Did you ever start a text, read it, and wonder — “hmmm, is this too much information; too in depth to send via text?” ….but still send it? Well, I was meeting a friend at the airport who was taking the same flight. The security line was real long for our gate. So, I provided a two-page explanation of how she could avoid the long security line by going through another security entrance, then cut back and walk a little extra to get to our gate to meet up and grab breakfast. Whew, lots of info; you know, trying to be helpful. Her reply? “I am already through security.”
This could be the time of year I could really go on how I left perfect weather in Arizona for a midwestern trip that included rain, cold and snow flurries as I was leaving town. Instead, I will just write that it is good to be home and glad it is hiking weather so I can take photos to post on this page.
During road trips there are many times you find yourself eating alone. The key is to act busy, and look at your phone a lot. I remember how painful it was one time my battery died on my phone. I must’ve read every word on the menu…twice.
Lately I have taken on a new path…I order food To Go and eat in the hotel room …alone. For a restaurant that does not have a bar, the path is pretty simple. Sit down, tell the wait staff that I would like a drink while waiting for them to put in a To Go order.
Well this simple plan turned into a Jack Nicholson moment this past week. I sat down. I was asked if there was anything I wanted to drink. I said I would make this easy, I will order also….I would like a vanilla shake while I waited for the turkey, potatoes and beans dinner — To Go. She hesitated. She said…and no, I am not making this up…..she said that I needed to go to the cash register if I wanted to make a To Go order. I asked her why…couldn’t she just put in the order, I sit here and drink my shake while I wait? She said she couldn’t take my order yet, she could just ask if I wanted a drink, and if I wanted an order To Go, I needed to order it from the person at the cash register. Well then, I decided to go “Jack N” and present my case….”Can you, instead, bring my the turkey, potatoes and beans dinner…..and, at the same time, bring me a box, that is used for left overs? I will then take the order, and put it in the box. Does that work?”
She left saying nothing. (I am still not making this up.)
She came back and asked, “so you wanted the turkey, potatoes and beans in a To Go box, right?” I nodded. She left by saying that she will bring my shake back soon.
I am thinking maybe my story will be featured in their next training video on how to work with a To Go customer or a customer that orders both a drink and food at the same time…or a difficult customer…
Want to find out what the fight crew talks about before a flight? Well, try this trick. Forget your sweatshirt on the plane, and remember about it when you step foot in the airport.
First lesson, you can’t go back. Well, I know it would be hard to go against the line, but even when the line is done, you can’t go back into the planeIt is a rule. Makes sense. So, they have you stay right behind the counter as you wait for everyone to file out of the plane….and, well, right next to the crew to the next fight who are waiting for everyone to leave the plane.
The first comment came from the flight attendant, who remarked how ridiculous it was for all the people to be standing in the line area, when numbers haven’t even been called yet. The counter worker piled on and had another comment about how ridiculous the people were. The pilot agreed and laughed. The other counter lady remarked how they still had four people who needed to show their passport and they paged them three times already. Yes, ridiculous was a word used in that conversation.
Well, then, that led to the ridiculous person who left his sweatshirt on the plane. Based on the facial expression of the counter lady, you would have thought that I asked the employee to run into a burning building and carry a full-grown person over their shoulder to safety.
No, just a sweatshirt. Row 11. Blue. Probably between the seat and window. So, yes, they did choose to accept the mission. And, sure enough, like Jack from “This is Us” coming out of the burning house with the family dog, the employee came back out with my sweatshirt. “Thanks” …I said….it was not exactly a warm moment. I am sure I was the topic of the crews gossip as I left….and “ridiculous” probably was thrown out a couple times.
Oh well, I really like that sweatshirt.
No one was more surprised than me that the Arizona Diamondbacks put so much money into Zack Greinke a few years back. Part of me was disappointed that so much money was put into someone that had no personality and would only be showing his talents every five days. I was not disappointed to see Greinke get traded to Houston. Nor have I been surprised at him getting torched by both Tampa Bay and New York in the playoffs. I watched him in the Wildcard game a couple years against the Colorado Rockies and he could not even last into the sixth inning. There is nothing that screams “clutch” when Greinke pitches in the big games. He was making too much money to be simply “better than most”….or “consistent” ….he should be a lot better in pressure situations than he has been. At least now Houston is finding that out.
In the past few weeks I was able to watch a Grand Valley State football game on TV here in Arizona. It is a school that friends used to go to, and a friends brother teaches there now, so it was cool. Another time I saw the John Hopkins football game on ESPNU. A friend’s son plays on the team, so that was cool.
Pretty random, right? Grand Valley — yes. John Hopkins — yes. This weekend, in Arizona, do you think I could get the Arizona State-Washington State football game? Nope. Great game from who I read online and heard on the radio at the end. The game was on this mysterious network called the Pac 12 Network. Very few friends that know of have the channel. The dish companies don’t have it; Hulu and other similar companies don’t have it. Therefore, my odds of a Grand Valley or John Hopkins game are better than mny hometown Sun Devils.
Well, at least the Sun Devils won and are now 5–1…which is pretty darn good for a team that starts a bunch of freshman. At least that is what I read…and sometimes I watch them when the game makes Fox or ESPN, which has been two out of six times.
