Yesterday afternoon, I took a field trip to the Santa Clara library. Why? Well, several weeks ago my co-workers and I were talking about Barak Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope. Both of them had read the book and were supporting Obama in the Democratic primary. In fact, one of them said that the book reminded him of all the reasons why he loved living in this country and being American. He is an immigrant from India. I was intrigued and made some offhand comment about having to stop at the book store to pick it up. To which, my other co-worker remarked, "Buy it? Why don't you just borrow it from the library."
The library? I couldn't remember the last time I had stepped foot in a library. It was probably college. That got me thinking about why I hadn't visited a library in such a long time. When I was kid, I used to go to the library every Saturday morning. It was one of the many things I looked forward to. And my brother and I participated in the summer reading programs sponsored by our local library. Of course, it helped that there were prizes and Choose Your Own Adventure books counted as part of the program.
In junior high and high school, the library represented a sort of social freedom. Studying at the library was a way to hang out with friends and boys outside the ever watchful eyes of our parents. In fact, I know some of my friends would tell their parent's they were going to the library, but really they were at some boy's house. Really in between all the goofing off and white lies, we did manage to do some homework and research for papers/projects.
In college, the library was part socializing, part research for papers, and part actually studying (generally around mid-terms and finals). Sometimes studying at the library was even a pseudo-date. But now that I'm not in school, I didn't need to study or write papers anymore. And my friends and I socialize at different venues now: Starbucks, apartments/houses, volleyball.
So, how was the library? The Santa Clara library is a rather new, contemporary building with many modern amenities. There's lots of great natural light and spaces to read / work. They have computers with internet access available for use, free of charge. The tables have power plugs hidden underneath the table tops so you can plug your laptop in. There's even a cafe in the library! Although I think you have to consume your food/beverages at the tables around the cafe and not in other parts of the library. I'll have to double check that the next time I go. In addition to books, you can borrow DVDs, CDs, videos, and audio books.
I got a library card and started to look for a book to borrow. Borrowing a book instead of buying it actually makes a lot of sense (unless it's Harry Potter). I rarely read a book more than once. And when I'm finished with it, it just sits on my self collecting dust. But as I was looking up books that I had wanted to read, I realized what I disliked about the library. They didn't have any of them available. They were all checked out! Hmpf.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Driving in Cricles
This weekend we went to Tahoe with some friends. When I was younger, I used to go to Tahoe frequently (read: every weekend) with friends. I'm not sure what happened, but I haven't been to Tahoe much in the past couple of seasons. Maybe it's because the snow hasn't been that great. Maybe it's because I'm getting old and lazy. Maybe it's because many of my friends have moved away and the ones who are here don't go up much either. Maybe it's because boarding just isn't the same as it used to be for me. Maybe it's a little bit of all of those things. Either way, I was looking forward to a relaxing, get away weekend.
We left Friday morning and had an uneventful drive into Tahoe. After settling in, we built a fort and snow people to greet the rest of our group. Saturday, we boarded at Sierra-at-Tahoe, even though we were closer to Heavenly. I think most folks in our group prefer Sierra because it's less expensive and is more boarder-friendly. The conditions were good in the morning: fresh powder, no lines, decent weather (not blue skies, but also not snowing or too windy). As the day progressed, we could tell that the storm was moving in. By lunch time, it was snowing and pretty gusty at the top of the mountain. But we went out for more boarding because the snow was so good. After a yummy dinner prepared by Grace, we just hung out and played Rock Band. Thanks for bringing it up, Ed and Char!
Sunday morning was a lazy morning. Slept in, made breakfast and had a snowball fight. That was good fun! Then it was time to pack it up and head home. This is when our weekend turned into a miserable, never-ending comedy of errors.
First a map of Lake Tahoe to help orient you.
We were staying in S. Lake Tahoe (bottom of the map), just off the road that takes you from S. Lake Tahoe Blvd to Heavenly (Ski Run for those of you familiar with the Tahoe Area).
1:00 PM - We departed the cabin. We inched our way forward on Pioneer Trail and noted all the cars turning around. Hmm...this is not a good sign. Thanks to the magic of GPS, we were able to take back roads to Meyers, near the junction of Hwy 50 and 89. (We're still at the bottom of the map). Cal Trans has closed Hwy 50 and 89 for avalanche work at the summit. Hwy 88 was closed due to avalanche danger. So, we couldn't take the 89 to 88 past Kirkwood. We just sat and wait...and wait...and wait. If any of you have taken a road trip with my husband, you *know* that this is cruel and unusual punishment for him (and anyone else in the car with him). He *cannot* sit still and gets incredibly antsy. Thankfully, we had a deck of cards and started playing card games.
3:30 PM - We've been sitting for 2.5 hours. Some of us have to potty. We made an executive decision to turn around and drive around the lake to the North Shore/Truckee to take Hwy 80 home. Of course, we checked road conditions before we made this decision. Hwy 80 as open. Why is this a big deal? Because in the winter, you have to go the long way around the lake. Hwy 89 is closed at Emerald Bay due to avalanche danger. For those of you not familiar with the long way, look at the map. We drove back towards our cabin on Hwy 50, crossed the Nevada/California State line, up Hwy 50 to Hwy 28 to Hwy 267 to Hwy 80.
6:00 PM - We're now at the top left of the map, near Truckee. The road conditions are not stellar. It's snowing, borderline blizzarding. The visibilty is poor. But traffic is moving! As we approach 80 westbound, there aren't many cars on the highway. Maybe everyone's already headed home? It looks like we made a good decision...until we see brake lights and then 80 becomes a parking lot at Donner Pass Road. Hwy 80 is *closed* at Donner Summit due to blizzard-like conditions and zero visibility. We also find out that Hwy 50 is now open. OMG! Are you have to be kidding me?! It's kinda comical...in a sick twisted way. What should we do? We decided to get dinner and see if the road opens up after we're done.
7:00 PM - We manage to maneuver around all the parked cars and flip a u-turn on the highway. Yes, we flipped a u-turn. After driving around for 20 minutes, we found an Italian place in Truckee. We had a nice meal, watched some TV (the Oscars and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader), hung out for a bit and then decided to give it another shot.
9:00 PM - Hwy 80 is *still* closed. In fact, they blocked all the westbound on-ramps. What to do? Let's get gas at the gas station. There are heaps of cars, trucks and SUVs parked on the side of the road, just waiting. Should we drive back to S. Lake Tahoe and take Hwy 50 home? There's no guarantee that 50 will remain open and still be open by the time we get there. Not to mention the fact that our trek to Hwy 80 would've been a futile effort. Or do we wait it out for them to open 80? The last time we didn't wait, 50 opened up. Of course, there is no estimated time of re-opening. It's a catch-22. We're damned if we do. We're damned if we don't. We decide to wait it out, since the last time we didn't we got screwed.
Greg is now convinced that Cal Trans is in cahoots with the Truckee businesses. It's all just a ploy to keep people in the area...force us to spend money on food, gas and lodging. "Cal Trans sucks @$$," says Greg.
It's amazing how cold a car can get when it's cold outside. Luckily, Ed and Char had blankets to keep us warm. Note to self: pack blankets whenever we roadtrip. We talk for a little bit, and then everyone in the car dozes off.
12:00 AM - We wake up and decide to give it yet another shot. The storm seems to have passed. It's not snowing outside anymore, and the wind seems to have died down. It's *still* closed! The guy in the truck says 80 probably won't be open until the morning. Hmm...we could just stay overnight, call in sick and board in fresh powder. Except we both have doggies we need to get back to. We've got nothing to lose now. So, (this is just classic) we drive *back* to S. Lake Tahoe to take Hwy 50 home. On the plus side, there's no traffic on the roads.
2:00 AM - Life is cruel. 13 hours after we left, we're back where we started. We basically drove to Truckee for dinner and a nap and then back to S. Lake Tahoe. Hahaha! On a positive note, everyone in the car is taking this in stride. No one's blaming anyone. Tempers are *not* flaring. Greg was probably the most frustrated person in the car because he's not good at feeling helpless. But he was still laughing at the situation and making jokes.
2:30 AM - Hwy 50 is...open! Hooray! We pass chain control and are on our way home. According to Char and Greg, driving 50 that late at night was surreal. You're literally staring into the blackness and you see nothing. Every now and then they'd see an animal along the side of the road. They saw a coyote, a mountain lion (they think) and Sasquatch (not). Ed and I were passed out in the back seat. So we'll take their word for it.
7:30 AM - After being on the road for 19.5 hours, we are *finally* home! I think the entire drive home is a lesson in patience. If we had just had the patience to wait it out on Hwy 50, we probably would've been home much sooner. Needless to say, we "worked" from home today and managed to take a nice long nap in the afternoon.
Call us crazy, but we're plotting another trip back to Tahoe to erase the sour memory of our insane drive home. =)
We left Friday morning and had an uneventful drive into Tahoe. After settling in, we built a fort and snow people to greet the rest of our group. Saturday, we boarded at Sierra-at-Tahoe, even though we were closer to Heavenly. I think most folks in our group prefer Sierra because it's less expensive and is more boarder-friendly. The conditions were good in the morning: fresh powder, no lines, decent weather (not blue skies, but also not snowing or too windy). As the day progressed, we could tell that the storm was moving in. By lunch time, it was snowing and pretty gusty at the top of the mountain. But we went out for more boarding because the snow was so good. After a yummy dinner prepared by Grace, we just hung out and played Rock Band. Thanks for bringing it up, Ed and Char!
Sunday morning was a lazy morning. Slept in, made breakfast and had a snowball fight. That was good fun! Then it was time to pack it up and head home. This is when our weekend turned into a miserable, never-ending comedy of errors.
First a map of Lake Tahoe to help orient you.
We were staying in S. Lake Tahoe (bottom of the map), just off the road that takes you from S. Lake Tahoe Blvd to Heavenly (Ski Run for those of you familiar with the Tahoe Area). 1:00 PM - We departed the cabin. We inched our way forward on Pioneer Trail and noted all the cars turning around. Hmm...this is not a good sign. Thanks to the magic of GPS, we were able to take back roads to Meyers, near the junction of Hwy 50 and 89. (We're still at the bottom of the map). Cal Trans has closed Hwy 50 and 89 for avalanche work at the summit. Hwy 88 was closed due to avalanche danger. So, we couldn't take the 89 to 88 past Kirkwood. We just sat and wait...and wait...and wait. If any of you have taken a road trip with my husband, you *know* that this is cruel and unusual punishment for him (and anyone else in the car with him). He *cannot* sit still and gets incredibly antsy. Thankfully, we had a deck of cards and started playing card games.
3:30 PM - We've been sitting for 2.5 hours. Some of us have to potty. We made an executive decision to turn around and drive around the lake to the North Shore/Truckee to take Hwy 80 home. Of course, we checked road conditions before we made this decision. Hwy 80 as open. Why is this a big deal? Because in the winter, you have to go the long way around the lake. Hwy 89 is closed at Emerald Bay due to avalanche danger. For those of you not familiar with the long way, look at the map. We drove back towards our cabin on Hwy 50, crossed the Nevada/California State line, up Hwy 50 to Hwy 28 to Hwy 267 to Hwy 80.
6:00 PM - We're now at the top left of the map, near Truckee. The road conditions are not stellar. It's snowing, borderline blizzarding. The visibilty is poor. But traffic is moving! As we approach 80 westbound, there aren't many cars on the highway. Maybe everyone's already headed home? It looks like we made a good decision...until we see brake lights and then 80 becomes a parking lot at Donner Pass Road. Hwy 80 is *closed* at Donner Summit due to blizzard-like conditions and zero visibility. We also find out that Hwy 50 is now open. OMG! Are you have to be kidding me?! It's kinda comical...in a sick twisted way. What should we do? We decided to get dinner and see if the road opens up after we're done.
7:00 PM - We manage to maneuver around all the parked cars and flip a u-turn on the highway. Yes, we flipped a u-turn. After driving around for 20 minutes, we found an Italian place in Truckee. We had a nice meal, watched some TV (the Oscars and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader), hung out for a bit and then decided to give it another shot.
9:00 PM - Hwy 80 is *still* closed. In fact, they blocked all the westbound on-ramps. What to do? Let's get gas at the gas station. There are heaps of cars, trucks and SUVs parked on the side of the road, just waiting. Should we drive back to S. Lake Tahoe and take Hwy 50 home? There's no guarantee that 50 will remain open and still be open by the time we get there. Not to mention the fact that our trek to Hwy 80 would've been a futile effort. Or do we wait it out for them to open 80? The last time we didn't wait, 50 opened up. Of course, there is no estimated time of re-opening. It's a catch-22. We're damned if we do. We're damned if we don't. We decide to wait it out, since the last time we didn't we got screwed.
Greg is now convinced that Cal Trans is in cahoots with the Truckee businesses. It's all just a ploy to keep people in the area...force us to spend money on food, gas and lodging. "Cal Trans sucks @$$," says Greg.
It's amazing how cold a car can get when it's cold outside. Luckily, Ed and Char had blankets to keep us warm. Note to self: pack blankets whenever we roadtrip. We talk for a little bit, and then everyone in the car dozes off.
12:00 AM - We wake up and decide to give it yet another shot. The storm seems to have passed. It's not snowing outside anymore, and the wind seems to have died down. It's *still* closed! The guy in the truck says 80 probably won't be open until the morning. Hmm...we could just stay overnight, call in sick and board in fresh powder. Except we both have doggies we need to get back to. We've got nothing to lose now. So, (this is just classic) we drive *back* to S. Lake Tahoe to take Hwy 50 home. On the plus side, there's no traffic on the roads.
2:00 AM - Life is cruel. 13 hours after we left, we're back where we started. We basically drove to Truckee for dinner and a nap and then back to S. Lake Tahoe. Hahaha! On a positive note, everyone in the car is taking this in stride. No one's blaming anyone. Tempers are *not* flaring. Greg was probably the most frustrated person in the car because he's not good at feeling helpless. But he was still laughing at the situation and making jokes.
2:30 AM - Hwy 50 is...open! Hooray! We pass chain control and are on our way home. According to Char and Greg, driving 50 that late at night was surreal. You're literally staring into the blackness and you see nothing. Every now and then they'd see an animal along the side of the road. They saw a coyote, a mountain lion (they think) and Sasquatch (not). Ed and I were passed out in the back seat. So we'll take their word for it.
7:30 AM - After being on the road for 19.5 hours, we are *finally* home! I think the entire drive home is a lesson in patience. If we had just had the patience to wait it out on Hwy 50, we probably would've been home much sooner. Needless to say, we "worked" from home today and managed to take a nice long nap in the afternoon.
Call us crazy, but we're plotting another trip back to Tahoe to erase the sour memory of our insane drive home. =)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Chinese New Year Run
Yesterday we ran the Chinese New Year 5k/10K Run in San Francisco. Our friend, Juliana, organized a group of folks to run or walk the 5K. We got up really early to get up to the city by 7:00 AM. The upside of getting there early: no traffic and *FREE* street parking. I've never found free street parking in San Francisco, especially around SF Chinatown.
The run was pretty low-key. There were actually a lot more people than we expected. Apparently, this is the 30th annual run. The funniest thing about the run were the handful of Chinese grandmas who would cross the streets that the runners were on. They just shuffled right in front of everyone with no fear of being run over or bumped into. I wonder if something happens to Asian women who get past a certain age that gives them this fearlessness (or stupidity according to Greg).
We had heard that they gave each runner warm pork buns (the baked kind) after the finish line. So, that was pretty good motivation to run faster and get to the finish line. You can imagine how disappointed Greg was when we crossed the finish line and made our way up to Portsmouth Square to find that there were no pork buns. Only water, bananas, oranges and yogurt in tubes. Good thing we were planning to grab breakfast after everyone finished! Our yummy breakfast at Squat & Gobble more than made up for the lack of pork buns.
The run was pretty low-key. There were actually a lot more people than we expected. Apparently, this is the 30th annual run. The funniest thing about the run were the handful of Chinese grandmas who would cross the streets that the runners were on. They just shuffled right in front of everyone with no fear of being run over or bumped into. I wonder if something happens to Asian women who get past a certain age that gives them this fearlessness (or stupidity according to Greg).
We had heard that they gave each runner warm pork buns (the baked kind) after the finish line. So, that was pretty good motivation to run faster and get to the finish line. You can imagine how disappointed Greg was when we crossed the finish line and made our way up to Portsmouth Square to find that there were no pork buns. Only water, bananas, oranges and yogurt in tubes. Good thing we were planning to grab breakfast after everyone finished! Our yummy breakfast at Squat & Gobble more than made up for the lack of pork buns.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Kooza
Friday night we went to Kooza, the newest Cirque du Soleil show, in downtown San Jose. Greg is a big fan of the Cirque shows and tries to them when they're touring in San Jose. I'm not as big a fan, but think that the shows *can be* pretty interesting. I really enjoyed O, but felt that Corteo and Quidam were not as entertaining.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Kooza. As we were driving to the show, I looked at Greg and said, "If I fall asleep during the show, will you be upset?" Greg made a face and said, "Yes." Hmm...I made a mental note: be sure to caffinate before any Cirque shows. I wasn't sure I'd have time to get a Diet Coke or even if they'd let me bring it into the tent. I was seriously hoping Kooza would be entertaining for me.
And it was! I really enjoyed the clowns and the comic relief between the acrobatics. My favorite acrobatic acts were the Wheel of Death and Balancing on Chairs. The other acrobatic acts were good too, but these two really stood out for me. I think it's because I hadn't seen acts like this before.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Kooza. As we were driving to the show, I looked at Greg and said, "If I fall asleep during the show, will you be upset?" Greg made a face and said, "Yes." Hmm...I made a mental note: be sure to caffinate before any Cirque shows. I wasn't sure I'd have time to get a Diet Coke or even if they'd let me bring it into the tent. I was seriously hoping Kooza would be entertaining for me.
And it was! I really enjoyed the clowns and the comic relief between the acrobatics. My favorite acrobatic acts were the Wheel of Death and Balancing on Chairs. The other acrobatic acts were good too, but these two really stood out for me. I think it's because I hadn't seen acts like this before.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Happy Non-Valentine Day!
While I was in Chicago, my co-worker asked me what Greg and I would be doing for our first Valentine Day as a married couple. I looked at her with this blank stare and said, "Valentine Day? Uhhh...we don't really celebrate it."
We actually discussed this when we were dating. Is it unromantic to not celebrate Valentine Day? We don't think so. We think Valentine Day is a commerical holiday that's over-hyped. Everyday should be Valentine Day. Why do you need a special day to tell/show someone that you love him/her? Shouldn't you do that *everyday* you're with that person?
So what did we do for Valentine Day? Since we had a bye for volleyball, Greg and a friend, made dinner for a few of our mutual friends. And they did a FANTASTIC job. The menu:
We actually discussed this when we were dating. Is it unromantic to not celebrate Valentine Day? We don't think so. We think Valentine Day is a commerical holiday that's over-hyped. Everyday should be Valentine Day. Why do you need a special day to tell/show someone that you love him/her? Shouldn't you do that *everyday* you're with that person?
So what did we do for Valentine Day? Since we had a bye for volleyball, Greg and a friend, made dinner for a few of our mutual friends. And they did a FANTASTIC job. The menu:
- Deviled eggs and baked caprese salad for appetizers
- Spinach salad
- Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with wild mushrooms and goat cheese
- Cioppino
- Home made s'mores for dessert
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
How many agents does it take to change your flight?
It's snowing. Not hard, but enough that it could be problematic. It looks pretty from my hotel room, but I know it's going to be cold outside. I'm glad that I brought my scarf, beanie and gloves. And I don't even want to think about what the bad weather's going to do to my flight home. Having flown in and out of O'Hare in bad weather before I know it's not a question of if it will be delayed, but by how much will it be delayed.
The air is really dry out here too. I can feel my the static electricity in my hair. And when you get under the sheets and/or move under the sheets, you get shocked by the static electricity. The craziest thing is that this morning, when I rolled over to turn off the alarm clock, I saw little green flashes whenever I felt the static shock. I've never seen static electricity before! It was actually kinda cool.
I was scheduled to fly from Chicago to San Jose via a connection in Denver. My first flight was scheduled to depart at 4:47 PM. My co-workers were on a direct flight to San Francisco that was scheduled to depart at 5:00 PM. The entire day we kept checking our devices for an email message from United about flight delays. Nothing. It wasn't until we were at the self service check-in kiosk that we received an email saying our flights were delayed.
My co-workers' flight was delayed until 7:00 PM, but they were able to get onto the 3:00 PM flight that was delayed until 5:00 PM. My flight was delayed until 6:30 PM, which meant I would've missed my connection in Denver. I had to see an agent at the ticket counter. Ugh. The agent switches my Denver connection to a later time, and I'm on my way through security. Since I've got time to kill, I stop at Starbucks for some tea.
At the gate, I find my co-workers who're waiting for their flight at a nearby gate. I get another email update saying my flight is now delayed until 7:30 PM. Are you serious? I'm going to miss the later connection in Denver. Experience tells me that my flight is probably going to be delayed even more than this. I do *not* want to spend the night in Denver (or Chicago for that matter) or get home around midnight or later.
One of my co-workers tells me that she'll give me a ride from SFO to my home, if I get on their flight. That was really nice of her because she lives in Menlo Park, which is about 20 minutes from our home. And she has a 3 year old daughter that probably misses her mommy. I told her that if I could get on the flight, it would be great if she could give me a ride from SFO to her house. Greg can pick me up there.
I walk to the counter, where *several* gate agents are standing around.
"Can I help you?" says Agent1
"Yes. My final destination is San Jose, but I have to connect through Denver. My Chicago to Denver flight is now delayed until 7:30 PM, which means I'm going to miss my connection. Is it possible to get onto this flight to San Francisco instead?"
"You have to talk to the agent over there by the jetway door."
"Okay."
I'm wondering why this agent can't help me, but I give her the benefit of the doubt and walk over the Agent2. Agent2 sees me and is trying to ignore me while he talks to another agent.
"Excuse me. They sent me over here to talk to you."
"Yes. How can I help you?"
I repeat my situation to Agent2.
"Hmm...well, I don't think I can do anything because you have a connection.
"Why not?"
"Well, your luggage is checked through to San Jose."
"I didn't check any bags."
"Well, I'd have to open your ticket up, which means you'd lose your seats on your existing flights. And we're not sure there's room on this flight. It'd be best if you wait until we start calling standbys."
"Okay, can you add my name to the standby list?"
"You just need to wait over there by the counter."
"Really? Don't you generally take the names of passengers for the standby list?"
"Just wait over there by the counter, ma'am." he says in a very dismissive tone and goes back to his conversation with the other agent.
I walk *back* over to the counter, and speak to a different agent, Agent3.
"Can I help you ma'am?"
"I hope so." I say and proceed to repeat my situation for the third time.
"Hmm...I'm not sure we can do that because you have a connection. I think you have to go to the customer service desk."
I walked by the customer service desk on my way to the gate and there as a loooong line. I *know* they can re-ticket me at the counter, but for some reason none of the gate agents I've spoken with so far seem to know this. Are they all in training or something?
"Really? There's nothing you can do?"
"I'm pretty sure because you have a connection, you need to go to the customer service desk. But let me double check with him." he says as he points to yet another agent holding a phone up to his ear with his shoulder while he types on the keyboard.
Agent3 proceeds to tell Agent4 my situation.
Agent4 confidently says, "You can just re-ticket her here." I'm doing the happy dance in my head and thanking God that this agent is here.
Agent3 looks perplexed and says, "You can?"
"Yes, like this."
He starts typing on the keyboard; stops and looks at me. Oh no...is he going to tell me there're no more seats available? Please no.
"There's only middle seats left. Is that okay?"
"That's fine. I just want to get on the flight."
"Okay. Here you go." he says as he hands me my new boarding pass.
Hallelujah! I'm good to go! Now all I needed was for the flight to take off! After a gate change, boarding (which seemed to take longer than usual) and de-icing the plane, we finally take off around 6:30 PM. Our estimated time of arrival: 8:06 PM Pacific (10:06 Central).
As Greg and I are driving back home, I found out that my original Chicago flight was delayed until 8:45 PM and that my Denver flight was delayed until 10:05 PM! If I had stayed on my original flight, I would've just taken off from Denver instead of being in the car headed home. Thank goodness I got on that flight. I'm so happy to be home.
The air is really dry out here too. I can feel my the static electricity in my hair. And when you get under the sheets and/or move under the sheets, you get shocked by the static electricity. The craziest thing is that this morning, when I rolled over to turn off the alarm clock, I saw little green flashes whenever I felt the static shock. I've never seen static electricity before! It was actually kinda cool.
I was scheduled to fly from Chicago to San Jose via a connection in Denver. My first flight was scheduled to depart at 4:47 PM. My co-workers were on a direct flight to San Francisco that was scheduled to depart at 5:00 PM. The entire day we kept checking our devices for an email message from United about flight delays. Nothing. It wasn't until we were at the self service check-in kiosk that we received an email saying our flights were delayed.
My co-workers' flight was delayed until 7:00 PM, but they were able to get onto the 3:00 PM flight that was delayed until 5:00 PM. My flight was delayed until 6:30 PM, which meant I would've missed my connection in Denver. I had to see an agent at the ticket counter. Ugh. The agent switches my Denver connection to a later time, and I'm on my way through security. Since I've got time to kill, I stop at Starbucks for some tea.
At the gate, I find my co-workers who're waiting for their flight at a nearby gate. I get another email update saying my flight is now delayed until 7:30 PM. Are you serious? I'm going to miss the later connection in Denver. Experience tells me that my flight is probably going to be delayed even more than this. I do *not* want to spend the night in Denver (or Chicago for that matter) or get home around midnight or later.
One of my co-workers tells me that she'll give me a ride from SFO to my home, if I get on their flight. That was really nice of her because she lives in Menlo Park, which is about 20 minutes from our home. And she has a 3 year old daughter that probably misses her mommy. I told her that if I could get on the flight, it would be great if she could give me a ride from SFO to her house. Greg can pick me up there.
I walk to the counter, where *several* gate agents are standing around.
"Can I help you?" says Agent1
"Yes. My final destination is San Jose, but I have to connect through Denver. My Chicago to Denver flight is now delayed until 7:30 PM, which means I'm going to miss my connection. Is it possible to get onto this flight to San Francisco instead?"
"You have to talk to the agent over there by the jetway door."
"Okay."
I'm wondering why this agent can't help me, but I give her the benefit of the doubt and walk over the Agent2. Agent2 sees me and is trying to ignore me while he talks to another agent.
"Excuse me. They sent me over here to talk to you."
"Yes. How can I help you?"
I repeat my situation to Agent2.
"Hmm...well, I don't think I can do anything because you have a connection.
"Why not?"
"Well, your luggage is checked through to San Jose."
"I didn't check any bags."
"Well, I'd have to open your ticket up, which means you'd lose your seats on your existing flights. And we're not sure there's room on this flight. It'd be best if you wait until we start calling standbys."
"Okay, can you add my name to the standby list?"
"You just need to wait over there by the counter."
"Really? Don't you generally take the names of passengers for the standby list?"
"Just wait over there by the counter, ma'am." he says in a very dismissive tone and goes back to his conversation with the other agent.
I walk *back* over to the counter, and speak to a different agent, Agent3.
"Can I help you ma'am?"
"I hope so." I say and proceed to repeat my situation for the third time.
"Hmm...I'm not sure we can do that because you have a connection. I think you have to go to the customer service desk."
I walked by the customer service desk on my way to the gate and there as a loooong line. I *know* they can re-ticket me at the counter, but for some reason none of the gate agents I've spoken with so far seem to know this. Are they all in training or something?
"Really? There's nothing you can do?"
"I'm pretty sure because you have a connection, you need to go to the customer service desk. But let me double check with him." he says as he points to yet another agent holding a phone up to his ear with his shoulder while he types on the keyboard.
Agent3 proceeds to tell Agent4 my situation.
Agent4 confidently says, "You can just re-ticket her here." I'm doing the happy dance in my head and thanking God that this agent is here.
Agent3 looks perplexed and says, "You can?"
"Yes, like this."
He starts typing on the keyboard; stops and looks at me. Oh no...is he going to tell me there're no more seats available? Please no.
"There's only middle seats left. Is that okay?"
"That's fine. I just want to get on the flight."
"Okay. Here you go." he says as he hands me my new boarding pass.
Hallelujah! I'm good to go! Now all I needed was for the flight to take off! After a gate change, boarding (which seemed to take longer than usual) and de-icing the plane, we finally take off around 6:30 PM. Our estimated time of arrival: 8:06 PM Pacific (10:06 Central).
As Greg and I are driving back home, I found out that my original Chicago flight was delayed until 8:45 PM and that my Denver flight was delayed until 10:05 PM! If I had stayed on my original flight, I would've just taken off from Denver instead of being in the car headed home. Thank goodness I got on that flight. I'm so happy to be home.
Monday, February 11, 2008
All by Myself...
I'm sitting in my hotel room watching TV, but there's really nothing good on right now. I'm actually quite bored, but there's nothing to do out here in Schaumberg. And if there was, it's too freakin cold to go out. I think the high today was 10 degrees. I could drive to downtown Chicago, which is about an hours drive. But I have no one to hang out with downtown, and the idea of bar hopping by myself is really not appealing.
While I am traveling with co-workers, they're not interested in going downtown. I had to talk them into to going out to dinner. And they didn't even want to go to a nice dinner. They filled up on the finger food during the social and networking time after our meeting. It's a real bummer because there are some really good restaurants in Chicago...Mortons, Charlie Trotters, Gibsons Steak House, Chicago Chop House, and Hugo's Frog Bar. Granted they're mostly steak houses, and I don't usually steak...but I'd make an exception for these places. The last time I was in Chicago for business, I ate at Hugo's Frog Bar by myself. And it was a GOOD meal. Instead we ate at the Cheesecake Factory in the mall by the Motorola campus.
If my brother and sister-in-law still lived in Chicago, I would drive downtown and hang out with them. But they don't live here anymore. So, I'm stuck...in my hotel room...bored...all by my lonesome...
While I am traveling with co-workers, they're not interested in going downtown. I had to talk them into to going out to dinner. And they didn't even want to go to a nice dinner. They filled up on the finger food during the social and networking time after our meeting. It's a real bummer because there are some really good restaurants in Chicago...Mortons, Charlie Trotters, Gibsons Steak House, Chicago Chop House, and Hugo's Frog Bar. Granted they're mostly steak houses, and I don't usually steak...but I'd make an exception for these places. The last time I was in Chicago for business, I ate at Hugo's Frog Bar by myself. And it was a GOOD meal. Instead we ate at the Cheesecake Factory in the mall by the Motorola campus.
If my brother and sister-in-law still lived in Chicago, I would drive downtown and hang out with them. But they don't live here anymore. So, I'm stuck...in my hotel room...bored...all by my lonesome...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Brr...It's COLD in Chicago
I'm in Chicago for work tonight. Well, not exactly Chicago. I'm in a suburb of Chicago, Schaumberg. What's in Schaumberg? Besides Motorola's headquarters, not much else. It's definitely not at all like Downtown Chicago. =( At least I'm only here for a few days and go back home on Tuesday night.
It's also incredibly cold. As we were beginning our descent into Chicago, the pilot announces that it's really cold in Chicago. "It's about 2 or 3 degrees below zero. And the wind is about 10-15 miles, so it'll be about 10 degree *below* zero." I could tell it was going to be cold because I could see the breath of the ground crew outside and my own breath as I walked down the jet way to the terminal. Joy. I'm going to to freeze and turn into a Cheryl-scle.
It's also incredibly cold. As we were beginning our descent into Chicago, the pilot announces that it's really cold in Chicago. "It's about 2 or 3 degrees below zero. And the wind is about 10-15 miles, so it'll be about 10 degree *below* zero." I could tell it was going to be cold because I could see the breath of the ground crew outside and my own breath as I walked down the jet way to the terminal. Joy. I'm going to to freeze and turn into a Cheryl-scle.
Sorry Ice Cream, I'm on My Way to Pinkberry
Greg and I have heard a great deal about Pinkberry yogurt from our friends who live or have lived in LA. And then we saw a TV commerical for an American Express card that featured Pinkberry. What's the big deal? It's just frozen yogurt right? Our friends quickly corrected us. Pinkberry is not like other frozen yogurt. It's slightly tart and tastes like yogurt you buy at the grocery store (Dannon or Yoplait), but frozen.
Hmmm...sounds different, but we still didn't quite get it. It has to be something you try. We found a couple of yogurt shops in the Bay Area that served this type of yogurt. It was pretty good, and I'd eat it again.
I was advised that Pinkberry was better and I still really needed to try it. Why was it better? They had more toppings. Their yogurt was thicker/richer/creamier. Interesting. Only one problem. Their California stores are only located in the LA area. So, we had to wait for the next opportunity we were in LA.
That opportunity happened this past weekend when we visited my brother, sister-in-law and our friend and her new baby. I made a point of telling my brother that we had to go to Pinkberry:
Ed: What do you want to do when you're here?
Me: Go to Pinkberry. Other than that, doesn't matter. We can just play it by ear. But we have to go to Pinkberry.
Ed: (chuckling) Okay, why do you want to go to Pinkberry so badly?
Me: We've heard a lot about it from our friends, and we want to try it.
So we went twice. Once on Saturday and once on Sunday. The store has a very modern feel. The clear green chairs reminded me of yogurt spoons. They had three flavors: plain, green tea and coffee. You get to pick different toppings. Choose from an array of fresh fruit -- mangos, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or bananas -- or mochi, captain crunch, oreos, chocolate chips, etc. Dardy highly recommended the plain yogurt with mochi and captain crunch topping. My brother highly recommended the plain yogurt with fruit toppings.
On Saturday, we ordered a plain yogurt with mango, blueberries and strawberries and shared it. The yogurt was thicker. We really liked the fresh fruit toppings. There was just the right amount of fruit so you got fruit with each bite of yogurt. As we sat eating our yogurt, I noticed that a rather long line had formed out the door.
On Sunday, Greg ordered a plain yogurt with mochi and captain crunch. I ordered a plain yogurt with mangos, blueberries and kiwi. I liked the mochi topping, but wasn't too hot on the captain crunch. If we went back another time, I'd order plain with mochi, blueberries and strawberries.
Turns out there's a Pinkberry theme song, The Pinkberry Remix by Lady Tigra. I heard it when I went to their website. It's kinda catchy, and where I got the title of this post...PIN-KBE-RRY...Pinkberry.
Hmmm...sounds different, but we still didn't quite get it. It has to be something you try. We found a couple of yogurt shops in the Bay Area that served this type of yogurt. It was pretty good, and I'd eat it again.
I was advised that Pinkberry was better and I still really needed to try it. Why was it better? They had more toppings. Their yogurt was thicker/richer/creamier. Interesting. Only one problem. Their California stores are only located in the LA area. So, we had to wait for the next opportunity we were in LA.
That opportunity happened this past weekend when we visited my brother, sister-in-law and our friend and her new baby. I made a point of telling my brother that we had to go to Pinkberry:
Ed: What do you want to do when you're here?
Me: Go to Pinkberry. Other than that, doesn't matter. We can just play it by ear. But we have to go to Pinkberry.
Ed: (chuckling) Okay, why do you want to go to Pinkberry so badly?
Me: We've heard a lot about it from our friends, and we want to try it.
So we went twice. Once on Saturday and once on Sunday. The store has a very modern feel. The clear green chairs reminded me of yogurt spoons. They had three flavors: plain, green tea and coffee. You get to pick different toppings. Choose from an array of fresh fruit -- mangos, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or bananas -- or mochi, captain crunch, oreos, chocolate chips, etc. Dardy highly recommended the plain yogurt with mochi and captain crunch topping. My brother highly recommended the plain yogurt with fruit toppings.
On Saturday, we ordered a plain yogurt with mango, blueberries and strawberries and shared it. The yogurt was thicker. We really liked the fresh fruit toppings. There was just the right amount of fruit so you got fruit with each bite of yogurt. As we sat eating our yogurt, I noticed that a rather long line had formed out the door.
On Sunday, Greg ordered a plain yogurt with mochi and captain crunch. I ordered a plain yogurt with mangos, blueberries and kiwi. I liked the mochi topping, but wasn't too hot on the captain crunch. If we went back another time, I'd order plain with mochi, blueberries and strawberries.
Turns out there's a Pinkberry theme song, The Pinkberry Remix by Lady Tigra. I heard it when I went to their website. It's kinda catchy, and where I got the title of this post...PIN-KBE-RRY...Pinkberry.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Happy Year of the Rat!
For Chinese New Year, my extended family usually gathers for a meal on Chinese New Year's Eve where we eat traditional Chinese New Year foods. What are traditional Chinese New Year foods and why do we eat them? Uh...well, I'm not entirely sure. But there's generally always fish, dumplings, rice cake (nian gao), and other stuff. I do know that we're not supposed to finish everything because the leftovers are symbolic of having plenty for the new year. At least, that's what I've been told.
So last night I drove up to the East Bay for Chinese New Year dinner. Rather than eating home cooking, we ended up at a restaurant. My aunt, who is a very good cook and usually cooks everything for Chinese New Year dinner, is in Shanghai for the new year. We had fish, dumplings and other stuff, but no rice cake. That was kinda disappointing, but probably better for me from a caloric standpoint. It was nice to see everyone, but the food was not nearly as tasty as what my aunt prepares.
The other really cool thing about Chinese New Year is the red envelopes you get! For those of you not familiar with this tradition, after you pay your respects (bai nian) to your elders, they give you a red envelope filled with money. But since I'm married now, I'm not supposed to get red envelopes anymore. (boo) Instead, I'm supposed to give them out to the single people who are younger than me (read: my cousins). Did I have red envelopes prepared? Nope. Why not? Well, two of my cousins were not home for Chinese New Year, and I wasn't sure if the other one would be at dinner. Thankfully, no one called me (or my other married cousins) on it. What was surprising was that I (and my other married cousins) received red envelopes from my grandma, uncle and mom! Cha-ching! Maybe they forgot we were all married...probably not. Maybe my family doesn't follow the "No red envelopes after you're married" tradition. Or maybe they'll stop giving them to me after I have a baby and give it to the baby instead.
You might be wondering why I'm using the first person singular, I, instead of the first person plural, we, for this post. Well, it's because Greg did not join me last night. He had volleyball. Someone asked me if it bothered me that Greg didn't attend this family function since this is a big holiday for my family and he's my husband. It doesn't really bother me that he didn't go. I think he doesn't really enjoy these gatherings because my extended family either prefers to or can only converse in Mandarin. Really, how much fun can it be if you can't understand most of the conversation and/or very few people talk to you? While I can't really speak Mandarin very well, I can understand most of the conversation and contribute with Chinglish. If I had a choice between volleyball (or some other activity you enjoy) or going out to dinner with people I couldn't really talk to or understand, I would prefer to play volleyball. Wouldn't you?
So last night I drove up to the East Bay for Chinese New Year dinner. Rather than eating home cooking, we ended up at a restaurant. My aunt, who is a very good cook and usually cooks everything for Chinese New Year dinner, is in Shanghai for the new year. We had fish, dumplings and other stuff, but no rice cake. That was kinda disappointing, but probably better for me from a caloric standpoint. It was nice to see everyone, but the food was not nearly as tasty as what my aunt prepares.
The other really cool thing about Chinese New Year is the red envelopes you get! For those of you not familiar with this tradition, after you pay your respects (bai nian) to your elders, they give you a red envelope filled with money. But since I'm married now, I'm not supposed to get red envelopes anymore. (boo) Instead, I'm supposed to give them out to the single people who are younger than me (read: my cousins). Did I have red envelopes prepared? Nope. Why not? Well, two of my cousins were not home for Chinese New Year, and I wasn't sure if the other one would be at dinner. Thankfully, no one called me (or my other married cousins) on it. What was surprising was that I (and my other married cousins) received red envelopes from my grandma, uncle and mom! Cha-ching! Maybe they forgot we were all married...probably not. Maybe my family doesn't follow the "No red envelopes after you're married" tradition. Or maybe they'll stop giving them to me after I have a baby and give it to the baby instead.
You might be wondering why I'm using the first person singular, I, instead of the first person plural, we, for this post. Well, it's because Greg did not join me last night. He had volleyball. Someone asked me if it bothered me that Greg didn't attend this family function since this is a big holiday for my family and he's my husband. It doesn't really bother me that he didn't go. I think he doesn't really enjoy these gatherings because my extended family either prefers to or can only converse in Mandarin. Really, how much fun can it be if you can't understand most of the conversation and/or very few people talk to you? While I can't really speak Mandarin very well, I can understand most of the conversation and contribute with Chinglish. If I had a choice between volleyball (or some other activity you enjoy) or going out to dinner with people I couldn't really talk to or understand, I would prefer to play volleyball. Wouldn't you?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Thank God for a Quick Metabolism
7:00 pm - arrive at BJ's Brewery
- Beer
- Long Island (love Dardy)
- Scooby Snack (love Ann)
- 3 Wise Men (love Eddie)
- 151 (love Eddie)
- Tequila (love Eddie)
- Chocolate Cake (love Jen)
- Irish Car Bomb (love...I dunno)
- Buttery Nipple (love Ann - thanks for taking this one Dardy)
??:?? pm Dardy takes Greg to visit the bathroom
??:?? pm Ed takes Greg to visit the bathroom
Greg spends the rest of the night at home in the bathroom
I love my friends dearly.
Pictures of the chaos can be found at http://www.wilcopix.com/wilco/greg%20birthday
2/2/08: no hangover! woo hoo!
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