My very own Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (aka America West is awful)

My cheapness trumped my better judgement when I booked our flights to and from California this holiday season. While almost vomiting as I completed the transactions due to how much it cost, I knew it could have been a LOT worse. America West had much cheaper flights than anywhere else. We did have layovers but each was less than an hour and flights sans layovers went for at least $200 more.

Well, I’d rather pay $500 extra than ever fly America West again!!!!! Apparently we are not the only ones who hate America West!

Our first flight was from Boston to Las Vegas and it left at 8:30 PM. The planes were cramped and uncomfortable. One stewardess was talking SO loudly throughout the entire flight. Each time I managed to doze off for even a second (no easy task for me, I seldom sleep on planes), I was awoken by the voice of this flight attendant. I don’t even know who she was talking to! She was just yapping away nonstop. People were trying to read and sleep, so they were turning around and scowling at her but she wouldn’t shut up. The flight was over five hours long and they never even did a second beverage service!

Our second flight was from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. It was turbulent but that wasn’t the fault of America West.

After landing, we had to pick up a rental car at Avis. It was 2 AM, and we didn’t get out of there until almost THREE! The line was incredibly long and they seemed understaffed! What a nightmare.

Our flight from Los Angeles to San Jose was not on America West, but on American Airlines. But let me assure you, it was not without its own drama! First, we were all comfy in our seats ready to go…and then we were all made to “deplane” because the airplane was “unsuitable to fly”. Comforting! So we “deplaned” and then “replaned” on to another plane…THEN, the plane was too heavy so they needed to rearrange where people were sitting to evenly distribute the weight.

But back to my complaints about America West. Something very, very fishy happened with our flight plans. They seemed to have our reservations on file but nothing was paid for. It seems that the transaction never went through when I bought the tickets. BUT I think they had the reservations! Actually, I’m certain they did. We wound up having to pay $200 extra to fly home. :-( I was furious!

Also, one of our pieces of luggage happened to be ONE POUND over the allowed amount. The lady working at the ticket desk let us know JUST how nice she was being by letting it slide. She did, however, let us know that any other ticket clerk would not let us go through.

The security line at San Jose airport was long and it moved slowly. I was sobbing because I had to pay the extra $200, which is a lot of money to me! Everyone was staring at me. Jerks!

Since we bought our tickets the day of the flight, we were pulled aside and had to go through the “special” security check. We were convinced we were going to miss our first flight (from San Jose to Phoenix)…but the plane hadn’t even begun boarding by the time we made it there. In fact, the plane boarded a half hour late. We had a connecting flight to pick up in Phoenix and we were worried we wouldn’t make it in time! We were also worried that even if WE made it in time, our luggage would not.

Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), our flight from Phoenix to Boston also happened to be delayed!

Fortunately, the seats on our Phoenix flight were a lot more comfortable and they made up for time in the air so we only landed about 10-15 minutes late.

Since we got back fairly late, we took a taxi to where our cars were parked by Matt’s office building. The cab driver seemed desparate to up the meter fees, and took a VERY roundabout way home! He almost took an even longer way before Matt told him that he had to go a different way.

Anyway, we’re back in Massachusetts. It was great seeing family and friends but I hope it will be a long time before I have to set foot in an airport again. I need to recover from all of this! And I’ll tell you right now, I’ll never fly on America West again. The experience was far less than favorable.

Everybody have a fun and safe New Year. :-) And don’t fly America West!

Happy New Year!

Wow, I haven’t written in ages. It’s been a hectic holiday season this year…lots of jumping around! I’m in California right now but my plane for Boston leaves in 2 hours. I’ll write more when I get back and I’ll post some pictures!!

In the meantime…HAPPPPPPPPPPPPY NEW YEAR everybody. :-)

Matt NOT Johnny Damon

This is Matt:

NOT JOHNNY DAMON. It is Matt!

Once upon a time, this resemblence got him free beers and the occassional drunk Bostonian slurring, “Heeeeyyy Johnny Damon!!! Wicked game last night!!!” But now, it is quite an insult! Hopefully it won’t get him beat up.

Last night at karaoke, Matt and I were singing “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits…and a woman emerged from the bathroom, starstruck, thinking that Johnny Damon went to do karaoke on Waltham for one last Massachusetts hurrah.

I suppose I can see a vague resemblence, but Matt is smaller and skinnier. And Matt is cooler.

Also, Johnny Damon has to cut his hair and shave his beard.

It will be a chance to check out the new look without the long hair and beard. The former Red Sox catalyst is conforming to the clean-cut rules of George Steinbrenner’s kingdom. Damon’s hair hit the cutting-room floor yesterday at Ishi Salon.

(Source)

So, not only has Johnny Damon sold his soul to the Yankees, he’s selling out to THE MAN, via his image.

If you see this guy:

That is Matt (karaoking in Cambridge)! Matt Matt Matt. Not Johnny Damon. Don’t yell at him for quitting the Red Sox. Looking like Johnny Damon in Boston at a time like this is not good…but remember, Johnny Damon has to look all clean cut now and Matt never will!

Matt has a blog!

Yes, it’s true! Matt has a blog!

Check it out! :-)

Moo to Johnny Damon

“There’s no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they are going to come after me hard,” Damon said. “It’s definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It’s not what I need.” (May 2005)

And now, Johnny Damon is going to play for the Yankees.

Judas Damon indeed.

Being brought up as a Mets fan, we hated the Yankees growing up! When I was less than 2 years old, my dad taught me to boo the Yankees. (Although I was slightly confused and used to say “MOO” to the Yankees) So I was pleased to move to anti-Yankees territory.

I’m here today to reinstate “MOO YANKEES”…and an even larger “Moo” to Johnny Damon!

Nurses: Unsung Heroes

I don’t think nurses get the credit they deserve. They are the ones who prepare patients for procedures. They are the ones who comfort nervous patients and reassure them that everything is going to be alright. I think that nurses are the underappreciated and unsung heroes in the medical industry.

As some of you know, I had to get a sigmoidoscopy today. While it is a minimally invasive procedure, I had never gotten an endoscopy of any kind before so it was very scary to me. (Signing a paper saying “I AM AWARE THAT HIS COULD KILL ME AND I CAN’T SUE YOU IF IT DOES” [paraphrased] doesn’t ease the mind either!) My gastroenternologist is great, but the nurses at Harvard Vanguard’s endoscopy department in Kenmore Square were truly the ones who got me through the morning and made my entire week. I can’t stand going to the doctor — a doctor of any kind — but these wonderful nurses were so fantastic that they really touched my heart.

If anybody who happens to stumble upon this blog post knows one of the nurses at the Harvard Vanguard endoscopy department in Kenmore Square, let them know that they are very appreciated. :-)

Falafel

Sepal in Watertown has the best falafel I’ve ever had!!!!!!!! Their falafel sandwich is so good that it was featured on the PBS program, Sandwiches That You Will Like.

Yesterday was the first time I’ve had the falafel, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve been there. I finally veered away from what I always ordered, the beef kafta kabob, which is also delish. They also have a swell dessert of kunaffa, made with shredded dough and cheese. Unique and fantastic.

But their falafel was great! Definitely go and try some, if you haven’t been there before. The service there is kind of mediocre, but that’s because I think they’re primarily take-out despite the coziness and nice decor of the restaurant.

In my opinion, avoid Falafel Palace in Central Square. It has one redeeming quality: it is open late. But if it’s 1 AM and that’s my only option and all I have at home is stale crackers, I’d rather go home to eat the stale crackers. Matt and I went there last week, ordered the falafel platter to go. (Inside the place was nearly as cold as it was outside — and it was about 20 degrees outside! So we opted to take the falafel home.) When we got home and opened the containers of food, the falafels were hard as a rock and cold as an iceberg. The jerk working there didn’t even heat them up for us. So I heated them up myself. I didn’t care for their baba ganoush either.

But SEPAL…mmm…I could eat at Sepal every day. :-)

Dreaming about blogs

Last night I dreamt that I wrote a song about growing up, based off this entry. I recorded my own version of it, with Matt on guitar. In the dream, my dad sung it in a major music contest and won, which is really funny because my dad can’t sing so well!

So, in the dream, my song became pretty well-known and I got lots of money. I got really excited, and said, “MAN, I SHOULD BLOG ABOUT THIS!”

This both amuses and disturbs me for the following reasons:

1) I dreamt about my BLOG.
2) In my dream, something fantastic happens and my first thought was to blog about it.
3) In the dream, I wrote a song about a BLOG POST.

Oh my.

Jackson Homestead Museum

Today Matt and I went to The Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead. It was a lot of fun. Fun and educational, may I add!

It’s a cute little museum in the old Jackson mansion on Washington St in Newtonville. It’s only $2 admission if you’re a Newton resident, otherwise it’s $5.

The abolitionist exhibit was my favorite part. Did you know that Massachusetts was the first state to outlaw slavery? There were many famous abolitionists who spoke here. Newton also had stops in the Underground Railroad!

We also learned about some of the history of our neighborhood, Nathaniel Hawthorne also lived in West Newton for a little while where he wrote The Blithedale Romance in 1851!

They also have files for all houses built before 1904. There was a file on our house, which was build sometime between 1870 and 1890. The family who sold us the house told us something different than the file. Our house is pretty old, with some interesting things in the basement to prove it….such as the head of a pick axe and an anvil. I will never cease to be amused by the anvil. I joke that I keep it handy in case our house is invaded by roadrunners. Meep meep!

Massachusetts is a state extremely rich in history, and it was great learning about what happened in the town I reside in!

If you’re interested: Vintage Newton Postcards! And here’s history on the West Newton Cinema!

This is what West Newton Square (right around the corner from where I live!) once looked like:

My Flickr Account

I’m in the process of getting my online photo albums into Flickr. To view click here. I started getting burnt out on uploading so many at once, so only about half are there.