May 2008 - Posts
So we board finally. Only to find
out just as we’re about to take off that we’ve been delayed another 2
hours at a minimum. It’s for our own safety I guess. They apologize and tell us
to get comfortable (always a bad sign) and that they’re going to show us a
movie. A chick flick no less. I could almost deal with that because it would
put me out for a nap were it not for the two screaming babies behind me. Now
don’t get me wrong, I love kids. I completely understand. It’s just different
when they’re not yours and we’re stuck for hours on end on the tarmac.
So for now my tally is;
3 trips to Chicago in the last 12 months with a combined
total of 12 hours delayed on the tarmac…..and counting…..it ain’t ova!
So I’m sitting here at Logan waiting for a flight to
Chicago. My flight"s been delayed an hour (so far). Surprise!!!! It seems that
everyone but me loves Chicago. No wonder. I’ve never flown in or out of there
without some sort of delay or problem. One time I was on the tarmac for 3 hours
and another delayed a grand total of 6 hours between the tarmac and the
terminal. I talk to people here and they say….”Oh yeah, that always happens”
What? Are you kidding me? I thought it
was just me.
Oh and now United wants and extra $25 for the second bag.
Screw them. I was going to check my MMS 03 bag and carry my MMS08 back pack on but
now both are with me. The 03 black bag with attached back pack will go in the top compartment and the 08 back pack under
the seat in front of me. Oh yeah and it's like 100 degrees in here!
Am I the only one that has more MS luggage than any other
:)? So far I’ve had my tooth paste and shaving cream taken from me (I forgot
because I was supposed to check that bag). Charged $13 for a cheeseburger and fries,
flights been delayed by 1 hour and I almost paid $25 for the extra bag. I haven’t
even left Boston yet. Must check return flight!
So I use Outlook Express for all of
the lists that I belong to so I don’t bog down my Exchange box with a lot of
clutter. Since I sit across from the Exchange guy, I don’t want my name coming
up on any reports about usage. Hence the use of OE.
I recently noticed that Spell Checker
is weird. Weird suggestions, telling me every word is wrong, etc. So I decide
to check it out only to discover that the language is set to French and there
are no other choices. What? Since when? I use my trusty friend Google and
discover that it’s a known problem after installing Office 2007. Who knew? My
only option was to install a 3rd party spell checker. That worked. I guess you can’t test for everything. I’m
sure no one else has Office 2007 and Outlook Express 6.
The mark of a true friend is not
whether or not they’ll buy you a drink when you’re down or even talk to you
when you need to be talked to. The mark of a true friend is whether or not they’ll
go to the store and buy you underwear when you need them. As the story goes……
We were in Las Vegas last week and
it was hot. Although I live by the motto “the hotter the better” it kicks off a
touch of OCD in me. I shower often when it’s hot. 2 or 3 times a day because I
have a thing about my twigs and berries being clean. I know, I’m nuts! A side effect
of this is that you go through underwear quicker than you thought you might. I
started the week with 14 and was almost out of them by day 5 with 3 more to go.
So by the time “Da Don” showed up on Wednesday I was already complaining about
being out of them. So what’s this all about you ask? Ask yourself this. What
would you do for a friend in this situation?
I was sitting in a session when my
phone vibrated. I look and I have a txt from Da Don (Mike Mott) He asks….wait
for it…….What size? I’m thinking OMG, he isn’t. I tell him and he asks Boxers
or briefs? Now I’m beside myself. It was hard to contain myself. So I answer
(for those of you wondering) boxer\briefs (now you know :) He says “OK, I’ll
see you in a bit” Turns out he walked 3 or 4 miles to buy me underwear. They
were $60 for 6 which was interesting but I now had enough for the week. So now
not only does he watch HBO in his underwear with me but he actually buys me the
underwear that I’m wearing when I’m watching HBO. That’s a true friend. I tip
my cap to you Mott. So I ask you……what would you do for a friend?
Soooooo, there’s a guy that rolls with us on these junkets
that we all know and love. He’s a Shrek like fellow. So, since I didn’t get a “disclaimer”
from him about his name he will hence forth be known as “Shrek”
Well, one morning we were entering a breakout room for a
session. There were a few of us there who will remain nameless to protect the innocent. We stroll into the room totally unaware that
our collective lives were about to change forever. We look around trying to
decide where to sit since we were early and had the run of the place. And then
it happened. The unmistakable sound of a bomb being dropped on an unsuspecting town
in the middle of nowhere. Booooooooooooooooooombs
awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! It could not be taken for anything other than what it was.
It was audible. In fact people that didn’t know us scattered as well. We looked
like cockroaches in a NY deli scattering after the lights went on. We were all
screaming his name. Shrreeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkk! OMG. We were horrified. And yet
it was like a train wreck. We couldn’t stop looking and laughing a nervous
laugh. Like. “Are we going to make it?” We dusted ourselves off and found
seats completely spread out so he couldn’t take us all out with one mighty
blast.
Fast forward to the evenings activities. We were at the
outdoor bar having a few when John G decides that a new breathing technique was in
order. “Breath out he says” We all nod and learn the new way to survive….I mean
breath. We had a sense for when it was about to happen. He seemed to get this
weird look in his eye so we tried warning people. Ben showed up with his Wife.
She didn’t know us so she thought we were “normal” I tried to warn her otherwise.
At one point I mouthed “run away” but
she didn’t heed my warning. And then it hit her. She had this look in her eye
that even I couldn’t explain but one thing is for sure. She “got it” For the
rest of the evening we were like chess pieces being moved around a magic board
with Geppetto as the chess master. And
so the legend of Shrek is born. If you should find yourself next to him at a
fine Las Vegas establishment or anywhere else in the world, pay attention. Don’t
take anything for granted and for crying out loud, kiss your children……
Many of you have seen a jpg of black socks floating around
the OT list. You may have wondered what that was all about. Well I’m here to
tell you.
One night in Vegas I left the bar early to get to bed. The
last thing I remember was getting a meatball sub at 4AM at a Subway shop. It
was good too. Well around 5:30-6AM Mike Mott turned up because he was staying
with me. No HBO this time. Well when he entered the room all of the lights were
on and I was laying spread eagle on the bed in my white tee, drawers and black
socks. My mouth was wide open and he “claims” I was snoring:) Oh, and red sauce
on my chin. Quite the site I’m sure. He should have taken a pic but I’m glad
that he didn’t.
He yelled out “you’re in trouble young man for leaving all
of the lights on and the door wide open!” Somehow I ended up under the covers with socks removed. I didn’t do it……