Wow, I am tired and sick of travelling. My friend that I was staying with had a flight to denver at 6:30 this AM. My flight isn't til 9, but I had to take the free ride while it was available, so I got up at 430 and now am in the airport, super-tired. But the airport has free wi-fi and a thousand coffee shops, so I'll be ok for a while. My flight is delayed already, of course, but supposedly I'll make my connection.

Anyway...
I have to say- Portland is pretty cool. Very green and liberal, which isn't really me, but I can handle it. ;)

And the hospital is freaking amazing. Which doesn't necessarily mean it's a good place to work blah blah blah- maybe it's all just eye candy- but still.... Here's the view from the hospital.

The mountain you can see towards the right is Mt. Hood. You can also see Mt. St. Helens, but I didn't get it in this pic. They also have this really cool aerial tram that leaves from right where I was standing, and connects to the outpatient hospital building at the bottom on the hill.

More pix when I get home.

Hope everyone's doing well. I am so ready for a good night's sleep!

But first, I totally forgot the OTHER best part of yesterday.
(Felly, don't read this)-

On the way from Buffalo to Chicago we were

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING!!!!!!!!!

I was just starting to doze off and all of the sudden there was this huge crash and what must have been a blinding flash of light, b/c I could see it through my closed eyelids. But noone screamed or anything so I figured it must not have been TOO bad. But it was a tiny little plane, and I could see the stewardess in her little backwards seat up front, wide-eyed, pick up the little phone to the cockpit and, while trying to look calm, ask "WTF WAS THAT?"
A few minutes later the pilot came on and said he thought we had been struck by lightning.

Holy shite!!

Guess it's good to know that planes can be struck by lightning without any major consequences.

But so the clusterfuck continues today.
I decided there wasn't much point in taking a $30 cab downtown just to walk around a shop for an hour, so instead I slept super late, took a bath, listened to music, and ate lunch in the hotel. Had to check out at 2, and flight was scheduled for 7, figured I might as well get to the airport early. While waiting for the airport shuttle in the hotel lobby, I saw on TV that American had cancelled 500 flights yesterday- and 1000 today. I guess they've grounded all their MD-80 planes, which I guess is like half their fleet. (and according to some disgruntled flight attendants I met later, they said it's b/c the CEO won't pay for maintenance. But that he will be taking a multi-million dollar bonus on April 15th.)

Aww fuck.

so I got there, and it was, as anticipated, a zoo. I guess they've run out of hotel rooms (so I guess I was a little bit lucky) and people were camping out in the airport. There were a few news crews interviewing pissed off people. I tried to check in online but it didn't work, so I got in line. Someone checked a list for me and said my flight was still good to go. But while in line I looked it up on my phone, which said it was cancelled. So, while still in line I looked up flights on southwest, so I would be armed when I got to the front.

Indeed, this flight was cancelled. The best they could do was to put me on a flight to San Francisco, then on standby to Portland, with a 20 minute connection. Arriving at 2am. I told them that was not acceptable, and that I want them to put me on this southwest flight. They refused. I finally decided my best bet was to just buy the southwest ticket and take it up with american later. It was "only" $350- not the $1000 I thought it would be. So I bought it on my phone while I made the guy wait. Yay for iphone. So then I told him I want to pay for my transfer from O'Hare to midway. Again, he refused. Just gave me the address to file my complaints. Said the most they would do is refund the portion of my ticket that went unused.

So I went to wait for the shuttle to midway, where I met all sorts of other pissed off people, including two women that said they had gotten seven vouchers (for what, I'm not sure) out of the deal so far. I asked how they had done that, b/c I had gotten nothing, and they said 'you have to cry and pitch a fit'. i said I did.

Oh well. I am keeping my receipts and will be sending them a nice juicy letter.

But so now I'm sitting in midway waiting for my flight. At least it's direct. Hopefully things will go smoothly on saturday. I never thought I'd look forward to flying USAir, but at this point I am just ready to wash my hands of american.

Silver lining- I have all day tomorrow to explore Portland.

(man, i hope it's worth it!)

;)

Got this this morning from my KU-alum ex. he has been waiting for this day at least as long as I have known him (ten years)-

"What an amazing feeling!
Today we get to go to work and nary a coworker can talk one ounce of trash against our beloved Jayhawks.
Will you ever forget the feeling when Super Nintendo Chalmers sunk that three? I'm not going to lie: tears of joy.

I intentionally grounded myself from surgery this AM. 1.) because I think I am still drunk, 2.) because I have Luther Vandross stuck in my head and 3) because I smell like a yeti.
But a yeti that just won the NCAA championship!

Cherish this, my friends.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk!"


Bahaha. Super Nintendo Chalmers. Love it!

That's all.

Way to go hawks!!

It was a really exciting game.

Nicely done!!

:)

Omg.
Someone seriously needs to get on the ball and hurry up and invent a teleporter or something, because air travel is really getting to the point that it is simply not a viable option.

A month or so ago I had to go from buffalo to louisville. Via baltimore.
Well as we approached baltimore, they told us we couldn't land, so we had to go to that flight's final destination: nashville. Ok, fine. So we get to nashville, and ask to be rebooked to louisville. 'oh no, louisville is only a 2 hour drive. it's too close. We don't fly there. We'll route you through chicago though, getting you in at 10 pm." I was originally supposed to get in around 10 am, and had a 3pm meeting, so that was no good. We said "no thanks, just pay for our rental car and we'll be all set. Well of course they wouldn't. So we said fine, we'll pay for our rental car, just give us our bags. "oh no, your bags are already on the plane to chicago." "ok, well deliver them to our hotel" "no, we don't deliver if it's weather delays." So I had to drive to louisville, and had to go to my interview in jeans.

Then last week I had to go to hartford Ct, via Philly (worst airport EVER.) Flight was, of course, cancelled. So they put me on standby on the direct flight to buffalo. (turns out "direct" to buffalo actually means "stop in rochester but don't change planes"). They tell me no one has ever NOT made that flight on standby.
Well, I guess there's a first time for everything- I don't make the flight. So they reroute me through CHARLOTTE. Hartford CT to philly to CHARLOTTE to Buffalo. landed at midnight, worked at 6am. Awesome. The whole reason I flew is b/c it's a 7hr drive and I had to work in the AM. yeah, that worked out well.

And today takes the cake.
I have an interview in albuquerque at 6am tomorrow. And one in portland OR on friday. I had a 4pm flight from buffalo to chicago. Then to ABQ, was supposed to get in at 10 or so. then thurs from ABQ to portland (via phoenix), then sat back to buffalo. Well I land in chicago and find out american has grounded 500 planes or something ridiculous like that, so my flight to ABQ is cancelled. But they've rebooked me on United, but "you'd better run!" So I book it from terminal 4 to terminal 1 at Ohare, via subterranean tunnels blah blah blah. Make it to the gate right as they're almost done boarding... "oh, we didn't know you were coming, the plane is full." "um, ok, well then what is this ticket I'm holding? why didn't you know I was coming?" "yeah... this flight's full. Go BACK to american and see if they'll reroute you."

So I go back to american. Nope, there are no flights from chicago to albuquerque tonight. That one on united was the only one.

I said "listen. I paid $500 for this ticket. You have an obligation to get me there. I HAVE to get there tonight. I don't care how you do it. Put me on a train, drive me there, get me a fucking private jet, but get me there TONIGHT." No can do. I said " you are telling me there are NO FLIGHTS out of OHARE that can get to albuquerque before 7pm TOMORROW?" "well you could go standby to denver then denver to LA, LA to ABQ, but that one is cancelled and denver is oversold."

I said you don't understand. This could cost me my career. If you don't get me there tonight, there is no point in going. You HAVE to get me there. What if I go on orbitz right now and buy whatever ticket is available on any airline? You have to pay for it." No we don't, we will just put the value of your ticket towards it, and I'm not even sure they'll do that b/c united is the only airline we have an agreement with.

I fought with then for an hour. They won.

I called New Mexico and cancelled my interview and my hotel. Had them reroute me to portland TOMORROW, so they at least have two days to fuck around to get me there before the interview. Then found out there IS a flight... out of midway airport on southwest, that would get me in at 8am. Better than nothing. But it costs $500 and american won't pay, and I already cancelled the interview.

So I went to baggage claim. 'hi, give me my bag." the guy points at the sign that says "if your flight has been cancelled, your bag has automatically been re-routed and is not available in chicago." I said believe me, if my bag was on its way to ABQ, I would be too. So he says "you want me to pull your bag?" Pull it off what I'm not sure, since by this point my plane has been on the ground 3 hours. "yes". 'ok, that will be 2 hours." 'ok, deliver to my hotel then." "no, we don't do that."

OMFG my head is about to explode.

So, now I'm in the airport doubletree. Where internet access is $9.95+tax per day. And day does not mean 24h period, but calendar day. So I checked in at 10- I get 2hr for today, and if I want to use it tomorrow, that's another day. And the $10 dinner voucher doesn't go to far when cereal and coffee for breakfast is $9.99.

I love chicago, but it's too bad ohare is a $30 cab ride from everything I want to do, and all my friends are working so I can't even see them.

I cannot believe I had to cancel my interview!!

FUCKING AIRLINES.

If I don't end up getting a fellowship because I didn't go on enough interviews, I am suing american airlines for millions and millions of lost potential earnings. ;)