The Crazy Holiday Travels...

I finally managed to get some semblance of time off for the holidays, as senority starts to allow over the course of time, and decided to try to do a little pseudo-Christmas with the family. I still have to be at work on Christmas morning...so, I bought a ticket on US Airways back to Vegas on the 24th and decided to non-rev/jumpseat to DFW.

Since I'm planning on flying back to LAS on the 24th, I needed to start my trip out of there so my car would be waiting when I got back. My grand plan was to cut work early, make the drive to LAS, and fly to DFW via Denver from there.

Well, as with anything in my life...things didn't quite go to plan. Work was crazy busy thanks to broken airplanes and weather issues...not to mention several sick calls. I originally was trying to cut out by 11am...but, I volunteered to cover a dispatch desk on top of my coordinating duties. Talk about non-stop stress and phonecalls.

One of my friends from work, Jenn, was trying to cut out early, too...but, as with me, the sick calls prevented her from getting out of there and she stuck it out. Because of this, she wasn't able to catch her 9am flight home from St. George to Salt Lake and continuing on to Gunnison/Crested Butte, Colorado. Knowing each other's situation, we decided to ride to Vegas together...then over to Denver. Both of our connecting flights in Denver were later in the evening...so we figured we could just hang in the airport bar 'til it was time for us to catch our flights home.

We hit the road at 1pm Utah time...and, with traffic, construction, parking, security, etc...we made it to the gate at 2:39pm for a 2:59pm flight to Denver. Nice timing, eh? We immediately checked in to request the jumpseat and, for once, we had a great UA gate agent who gave us E-Plus seats together on a Ted A320 with a new regular United Airlines paintjob...with no one in the between. So far, so good. We decided we deserved a Bloody Mary after the day we'd had...so we killed one apiece while making fun of pilots on Channel 9 (a favorite pastime of mine on the LAS-DEN run).

Touched down in Denver...where the temp. was a lovely, comfortable 7 degrees F out there. Sweet Raptor Jesus.. Jenn claims the flight attendants made some kind of announcement on approach to 35L about "in event of impact, please take crash position"...I just think that Bloody went straight to her head.

Pulled in at gate B-16...and had to make the one mile trek to the B-80's gates. Thaaaaat was fun. LOL. But, the payoff was some Fat Tire beers and a pretty excellent sandwich & salad. OK, fine...we had quite a few Fat Tires...LOL. I was supposed to get on a 7pm flight...but it went out full. That gave us 2 more hours of drinking time...and that was awesome.

In the midst of our beer drinking and scattershooting (and me screaming at the Cowboys on the TV)...Jenn got a text message from a colleague that said "just got report that CO 737 crashed on DEN 34R". We both looked at each other like so as to say "What the hell?". We had a great view of the approach end of the 35's and we noticed that all approaching traffic had broken off and the runway lights had been dimmed. At this point, we both knew something was up. We decided to keep quiet about I...until an hour later when the word trickled to that side of the airport. (Turns out, the report was true...a Continental Airlines 737 did a rejected/aborted take off and, somehow, found themselves in a snowy ditch when it was all said and done. The aircraft did catch fire...but, apparently, a full evacuation was completed with mostly minor injuries. Kudos to the crew.)

Jenn and I parted ways after a couple too many beers to head over to our flights. Because of the aircraft incident, the airport was pandemonium with misconnecting passengers, etc. My flight was delayed another hour...allowing for some folks that were trying to get to Austin and OKC to be moved to the DFW flight. Tack on the fact that there was already a pilot requesting the jumpseat (which was beside the point since, after sip number one of that glorious Two Below, I was no longer legally eligible to ride up there). About the time I realized all of this, I got a text from Jenn saying "MY FLIGHT IS CANCELED!!! DAMMIT!!!".

Yup...good times. Seeing that we were stuck...we quickly found a cheap room with 2 beds at a hotel near the airport before all others figured out THEY were stuck. One teeny-weeny problem...Jenn green-tagged* her bag when she boarded her Gunnison flight...and never got it back when it was canceled (* - tag that indicates that this bag is a carry-on that won't fit on a smaller regional jet...the passenger is supposed to get this bag back at the gate when they get to their destination.). We spent the next two hours using every bit of pull, clout, and people we know to find that bag. It didn't surface before we decided to find a hotel shuttle, get checked in, and snag some sleep.

We were both awake by 0600...damn the nature of our normal sleep patterns...so I called and convinced Brian and Chuck to pick us up for breakfast. Flying J truckstop breakfast buffet is actually pretty good...but I hear the coffee is awful...LOL.

Jenn picked up some toothpaste, etc. at the truckstop and we scored ride to the airport from B&C...

Lucky for Jenn, we found her bag almost immediately.when we got to DEN and she managed to score the jumpseat to GUC. I got a seat in the exit row on a 757...should have been 1st class...but the gate agent used my jumpseat priority instead of my non-rev priority...grrr.

All in all...a pretty funny story all around...especially drunken texting by both of us....
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Home...

There's just something about home that, no matter who's couch I'm crashing on, feels just right. From landing at DFW and crossing the bridge to Terminal E...to the drive up I-35...to taking exit 496 and down California Street...its always a bit heart-warming to visit home, see old friends and family, and enjoy an area you know like the back of your hand.

I got home Sunday night on a Delta/SkyWest flt. from Salt Lake. I picked up a rental from Enterprise (who had the cutest girl working for them...I wanted to take her with me...LOL) and made the trek home to Gainesville. Enroute, I made the traditional stop at the QuikTrip on 121 Business and picked up the usual Sugar-Free Red Bull. I've not made the trek from DFW to G'Ville without that stop...or without that Red Bull. I'm not sure I could make it without.

On the way home, I called Cody and we decided I would stop in and visit (he was at the sheriff's house, and I hadn't seen Cody's parents in a long time either). the sheriff was super excited to see me and we determined that his buddy from one of his tours of Vietnam lives down the road from me. Small world, right?

From there, I went to Shaun's house to crash on his couch. It was too late to bother my parents and I was about to pass out...so that couch was a welsome sight. I don't remember falling asleep. Got up next morning and drove around to make the rounds. I went and saw mom at school, my aunts, Barry & Laura, and numerous others. Part of me loves to stop in here and there just to remind people I'm still alive.

I only got the rental for one day...because the next day was going to be more than triple what I payed the previous day...so I came up with a pretty solid plan to get rid of it and get home. I conned Shaun into going with me...and it turned out to be kinda fun.

We took the car back, caught a shuttle to the Trinity Rail station, then the train to Ft. Worth. From there we caught Amtrak from Ft. Worth to Gainesville. It was actually kinda fun...Amtrak turned out to be a pretty solid, inexpensive option for getting to Gainesville in the future.

Got to see my grandparents after we got back to G'ville...it had been a couple of months since I had seen them. We got caught up on the post-election stuff and everything going on with them and trhe family. Of course, we respectfully disagreed with one another on most of it but we always do.

My plan was to catch Amtrak back to FTW and backtrack the way I came up the day before...but I discovered at the last minute that the Gainesville Depot doesn't have ticketing capabilities and I couldn't even buy a ticket from the conductor...thus screwing the plan. I wound up catching up with Ben Smith (yes, THE Ben Smith) and we grabbed a pretty excellent lunch at Smokehouse in Lindsay. I was a good boy and got a pretty farkin' awesome salad...I was also a really bad boy and had a chopped BBQ beef sandwich & Shiner Bock draft. Oh well, one outta 3 ain't bad, right? I mean, how often do I have an opportunity to get Smokehouse?

We talked at length about Ben's music career and both agreed that we had figured he would be further along than he is. I've been feeling a draw to get back into the Texas music scene...and am thinking perhaps I should lend my promotions talents to getting Ben on track again. He's a solid artist and deserves to be promoted to the point of a good launching point. We shall see.

Ben and I continued our conversation while I caught a ride with him to Denton. Enroute, keeping with the theme of the day ("Go Wherever The Winds Take Me"), Lorenzo texted and I had Ben drop me off on the UNT campus where Lo works.

It was cool to catch up with Lo...even cooler was the added perk of Lo randomly giving me a new pair of Doc's boots that didn't fit him. Score! I love a good freebie. Lo had to get back to work...so, I waited for Cody to get out of his Psych final. We grabbed some beers at Riprock's...then back to his place where we both passed out (and his dog proceeded to eat one of my Justin Boots...little bastard).

I woke up just moments before my phone rang...I was surprised to see it was SJ. We hadn't really had a chance to talk since we went to dinner last week...for a bit there, I was stressing that I had run her off after sending her flowers. Luckily, I guess I hadn't... ;). We talked for a bit...and decided we'd try to get together Wed. night or.next week. Either way...it was great to hear her voice. She's got to be the sweetest girl on the planet...a total keeper...I guess we'll see where it goes. No rushing anything....

I'm hanging out in SLC 'til I hear from her...we might grab dinner or coffee before I head back to St. George. I'm killing time by hanging in the gate for the SLC-Paris flight. Few things in life are more entertaining that watching passengers....especially for international flights. So far, I've seen "Elitist Frenchman" (typically an older man in clothes that you find only in the first 45 pages of GQ and a really douche-y scarf, and speaks loudly in French. This one in particular looks a lot like Fidel Castro), "First-time International Traveler" (also usually older...they check in with the gate agent 47 times prior to scheduled boarding time to ask a million questions that have obvious answers like 'is this the right gate?' and 'do I need my passport out right now?'), and "Backpacker Couple" that appear like they stepped out of a North Face ad. I wasn't banking on "Asian Girl in Catholic Schoolgirl Uniform", but she's here, too.

I could sit in aiports for hours and just document the funny things I see...perhaps I should. TMiller and I have toyed with the idea of a blog about the funny things that happen on our day to day in this business...maybe we should get on that. Anyway...that's enough from me. Gonna go wander for a bit.

Down the road...

I'm flying...so that must mean I'm blogging....

Decided to try to go home to Dallas last minute...so here I am, seat 2C on my beloved Brozilla, headed to SLC to attempt to catch our brand new CRJ-900 (N822SK) to DFW. Its gonna be tricky since the back is oversold and there are ton of people on the list. Should be interesting. Equally interesting is the fact that this Bro flight comes with a bit of a twist.

The twist is...the flight attendant on this one is...the ex. Mauricea. Yes, Penny Lane. Haven't seen or really talked to her in months...definitely for the best...but even being on the same 30-seat blender is feeling a little awkward. Awkward "hello's", awkward smirk from me while she did her safety demo. She's just as attractive as she was the day we made the trek to Paris...which, as most of the people who read this known turned into a momentous disaster...and, as much as I don't want to (like the overly-emotional little bitch that I am), I can't help but look.

I suppose part of me wonders "what if"...what if we hadn't been so alike in certain ways? What if I had been more assertive and stood my ground instead of taking her shit and coming back like a domestic abuse victim? What if she wasn't batshit insane? Alas, "what if" gets us nowhere...and has no bearing on the fact what happened between us...specifically, the way it ended...was likely the best thing. We would have killed each other...believe me, there are times where I wish I had killed her (kidding, kinda). I'm sure she probably had the knife ready and waiting for the right time to take me out...

Anyway...I'm definitely glad that part of my life is over...but there's always that little part of you that sees an ex-significant other and can't help but have a certain level of care for them still. Or maybe that's just me and my god-forsaken heart of gold.

So, I have no plan for this trip...I have no idea why or where I'm going, either. If I don't make the DFW flight...I dunno if I'm gonna try something else, or just go back to SGU. It would feel like a bit of a waste to get all the way to a hub and turn around. I guess we'll see.

Gonna shut down the Glorious Crackberry to conserve battery...I forgot the charger. Oops.

Down the road....

Another flight...another blog.

It's a b-e-a-utiful day in Santa Jorge today...and, here I am, leaving it behind for Denver by way of Salt Lake.

Woke up early this morning...packed my overnight backpack, grabbed some breakfast, and ran errands. It feels pretty good to have all the laundry done, a clean room, so on and so forth before doing anything else for once. Put up a curtain last night...making my room even darker. Lovin' it.

After the errands, I had a dentist appointment. (I'm such a weirdo in the fact that I kinda enjoy going to the dentist. I attribute this to the fact that I had a great dentist when I was a little kid and a mother who was pretty hardcore about making us go.) Just a routine cleaning and checkup. On the way there, I stopped at the airport and checked in on the kiosk...so I could haul from the dentist to my 1:10pm flight...and I made sure to tell the hygenist that I needed to get going ASAP. She knocked out the x-rays, cleaning, etc. in record time...even with stops in between for her to ask questions about my job (ok, mainly the flight benefits part). Of course, all said and done...I have this funky waxy flouride treatment on my teeth right now that kinda takes away that fresh, clean feeling you expect when you leave the dentist. Bummer...but, hey, fluoride is good, right? Hygenist Brooke and the good Dr. got me out juuuuust in time to get to the airport, clear security, and catch my flight with time to spare. Awesome. I always complain about the customer service in SGU, but that doesn't go for the health/dental folks...haven't met an un-accomadating Dr./dentist yet.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night...my right calf was tight/pulling/straining/whatever to the point that my foot was immovable.. Hurt like hell. Of course, when that happens in my sleep, I barely remember it the next morning...'til I step out of bed. Holy hell, I early fell over when I stepped onto that leg. I've been walking with a limp and am wearing my cowboy boots for a little extra support. Truth be told, I've been wearing the cowboy boots a lot lately strictly because they're damn comfortable. One of the best, most comfortable Christmas gifts I've ever got...coming up on 5 years.

So, I'm headed to Denver for "Thanksgiving Dinner", so to speak, with my "airline family"...Brian, Chuck, and Kaycee. Shevon is overnighting in DEN, so she might come, too....which would be awesome. ;). I kinda miss her gorgeous smile.

I was originally going to fly out of Vegas, but this flight (SKW7772) was wide open...as is the DEN flight (knock on wood)...so I figure I'll fly through Vegas on the return since it will be in the middle of one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Thank the deity of your choosing for CASS and the jumpseat...again, knock on wood. With any luck, I will have a little time on the connection to visit with Marie in SLC Ops...she rocks.

Did I mention it's a beautiful day? We're just a little over halfway between SGU and SLC right now...probably just north of Delta...and it's just perfect out there. No snow yet...but such a "clear and a million" kinda day. If SGU was cool like it has been year around...I'd never leave. OK, maybe not...LOL!

Gonna close up and enjoy the view on descent...if I don't post anything before then...I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I much prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas...it is a solid reminder of how our lives aren't as bad as many of us think they are. I know I'm pretty content with mine... ;).

Down the road...

Blackberry?...or iPhone?

I'm torn. Ever since I got this Blackberry, I've come to understand why they call them "Crackberry". I'm a million times more organized now that I have my life easily in the palm of my hand. I've owned a PDA, even had another "smartphone" before this one...but the ease of use and customization (once you figure it out) is awesome.

That said, I'm a sucker for a new high-tech toy. I've played with iPhones and I like them, but I'm unsure about the touchscreen texting. I'm a text junkie and the Crackberry allows for that.

Long story short, I'm asking you to give me some opinions. Should I go iPhone? Or go with an updated version of my addiction...

Denver...and Portland.

I managed to snag the absolute last seat out of Salt Lake City over to Denver and got there, on-time, around 11pm on Sunday night.

When we landed, I got a reply to a text I had sent earlier...and in the ensuing conversation, I learned that Tiffany was sitting in the Denver airport. I was almost to the train to baggage claim and went back to say hi. I hadn't seen her in a month and I, based on the month she and I have both had, I figured we both needed a hug. It was great to see her...

Brian picked me up and, since my chunky ass was starving, we went to one of the 3 places that is open that late...Del-Frickin'-Taco. Picked up a fish taco and headed back to Brian and Chuck's place. We hung out for an hour and I passed out on the couch.

We got up eaaaaarly (for an off-day) and were just lazy ass coffe drinkers 'til Kaycee landed from Grand Junction. As soon as she escaped the airport and managed to get changed out of her uniform, we grabbed lunch.

Had Olive Garden...I forgot how much that place requires a nap afterward...and instead we went shopping. Of course, I tried on new jeans and none fit. A pretty good sign that it is time to drop 65 lbs or so... (Hopefully, I can regain the motivation I had before and get back in the gym everyday. I need it, badly, in order to really be happy with myself.)

After shopping, we went back to the apartment and Brian made chicken stir-fry...'twas excellent. We watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and I realized why so many have mentioned to me that the main character reminded them of me. Hell, it felt like one of my breakups all over again...and the type of stupidity I'm capable of when a girl is involved. I loved that she realized what she had and he wouldn't take her back. The level to which that warmed my soul, seeing a a chick treat a nice guy like dirt and get hersin the end, was immeasurable. ;)

Speaking of the stupidity that women cause me...I haven't blogged about it, but there has been this girl that has been giving me fits. OK, really, they all give me fits...but this one in particular. We met months ago and have managed to get together a few times since then (she lives in Northern Utah). She's incredibly gorgeous, sweet as can be, seemingly has things together. We seem to "click" when we do talk, she understands where I'm coming from and the crazy life the profession provides...but it's been so long...hell, possibly never...since I've had a semi-normal dating relationship without some kind of almost immediate exclusivity. I'm not complaining about that. It's not even that we're dating seeing that we've barely hung out but here and there...but she's just that kind of girl with whom you really hope things might progress to something awesome.

I guess my complaint is this...I've never played "the game", nor do I plan on starting. Perhaps this is why I'm single...but, if it is, screw it. Yet, when I mention the fact that I like the girl to close friends, they insist on giving me all this stupid advice like "don't make yourself too available" and "let her call you first". I make myself as available as I am...no more, no less. If she calls, she calls...if I have something to say, I say it. On the flip side, I don't want to drive the girl away if she is indeed interested, either. It's an odd position to be in. Whatever happens, happens, I suppose.

So, I'm sitting in 12C on United 369 to PDX. Listening to Townes again...blogging away. Brian got TDY'd to Portland and I've never been to the PacNW at all...so I figured I'd go up there with him, hang around, and then find my way home from there.

The creepy lady in 10D just spent 10 minutes staring at the back of the plane. She looks like the type that likely owns 47 cats.

Watching the E! True Hollywood Story of Heath Ledger...and am loving all the random Australian actresses they're interviewing. MMMmmm, hot Aussie girls.

In my last blog, I mentioned that "Waiting Around To Die" wasn't a good song for my "flight playlist". I take that back...it's a solid song no matter where you listen to it. Absolutely excellent...as are the vast majority of Townes' writing. Such wonderful story telling in all of them. Don't have any Townes in your iTunes playlist? Do it...now. I'll wait. ;)

Headed to Denver...

Sitting on another Brozilla, this time to Salt Lake. Hoping to catch a flt to Denver to go hang with Brian and Chuck (and, perhaps, my future wife...Kaycee...LOL).

I'm zoned out with a little Metallica blasting in the glorious QC2s (still my best purchase in, perhaps, forever)...sitting on the aisle between the lovely wife of one of our maintenance controllers and some random cute girl (who I've never seen before, but has a SkyWest I'd). Cute as hell...wow. Everyone who knows "what I like" probably has at least an idea of what she probably looks like...

As I sit waiting for my spicy tomato w/ ice, I'm thinking how much these peanuts are really getting old...I miss the Plane Cheesy crackers. These are ridiculous things that only I think of. I'm also thinking that, as much as I love Townes Van Zandt's music, I've really gotta take "Waiting Around To Die" out of my flying playlist. One of the greatest songs of all-time in my opinion, but doesn't play well at 25,000 feet...especially after Metallica.

As always, I have no real plan...and this was, as always, a last minute "throw some crap in a bag and haul up to SGU airport" kinda trip. I haven't seen the boys in months...so that's gonna be cool. From there, I'm thinking of roadtripping back to SGU. Yes, airline boy is gonna drive...

My co-worker, Jenn, is picking up a new car in Grand Junction on Tuesday...so I'm probably gonna fly down to GJT from DEN and roadtrip back with her. 10+ hours in a car with Jenn...that oughta be entertaining. With any luck, we will hit a FedEx truck or something...LOL!

Oh yeah, I forgot...I called about my jury duty last night and found that I don't have to appear. As awesome as that is, I had already reserved a rental car and traded into the earliest shift possible...which I forgot how much I actually like working at 0200.

The early morning dispatchers like to get breakfast at one of the 4 usual options...the hospital cafeteria, Vior's (awesome breakfast burritos), Alvaro's (greasier, slightly unholier, yet equally awesome breakfast burritos), or Mickey D's. Today, we went to he hospital...they do up a pretty good spread and, since I've done pretty well this week as far as eating better, I decided to get "the works". Biscuits and gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs w/ cheese, and a small chicken fried steak. It all looked spectacular...up until I started eating it. I'm sure it was fine, but I realized that I hadn't eaten hospital breakfast since before the overnight stay for my appendectomy. Mid-bite of some biscuits and gravy, I flashed back to sitting up in my hospital bed and trying to choke down the absolutely awful, greenish tinted, chicken broth they served me for lunch that day. I couldn't eat anymore. The eggs were fine, as were the sausage...but I had to toss anything with gravy in the trash. There was something mental about the gravy that associated with that broth. Needless to say, I think it's Vior's burritos from now on when I work that shift...

Time to close up shop...getting close to SLC. Despite telling the story of that nasty broth...I'm hungry. I just realized that I haven't eaten since this morning...with exception of my little package of peanuts I just finished. Might have to forage for food at SLC...wish I had time for Squatter's.

Maybe I will work up a little courage and talk to the girl next to me, too. Riiiiight. Did I mention she's cute as can be?

Descending now...gotta run. More later.

Some Might Say...

Ever since Richard and Adam picked up the new Guitar Hero: World Tour, I've been somewhat obsessed with Oasis' "Some Might Say". I vaguely remember it from "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?"...but middle school was forever ago, so the memory is a bit fuzzy.

Either way, it's one of those songs that, when you take another look at it, you realize how awesome it is. I share...because I love it...

Back to SGU

So, our plan to go to Boston kinda fell through. Due to unforseen circumstances, the only way to get home was going to be on the butt-crack of dawn early flights...and we weren't going to get to BOS til late as it was...thus making BOS a less than stellar option.

Instead, we hauled over to Delta an caught flt. 85...BACK TO LAX. The Jew is from Studio City, so it made sense to go there and crash at his parents' house (which I'd like to steal the blueprints for if I ever build a house...loved it).

We landed almost any hour early since, by some miracle of the deity of your choosing, the normal 1 hr+ taxi delays were non-existent. Not bad, considering the President was flying out on Air Force One just a couple hours before.

Since we were early, we caught an earlier FlyAway bus to Van Nuys and were picked up by Adam's 'rents. For the person that told me to behave myself...it should be noted that I was dead asleep within the hour.

Grabbed breakfast/lunch with Adam's dad...whom I really had to resist calling "Mr. Broslovski". Good Mexican joint called Bronco...tasty enchiladas that will likely catch up to me later this evening.

So, here we are, on 580SW on the way back to SGU. We ran into Blair in the terminal...wound up having a few drinks in the airport bar (enough to force me to re-type that statement 3 times to correct spelling errors). Ready to get home, have a beer, run some errands, and clean up my room...finally. Work at 0300...so its early to bed if possible.

Back to my Coke and iPod...

My arse is asleep...and other scattershoots from UAL22.

We made it onto United 22 to JFK with a few minutes to spare...very few. When we got to the gate, we were told that there was one First Class seat...and, since I'm senior to Adam, I could have that or we could have 2 coach seats together. I opted for the 2 seats together, being the nice guy that I am.

As always (I say always since this is the 2nd time in a week I've declined First to sit with a friend...and the millionth time overall...), I'm halfway across the country and really wishing I had that legroom. At least Adam got the middle seat...hahaha.

Since we were some of the last to board, and partially because of the general public's average drop of 15-45 IQ points the moment they walk into an airport/onto an airplane, there was no overhead bin space with 110 people onboard an aircraft that normally carries 180 people (if a rollaboard does not fit in the bin wheels-first, check it or buy one that does...grrrrr) . I had to cram my backpack under the seat and, despite the "extra legroom" in "Economy Plus", the backpack is keeping me from stretching my right leg. Oh well, free ride, right?

We've been getting rocked for a while...continuous chop for at least the last hour...probably the remnants of the convective crap that gave us fits last night. If I could stretch out, I would so be passed out right now. Wait...we just climbed to FL370 and things are smooth again.

A couple things of note...

• I shelled out $9 for the smoked turkey and swiss club wrap...and, I must say, it was quite excellent. Almost worth the $9. I would have to highly recommend it if you fly United.

• Listening to Channel 9 (because I'm a total airplane geek)...I just heard Southwest 3409 get cleared "direct JDUBB". This excited me to no end. It is somewhere around Indy Center airspace and plan on building some kind of routing that utilizes it.

• The little old lady 3 rows ahead of me just headed to the lav for the 7th time. Kill me before I get that old.

• They are showing the TV show "Monk" right now and, no matter how much I try, Tony Shaloub will always be the cab driver from "Wings" to me. Also, Joely Fisher has really fallen off...she used to be kinda hot. What happened? For some reason, she looks like Kaley Cuoco + 45 years...and, as hot as Kaley is...that just ain't right. ;)

• Here goes the little old lady's husband for the 3rd time this hour. Once again, kill me before I get that old. ;)

• Did I mention my ass is asleep?

I think we are about an hour or so out...looks like they're knocking out one last beverage service...good thing too since I'm frickin' parched.

More later...

Another week...another trip.

Sitting in my usual spot...9A on United Express/SkyWest 5711 from SGU to LAX. It should be noted that we have some pretty awesome crews. My glass of ginger ale hasn't been even half empty the entire flight. I know that shouldn't be something that is notable...but in this day and age of service cutbacks, our inflight folks just do it right. Now if only United hadn't cut snacks out of the service on shorter hops...I'm starving and could go for some peanuts right now.

Last time I blogged, I was headed home from voting in Texas. Most of my candidates won...including President-Elect Obama. Man, it feels cool to know that, in 70 days or so, our nation will be headed in a new direction...one that I feel will put us on the right track again. I do hope the Democrat controlled congress don't go too wild and crazy with power...because, while I lean a little more to the left than I used to, there are some conservative ideals that I'd like to see adopted in the spirit of bipartisanship. Time will tell. All I can say is this: after seeing Barack's first press conference as President-Elect...I know deep down that we chose the right guy. Something about his calm demeanor and ability to even pick on himself that makes it easy to call the guy "my leader" (not to be confused with "dear leader"...LOL).

So, back to the trip. Adam hasn't exactly got the whole "non-rev" thing down...and, domestically at least, I'm a borderline professional at it. So we're headed to LAX right now...then to the east coast. Where better to learn the ropes of getting home under crappy circumstances as a space available standby than the clusterf&#k that is New York-JFK? So it's United to JFK...then maybe JetBlue down to Boston...Delta back to SLC tomorrow. At least that's the tentative plan...you know I love to change those. ;). Hoping to stay in Boston tonight with one of oldest friends in the world from back home...Lenzie. We shall see.

Looks like we're nose-down and on the arrival into LAX...time to close up shop to be ready to haul tail to our JFK gate (we got out of the gate in SGU a bit late thanks the the fueler throwing on a bunch of extra, unnecessary fuel).

Here's to hoping for First or Business class to JFK...I've been trying to get it on the United P.S. Service 757s for a while...to no avail.

And now I wait...

Sitting at gate E84 in SLC hoping they call my name...not banking on it since there were only 8 open seats when I checked earlier.

We had a little excitement on approach into SLC...the gear was down, so we only had about 7 miles to go, when the pilots pushed the throttles up to go around power and pulled the gear up. Apparently, the hotshots at SLC approach didn't get the landing sequence right and they asked us to go around and resequence. Of course, I knew exactly what happened...but the guy next to me was about to freeeeak out. I got a chuckle.

Whoohoo! I got a seat...time to board.

On my way back...

I'm so pumped after last night. I truly believe, no matter what the conservative Christians might try to tell you, that Obama is the right man for the job at this time in American history. It's time to put away the divisive nature of partisan politics. Let's get behind this president and hope he can steer us in the right direction.

So we left Gainesville a little late for OKC this morning...thus missing any chance at the 0830 to SLC or the 0900 to LAX. Honestly, though...I think this works better. Took the 1108 flt to DEN and met Kaycee for lunch. I hadn't seen her I ages...so it was great to see her always smiling face. We got burritos on concourse B and she had to be on her way. Not before injecting a little positivity into my day...encouraging me to be more assertive in persuing a certain someone.

I wound up catching the 1400 to SLC...which I'm on right now. Rory at the office told me it was heavy snow and low visibility in SLC...and all I wanted to do before leaving was change into some shorts...LOL! We are making a slow descent from FL360...it has been pretty bumpy and there are ominous clouds out ahead. I'm honestly ready for winter...Adam has me interested in learning to snowboard. We shall see.

Our shallow descent just got steeper...judging from what I can see through the clouds, I think we're about 20 minutes from SLC (booyah, captain came on after I typed this to say we are 18 minutes from landing...I rule!). Time to finish my orange juice and close up shop.

Maybe a little more from SLC.

In ATL...

Made it to Atlanta...this place is nicer than I last saw it.

I had 4 hours to kill, so I wound up getting something to eat with Courtney. She was bored and had nothing better to do...not to mention she's a weirdo like me when it comes to sleeping better on airplanes and enjoying a breakfast at random airports...so, she came with me. And, like a curse that follows me...I was of course, offered first class at the last minute and declined it to sit with her (it seems like anytime I've gone anywhere with Courtney, I wind up getting first and feeling bad about leaving her by herself...so I decline the upgrade). My back hates me for it right now.

Off to find some foodstuffs...I'm praying for first to DFW in hopes of some sleep. I'm such a first/biz class snob these days. Sleeeeeepy...

On my way home to vote...

As I type this, I'm sitting in seat 8A in a SkyWest Brasilia...enjoying the cool, dry air in the cabin, kicking back a spicy tomato w/ ice, listening to The Killers on the ol' iPod. The pilots just pulled back to cruise power and we're just above the clouds, the moon is reflecting on the clouds like it does on the ocean, and we're starting to pick up a little moderate turbulence.. I have my awesome new Bose QC2's on...so it is a sort of serenity that, anyone that knows me, would consider to be my "happy place".

Flying to Salt Lake...then catching the redeye to Atlanta...the the early morning flight to DFW...then a 1 hour drive to Gainesville. All of this just to vote.

I'm not doing it because I want to say I voted in this historic election...where we are probably going to elect our first black (or, at least half-black) president. It is because I have the right to vote...a right that so few in this world have...and, at least in national and state elections, I want to exercise that right. The long trek is a result of forgetting to take care of my absentee stuff and the fact that, with airline capacity and schedule cuts, the logistics of getting to DFW on any airline but American Airlines is a somewhat daunting task.

So, speaking of voting, I talked to my mom last night about my coming home to vote in the town of my legal residence. She tried to convince me to just not vote rather than vote for "that liberalist"...LOL! Here's my mom...a teacher that hates "No Child Left Behind"...voting for the regime that brought that stinking turd of a program to us. More disturbingly, here was my mom spouting off the GOP talking points...the ones that spread through email like "Obama is a socialist" and "Obama is a secret Muslim". That bothered me a little. I'm not going to ridicule anyone's vote...so long as they get out to the polls...yet, my mom was advocating my skipping the most historic election of my life. Sad. (I love ya, mom...but I'll be there in the morning to cancel your vote).

Picking up some icing and turbulence on descent into SLC. I gotta run for now...time to turn off all electronics and put our seats and tray tables in the upright and locked position.

God Answers All Prayers...

God Answers All Prayers...it's just that, sometimes, the answer is "no".

Another Boring Day @ The Desk

So, here I am, just cranked out release #52 on the day...less than an hour to go. The weather is perfect everywhere but in the northeast, so my brain has been on idle all day.

Yesterday was another story. 3 broken airplanes...including one in Canada (which is a huge pain when you have to involve customs pre-clearance, etc.)...kept my head on a swivel all day. Trying to figure out a way to save flights from being canceled in a situation like that causes a tension headache so hardcore.

So, like I said in the last post...I'm posting from my Crackberry (thanks for the replacement, SJ). This little sucker has me wondering if I even want to upgrade to an iPhone. Of course, the more I look, the harder the choice is. Maybe I should hold out for the inevitable 32GB model.

Just some scattershooting...I'm so tired, I've got nothing else.

Down the road...

Crackberry Blogging

So, I've never really blogged much from the road...but I think that might change now that I have this evil little Crackberry. I'm addicted....
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

MySpace.com - Front to Back: Ben Folds Five Reunion! Live, Sept 18th.

I still...to this day...LOVE Ben Folds Five.

Ben Folds Five - MySpace Front To Back concert

The Sox Might Be The Death Of Me...(Dub Blogs from the 7th inning on in...)

2022 - Top of the 7th...Tampa leads 2-0. Youk up to bat...and he pops it up and out. This game might kill me.

2024 - I keep a pack of Camel Lights in my underwear drawer that I let myself break into when I'm about to go nuts...and I just broke into it.

2026 - The Sox took the early lead...all was well. Then the Rays have scored twice and I'm getting nervous. Garza should be getting tired by now...well above 100 pitches now. And he walks J.D. Bay is up...I know he has it in him. Two strikeouts tonight...he's due. Let's get 2 runs here!

2029 - I've been imbibing the unofficial beer of Soxtober...Sam Adams Octoberfest...'til 1900 when my 8 hours was up. I wish I was drunk.

2030 - Bay gets a hit to left! Two on now...one out. And Maddon is on the mound to talk to Garza. Leave him in...leave him in.

2031 - TBS is on a roll with the "Hottie Cam"...plenty of hottie Florida girls in the crowd. Also, plenty of white trash Florida girls as well. It's feast or famine.

2032 - Just saw on FARK.com that the Bucs retired Mike Alstott's jersey tonight...and misspelled his name on one of the framed jerseys. LOL! I remember Madden '98...that guy was unstoppable!

2033 - Kotsay just popped out...but got J.D. over to 3rd. V-Tek up to bat. Oh, Captain, My Captain! I put my trust and faith in you! Let's knock another out like the 6th inning last night...that would be huge.

2035 - Tek has a 1-2 count. Garza at 115 pitches...come on Tek-Money!

2036 - Tek strikes out. TBS cuts to an annoying Lincoln MKS commercial. I love "Space Oddity"...but I'm not sure which version is creepier. Bathroom break to avoid the Charles Schwab "We're begging you to not take your money out of our investment firm" commercial. Damn...not fast enough.

2041 - Back...leftover pizza not exactly sitting well with my body's disdain for milk/cheese products. Sat down in time to see frickin' Willy Aybar bomb one to left. In the starting lineups, Buck Martinez mentioned that Aybar hadn't hit one out in the ALCS and I remember thinking to myself, "he'll knock one out". And, he did.

2043 - Lester hasn't lost consecutive starts in his MLB career. Let's not start tonight! I'll settle for an Okajima/Papelbon win. Let's just get this one!

2045 - Yes, we know Chip, Rocco Baldelli is an "inspriational story". For the 4th time tonight. We get it. Have you forgotten about the guy on the mound and his story?

2046 - 2 down, bot. 7th. Barlett up. Lester has 2 strikes on him by way of foul balls...and Bartlett just won't go down. Crisp grabs the popup...and we got to the 8th.

2048 - OK, a note about this announcing crew. I can't stand Buck Martinez on XM Radio...I really can't stand him here. He's a poor man's Jerry Remy (at least in the semi-whiny-voice department). Ron Darling...I always wanted to punch that guy when I watched him pitch as a kid. Chip Caray...will never be his grandfather. And, yes, if I were a hot dog, I WOULD eat myself, Norm.

2052 - E6! I'll take it! Man on first...and Maddon pulls Garza. Getting ancy.

2054 - OK, the DirecTV ads with the little girl from "Poltergeist" bother me. I mean, it's not that she's dead. Anyone who knows me knows that, with me, nothing is sacred. However, there's just something odd about dead little girl pitching satellite TV.

2056 - Dan Wheeler...how's about a repeat of the other night? Pretty please? Cut to Garza squatting in the dugout...looking a bit like me in the woods on my last camping trip.

2057 - CoCo at the bat. Cora at 1st. Wheeler seems a bit nervous about Alex's speed. CoCo tries to bunt and pops it foul...2-2 count. CoCo gets a base hit to right! Men on 1st and 2nd...and Chip Caray is doing his best to jinx it with phrases like "You give the Red Sox life, the take the life from you!". Grrrr...

2059 - My boy Pedroia up. "The Little Horse". MVP of this series if they pull it out. And he's got a 1-1 count...but he IS the best 2 strike hitter in baseball. And he pops out out to left...thanks for more jinxing, Buck.

2101 - Maddon pulls Wheeler...and more commercial fun. Orbitz sucks. Seriously. May all of those little websites die. Bring back real travel agents!

2103 - J.P. Howell now pitching. Lefty/Lefty matchup with Papi. Howell has fear in his eyes. Papi looks at strike one. Cut to shot of crazy Rays fan. I didn't know they had those. He must be drunk and forgot where he is.

2105 - Papi 0-2 count. I still have the faith.

2106 - Papi 1-2 count. I still have the faith. I'm wondering what Papi's undershirt says...

2106 - Papi check-swing that just scared the living piss outta me. I honestly thought he went around for strike 3.

2107 - Still trying to figure out what Papi's undershirt says around the collar.

2108 - I just saw an old woman in a Rays jersey screaming "Come On, Papi!". She's a bit confused.

2109 - Papi grounds to 2nd and they get CoCo at 2nd. Cora on 3rd...Papi on first. The Greek God of Walks (and 10+ pitch at-bats) is up next. Maddon pulls Howell.

2112 - OK, I admit. New Bond flick looks awesome. i wish I were Daniel Craig. But, I digress.

2113 - Bradford in. Yoooooouk is up. Batting .400 against Bradford...and almost takes one to the right knee. 2 balls for Youk (insert rimshot here). Make that three and take away my crotch humour...

2115 - Youk's beard is glorious...just for the record. Full count...and Youk is staying alive. Runners will go...need a blooper! Ball 4! I'll take it! Bases loaded... And Maddon brings in another pitcher for J.D Drew. With any luck, he'll run out.

2117 - Our Sweet Clean Lord Jesus...Oh, Prophet Mohammed...All Knowing Buddha...Dearest Lord Raptor Jesus...whoever...just let J.D. earn his bloated paycheck in this at-bat.

2119 - Drew strikes out on a piss-poor checkswing. Shit.

2120 - And now, an iPhone commercial. Sorry Apple, I'm holding out for that 32GB model you're holding over our heads.

2123 - I have to work at 0300. And I'm staying up. For this.

2125 - Okajima has 2 down in rapid succession. Maybe we should have put him in earlier. Pena up...TV now on mute. I can take no more of Buck Martinez.

2127 - TV muted, iTunes up...Dropkick Murphys blaring on the lappy. And Okajima gets 3 up, 3 down. "Tessie" plays on repeat to the end...well...maybe some "Shipping Up to Boston".

2130 - "'Tessie',
"Nuf Ced" McGreevey shouted,
We're not here to mess around.
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only!"

2131 - Price nearly takes Bay's knees. You're 3 outs from a World Series and you're throwing shit. Nice.

2132 - Bay is keeping the at-bat alive.

2133 - Still foulin'.

2134 - Ball four! Kotsay up. Kotsay...it's your turn! OK, the bunt was a decent idea...but, alas, no dice. Strike one. Foul down the 1st bas...hello, concerned Red Sox hottie. What was I saying again?

2136 - Kotsay strikes out looking. Pitchtrax shows the pitch way outside. Now, I know that thing isn't exactly accurate, but...ahem...FUCK YOU UMP!

2138 - Tek at bat. 1-1 count. For the love of God, Tek...show us why you're our Captain. Make that 1-2. Looks at ball 2 high. Hell...I'll settle for anything here.

2139 - And Tek strikes out. The Rays are 1 out from the World Series. One...Frickin'...Out. And our final hope is...Jed Lowrie???

2140 - Shit. The Rays. An expansion team that once had a rainbow-esque yellow/orange/purple in their team logo...are going to the Series. The Rays. *sigh*

2143 - Cue the Dropkick Murphys "Amazing Grace"...poor a glass of Chocolate Silk Soymilk...and prepare for the barrage of anti-Sox text messages.

2144 - I still want to shop where Craig Sager gets his suits. That purple paisley tie with the pin-striped jacket is awesome.

Congrats Rays...thanks for ruining my week.

And, now, for words I never thought I would ever say: GO PHILLIES!

Scary...

I got saw this on my friend Margaret's Tumblr...and it reminds me of the Bill Maher movie Religulous that I saw last week (which, by the way, if you haven't seen it yet...go see it!).



I must ask, when did the United States become a "Christian Nation"? Oh, wait...we're not. Our forefathers had the foresight to keep religion separate from the law...yet the religious kooks have taken and bastardized the views of those who were deliberate in leaving our basis of law religion-free.

Like Thomas Jefferson said in a letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814: "Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law".

Let's keep it that way.

Obey the Cheerleader!

So my Sox did it the other night. It was...AWESOME! I was riding a high that has put me over to the game tonight. As it stands right now...the Sox are leading 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd.

I have the faith. Let's do it again! Until then, here's some greatness. A) It's funny...and B) Hayden is hot and deserves more face-time on this blog. :)

See more Hayden Panettiere videos at Funny or Die

On the verge of a heart attack...

Why? Why do the Red Sox do this to me? They get themselves in a hole...then give me hope. They put me on pins and needles...I hope for the best...expect the worst. It's the best/worst feeling in the world. Papi comes through in glorious ways...Youkilis and Pedroia give it their all...but will it be enough? That's the hardest thing to watch for a Sox fan.

So, c'mon Sox! Give me one more game! We'll take it from there!

I still don't know why this is so funny to me...

I still don't know why this is so funny to me...but it cracked me up.

Busch Stadium in STL

My advice to my little sister...

Little sis has hauled off to college for her freshman year...and I felt the need to pass on some brotherly advice. I'm so good with advice:

Little Sis - i have made zero friends
Me - find a geeky club and join. sororities are gay. i mean, unless you want to automatically be known as a slut. that's what i always thought about sorority girls. primarily because they were sluts. so, do yourself a favor and don't buy your friends (and your reputation as a slut...earn that...lol)
Little Sis - great advice
Me - you'll thank me for that someday.

-----------------------
Current Music: Seether - Rise Above This

Trip to Sydney, Australia...August 2008

I went to Sydney this past week...took a few pics here and there. You can find one of my favorites below...click on it, and you'll find all of them.

The View From Our Seats...

Tier Box 617, Seat 10

The Yankees Finally Admit It...

They finally admit to being toolbags...

Pretty damn exciting week ahead...

Wow...the next few days have all kinds of potential for "awesome".

I'm off after 3pm tomorrow for a few days. After work, I'm gonna pack a bag, one last run to the gym, and then head to el aeropuerto to start heading to New York. The plan is to wander the city Wed./Thur. and then go to the Yankees-Tigers game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. Everyone knows I'm not a Yankees fan, but I really want to see Yankee Stadium before they close it after this season. That said, I will still be rooting for the Tigers...unless Joba Chamberlain or Mariano Rivera come in the game...then I have to pretend to like the Yankees for the sake of the survival of my fantasy baseball team. I'm so conflicted...

OK...so the Yanks game is Thursday night, so I'm gonna make the quick turnaround and catch the first available flight out of JFK the next morning to wherever I have to go to get back to SGU ASAP. Why in the hell would I want to get back to SGU so quickly? Because Cross Canadian-Freakin'-Ragweed are playing at The Electric Theater in downtown St. George, that's why! And I've gotta get home early enough to load up my flask with Jack and down some beers before going out since I'm fairly certain the venue, like so many places in Utah, is an "alcohol-free establishment". (and, yes, I did break out one old, old pic of me and the band from my radio days...hilarious).

So, yeah...can't wait. Now if only my damn load of laundry in the dryer would dry the hell up...grrrr.

Keep on rockin' in the free world...

-----------------------
Current Music: The Verve Pipe - The Freshmen

In-N-Out Burger, St. George, UT

Well...I braved the 35 min. drive-thru line...and, damn, was it worth it.

STILL The Greatest Ad Campaign Ever...

Terry Tate, Office Linebacker...

Travels, work, baseball...

So, it's been awhile...again. Yeah, I know...I suck at blogging.

It's been a fun couple of weeks...been all over the US and working my tail off. Hitting the gym more and starting to run. I have a goal...a mission...and a personal reward at the end. I just have to stay focused.

I've been working alot...big surprise there. I've been working as a trainer for a couple of months now...but now I'm looking at moving into coordinating (the guys that keep the schedule moving by strategically canceling flights, etc.).

I'm less than confident in my training abilities right now. When I was a ramp trainer at AirTran, it was all hands on...but trying to teach software, weather and air traffic theory, and getting hit with tons of questions that I know the answer to but fear I'm leading someone astray is something completely different. I like it to a certain extent, but I'm not sure it is for me.

I did my annual jumpseating on the jet this past week. Flew up to Milwaukee and did a Newark out-and-back with Aaron Krebs from back home. Had a great time...it's nice to fly with someone you know to a place you've never seen.

Flew outta Vegas...got caught in traffic and missed the non-stop AirTran flight to MKE...so I had to fly through Denver. Luckily, Frontier rocks and let me on last minute...as opposed to the AirTran agent who got nasty with me for even asking to jumpseat.


Before leaving Las Vegas...an old friend, Dave McKenzie, texted me asking if I knew who the crew was on his MKE-EWR flight that day. I knew what Dave was really asking..."Is Krebs the pilot on my flight?" (Dave and Krebs were roommates in college)...so I called him right then to tell him he missed it by one day. At the time, we thought that Dave was going to be on our EWR-MKE return flight the next day. That would have been entertaining...three ol' Gainesville boys on the same flight, on the same day...what are the chances? As it turns out, Dave was on the flight before ours...which was a bummer because Krebs had come up with some funny stuff for the "Welcome PA"...

I got into MKE later in the night and stayed at a hotel near the airport. We get an airline crew rate of $35 bucks there, so I booked it ahead of time and crashed out (after 7 beers and 4 shots with a bunch of local UPS employees at the Applebee's next door of course). The next morning, I went to the airport early and met up with Aaron. He showed me around, introduced me to the Chief Pilot and others in the crew lounge and we grabbed a light lunch. After the near act of God Almighty Himself to get my jumpseat credentials checked, we headed out for EWR.

The flight itself was pretty uneventful, but the approach into EWR was pretty sweet. The final approach to runway 22R rides parallel to New York with amazing views of the city, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, etc...the kinds of views you only get while sitting in the front office of a jet. Kinda wished I had taken a camera...but with sterile cockpit on approach, probably wouldn't have been kosher.

So we landed in EWR and I had to go to the gate to fill out the jumpseater paperwork for the gate agent. When I came back down, I found my big backpack that I had gate-checked and should have got back in the jetway had been taken to baggage claim. Aaron chased down a ramper and had him go look for it, but it was too late...my bag was already on the carousel. I had to run like a bat outta hell to baggage claim, get my bag, and go back through security. Of course, the TSA line was half a mile long and, when I finally got to the metal detector, it got bumped by other people twice...and I had to be wanded and have all of my other stuff checked. I got back to the gate just in time for final boarding...took my seat up front, and away we went.

Amazingly, there were no delays into/out of EWR, so we got back to MKE way early. I was able to catch a flight on Frontier over to Denver at the last minute. Of course, I had been fairly lucky all day...so the luck ran out and we wound up taking a long mechanical delay due to computer issues. The guy behind me kept running his mouth to impress the girl next to him...making fun of the mechanic that was sent to fix the problem...so I wound up taking my airline ID's off and let into him for not knowing what he was talking about. Ahhh, that felt good. My tolerance for passenger ignorance just isn't what it used to be.

Landed in Denver pretty late and it was freakin' snowing. We let all the connecting passengers off first so they could run like hell to make their flights. Brian picked me up and I hung out with him, Chuck, and Kaycee for a couple days of relaxing. It was nice to have absolutely nothing to do and hang out with those three...they rock. We had some beers, played Trivial Pursuit, airline-geeked it up...just alot of nothing.


Got back to SGU on Saturday night...and here I am back to working. I'm planning on going back to NYC next week for a Yankees-Tigers game at Yankee Stadium. If you know me, you know I'm a die-hard Red Sox fan, but I'm a baseball fan first and I've never been to Yankee Stadium. Considering this is the last season they will be playing there, I figured it would be good to go see it and take the tour...alot of history there.

Speaking of the Sox...that was the original plan for this past weekend. Dearing, his dad, and I were supposed to go to Fenway to see the Sox play the Texas Rangers...but a miscommunication between me and Dearing (I was waiting on him to tell me he had plane tickets before I bought game tickets, he was waiting on my to tell him I had game tickets before booking a flight) kept us from going. Oops. Would have been a great game to see...the Sox came back from 5 runs down in the late innings to win 6-5...even after Manny got ejected in the 2nd. Oh well...

Well, for those of us that were at work at 0300 this morning...it's lunch time. Veggie enchiladas, here I come!

SkyWest Ship 821SK @ Chicago O'Hare

Boston Logan Gate C19

Note the flag on top of the jetway. C19 was the gate that United Flight 175 (the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center) departed from on 9/11/2001.

Kenmore "T" Stop, Boston, Mass.

In-N-Out Burger, Las Vegas, NV