Excitement and frustration
I'm very excited to be going off to TNEO later today. I've got all my crits done except for two novel synopses that I've read and jotted a few notes on but haven't gotten to the written critiques yet. I also still need some more work on my lecture, but as evidenced by how long I was able to blather about the book to my husband, I think I have enough to say to fill the time (but will it be interesting? Valuable? Crunchy?)
I was supposed to be underway already. I spent most of yesterday running around trying to get all the stuff done that needed to be done before the trip, like print out drafts of lots of things I'm working on to take with me to edit. Sure, I've got the files on the old laptop I'm taking, but I think better when I have hard copy in front of me and it may not be convenient to be running to the computer lab all the time.
I was already frustrated because I had so much left to do and was afraid I'd be up most of the night finishing it, then getting up at 4:00-something to make my 6:00-something flight. I was also frustrated because my digital camera which I just bought SIX MONTHS AGO had decided as of the day before that the flash wouldn't work. Stephan nicely offered to research what to do about this while I went about on my printing/organizing/packing frenzy.
Meanwhile, the phone rings about 7:30 and it is an automatic message from Northwest Airlines informing me that my flight, which was supposed to get me in at 11:00-something, is now canceled and I've been rebooked on a Continental flight that gets me in at 5:00-something. Argh! Though technically I was getting there early to begin with, I'd already arranged to be picked up and have lunch with another wonderful TNEOer and was looking forward to getting to get into my room earlyish and relax and write for a bit before the Odyssey mixer.
I tried to call Northwest to see if they could get me an earlier flight, but I kept getting a message that all agents were busy. They didn't even put me on hold, just said "try your call again later." Now not much makes me madder than having an ISSUE and not even being able to reach someone who might be able to do something about it.
So I tried to check in online with Continental in the meantime, and it didn't work because my reservation was "not ticketed." I called Continental, and after a long time on hold, got a person who said they couldn't do anything about it, because I had a reservation, not a ticket. Since I got the original reservation on Travelocity, I should call them. So I call Travelocity, and after about 20 minutes on hold, get a real live person. As I am starting to relay my trip ID #, I get disconnected. In a righteous rage, I called Travelocity back and had that phone in one ear and my cell phone with Northwest (this time I actually got on hold rather than being told to call back later) in the other ear. Northwest answered first, so I clicked off Travelocity and talked to the Northwest person, who gave me only one other flight option, that would leave at 5:45 and get me into Manchester at 9:30. Errrr, maybe not. She told me that yes, my flight on Continental wasn't actually "ticketed" yet, but everything should be ok in the morning.
In the middle of all of this, Stephan was at the Kodak website trying to see what could be done about my camera. There was an option to ship it back to Kodak for repair for $125 (I paid $167 for the camera SIX MONTHS AGO). There was an option to upgrade to another camera but you have to fill out this long form before they even give you the cost and options. I want my camera NOW because I want to take pictures at TNEO. For heaven's sake, in the old days, when the flash bulb burned out, you went and got a new one. How crazy is it that the thing dies after six months (I believe, though I'm not positive, that the warranty expired only two days before) and makes the camera essentially a piece of junk? I may take it to a camera shop once I'm back in town and see if they can fix it and give me an idea of the price. That, or take it apart myself and see if there is something that comes out that I can replace.If it's going to cost most of the camera's worth to fix, it's trash and I'm tempted never to buy a Kodak product again. I've got to get a battery for my old, non-digital Minolta so I can have something to take pictures with at TNEO.
Perhaps I get inordinately frustrated and suspicious about such things, but I do not like going to the airport without an e-ticket in hand or being able to check in, get seats, etc. I know from a couple of bad experiences that if you get bumped from one airline to another you're likely to get screwed, because airline B wants to help *their* customers first and if you don't get a seat, they'll be happy to bump you to a flight on the next day (yes, I've had this happen. Airline A claimed we had seats, airline B said "oh no you don't." Since the plane belonged to airline B, guess who won?).
I took two excedrin p.m.'s and went to bed a little before midnight, wondering why the gods hated me so much.
But I am relieved that I was actually able to print out a boarding pass and check in online this morning. And I actually got to sleep instead of getting up at 4:00-something. Now I just have to hope my arrival plans won't be too screwed up and I can get to the room soon enough to relax a little bit before the evening event. Argh.
Really, I am excited about the workshop. If anything else conspires against me, it will suffer the wrath of doom.
I was supposed to be underway already. I spent most of yesterday running around trying to get all the stuff done that needed to be done before the trip, like print out drafts of lots of things I'm working on to take with me to edit. Sure, I've got the files on the old laptop I'm taking, but I think better when I have hard copy in front of me and it may not be convenient to be running to the computer lab all the time.
I was already frustrated because I had so much left to do and was afraid I'd be up most of the night finishing it, then getting up at 4:00-something to make my 6:00-something flight. I was also frustrated because my digital camera which I just bought SIX MONTHS AGO had decided as of the day before that the flash wouldn't work. Stephan nicely offered to research what to do about this while I went about on my printing/organizing/packing frenzy.
Meanwhile, the phone rings about 7:30 and it is an automatic message from Northwest Airlines informing me that my flight, which was supposed to get me in at 11:00-something, is now canceled and I've been rebooked on a Continental flight that gets me in at 5:00-something. Argh! Though technically I was getting there early to begin with, I'd already arranged to be picked up and have lunch with another wonderful TNEOer and was looking forward to getting to get into my room earlyish and relax and write for a bit before the Odyssey mixer.
I tried to call Northwest to see if they could get me an earlier flight, but I kept getting a message that all agents were busy. They didn't even put me on hold, just said "try your call again later." Now not much makes me madder than having an ISSUE and not even being able to reach someone who might be able to do something about it.
So I tried to check in online with Continental in the meantime, and it didn't work because my reservation was "not ticketed." I called Continental, and after a long time on hold, got a person who said they couldn't do anything about it, because I had a reservation, not a ticket. Since I got the original reservation on Travelocity, I should call them. So I call Travelocity, and after about 20 minutes on hold, get a real live person. As I am starting to relay my trip ID #, I get disconnected. In a righteous rage, I called Travelocity back and had that phone in one ear and my cell phone with Northwest (this time I actually got on hold rather than being told to call back later) in the other ear. Northwest answered first, so I clicked off Travelocity and talked to the Northwest person, who gave me only one other flight option, that would leave at 5:45 and get me into Manchester at 9:30. Errrr, maybe not. She told me that yes, my flight on Continental wasn't actually "ticketed" yet, but everything should be ok in the morning.
In the middle of all of this, Stephan was at the Kodak website trying to see what could be done about my camera. There was an option to ship it back to Kodak for repair for $125 (I paid $167 for the camera SIX MONTHS AGO). There was an option to upgrade to another camera but you have to fill out this long form before they even give you the cost and options. I want my camera NOW because I want to take pictures at TNEO. For heaven's sake, in the old days, when the flash bulb burned out, you went and got a new one. How crazy is it that the thing dies after six months (I believe, though I'm not positive, that the warranty expired only two days before) and makes the camera essentially a piece of junk? I may take it to a camera shop once I'm back in town and see if they can fix it and give me an idea of the price. That, or take it apart myself and see if there is something that comes out that I can replace.If it's going to cost most of the camera's worth to fix, it's trash and I'm tempted never to buy a Kodak product again. I've got to get a battery for my old, non-digital Minolta so I can have something to take pictures with at TNEO.
Perhaps I get inordinately frustrated and suspicious about such things, but I do not like going to the airport without an e-ticket in hand or being able to check in, get seats, etc. I know from a couple of bad experiences that if you get bumped from one airline to another you're likely to get screwed, because airline B wants to help *their* customers first and if you don't get a seat, they'll be happy to bump you to a flight on the next day (yes, I've had this happen. Airline A claimed we had seats, airline B said "oh no you don't." Since the plane belonged to airline B, guess who won?).
I took two excedrin p.m.'s and went to bed a little before midnight, wondering why the gods hated me so much.
But I am relieved that I was actually able to print out a boarding pass and check in online this morning. And I actually got to sleep instead of getting up at 4:00-something. Now I just have to hope my arrival plans won't be too screwed up and I can get to the room soon enough to relax a little bit before the evening event. Argh.
Really, I am excited about the workshop. If anything else conspires against me, it will suffer the wrath of doom.