Cali Trip tidbits, Part 1

I have finally returned and somewhat rested from my trip out to California. I was out there for a quick job interview, stay overnight then trip back home the next day. The trip started with me getting up at about 4 AM for my 6 AM flight out of RDU. This is not an hour that sane people get out of bed, but it has to be done. I get dressed in my finest interview wear and head on out to the airport. There is shockingly little traffic out on the roads at 4:30 in the morning, but at the same time, there is STILL traffic at that hour. I don't really understand how there are cars out on the road at all hours like that? What the hell were all these people doing??? There are only so many morning radio show anchors out there.. anyway, after parking and getting everything checked in... everything went very smoothly through security and everything. As I was strolling through the terminal to gate C15 I noticed that it was pretty damned dark in there, none of the TVs were on or anything, which seemed pretty weird to me. I chalked this up to the fact that it was just before 6 and maybe they just don't turn all the stuff on till then. Well, I go have a seat and wait for boarding to commence. It's about at this time that I notice the entire staff of Maui Taco just sitting there talking amongst themselves in broken English and Spanish... that's weird... ah well.. there was also no airline employees to be seen anywhere. double weird. well.. 6 AM comes and goes... still nothing.. what the hell is going on??? Finally an announcement comes through.. "the power is out in the terminal, we can not board because we have no paperwork and no computer system. Hopefully power will be back online in about 20-30 minutes. OK, now I am nervous. I have a 1 hour layover in Chicago and I have no idea what to do if I miss my flight. I am supposed to be in California at 10:30 and ready for interviewing by 11:30.. This is NOT good. I basically try my best to just sit tight until they figure something out. The American Airlines flight 2 gates down is boarding with no problems. People are calling up United to figure things out and the United people are telling them the flight should leave by 6:30... it is 6:25 at this point, we are looking at the plane.. nothing is happening.. we tell the people on the phone that there is no way it is leaving by 6:30... we are looking right at the plane... they continue to tell us our information is incorrect.. I guess our own eyes were failing much like the customer service at United.. well we sat and waited.. watching minutes go by.. finally someone at United with a brain must have showed up.... they figured out that hey... we can print this stuff in a part of the airport that HAS power and WALK them to the correct gates... then check off the passengers from our list manually.. damn.. what genius actually came up with that idea???

They finally get us on the plane and we get ready to take off approx. 1 hour late.. I am thinking there is no way I can make my connection, but you just never know... I'm preparing myself for a run. I decide now is just the time to relax and try to just get some rest... this is going to be a long day in fact.. so I just sit back and look out the window. It is around this point that while taking off the plane decides to drop about 500 feet in about a half a second.. Apparently we were moving out of the way of other air traffic because I saw another plane come screaming by at a million miles an hour a few seconds later.. how fun... well we finally get up in the air and the flight attendants start doing their thing... these girls could only be described in one way... Dirty Hot... it was a little bit unnerving.. I think United Express has started a stripper outreach program.. unreal. I caught the dude next to me STARING at the one girls ass about 6 times throughout the 2 hour flight.. Every time I got a good chuckle out of it. funny stuff...

Finally the plane lands in Chicago.. it is now 8:05.. My connection to California is scheduled to leave at 8:15. I ask "Hayley" if there is any way I could possible make this.. her answer is.. "You can try, the gates are usually close together, so you could make it." Now we get to wait to get off the plane... This is the longest 5 minutes in the history of the world anyway.. but when each minute is a minute that you can't afford, it is even worse.. Finally I scramble off this thing. Bobbing and weaving through people on the jetway... run out and check out the screen.. I'm at gate C7... my flight is leaving from C26 in 3 minutes... FUCK!!! So this is the point when i go into full Home Alone Reenactment mode. Doing my damnedest to run through a crowded O'hare in a suit with a bag on my shoulder. Those that know me will say that given some room I can get into some long strides and cover some serious ground.. not in dress shoes my friends.. and not with seemingly 10 billion old ladies in walkers between me and my destination. I get to like gate C20 and I just say screw this.. there is no way I am making it.. but I relentlessly jogged to my goal.. I get there finally.. at 8:20.. the plane is still there.. but the door is closed... no United people in sight... wonderful. I finally find one and tell her the situation... she says.. oh Mr Howland.. come with me... she proceeds to OPEN THE DOOR and let me on the plane... I was a little confused.. they always used to claim once that shit was closed.. that's it.. nobody is getting on... This just proved all that was bullshit the airlines made up to make their employees lives easier... well I get on... run to the back row of the plane where my seat is supposed to be.. and I find a mother with 2 children... OK... well I turn around again to all the staring people thinking "motherfucker... he's the reason we haven't left yet." and I finally find an empty seat in the exit row... NICE.. leg room... anyway, apparently the fuel truck was having problems and it was delaying the departure.. had I been just 30 seconds later I would have missed it. Quite the adventure. I was in Chicago for a grand total of like 20 minutes.. but now I was finally on the plane and on my way to California...

Stay tuned for Part 2...