ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Monthly Archive: December 2008

Sunday

28

December 2008

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COMMENTS

Christmas in California

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I made it! I made it to California, and I made it back to Brooklyn. What a great holiday!


Monday morning I met up with Laura, her mother and her son. Last Christmas I visited her in San Francisco, and she was still pregnant. It was pretty cool to meet her kid. He’s really cute and was very well behaved in the restaurant. I was scheduled to head to San Francisco Monday night, but because of the travel snafu I decided to skip it and focus on some good family time.


Monday night we did our traditional drive through the neighborhoods to see all the lights. One area in particular is known for doing some crazy things, and they did not disappoint.


Tuesday we went to the Sharks game – and it was fun. They won 5-0, and we had a great time watching the action from some pretty sweet seats.


The rest of the week was spent alternating between eating, going to movies, and playing board games. It was really relaxing, and just a nice time. Christmas even we had probably around the 15th visit with the Decker family, and Christmas day included some pretty wonderful gifts.


All in all, a great holiday. And now I’m back in Brooklyn, tidying up and getting ready for the last work week of the year! Crazy.

 

Sunday

21

December 2008

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Who do I know in Utah, and why are they calling me at 4 on a Sunday morning?

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It is 12:45PM, and I should be on a flight from JFK to Oakland. Before I went to bed last night, I checked online, and my flight was scheduled to leave on time. I tried to fall asleep, since the car was coming to get me at 6:15AM.


At 4AM, I woke up to a weird sound – I realized a little too late that it was my phone, with a call from Utah. I should have realized what that meant, but at 4AM, with fewer than four hours of sleep in me, I was a bit fuzzy. However, my instinct was to check my e-mail on my cell phone, and I saw a subject line – “Your Cancelled Flight.”


Ruh roh.


I signed on while also calling Jet Blue. I was told by the nice automated voice that my wait time was longer than thirty minutes. D’oh! I clicked on the e-mail and was told I could try to rebook on a later flight. I kept trying, but no flights were available. Utah called me back while I was still on hold with Jet Blue. Jet Blue’s Headquarters are in Salt Lake City, and the call was them letting me know my flight was cancelled. That direct call got me through to a reservation agent much quicker, and Joan started giving me options.


The first? A flight tonight connecting in Boston. Considering my flight was cancelled due to weather that was moving up the East coast, that seemed like a less than ideal option. Thankfully, my parents live near three (four, if you count Sacramento) different airports that Jet Blue flies to, so Joan checked and got me the very last seat on a flight to San Jose, leaving tonight at 6:30. The snow has stopped here, and the rain is supposed to clear out by three or four this afternoon, so hopefully this flight will actually leave on or close to schedule.


Amazingly, she was also able to get me a window seat in the EXIT ROW. Score.


Unfortunately, this means that my plans for tomorrow have to change – I was going to see a couple of friends – one at home, and one in San Francisco – but since I’m losing nearly a full day with my family, I’ve decided to cancel. That’s okay – I know my friends understand.


I hope the rest of you are having fewer delays and troubles with your travel. If you can, please cut the folks at the airport some slack. They’re dealing with hundreds of frustrated travelers, and they aren’t the ones who decided to cancel or delay our flights.


This will be the last entry until I’m back in NYC next week, so Happy Hanukah and Merry Christmas!

Saturday

20

December 2008

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Rock On

Written by , Posted in Adventures

Man, I love Christmas in NYC. The parties, the joy, the decorations, and, as of yesterday, the beautiful blankets of snow covering the muck of the city.

Last week was the third annual cookie party, held this year and Herman and Kathleen’s place. About two dozen people came, including, Ben, a friend from high school! Very cool to see him and meet his girlfriend. Sunday was another friend’s hot chocolate party, followed by band practice Monday. The last jam session before the holiday party.

The party? Was AWESOME. The space – Galapagos in DUMBO – was great. The booths were like little islands floating in water. And the stage – the stage was perfect for the show. We went on at 10, and it went really, REALLY well. It was so fun to just be up on stage, rocking out, and even singing in front of my coworkers. I feel really lucky to be comfortable enough to let loose and rock out in front of my boss, my coworkers, even the Commissioner. I loved it!


Finally, last night a friend and I went out for tapas and then wandered around the city looking at the holiday windows in the snow. Perfect end to Christmas in NYC.


Tomorrow, I head to California. Merry Christmas!!!