Long weekend
A lovely long weekend away!
The missed flight was my own dumb fault. But I get ahead of myself slightly!
I actually started my long weekend by going into work early on Friday and leaving early, at 3 p.m. I had my rescheduled (from the "snow" day on my birthday) advising appointment at UMCP. The nice young lady in the ARHU advising office was very helpful. Providing I don't have any creeping English requirements left (which I well may, after my "pff, screw this noise!" performance during my last semester), I could well take care of my degree by taking two Spanish classes at Howard Community College. Soon I will call the English Dept. and try to get them to fill me on on what I may need. The problem is, they may not be able to help until I am an officially Re-Enrolled student. Which means I'd have to shell out cash, and that's done on a semester-by-semester basis. Realistically, the first semester I could possibly work on this is Spring 2014. So I might have to apply and re-enroll this fall, THEN find out if I actually need 9 credits more of English, too. If that is the case then a different strategy is needed. Still: I'm glad I went and had the meeting. It's best to take the steps than just thinking about maybe making a call about starting to take the steps. =)
Afterward was a delightful evening catching dinner with Amber. We did just see each other two months ago but that was at her wedding-party, not just catching-up time. We talked too long and I didn't have the long quiet evening at home with the cats I was planning on, but it was good for the spirit all the same! The cats eventually forgave me, when I fed them. I pretty much went home and did that, then went to bed. I wanted a big pile of sleep before the next day's travel.
I got up around 9:30 or 10, which should have been plenty of time. But in my trip-prep errands, I had neglected a birthday card for Mandy. I pondered just buying it at the airport, but that seemed ridiculous. So I stopped at Target, which delayed my leaving for the airport a tiny bit... that made all the difference. Sigh. The wait for a shuttle bus was longer than usual and the security lines were longer than usual, so all those various things added up to me getting through security at 2:55...for a 3 p.m. flight. I made a good show of running to the gate with my shoes untied, but the plane was pulling away as I arrived. The Southwest people were very nice, and I was contrite. (Apparently they'd just dealt with a guy who missed a flight and was a flaming ass about it.) (Because that's always a good idea.) Anyway, they got me on the next flight and it was all fine. Except the next flight was at 6:45 p.m. SIGH. I texted, then called Breezy, and briefly explained. He had to rearrange a bit on the fly, but basically it just meant I missed dinner out with Mandy and Diane, and would just surprise her at the house. I called Hertz to move my rental car pick-up time from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Then, the waiting. I had time, and was hungry, so I went to the little Silver Diner in the airport. I read a book and ate and it was very pleasant. Then I went for a walk up and down Concourse B, because I didn't want to just sit on my butt all afternoon. Then I set up shop in the gate waiting area because I wanted to be sure not to miss any announcements. By 5:45 I was officially taken off "stand by" (the flight wasn't sold out but they had to hold off for a certain amount of time) and given a boarding pass. I celebrated by leaving my coveted spot and going to the ladies' room. Boarding and the flight down went extremely smoothly and as noted - the flight wasn't sold out! I believe this was the first time in many years of flying to Nashville that I had an empty seat next to me. It was nice! The flight was basically during sunset, which lasted extra-long with the flying west, so I didn't even read on the plane - I just listened to music and watched the sunset colors changing on the cloud tops. It was lovely.
Landed, and was very grateful I'd decided to pack super light and not check a bag. I walked straight to the Hertz counter, where they offered me an upgrade - a Mustang at the "economy" rental price. Highly unnecessary but...of course I took it! Woohoo! It took me a few minutes to figure out how to work things in my fancy rental car. Including turning on the lights, which I didn't do for an embarrassing bit of time. (I figured it out before I left the garage, though! Big garage.) I listened to the radio softly so I could hear the directions coming from my iPhone, and drove to their house! I had texted Breezy when I landed, and he said to text again when I was close. As I neared the final stoplight before their place, the light was green, so I pulled into the Walgreen's parking lot so I could text. I pulled up, walked to the door, and Breezy got Mandy. Hooray! Surprise! (She apparently did have some suspicions that something was up, but still - yay!) I sat down and we chatted and she made me a salad because of course she did. And I wanted to talk but also to sleep. A lot. So by about 11 p.m. (central - so midnight for me) I went to bed.
Got up around 8-something on Sunday. It was a lazy, no-schedule day. Breezy made French toast, we hung out chatting, the kids played. Each adult eventually took a shower and we got to lunch. Then it was kid-naptime, so Mandy and I got an hour or so to go out. We took the Mustang out on the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is an awesome road. We stopped at a few scenic stops, and walked in the sunny, 60-degree afternoon. AHHH. It was great! We got home by about 5:00, and Mandy and Breezy got ready to go out to dinner. I got the babysitter low-down on how to shepherd three children through bedtimes. They were totally cooperative. I got us Little Caesar's pizza for dinner. The kids ate, then Riley went upstairs to watch TV. (He's almost 9. Self-entertaining!) Luke and Genevieve played for a while happily, then I figured I should maybe interact. I didn't see any need to intervene, just wanted them to have fun with me before I tried to get them through bedtime. We'd had fun playing earlier in the day so it was easy to fit in. We played for a solid hour, and then it was bedtime. Luke walked upstairs and led me to where his cough medicine was and said, "I have to take this before bed!" (He's getting over bronchitis.) How did I wind up with a godson this awesome?! All three kids were perfectly behaved and bedtime went off with no problems. Riley was supposed to go to bed at 8:30, and while I was putting Genevieve down he decided to take a shower. (which dumbfounded his parents, when they heard.) He came out at 8:25, put on pajamas, and sat back down in front of the TV. It was a dinosaur show, via Netflix (they don't have cable, just stream stuff). We watched for a few minutes, and there was a pause in the show. I thought it might be over, so I asked. He checked, and told me there was about 20 minutes left in the show. Coincidentally, it was 20 minutes to 9, so I took Babysitter Privilege and let him stay up to finish the show. (Featuring Tom Holtz! Which was odd, looking up and saying "Hey, I know that guy!") He agreed to go straight to bed without complaint if I let him finish the show, and sure enough, he did.
Left to my own devices, I looked up the Seven Up series on Netflix and started at the beginning. I saw the first one many years ago, but decided to start over. I got halfway through the second one and then Mandy and Breezy got home. They'd had a lovely time, and I regaled them with tales of their amazingly well-behaved children, and we all generally stayed up way too late talking. Then I went to bed and read too long, so the 6:30 a.m. alarm was WAY too early.
I got up and showered, got my carry-on together, then helped herd the kids out to the car. I'd requested breakfast at the Loveless Cafe before I left, so the five of us went there a little after 8 a.m. I'd already gotten a text that my flight was leaving at 1:15 not 12:45. Weather was strange everywhere. It was snowing at home. In Nashville, it was 65 degrees with a tornado warning. We didn't get a tornado but HOLY CRAP the rain. In a rental car on unfamiliar (and some vaguely familiar) roads, it was a little scary. But: breakfast was great, we used the extra time to get the car back to the Hertz office early, then Mandy picked me up and we took the kids over to a nearby mall to pass an extra half-hour. Then she took me to the airport, I got through security in no time, and boarded the plane for an easy, short flight back. The weather in Baltimore was truly gross, cloud cover so low we really couldn't see the ground until about 45 seconds before we landed. Rainy and 36 degrees. Drove home, with a stop for gas (I hadn't had time on the drive up!), then a joyous cat reunion, unpacking, and laundry ensued.
It was great to surprise her but it was SUCH a short trip. Looking forward already to a slightly longer visit in September.
Alarm way too early this morning and while I had a burst of energy at the office first thing and got a bunch of stuff done, I am now dragging. At least it's lunchtime now!
The missed flight was my own dumb fault. But I get ahead of myself slightly!
I actually started my long weekend by going into work early on Friday and leaving early, at 3 p.m. I had my rescheduled (from the "snow" day on my birthday) advising appointment at UMCP. The nice young lady in the ARHU advising office was very helpful. Providing I don't have any creeping English requirements left (which I well may, after my "pff, screw this noise!" performance during my last semester), I could well take care of my degree by taking two Spanish classes at Howard Community College. Soon I will call the English Dept. and try to get them to fill me on on what I may need. The problem is, they may not be able to help until I am an officially Re-Enrolled student. Which means I'd have to shell out cash, and that's done on a semester-by-semester basis. Realistically, the first semester I could possibly work on this is Spring 2014. So I might have to apply and re-enroll this fall, THEN find out if I actually need 9 credits more of English, too. If that is the case then a different strategy is needed. Still: I'm glad I went and had the meeting. It's best to take the steps than just thinking about maybe making a call about starting to take the steps. =)
Afterward was a delightful evening catching dinner with Amber. We did just see each other two months ago but that was at her wedding-party, not just catching-up time. We talked too long and I didn't have the long quiet evening at home with the cats I was planning on, but it was good for the spirit all the same! The cats eventually forgave me, when I fed them. I pretty much went home and did that, then went to bed. I wanted a big pile of sleep before the next day's travel.
I got up around 9:30 or 10, which should have been plenty of time. But in my trip-prep errands, I had neglected a birthday card for Mandy. I pondered just buying it at the airport, but that seemed ridiculous. So I stopped at Target, which delayed my leaving for the airport a tiny bit... that made all the difference. Sigh. The wait for a shuttle bus was longer than usual and the security lines were longer than usual, so all those various things added up to me getting through security at 2:55...for a 3 p.m. flight. I made a good show of running to the gate with my shoes untied, but the plane was pulling away as I arrived. The Southwest people were very nice, and I was contrite. (Apparently they'd just dealt with a guy who missed a flight and was a flaming ass about it.) (Because that's always a good idea.) Anyway, they got me on the next flight and it was all fine. Except the next flight was at 6:45 p.m. SIGH. I texted, then called Breezy, and briefly explained. He had to rearrange a bit on the fly, but basically it just meant I missed dinner out with Mandy and Diane, and would just surprise her at the house. I called Hertz to move my rental car pick-up time from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Then, the waiting. I had time, and was hungry, so I went to the little Silver Diner in the airport. I read a book and ate and it was very pleasant. Then I went for a walk up and down Concourse B, because I didn't want to just sit on my butt all afternoon. Then I set up shop in the gate waiting area because I wanted to be sure not to miss any announcements. By 5:45 I was officially taken off "stand by" (the flight wasn't sold out but they had to hold off for a certain amount of time) and given a boarding pass. I celebrated by leaving my coveted spot and going to the ladies' room. Boarding and the flight down went extremely smoothly and as noted - the flight wasn't sold out! I believe this was the first time in many years of flying to Nashville that I had an empty seat next to me. It was nice! The flight was basically during sunset, which lasted extra-long with the flying west, so I didn't even read on the plane - I just listened to music and watched the sunset colors changing on the cloud tops. It was lovely.
Landed, and was very grateful I'd decided to pack super light and not check a bag. I walked straight to the Hertz counter, where they offered me an upgrade - a Mustang at the "economy" rental price. Highly unnecessary but...of course I took it! Woohoo! It took me a few minutes to figure out how to work things in my fancy rental car. Including turning on the lights, which I didn't do for an embarrassing bit of time. (I figured it out before I left the garage, though! Big garage.) I listened to the radio softly so I could hear the directions coming from my iPhone, and drove to their house! I had texted Breezy when I landed, and he said to text again when I was close. As I neared the final stoplight before their place, the light was green, so I pulled into the Walgreen's parking lot so I could text. I pulled up, walked to the door, and Breezy got Mandy. Hooray! Surprise! (She apparently did have some suspicions that something was up, but still - yay!) I sat down and we chatted and she made me a salad because of course she did. And I wanted to talk but also to sleep. A lot. So by about 11 p.m. (central - so midnight for me) I went to bed.
Got up around 8-something on Sunday. It was a lazy, no-schedule day. Breezy made French toast, we hung out chatting, the kids played. Each adult eventually took a shower and we got to lunch. Then it was kid-naptime, so Mandy and I got an hour or so to go out. We took the Mustang out on the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is an awesome road. We stopped at a few scenic stops, and walked in the sunny, 60-degree afternoon. AHHH. It was great! We got home by about 5:00, and Mandy and Breezy got ready to go out to dinner. I got the babysitter low-down on how to shepherd three children through bedtimes. They were totally cooperative. I got us Little Caesar's pizza for dinner. The kids ate, then Riley went upstairs to watch TV. (He's almost 9. Self-entertaining!) Luke and Genevieve played for a while happily, then I figured I should maybe interact. I didn't see any need to intervene, just wanted them to have fun with me before I tried to get them through bedtime. We'd had fun playing earlier in the day so it was easy to fit in. We played for a solid hour, and then it was bedtime. Luke walked upstairs and led me to where his cough medicine was and said, "I have to take this before bed!" (He's getting over bronchitis.) How did I wind up with a godson this awesome?! All three kids were perfectly behaved and bedtime went off with no problems. Riley was supposed to go to bed at 8:30, and while I was putting Genevieve down he decided to take a shower. (which dumbfounded his parents, when they heard.) He came out at 8:25, put on pajamas, and sat back down in front of the TV. It was a dinosaur show, via Netflix (they don't have cable, just stream stuff). We watched for a few minutes, and there was a pause in the show. I thought it might be over, so I asked. He checked, and told me there was about 20 minutes left in the show. Coincidentally, it was 20 minutes to 9, so I took Babysitter Privilege and let him stay up to finish the show. (Featuring Tom Holtz! Which was odd, looking up and saying "Hey, I know that guy!") He agreed to go straight to bed without complaint if I let him finish the show, and sure enough, he did.
Left to my own devices, I looked up the Seven Up series on Netflix and started at the beginning. I saw the first one many years ago, but decided to start over. I got halfway through the second one and then Mandy and Breezy got home. They'd had a lovely time, and I regaled them with tales of their amazingly well-behaved children, and we all generally stayed up way too late talking. Then I went to bed and read too long, so the 6:30 a.m. alarm was WAY too early.
I got up and showered, got my carry-on together, then helped herd the kids out to the car. I'd requested breakfast at the Loveless Cafe before I left, so the five of us went there a little after 8 a.m. I'd already gotten a text that my flight was leaving at 1:15 not 12:45. Weather was strange everywhere. It was snowing at home. In Nashville, it was 65 degrees with a tornado warning. We didn't get a tornado but HOLY CRAP the rain. In a rental car on unfamiliar (and some vaguely familiar) roads, it was a little scary. But: breakfast was great, we used the extra time to get the car back to the Hertz office early, then Mandy picked me up and we took the kids over to a nearby mall to pass an extra half-hour. Then she took me to the airport, I got through security in no time, and boarded the plane for an easy, short flight back. The weather in Baltimore was truly gross, cloud cover so low we really couldn't see the ground until about 45 seconds before we landed. Rainy and 36 degrees. Drove home, with a stop for gas (I hadn't had time on the drive up!), then a joyous cat reunion, unpacking, and laundry ensued.
It was great to surprise her but it was SUCH a short trip. Looking forward already to a slightly longer visit in September.
Alarm way too early this morning and while I had a burst of energy at the office first thing and got a bunch of stuff done, I am now dragging. At least it's lunchtime now!