me a lesson yesterday. Good for her.
13 August 2011
08 August 2011
Riding the Comet, the vomit comet
I found myself in PHX this weekend for my sister's graduation. She got her Master's and will soon take her Boards so she can officially be called a Physician's Assistant. It was an honor to be there, watching her take the stage. As she joked through the entire two-year program, she was the oldest student in her class. When she took the stage to accept her diploma, you would never have known it. She looked great among the "younger" graduates and was positively beaming. So glad I was able to be there.
Being in PHX in August reminded me how miserably hot it is there. Say what you will about the heat and humidity here, but I'll take it any day over that barren inferno. While in the inferno, I was able to have an ostrich burger. Yep, ostrich. Not bad at all. Not gamey and no, it doesn't taste like chicken. Tasted a lot like meat. I'd have another one.
Anyway, I flew back yesterday. Can I just say how disturbing it is flying in the summer. Particularly in/out of hot weather destinations. Why? Tank tops, Crocs, and back tattoos (the last two are a veritable plague - a lethal black plague) as far as the eye can see. Horrible! But I digress. The flight was, wait for it, delayed. Is there any other kind? No, no there is not. So that 45 minute delay made it impossible for Our Lady of BYU and I to meet in ORD as we had planned. I was supposed to land 45 minutes before her flight back to SLC and Awesome was to depart and we had planned to meet. Not so much. Anyway, because we were delayed, the boarding procedure took on the typical "last flight out of Saigon" element. That's always fun. Also fun - the mother and five year old boy sitting behind me. The mother was tanned a la "Jersey Shore Skank," entirely too blonde, and working far too much silicon. The boy, who had a name like Ryder or Jett or the Situation, apparently could only respond if the mother spoke to him in a loud, a really loud voice. You know, the voice that older people tend to use when speaking to someone who they think doesn't speak English - as if the super-amped voice will make them easier to understand. Excellent. Said child also mirrored every neurosis his mother had, including a fear of flying. This would manifest itself later. I threw on my earphones, dialed up the volume on my iPod and hoped for the best. It didn't drown out everything, particularly the drama between mother and son and the mushroom soup that was served with lunch.
About 30 minutes out of ORD, the Captain told us that ORD had been enveloped in unpredicted thunderstorms and that we were the last flight inbounding from the west that was going to be allowed to land - assuming the storms didn't intensify. He also noted that if they did we were heading for Grand Rapids as a diversion. The alarm bells then went off with mother and child behind me. This news did not sit well with either. Then the flight attendants announced that because of the anticipated turbulence they'd been ordered to sit down for the duration of the flight. Five minutes later, things got super fun. Our flight began to mimic and mechanical bull and the gasping and weeping began. The mother began to loudly complain about the situation and then grabbed the sick bag and the kid began to wail, "Stop talking Mommy because you're making me stomach hurt." Truer words for the rest of us could not have been spoken. Poor kid. I felt sorry for him. As the mother wailed so did he. She would upchuck, so would he. About ten minutes out, we were still riding the vomit comet and she decides she's heading for the lav. Not a good move. The flight attendant unstrapped herself and helped Pukey to the lav and ordered her to stay there til we landed. This direction would go unheeded. When we were about 500 feet above the runway, Pukey emerges from the lav, fresh as a daisy. She nearly got kicked into her seat, but she made it before we landed. Good for her.
Suffice to say, I was mighty relieved to get off that plane. I'll say it again, flying is the best, isn't it?
Being in PHX in August reminded me how miserably hot it is there. Say what you will about the heat and humidity here, but I'll take it any day over that barren inferno. While in the inferno, I was able to have an ostrich burger. Yep, ostrich. Not bad at all. Not gamey and no, it doesn't taste like chicken. Tasted a lot like meat. I'd have another one.
Anyway, I flew back yesterday. Can I just say how disturbing it is flying in the summer. Particularly in/out of hot weather destinations. Why? Tank tops, Crocs, and back tattoos (the last two are a veritable plague - a lethal black plague) as far as the eye can see. Horrible! But I digress. The flight was, wait for it, delayed. Is there any other kind? No, no there is not. So that 45 minute delay made it impossible for Our Lady of BYU and I to meet in ORD as we had planned. I was supposed to land 45 minutes before her flight back to SLC and Awesome was to depart and we had planned to meet. Not so much. Anyway, because we were delayed, the boarding procedure took on the typical "last flight out of Saigon" element. That's always fun. Also fun - the mother and five year old boy sitting behind me. The mother was tanned a la "Jersey Shore Skank," entirely too blonde, and working far too much silicon. The boy, who had a name like Ryder or Jett or the Situation, apparently could only respond if the mother spoke to him in a loud, a really loud voice. You know, the voice that older people tend to use when speaking to someone who they think doesn't speak English - as if the super-amped voice will make them easier to understand. Excellent. Said child also mirrored every neurosis his mother had, including a fear of flying. This would manifest itself later. I threw on my earphones, dialed up the volume on my iPod and hoped for the best. It didn't drown out everything, particularly the drama between mother and son and the mushroom soup that was served with lunch.
About 30 minutes out of ORD, the Captain told us that ORD had been enveloped in unpredicted thunderstorms and that we were the last flight inbounding from the west that was going to be allowed to land - assuming the storms didn't intensify. He also noted that if they did we were heading for Grand Rapids as a diversion. The alarm bells then went off with mother and child behind me. This news did not sit well with either. Then the flight attendants announced that because of the anticipated turbulence they'd been ordered to sit down for the duration of the flight. Five minutes later, things got super fun. Our flight began to mimic and mechanical bull and the gasping and weeping began. The mother began to loudly complain about the situation and then grabbed the sick bag and the kid began to wail, "Stop talking Mommy because you're making me stomach hurt." Truer words for the rest of us could not have been spoken. Poor kid. I felt sorry for him. As the mother wailed so did he. She would upchuck, so would he. About ten minutes out, we were still riding the vomit comet and she decides she's heading for the lav. Not a good move. The flight attendant unstrapped herself and helped Pukey to the lav and ordered her to stay there til we landed. This direction would go unheeded. When we were about 500 feet above the runway, Pukey emerges from the lav, fresh as a daisy. She nearly got kicked into her seat, but she made it before we landed. Good for her.
Suffice to say, I was mighty relieved to get off that plane. I'll say it again, flying is the best, isn't it?
06 August 2011
It's that much closer
This past Thursday night, Our Lady of BYU returned home for the last time as a single woman. She came home for yet another bridal shower. This one is being hosted by, I have to say, a group of really pretty wonderful women in our ward. They are friends of the might fine and stunningly patient SML and they've made Our Lady a part of their lives.
I believe this is the second of three bridal showers for her. With less than four weeks to go now until the wedding, I can say in all honesty that this whole bridal/wedding thing is simply unbelievable. I see completely how one could go completely over the top and burn through a life saving's on an event like this. I know I've made some jokes, and that's what they are (for the most part), about the cost of my first-born's wedding, but I will say we are most fortunate. Our Lady and Awesome have done a great job in making this a great wedding without sending either set of parents into a forced liquidation.
I'm not home today to see the shower shenanigans, which is probably for the best. As I said good-bye to Our Lady yesterday afternoon, I was a bit emotional internally. As I hugged her, I realized that the next time I see her, we'll be in Utah with only two days to go before she marries. I'm still trying to take it all in. Whew....
And why was I saying good-bye to her last night? I flew to PHX last night to see my mom and to attend my sister's graduation from her Physican's Assistant (P.A.) program today. Very proud of my sister. This is a big day for her. It's good to have a medical professional in the family too. Her counsel during some of my medical bruhaha earlier this year made a huge difference (Valium, you sweet thing, I'm talking to you!). If she keeps making suggestions like that, I'm all kinds of happy.
It was the usual ridiculousness getting out of ORD last night. It started with the very angry pre-op tranny/shim TSA agent who's years in Customer Service at the DMV prepared he/she well for the TSA job. Boarding the flight was essentially a melee. There were three wheelchair pax, a tour group of 30 Korean middle-schoolers, a guy with a cat who was in full melt-down mode (the cat not the man), and a guy who hadn't showered in at least a month. As soon as he walked by, eyes started watering and everyone grabbed for the air nozzles in the PSU's (Passenger Service Units) above their seats. Flying's the best, isn't it?
I believe this is the second of three bridal showers for her. With less than four weeks to go now until the wedding, I can say in all honesty that this whole bridal/wedding thing is simply unbelievable. I see completely how one could go completely over the top and burn through a life saving's on an event like this. I know I've made some jokes, and that's what they are (for the most part), about the cost of my first-born's wedding, but I will say we are most fortunate. Our Lady and Awesome have done a great job in making this a great wedding without sending either set of parents into a forced liquidation.
I'm not home today to see the shower shenanigans, which is probably for the best. As I said good-bye to Our Lady yesterday afternoon, I was a bit emotional internally. As I hugged her, I realized that the next time I see her, we'll be in Utah with only two days to go before she marries. I'm still trying to take it all in. Whew....
And why was I saying good-bye to her last night? I flew to PHX last night to see my mom and to attend my sister's graduation from her Physican's Assistant (P.A.) program today. Very proud of my sister. This is a big day for her. It's good to have a medical professional in the family too. Her counsel during some of my medical bruhaha earlier this year made a huge difference (Valium, you sweet thing, I'm talking to you!). If she keeps making suggestions like that, I'm all kinds of happy.
It was the usual ridiculousness getting out of ORD last night. It started with the very angry pre-op tranny/shim TSA agent who's years in Customer Service at the DMV prepared he/she well for the TSA job. Boarding the flight was essentially a melee. There were three wheelchair pax, a tour group of 30 Korean middle-schoolers, a guy with a cat who was in full melt-down mode (the cat not the man), and a guy who hadn't showered in at least a month. As soon as he walked by, eyes started watering and everyone grabbed for the air nozzles in the PSU's (Passenger Service Units) above their seats. Flying's the best, isn't it?
01 August 2011
25,000
25,000. That's the number of jobs that my employer is going to eliminate. They made that announcement this morning. That's what I woke up to this morning. It's going to be a fun week at work.
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