That Zombie Feeling
I have so much to write about, and a ton of links to post. Ugh. This is going to be painful, and I'm still dragging, although my first day back went better than I'd expected. Okay, I'll get started, but some of the stuff to be said will carry over into the remaining week.
* * *
Okay, so I'll start with my travel day on Sunday. Horrible. Completely wretched. I'd gone to bed at about 21:45 the Saturday night, after packing the majority of my things for an early departure the next morning. I set my alarm for 03:45 the next morning, and had a pretty lousy night's sleep - ironic, since I was in a bed and I usually sleep on a Cabela's Outfitter XL Cot. Now, I have a pretty nasty gag reflex, to the degree that watching me brush my teeth would probably either terrify or amuse the average person. It's not a rare occurrence for me to wake up gagging and have to spend a minute at the sink, clearing my throat and spitting. Attractive it isn't, but it's not that big a deal. Anyway, I woke up gagging on Sunday morning, before my alarm went off, and this led to puking. A portent of things to come? Read on.
I finally got to the airport after an uneventful hour and a half drive, my folks dropped me off with a hug and a handshake, and there I was. I purchased some items to put in my Echo Pack, and then went to check in. I immediately learned the horrible truth: my flight was delayed by three hours, which meant that I would miss my connecting flight, which meant that I was bumped to another flight, which meant that instead of getting into Old Dominion at 19:30, I would be arriving at 23:05. Very, very bad news.
The good news was that one of my good friends from [Generic State University], Jacques, was able to make it during my veritable layover. We enjoyed a long breakfast together, got caught up, and I hope that this will be a catalyst for us to keep in better contact. I also ran across a couple whose kids I went to high school with who knew my brother (and who started a conversation with me based entirely upon my NROTC shooting team jacket), and a girl who was a year ahead of me from kindergarten through her graduation. Very interesting.
When all was said and done, my flight was delayed by nearly five hours, and I arrived in Old Dominion three hours later than originally planned. The first flight was sped up a bit, and ended up being shorter than it was originally intended to be, which I appreciated; and the second flight got in half an hour early, which put me back at my flat around 23:15. Once I got back to Van Diemen's Station, I discovered that the TSA had searched my bag, and intentionally broken one of the items. If you're a TSA worker and you're reading this, please read slowly so that you can understand: personal grooming kits sent in checked luggage aren't terrorist weapons, even if they're in stylish metal cases. To their credit, Continental Airlines did an exceptionally good job of trying to make up for a horrible and essentially unavoidable situation that was caused by the weather. Also for the record, the TSA sucks, it's a mess, and the private sector could do a better job of it.
Once I was back, I hastily unpacked my Echo Pack, left most of my briefcase for the morning, and was in bed around 24:15, asleep around 01:00. Then, it was up at 06:15 for a fashionably (and, thanks to an understanding boss, acceptably) late arrival at work. I'm going to try to go to bed early tonight so that I can get a solid night of sleep and get most of my catching up errands done today. I also have some ambitious plans for the next two months, some of which has been discussed previously, and much of which will be discussed later this week.
* * *
So, having discussed my horrible flight day, I'll tell a second, shorter story about bills, and wrap up with a few low key items.
Okay, bills. So, I've gotten two notices in the last month telling me that I'd missed payments on my bills. Hear me now and believe me later: I'm pretty much the most anal person you'll probably ever meet about paying bills on time. The first notice I got was early in the month, when I got a message from Geico informing me that I was late on my payment and my car insurance was in danger of being terminated unless I paid immediately. I immediately phoned Geico and paid the bill, then phoned GMAC (the bills always come around the same time) just to make sure that I'd paid them, too - that's how conscientious I am about paying my bills on time. I figured that in the craze of the holidays, the payment had either gotten lost, the bill had never arrived, or I had inadvertantly missed it - nearly impossible, but only nearly. GMAC assured me that I was fine, so I paid it no mind.
I stopped my mail while I was back in [Hometown]. Last night, my mailbox contained my cable (Internet, not television - it's important) and electric bills. The rest of my mail arrived today, and what to my wondering eyes would appear but another overdue notice, this time from the cable company? Now, I paid a bill that was mysteriously more expensive than my normal bill before leaving on my vacation. It appeared that the overdue notice was sent prior to this, but I called anyway, just to make sure that things were okay. The new bill was dated as being due in the latter half of February, and it was for the normal amount. So, what does the Fly do? He calls to make sure, and that's precisely what I did.
I spoke on the phone to a very competent and friendly woman. We updated my account information first, then I asked about it. At the end of the discussion, she actually told me:
That's what I'm talkin' about. By the end of the week, I'm going to pay off all of my dangling bills (and there are several after having been gone for that long). I'm not worried, I'm just thorough. And, if you ask my adopted sister Mighty Mo or Father Time, pretty anal retentive, which is actually pretty accurate, too.
I saw a couple of hilarious pictures yesterday, and I'm going to share one today and one tomorrow. Today's picture is proof that Greek police are familiar with the correct method for dealing with dirty, filthy hippies. If only they had some sort of massive drilling apparatus...
Today's satellite image is a deactivated missile silo, not unlike those listed at Missile Bases.
That ought to be enough for today. Check back in tomorrow for more. As for me, I have some things to do, and then I'm going to bed for a much needed rest. Thank God for that cot.
Okay, so I'll start with my travel day on Sunday. Horrible. Completely wretched. I'd gone to bed at about 21:45 the Saturday night, after packing the majority of my things for an early departure the next morning. I set my alarm for 03:45 the next morning, and had a pretty lousy night's sleep - ironic, since I was in a bed and I usually sleep on a Cabela's Outfitter XL Cot. Now, I have a pretty nasty gag reflex, to the degree that watching me brush my teeth would probably either terrify or amuse the average person. It's not a rare occurrence for me to wake up gagging and have to spend a minute at the sink, clearing my throat and spitting. Attractive it isn't, but it's not that big a deal. Anyway, I woke up gagging on Sunday morning, before my alarm went off, and this led to puking. A portent of things to come? Read on.
I finally got to the airport after an uneventful hour and a half drive, my folks dropped me off with a hug and a handshake, and there I was. I purchased some items to put in my Echo Pack, and then went to check in. I immediately learned the horrible truth: my flight was delayed by three hours, which meant that I would miss my connecting flight, which meant that I was bumped to another flight, which meant that instead of getting into Old Dominion at 19:30, I would be arriving at 23:05. Very, very bad news.
The good news was that one of my good friends from [Generic State University], Jacques, was able to make it during my veritable layover. We enjoyed a long breakfast together, got caught up, and I hope that this will be a catalyst for us to keep in better contact. I also ran across a couple whose kids I went to high school with who knew my brother (and who started a conversation with me based entirely upon my NROTC shooting team jacket), and a girl who was a year ahead of me from kindergarten through her graduation. Very interesting.When all was said and done, my flight was delayed by nearly five hours, and I arrived in Old Dominion three hours later than originally planned. The first flight was sped up a bit, and ended up being shorter than it was originally intended to be, which I appreciated; and the second flight got in half an hour early, which put me back at my flat around 23:15. Once I got back to Van Diemen's Station, I discovered that the TSA had searched my bag, and intentionally broken one of the items. If you're a TSA worker and you're reading this, please read slowly so that you can understand: personal grooming kits sent in checked luggage aren't terrorist weapons, even if they're in stylish metal cases. To their credit, Continental Airlines did an exceptionally good job of trying to make up for a horrible and essentially unavoidable situation that was caused by the weather. Also for the record, the TSA sucks, it's a mess, and the private sector could do a better job of it.
Once I was back, I hastily unpacked my Echo Pack, left most of my briefcase for the morning, and was in bed around 24:15, asleep around 01:00. Then, it was up at 06:15 for a fashionably (and, thanks to an understanding boss, acceptably) late arrival at work. I'm going to try to go to bed early tonight so that I can get a solid night of sleep and get most of my catching up errands done today. I also have some ambitious plans for the next two months, some of which has been discussed previously, and much of which will be discussed later this week.
So, having discussed my horrible flight day, I'll tell a second, shorter story about bills, and wrap up with a few low key items.
Okay, bills. So, I've gotten two notices in the last month telling me that I'd missed payments on my bills. Hear me now and believe me later: I'm pretty much the most anal person you'll probably ever meet about paying bills on time. The first notice I got was early in the month, when I got a message from Geico informing me that I was late on my payment and my car insurance was in danger of being terminated unless I paid immediately. I immediately phoned Geico and paid the bill, then phoned GMAC (the bills always come around the same time) just to make sure that I'd paid them, too - that's how conscientious I am about paying my bills on time. I figured that in the craze of the holidays, the payment had either gotten lost, the bill had never arrived, or I had inadvertantly missed it - nearly impossible, but only nearly. GMAC assured me that I was fine, so I paid it no mind.
I stopped my mail while I was back in [Hometown]. Last night, my mailbox contained my cable (Internet, not television - it's important) and electric bills. The rest of my mail arrived today, and what to my wondering eyes would appear but another overdue notice, this time from the cable company? Now, I paid a bill that was mysteriously more expensive than my normal bill before leaving on my vacation. It appeared that the overdue notice was sent prior to this, but I called anyway, just to make sure that things were okay. The new bill was dated as being due in the latter half of February, and it was for the normal amount. So, what does the Fly do? He calls to make sure, and that's precisely what I did.
I spoke on the phone to a very competent and friendly woman. We updated my account information first, then I asked about it. At the end of the discussion, she actually told me:
"Looking at your payment history, I have to say that it's one of the best I've ever seen, so you have nothing to worry about."
That's what I'm talkin' about. By the end of the week, I'm going to pay off all of my dangling bills (and there are several after having been gone for that long). I'm not worried, I'm just thorough. And, if you ask my adopted sister Mighty Mo or Father Time, pretty anal retentive, which is actually pretty accurate, too.
I saw a couple of hilarious pictures yesterday, and I'm going to share one today and one tomorrow. Today's picture is proof that Greek police are familiar with the correct method for dealing with dirty, filthy hippies. If only they had some sort of massive drilling apparatus...Today's satellite image is a deactivated missile silo, not unlike those listed at Missile Bases.
That ought to be enough for today. Check back in tomorrow for more. As for me, I have some things to do, and then I'm going to bed for a much needed rest. Thank God for that cot.
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