The Great Break: Entry for July 20th
Ever felt that everything is going your way and something or someone is watching over you and in control and ensuring things run smoothly for you?
Well Thursday was not one of those days for me. At one point I was asking myself what did I need to learn from this day because I started out tired and became inwardly frustrated and then conscious of how I could do nothing about what was happening, I thought about how I could get back to that point of resigned acceptance. .
I think I managed frustrated disinterest and a just go with the flow approach in the end.
The best made plans:
Get up at 4.00am,
Shower, dress check out of Hotel, return Rental Car and get on 6.30am ET flight from Indianapolis to Chicago.
Arrive at Chicago at 6.25am CT, (yes amazing seemed even faster than the Concord could have done, I was thinking).
I was going to grab some breakfast and then get the 8.30am CT flight to Reno.
Arrive in Reno at around 10.30am. PST.
Check into Hilton hotel and resort in Reno, and then go explore Tahoe area.
Breath in fresh air, see the views, vistas, the lakes, relax, read, take photos, walk, sit unwind.
The rest of Friday and the weekend being a mix of hiking, eating, relaxing, taking photos, etc.
The reality unfolds:
So this is what actually happened. As I write , is still happening whilst on a plane on the way to Reno at 7.15pm CT due to land around 9.45pm PST (that’s from where I set off 12.45 EST).
So the early night Wednesday turned out to be around 12.30am, after finishing work , grabbing a couple of those free happy hour Bacardi and cokes with some work collegues who had waited patiently for me for over an hour whilst without a doubt having a few more drinks than I managed. The drinks were followed by the most tender steak I have had for ages at the local Texas Roadhouse.
Then there was the return to the hotel packing and bed. Of course. I couldn’t sleep, in fact I was so convinced that is was the sheets in the bed I was in that switched to the other double bed in the room at around 2.00am. I managed about 2 hours sleep in total before getting up at 4.00am to undertake the planned activities.
Arrived at the airport far too early under estimating the lack of traffic. I sat at the gate and did some work for an hour or more and then we loaded up.
Beginning to look forward to some food and a smooth transition to the next flight and pleased that I had gotten some work already out of the way for next week.
The flight time to Chicago should have been well under 45 minutes and after nearly a hour after take off it is announced that we are circling St Louis, which to me is the wrong direction.
Did this Pilot know what he was doing I wondered. Anyway this delay was due to some bad weather over Chicago. Now that’s never a surprise having spend 6 years traveling back and forth there weekly I was used to that. An hour or so delay is almost routine.
We eventually end up moving on and circling another airport Moline, Illinois. I never even knew that there was such a place.
We are cleared for landing in Chicago but the Regional Jet is going to need some more fuel to get the short distance left.
We Land in Moline, Illinois. A nice little place if you actually wanted to visit it. I actually did not.
As we refuel then we are finding ourselves having to deplane, which is never a good thing in an airport you just don’t want to visit and all due to more delays in Chicago. . Free Wireless Internet at this little airport, well that’s a big bonus… another opportunity to catch up on work respond to E-Mail and keep ahead of the work on my vacation day.
The benefits of driving to a sea port and getting on a cruise ship once again seem appealing.
We are loading back on after about another hour or so excited that we are once again resuming out onward journey . Some people needing to get to California, others the UK, Seattle, Calgary, Everyone had already stories of missed flights ahead of them., some talking of driving.
Now a Regional Jet on American Airlines is small, yet there was a sense of community like a little village of people traveling around, unlike the big planes where you are one of a mass of bodies shunting on and off and getting in each others way.
The plane had one seat on the left and two seats on the right side.
I was on the left of the plane seat 10A, and with my back Pack filled with Computer, Media player and camera equipment that all nicely fills all the leg room under the seat in front of me. So cramped is about as good as it gets.
By now it’s not looking good for my 8.25am flight out of Chicago. Given the time already 10.00am. Having anticipated this I had already looked on line and found a seat on a follow up flight at 4.15pm, just in case.
I had also established that my 8.25am Chicago flight was re scheduled for 11.15am, so really there was a slim chance I could get that.
We had another take off slot and we were going to make it in time , if everyone loaded up quickly and we set off I could get the 11.15am flight to Reno.
Well we are all seated , the engines fired up when the Pilot comes on the intercom and we have a technical problem with the GPS so a quick 2 minute boot down of the jets engines and a re boot , then we’d be off. ..or thats what the Pilot said would happen.
20 minutes later the engines roaring up and as we head off the to the runway I realize that I’m likely not going to get my 11.15 am flight , but once at Chicago, maybe there were other options and at least food.
We are set to take off when the engines die down. Chicago once again blocked for landings. We sit. A further 20 minute, then 40 minutes passed, and then we are given a slot to land at Chicago O'Hare, but we need to quickly pop back to the gate to refuel again, oh really who should have thought of that a little earlier.
We of course lost our take off and landing slot and the weather clamps down in Chicago once again. Most frustrating when the sun is beating down only a few miles away from Chicago where we are at.
Some F16 fighters do some mock fly past landings and shoot up into the sky after burners on full. A little entertaining but takes my mind to the UK where there is the Farnborough Air show the largest air show in the world and then more so to Jon and Tim who are being taken to Paris for a few days before their trip to Corfu on Monday.
I’m still sitting in a cramped hot plane, reading a book Tibetan book on compassion, and patience, instead of being on a Mountain looking over a lake and wonderful country side.
In Summary:
We made 4 attempted take offs, returning to the gate 3 times including 2 refueling and 2 deplaning opportunities, before we finally got to take off and actually away.
As we shot off down the runway people aplauded. I reminded the person next to me that the wheels were still on the ground and we could still slow down to a stop before reaching the end of the runway. Yes I was already full of positive inspiration.
Well as we approached Chicago the Pilot comes on the intercom and starts, …”well your not going to believe this"…then pauses……I feared the worst , we were heading back to Moline I was sure, but he contunied, ....."we are going to land in Chicago". I guess that did feel like the least likely of the option at the time. If I had mustered up the energy I’d have clapped and cheered, a few did. . I was too tired and hungry and hoping my alarm would go off and I’d wake up in the hotel room to find that this was all a bad dream and I'd then get dressed and start my day again.
Once in Chicago I needed to find my next flight. Every check in desk had lines of 10 -20 people at them, my flight was not on the TV monitors the place was full of people everywhere, the courtesy phones were not working.
I realized that that as half of the population of the USA was milling around the airport. In desperation I headed to the Admirals Lounge. What was it going to take for me to join.
I didn’t care I’d pay anything. $5000 ? worth every penny.
Well I found that my Executive BA status gets me in, but the lounge for no cost, but the lady directs me to the First Class Emerald lounge which she said is less busy, quiet and has some good food.
I was greeted there by happy relaxed staff and a bowl of chocolates which I started eating as they checked me into my flight. Once checked in I headed for the other foodstuff. Smoked Salmon, Cheeses, teas, cakes, chocolate covered strawberries, all served with wireless internet access. So another opportunity to catch up with work.
Between visits to the food bar, I read and respond to mail. Listened to the BBC on the computer and then I’m spotted in the company’s instant message system and I start receiving IM’s from people who thought I was at the end of my work day.
Several problems solved later and a few issue related phone calls I adjust my time sheet for half day vacation and half day work. Lets face it when I was not working I was just having a blast cramped up in a small regional jet for most of what was in effect over the 8 hour period, but it was not the company’s fault. .
Apart from a packet of cashew nuts I managed to get from the flight attendant I had not eaten all day up until this point.
The First Class lounge was a feast of food to be eaten and when I packed up my computer and got ready to leave for my further delayed Reno flight I realized how many times I must have gone back to the food counter.
There were had 8 empty plates of food,
Two empty cups of tea,
Two empty water bottles
Several stained napkins
5 empty chocolate wrappers and
A number of crumbs left on the table.
As a result I was full and a little happier and more relaxed.
Now the flight I’m finally on was all set to leave at 6.15pm but there was a slight problem with some bags and we were going to be 5 minutes delayed whilst they sorted those out. 7.15pm some what more than 5 minutes later if you ask me, we pull away from the gate. And I now am programmed to dread the sound of a high pitched ‘ping’ followed by a pilot starting a sentence …
” Well Folks thanks your for your patience..............”
It is always a precursor to some bad news.
“ It rings of sentences like ,
“ You’re a great person , but……”
“ You’ve done a fantastic job but…..”
“ It’s a great day ….but”
‘We are all set for take off ….but”
‘ I’d like to tell you some great news, …but..”
Well Things being what there have been today it was over and hour later that they sorted all the bags out.
Beyond caring and beyond looking forward to getting to Reno, just wondering if I should have just gone back to Houston, or stayed in Indianapolis for the weekend, I will now arrive in the dark and have lost a whole day to explore was on my mind and I tried to put is aside. “ It is what it is”
I’m tired, lacking feeling about anything and ready to have a hot bath and go to bed.
I am also surrounded by people who all have their own stories of delayed hopes, shattered arrangements and yes we are all alive, and many are a lot worse off we are not getting bombed, like the evacuees from Lebanon, yet we often only see what is directly in front of us and most of the time that’s all we care about
If I was to sum up the events of the day and how I feel about it all so far…
It’s a lost day of board dullness and lots of smoked Salmon and chocolate strawberries.
Everything’s relative and this has just been one ‘relatively frustrating waste of time days’ that if I was not so cynical was really an in transit work day, undertaken whilst fasting.
I read the Times newspaper, borrowed from the BA Lounge in Houston from Monday, and then moved over to reading a book on the life of the Dali Lama, and my problems are nothing. In fact made me feel that my life is nothing in fact.
His teachings I tried to absorb in the morning as my frustration built up, and tried to become a positive light for those around, but really all I wanted to do was to be kidnapping the pilot, hijacking the plane and telling the Pilot to fly the bloody thing to Reno now or suffer…Is that a bad thing ?
In fact the Pilot was extremely frustrated himself, and came off the plane at one point when we were eat the Moline airport and said that he had never had to deal with such a ridiculous situation as we had today and thanked us all for not losing it and being so professional about things.
Now I guess I would have felt bad about kidnapping him and guess I need to keep reading the book on the Tibetan Buddhist principles of compassion and patience. .
I guess I still have time to Practice that as we fly over Denver with 1 hour and 40 minutes to go . yawn. Time to grab some sleep.
...addendum.
I arrived , my rental car had been given away, as I was classified as a 'no show' being 12 hours late......I was not pleased with the persons attitude.....This was just another thing I had to deal with and I did not deal with this well, nor their policy that I have to arrive within 2 hours from the original booking time. The guy did not even seem to come out with a helpful solution. I was just a no show so the car was no longer there for me. I guess Id walk aroudn all weekend then. . . . . .
My reaction was along the lines of 'how can I be a no show.....I'm bloody well standing here in front of you'.
Anyway eventually we managed to negotiate an alternative solution.
Thankfully there were no real prolems with the hotel, apart from no coffee maker machine in the room. . Now I like a coffee maker to heat up water for a cup of tea and I don't recall a time in the USA when been in a hotel without a coffee maker in the room. This was not really a big deal BUT, I could REALLY do with a cup of tea.
Aparently some rooms have a coffee makers and some don't have coffee makers and I was in a room that does not have a coffee machine. The solution was simple and explained to me on the phone with Housekeeping. I was told that in the morning I could move move my room to get a room with a coffee maker.
I suggested that is was just a little bit inefficient and maybe, just maybe, it would be easier for them to move a coffee maker to my room rather than me pack up everything again and move the person to the coffee maker.
After the day I have had I was in no fit state to deal with this. I was prepared to even go buy my own in the morning, but I was not going to move my bags again. Sometime very soon after the phone call to houesekeeping a man brought me a coffee maker and cups. That next cup of tea that was made, was much needed and wonderful.
House keeping of the Reno Hilton now have an alternative process for dealing with customers who like coffee makers in their room.
The rest of the weekend turned out to be fantastic. Once I arrived relaxed and started afresh the next day. If I can get photos to load again I will add some from the weekend.
Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area is just an amazing beautiful, relaxing and interesting place. The mountains amazing and exploring them was like being in another world and the Lake refreshing and wondefuly blue. Something you just don't see in Houston.
Ever felt that everything is going your way and something or someone is watching over you and in control and ensuring things run smoothly for you?
Well Thursday was not one of those days for me. At one point I was asking myself what did I need to learn from this day because I started out tired and became inwardly frustrated and then conscious of how I could do nothing about what was happening, I thought about how I could get back to that point of resigned acceptance. .
I think I managed frustrated disinterest and a just go with the flow approach in the end.
The best made plans:
Get up at 4.00am,
Shower, dress check out of Hotel, return Rental Car and get on 6.30am ET flight from Indianapolis to Chicago.
Arrive at Chicago at 6.25am CT, (yes amazing seemed even faster than the Concord could have done, I was thinking).
I was going to grab some breakfast and then get the 8.30am CT flight to Reno.
Arrive in Reno at around 10.30am. PST.
Check into Hilton hotel and resort in Reno, and then go explore Tahoe area.
Breath in fresh air, see the views, vistas, the lakes, relax, read, take photos, walk, sit unwind.
The rest of Friday and the weekend being a mix of hiking, eating, relaxing, taking photos, etc.
The reality unfolds:
So this is what actually happened. As I write , is still happening whilst on a plane on the way to Reno at 7.15pm CT due to land around 9.45pm PST (that’s from where I set off 12.45 EST).
So the early night Wednesday turned out to be around 12.30am, after finishing work , grabbing a couple of those free happy hour Bacardi and cokes with some work collegues who had waited patiently for me for over an hour whilst without a doubt having a few more drinks than I managed. The drinks were followed by the most tender steak I have had for ages at the local Texas Roadhouse.
Then there was the return to the hotel packing and bed. Of course. I couldn’t sleep, in fact I was so convinced that is was the sheets in the bed I was in that switched to the other double bed in the room at around 2.00am. I managed about 2 hours sleep in total before getting up at 4.00am to undertake the planned activities.
Arrived at the airport far too early under estimating the lack of traffic. I sat at the gate and did some work for an hour or more and then we loaded up.
Beginning to look forward to some food and a smooth transition to the next flight and pleased that I had gotten some work already out of the way for next week.
The flight time to Chicago should have been well under 45 minutes and after nearly a hour after take off it is announced that we are circling St Louis, which to me is the wrong direction.
Did this Pilot know what he was doing I wondered. Anyway this delay was due to some bad weather over Chicago. Now that’s never a surprise having spend 6 years traveling back and forth there weekly I was used to that. An hour or so delay is almost routine.
We eventually end up moving on and circling another airport Moline, Illinois. I never even knew that there was such a place.
We are cleared for landing in Chicago but the Regional Jet is going to need some more fuel to get the short distance left.
We Land in Moline, Illinois. A nice little place if you actually wanted to visit it. I actually did not.
As we refuel then we are finding ourselves having to deplane, which is never a good thing in an airport you just don’t want to visit and all due to more delays in Chicago. . Free Wireless Internet at this little airport, well that’s a big bonus… another opportunity to catch up on work respond to E-Mail and keep ahead of the work on my vacation day.
The benefits of driving to a sea port and getting on a cruise ship once again seem appealing.
We are loading back on after about another hour or so excited that we are once again resuming out onward journey . Some people needing to get to California, others the UK, Seattle, Calgary, Everyone had already stories of missed flights ahead of them., some talking of driving.
Now a Regional Jet on American Airlines is small, yet there was a sense of community like a little village of people traveling around, unlike the big planes where you are one of a mass of bodies shunting on and off and getting in each others way.
The plane had one seat on the left and two seats on the right side.
I was on the left of the plane seat 10A, and with my back Pack filled with Computer, Media player and camera equipment that all nicely fills all the leg room under the seat in front of me. So cramped is about as good as it gets.
By now it’s not looking good for my 8.25am flight out of Chicago. Given the time already 10.00am. Having anticipated this I had already looked on line and found a seat on a follow up flight at 4.15pm, just in case.
I had also established that my 8.25am Chicago flight was re scheduled for 11.15am, so really there was a slim chance I could get that.
We had another take off slot and we were going to make it in time , if everyone loaded up quickly and we set off I could get the 11.15am flight to Reno.
Well we are all seated , the engines fired up when the Pilot comes on the intercom and we have a technical problem with the GPS so a quick 2 minute boot down of the jets engines and a re boot , then we’d be off. ..or thats what the Pilot said would happen.
20 minutes later the engines roaring up and as we head off the to the runway I realize that I’m likely not going to get my 11.15 am flight , but once at Chicago, maybe there were other options and at least food.
We are set to take off when the engines die down. Chicago once again blocked for landings. We sit. A further 20 minute, then 40 minutes passed, and then we are given a slot to land at Chicago O'Hare, but we need to quickly pop back to the gate to refuel again, oh really who should have thought of that a little earlier.
We of course lost our take off and landing slot and the weather clamps down in Chicago once again. Most frustrating when the sun is beating down only a few miles away from Chicago where we are at.
Some F16 fighters do some mock fly past landings and shoot up into the sky after burners on full. A little entertaining but takes my mind to the UK where there is the Farnborough Air show the largest air show in the world and then more so to Jon and Tim who are being taken to Paris for a few days before their trip to Corfu on Monday.
I’m still sitting in a cramped hot plane, reading a book Tibetan book on compassion, and patience, instead of being on a Mountain looking over a lake and wonderful country side.
In Summary:
We made 4 attempted take offs, returning to the gate 3 times including 2 refueling and 2 deplaning opportunities, before we finally got to take off and actually away.
As we shot off down the runway people aplauded. I reminded the person next to me that the wheels were still on the ground and we could still slow down to a stop before reaching the end of the runway. Yes I was already full of positive inspiration.
Well as we approached Chicago the Pilot comes on the intercom and starts, …”well your not going to believe this"…then pauses……I feared the worst , we were heading back to Moline I was sure, but he contunied, ....."we are going to land in Chicago". I guess that did feel like the least likely of the option at the time. If I had mustered up the energy I’d have clapped and cheered, a few did. . I was too tired and hungry and hoping my alarm would go off and I’d wake up in the hotel room to find that this was all a bad dream and I'd then get dressed and start my day again.
Once in Chicago I needed to find my next flight. Every check in desk had lines of 10 -20 people at them, my flight was not on the TV monitors the place was full of people everywhere, the courtesy phones were not working.
I realized that that as half of the population of the USA was milling around the airport. In desperation I headed to the Admirals Lounge. What was it going to take for me to join.
I didn’t care I’d pay anything. $5000 ? worth every penny.
Well I found that my Executive BA status gets me in, but the lounge for no cost, but the lady directs me to the First Class Emerald lounge which she said is less busy, quiet and has some good food.
I was greeted there by happy relaxed staff and a bowl of chocolates which I started eating as they checked me into my flight. Once checked in I headed for the other foodstuff. Smoked Salmon, Cheeses, teas, cakes, chocolate covered strawberries, all served with wireless internet access. So another opportunity to catch up with work.
Between visits to the food bar, I read and respond to mail. Listened to the BBC on the computer and then I’m spotted in the company’s instant message system and I start receiving IM’s from people who thought I was at the end of my work day.
Several problems solved later and a few issue related phone calls I adjust my time sheet for half day vacation and half day work. Lets face it when I was not working I was just having a blast cramped up in a small regional jet for most of what was in effect over the 8 hour period, but it was not the company’s fault. .
Apart from a packet of cashew nuts I managed to get from the flight attendant I had not eaten all day up until this point.
The First Class lounge was a feast of food to be eaten and when I packed up my computer and got ready to leave for my further delayed Reno flight I realized how many times I must have gone back to the food counter.
There were had 8 empty plates of food,
Two empty cups of tea,
Two empty water bottles
Several stained napkins
5 empty chocolate wrappers and
A number of crumbs left on the table.
As a result I was full and a little happier and more relaxed.
Now the flight I’m finally on was all set to leave at 6.15pm but there was a slight problem with some bags and we were going to be 5 minutes delayed whilst they sorted those out. 7.15pm some what more than 5 minutes later if you ask me, we pull away from the gate. And I now am programmed to dread the sound of a high pitched ‘ping’ followed by a pilot starting a sentence …
” Well Folks thanks your for your patience..............”
It is always a precursor to some bad news.
“ It rings of sentences like ,
“ You’re a great person , but……”
“ You’ve done a fantastic job but…..”
“ It’s a great day ….but”
‘We are all set for take off ….but”
‘ I’d like to tell you some great news, …but..”
Well Things being what there have been today it was over and hour later that they sorted all the bags out.
Beyond caring and beyond looking forward to getting to Reno, just wondering if I should have just gone back to Houston, or stayed in Indianapolis for the weekend, I will now arrive in the dark and have lost a whole day to explore was on my mind and I tried to put is aside. “ It is what it is”
I’m tired, lacking feeling about anything and ready to have a hot bath and go to bed.
I am also surrounded by people who all have their own stories of delayed hopes, shattered arrangements and yes we are all alive, and many are a lot worse off we are not getting bombed, like the evacuees from Lebanon, yet we often only see what is directly in front of us and most of the time that’s all we care about
If I was to sum up the events of the day and how I feel about it all so far…
It’s a lost day of board dullness and lots of smoked Salmon and chocolate strawberries.
Everything’s relative and this has just been one ‘relatively frustrating waste of time days’ that if I was not so cynical was really an in transit work day, undertaken whilst fasting.
I read the Times newspaper, borrowed from the BA Lounge in Houston from Monday, and then moved over to reading a book on the life of the Dali Lama, and my problems are nothing. In fact made me feel that my life is nothing in fact.
His teachings I tried to absorb in the morning as my frustration built up, and tried to become a positive light for those around, but really all I wanted to do was to be kidnapping the pilot, hijacking the plane and telling the Pilot to fly the bloody thing to Reno now or suffer…Is that a bad thing ?
In fact the Pilot was extremely frustrated himself, and came off the plane at one point when we were eat the Moline airport and said that he had never had to deal with such a ridiculous situation as we had today and thanked us all for not losing it and being so professional about things.
Now I guess I would have felt bad about kidnapping him and guess I need to keep reading the book on the Tibetan Buddhist principles of compassion and patience. .
I guess I still have time to Practice that as we fly over Denver with 1 hour and 40 minutes to go . yawn. Time to grab some sleep.
...addendum.
I arrived , my rental car had been given away, as I was classified as a 'no show' being 12 hours late......I was not pleased with the persons attitude.....This was just another thing I had to deal with and I did not deal with this well, nor their policy that I have to arrive within 2 hours from the original booking time. The guy did not even seem to come out with a helpful solution. I was just a no show so the car was no longer there for me. I guess Id walk aroudn all weekend then. . . . . .
My reaction was along the lines of 'how can I be a no show.....I'm bloody well standing here in front of you'.
Anyway eventually we managed to negotiate an alternative solution.
Thankfully there were no real prolems with the hotel, apart from no coffee maker machine in the room. . Now I like a coffee maker to heat up water for a cup of tea and I don't recall a time in the USA when been in a hotel without a coffee maker in the room. This was not really a big deal BUT, I could REALLY do with a cup of tea.
Aparently some rooms have a coffee makers and some don't have coffee makers and I was in a room that does not have a coffee machine. The solution was simple and explained to me on the phone with Housekeeping. I was told that in the morning I could move move my room to get a room with a coffee maker.
I suggested that is was just a little bit inefficient and maybe, just maybe, it would be easier for them to move a coffee maker to my room rather than me pack up everything again and move the person to the coffee maker.
After the day I have had I was in no fit state to deal with this. I was prepared to even go buy my own in the morning, but I was not going to move my bags again. Sometime very soon after the phone call to houesekeeping a man brought me a coffee maker and cups. That next cup of tea that was made, was much needed and wonderful.
House keeping of the Reno Hilton now have an alternative process for dealing with customers who like coffee makers in their room.
The rest of the weekend turned out to be fantastic. Once I arrived relaxed and started afresh the next day. If I can get photos to load again I will add some from the weekend.
Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area is just an amazing beautiful, relaxing and interesting place. The mountains amazing and exploring them was like being in another world and the Lake refreshing and wondefuly blue. Something you just don't see in Houston.
posted by texbrit at
2:10 PM
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