Tag: Hartford

I’ll Be Getting Up Early

I should be thinking about going to bed now. My alarm is set for 4:00 AM. Waking up past noon today probably wasn’t a great idea.

I am jet lag personified… and I haven’t left home!

This started around a week ago. I got a call from Mary Scanlon at WCCC in Hartford. She was looking for a day off and needed to find her own stand-in. Would I be willing to spend 6-10 AM with Sebastian?

WCCC is rock in Hartford. Don’t expect to hear many ballads during the broadcast day.

From what I understand, Sebastian’s morning show is very highly rated. It’s a rock station, but this is a talk show… a talk show for rockers.

My job will be to read news… well, actually it’s sorta news. You know, celeb stuff, entertainment, weirdness. And, of course, to act as Sebastian’s sounding board.

It’s my chance to show I’m not too old to be hip. Hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Sebastian told Mary, “Geoff gets it.” We’ll see. That was said, after all, before he sat across from me.

There’s no getting around it, radio is still in my blood. I’m bringing Clicky and my headphones.

Gametime With UCONN Football

Helaine and I spent a good part of the afternoon watching UCONN vs USF from Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

First, I wanted to see if my forecast verified. I’d spent a good deal of air time, both Thursday and Friday, giving a specific gametime forecast. That can be a setup for disaster.

Sorry to the folks in the stands, but I’m glad it poured.

Second, UCONN is now a nationally ranked college football team. That’s new.

In our 23 years in Connecticut, UCONN has served mainly as an easy week for other schools. The change came with Coach Randy Edsall and quarterback Dan Orlovsky (You can see him at Detroit Lions games, mainly carrying a clipboard). All of a sudden UCONN football means something.

“Name two players,” Helaine asked as the game began?

OK, I’m a front runner. I admit it. If UCONN was having another loser season, I wouldn’t be watching. In fact, this might be the first UCONN game I’ve watched from opening kickoff to final gun.

The coverage on ABC has been fine with one exception. The announcers are ‘awayers’… as opposed to homers. Any effective play by UCONN was greeted by surprise. It was only a matter of time before USF would take control – or so they implied.

Grrrr. It’s like listening to the TBS coverage of a Phillies/Braves game.

The game’s not over, and USF may yet win, but UCONN is ahead by a touchdown. A little impartiality might be nice. UCONN has played well and that deserves to be recognized.

And, as it turns out, UCONN wins!

The Return Trip

I’m typing from seat 3A aboard Southwest Flight 616. It’s a direct, as opposed to non-stop, flight from West Palm Beach to Hartford via Baltimore. All the passengers, save four, thought Baltimore was far enough.

This afternoon I couldn’t help but think of my first commercial flight. It was on a Lockheed Electra L188, a second section flight on the Eastern Shuttle&#185. I was on my way to a college interview in Boston. That was 40 years ago. A lot has changed in flying.

Back then I could have asked to see the cockpit without being arrested.

I remember looking out the window during that flight, much as I looked out the window on this one. I was fascinated by the countryside of Connecticut and Rhode Island as we flew from LaGuardia to Logan. Today I was fascinated by the clouds that floated above Florida and the adjacent Atlantic.

We headed pretty far east before heading north today. The pilot did a good job avoiding the towering thunderheads. I wonder if anyone else on board knew how bumpy it might have been?

I don’t remember the flight attendants from that first trip, though they probably would have been puzzled by the term “flight attendant.” They were stewardesses, mainly young, probably pretty. To me, a seventeen year old unaccustomed to any of their world, they were glamorous and sophisticated.

None of my flights for this trip have been full. From what I read, that’s unusual. No one sat in the middle seat between me and the strangers with whom I’ve shared the row. Nowadays, that’s a luxury.

Being an early boarder from Southwest’s Group “A”, I had my my choice of seats. On the way down it was on the aisle. Now I’m at the left window, chosen for its access to a view of sunset. I try to sit forward of the wing, where first class is on other airlines, the better to snap a few shots.

I watched a PHP tutorial video on the computer, ate an unbelievably expensive sandwich I bought in the terminal, took some photos, loosened, then removed, my sneakers and fidgeted. Helaine should be glad she wasn’t here. My fidgeting would have driven her nuts.

I just looked down to see a dense lattice of streets. I didn’t recognize it at first, but it was Brooklyn. In the distance, Manhattan was underwhelming. I made it out by its shape more than its lights.

I did catch the lights from Shea Stadium and the Tennis Center, but mostly everything under me is nondescript. Anything I recognize from here in will be because I’ve lived there.

I’ll be flying this route again Wednesday. This trip was a last minute deal because of my dad’s hospitalization. Next week it’s my mom’s birthday.

Actually, this turned out to be a pleasure trip, didn’t it?

&#185 – Back then, if the plane was filled, another would be rolled out for the remaining passengers. Though the scheduled flight was on a jet, an old prop plane served as the backup.

The Simpsons Movie

Stef had a friend in from out-of-town yesterday. With Helaine, the four of us had dinner out. Just a pizza. Nothing special.

The girls headed north, into Hartford. We went south, to North Haven and the movies.

There was never a doubt I’d see the Simpsons movie. I’ve been saying it since I saw he first trailer. This movie has gotten an intense amount of buzz.

Here’s the funny part – though I enjoy The Simpsons, I’m not a regular viewer. In fact, I can’t tell you the last time I watched an entire episode. Yet I’m totally comfortable with the characters and can identify most by name.

There has never been another program on television with as many identifiable on-screen regulars.

I’ve never walked in on Helaine watching The Simpsons. She still wanted to go.

As you’ve probably heard by now, Homer is the straw that breaks the camel’s back as far as Lake Springfield goes. With pollution out of control, an emergency is declared and Springfield is isolated from the outside world.

Does the actual story make any difference? No. It’s all funny situations and incredibly clever, well thought out, funny dialog.

I’ve read the complaint the movie is just an elongated TV episode. OK. I came because I like what’s on the TV show. That wasn’t a problem.

The animation seemed more richly colored than what’s on the tube, and with more spatial layers. This is 2D, have no fears. Still, there were times when it was drawn with a very shallow depth of field.

It’s funny that on IMDB, there are people listing continuity errors! It’s a cartoon. for heaven’s sake. Schwarzenegger was drawn with three fingers on each hand on purpose.

What I liked most about this movie was, it was about the Simpson family and though some of what they do is cartoonish, it’s a very loving, tight-knit family.

All the characters are as you expect from the TV show, but Julie Kavner deserves singling out for her emotional portrayal of Marge. I was especially impressed by a very poignant monologue from Marge which added much to the movie.

We both loved the movie. It’s a good movie to see in a theater, where you can enjoy other people’s laughter as you watch. I just wish there was more Krusty!

Blogger’s note: There was a trailer for the Chipmunks movie, coming later in the year. I smell giblet gravy.

Bad Luck In The Studio

Often, as our newscast begins, I’ll quickly tune the TV at my desk to see what the other stations are leading with. I can’t be the only one in TV to do that?

It’s idle curiosity. Most of the time we all have similar ledes&#185. When we don’t, there’s usually a technical or structural reason that trumps the actual content.

Friday, while tuning, I came to WFSB – Channel 3 in Hartford. They were ‘in black.’

As I sat and wondered what was going on, a tape began to rewind on-the-air. I could pick out the specific digital format by the distinct square pixelated areas. Even the non-initiated could see it was Oprah, running backwards at breakneck speed.

WFSB’s news never did air Friday afternoon. A burst sewer pipe in the basement of their soon-to-be-abandoned building was threatening the electrical system. Everyone was ordered out as the smell of sewage and electricity began to permeate the building (Hey, I’ve got sources).

Last night it was WABC’s turn in New York. A bulb above their news set exploded, causing a curtain to catch fire!

Again, the building was evacuated as fire crews moved in to quickly douse the flames.

In neither case was anyone hurt. That’s a good thing. In neither case did the news get on-the-air. That’s troubling.

I remember reading, 15-20 years ago, about stations that had suffered misfortunes and mounted their newscast from the parking lot or other makeshift locations. I’m afraid those days are over.

As television equipment has become more sophisticated, it has also become less versatile. We can’t just pick up our videotapes and use a live truck, because we’re no longer using tapes. All our video is held in a few racks of computer servers.

Each and every part of what we show on-the-air is controlled by computers. When they communicate nicely, things are smooth as can be. When one system decides it won’t play well with others, it can stop the whole show.

All things considered, I’d rather have to tell the audience fire kept us from bringing them the news than blaming it on poop!

&#185 – This alternate spelling “lede” has become more and more popular recently. I’m sure someone will cite longstanding tradition, but I never remember anyone using that spelling prior to the last four or five years.

In Preparation For Our Landing In Hartford

This was my first flight with DVDs. Wow! It makes the trip go a whole lot faster.

I brought The Departed, the brilliantly executed Martin Scorsese movie. I’m glad, however, Helaine chose not to watch. It is exceptionally violent and gory.

DeCaprio, Damon and Jack Nicholson… especially Jack Nicholson… were excellent.

It is a very long movie – well over 2:30. I didn’t realize that when I started to watch, somewhere over the midsection of the country.

About ten minutes from the movie’s end, the flight attendant came on the PA system. “In preparation for our landing in Hartford….”

No!!!!

I had to turn off the computer and wait until just now to see the conclusion. How sad is that?

It’s my fault, but the pilot could have circled a few minutes.

On The Way Out

Our trip to the airport – uneventful. About five minutes from the parking lot, Helaine asked if we were running late. We’re at the gate with no one from Southwest. Guess not.

We’re flying from Hartford to Chicago Midway and then on to Las Vegas. One stop, no change of planes.

I just popped the radar in another browser tab. There’s a long, thin line of thunderstorms – train echoes is the term – just north of Chicago. We’ll see how much impact that has on our day. The anticipation is we’re in Las Vegas around 4:00 PM.

Usually, before a Vegas trip, we watch Chevy Chase in “Vegas Vacation.” We didn’t, but we’ve brought it (and two sets of headphones) along to watch on the plane. That will probably be the MDW-LAS leg. Right now I’m looking for some quality nap time.

It was in the 20&#186s as we drove to the airport. Las Vegas should approach 70&#186 this afternoon.

Sweet.

Wordplay

We are enjoying Netflix. It’s cool to always have a movie we want to see hanging around the house, waiting for us.

Helaine has been nice enough to indulge me a few documentaries. Tonight it was Wordplay, the story of the 28th Annual Crossword Puzzle Championship held at the Marriott in Stamford&#185.

Wordplay itself refers to the practice of styling the answers in themed crossword puzzles.

I’ll get to the competition in a second.

To legitimize the whole process, a few celebrity crossword addicts were interviewed, including Bill Clinton, Mike Mussina, Ken Burns, the Indigo Girls and Jon Stewart. Interestingly, Stewart is the only one who seemed consciously affected by the camera.

They all do their puzzles in pen.

The movie followed a handful of favorites through the contest. If you’re looking to fill your quota of stereotypes, they’re there! Everyone was a nerd. No one could be thought of as physically attractive. And yet, it was fascinating to watch.

To see these contestants breeze through puzzles, solving clues in 10 or 15 seconds was mind boggling. Sure, they know the obscure puzzle words, those chestnuts which are used and reused because they alone solve certain problems of puzzle design, but it’s more than that.

The contestants are analytical. They are organized… anal if you wish. It’s almost as if they have to do puzzles. In fact, maybe they are driven by an unseen force to do just that.

SPOILER ALERT – In the end, a rookie error from an established contestant allows a 20 year old college student (from Hartford, as it turns out) to win. I like him and was pleased he won. – AS YOU WERE

I finished the movie and immediately headed to a website where you can attempt to solve crosswords online. I bailed before the halfway point, though I was doing fine on a reasonably easy puzzle.

I like the movie and really cared about the folks involved. How often do you get to say that?

&#185 – The 30th Annual Championship takes place next weekend in Stamford.

I Should Have Gone To Yale

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I really enjoy photography. As of tonight, “Clicky” has taken 24,123 shots. Obviously, I try and take pictures any time I can.

Tonight, I had my chance to shoot a basketball game. Yale was playing Columbia and I got a pass to sit on the baseline at the John J. Lee Amphitheater on the Yale Campus in New Haven.

It was Senior Night, which is nice. It was also the night of the Jones Brothers. Yale is coached by James Jones. Columbia is coached by his brother Joe.

I haven’t really shot a lot of sports. I’ve been to some Major League Baseball games, shooting from the stands, and stood on the sideline at the UCONN vs Army game a few years ago at Rentschler Field in Hartford. This was my first attempt at hoops. I am humbled.

Shooting basketball is much more difficult than I had imagined. it took about sixty seconds to come to that conclusion!

First, an observation I made after shooting the UCONN football game. Still photographers can get great shots, but they seldom get ‘the big play’ the way TV cameras do. Still photography doesn’t cover the field the same way. You often have to aim and wait for the play to get to you.

Basketball poses even more problems. It moves very quickly and is played in a relatively dimly lit gym. My lenses, fine lenses for an amateur like me, are just too ‘slow&#185’.

There were a few professional shooters at the game as well. I needed four to eight times as much light for the same shot!

I wanted to keep my shutter speed as fast as possible, so I compensated in other ways, which is why all the shots are very, very grainy. It might look like a nice artistic touch, but it wouldn’t be there if I had any choice.

In this game, Yale was blown out. Columbia was red hot. I haven’t seen the stats, but it seemed they just couldn’t miss a shot!

There was a a lot going on off the court. As with most colleges, Yale has a cheer squad They also have an unusual pep band, the Yale Precision Marching Band.

I didn’t see them march, though after the game they did play while crawling on their knees!

The YPMB also featured one guy wearing a “Harvard Sucks” t-shirt. At Yale, that sentiment is not an idle boast.

I felt very comfortable in these surroundings. It’s a shame I was so awful as a student growing up, because I would have fit well at Yale. And, my guess it’s, it’s much more prestigious to be thrown out of Yale than it was to be thrown out of Emerson College!

None of the shots from tonight will be printed. On the other hand, there is a little artistic merit there. I put a few of them in my gallery, if you’d like to take a look.

&#185 – When a photographer talks about a slow lens, it’s a lens that needs more light. The name comes from what you must do to compensate – slow down the shutter. The slower the shutter, the less sharp the action will be. It’s a vicious cycle.

How Do They Know It’s Us?

Helaine is out-of-town for a few days. She left from Hartford this morning.

Yesterday afternoon we spent about twenty minutes, including a call to Southwest, trying to ascertain if food was as explosive (and restricted by the TSA) as mouthwash or toothpaste.

It is not.

She left Bradley and flew to BWI Airport outside Baltimore. Terminal B arrival. Terminal A departure.

Southwest flies to Houston’s Hobby Airport’s (I wish it were professional as opposed to a hobby&#185), and this particular flight went to Gate 50. Yes, there are gate numbers higher, but none more remote.

How do they always know we’re coming to make it as far as is humanly possible? They do, you know.

A few years ago, when it was a United hub, we changed planes in Denver. We literally walked the walk between their two farthest gates. It was like taking the tour of DEN!

Another night, changing at Detroit’s Wayne County Airport (DTW if you’re checking your baggage tags) we were so far away, with so little time, I slipped some money to a person driving one of those long motorized carts and got chauffeured.

The terminal was so crowded, I’m still not sure we ran someone down. I closed my eyes except when I was staring down my watch. We got to the gate in the nick of time… well, it would have been if the flight hadn’t been delayed.

Back in my SciFi Channel days I changed planes in Minneapolis. I was talking on the cell phone walking slowly to my gate – 15. As I walked, I passed 19, 18, 17, 16, 31, 30, 29!

You’ve got to be kidding. They were out of order! I almost missed that plane.

Of course this is one reason I enjoy flying from Tweed New Haven Airport so much. There’s only one gate currently in use. Unfortunately, you can only fly to Philadelphia.

Actually, if more airlines would come in to New Haven, I’d promise not to kvetch about the walk.

&#185 – I know, Hobby was a Texas governor – Governor William Pettus Hobby. I just can’t resist cheap humor.

Part Of Me Is Still In Radio

Growing up, there was never a question what I’d do for a living. I was going to be on radio. And, in fact, that’s just what I did for 11 years.

Like so much else in life, radio was often frustrating. It was also a nearly free forum to say what I wanted when I wanted to. What I wanted to say wasn’t particularly pithy or earth shattering – that didn’t matter. I was free to be an ass or silly or smart.

Moving to TV in 1980 was a logical step. My radio career had probably gone as far as it was going. Even though it was the right thing to do, leaving didn’t remove my love of radio.

Tonight, I got to go out to dinner with a couple of radio guys. I think they share my sensibility about what radio’s purpose is. And, like I was, they’re probably frustrated from time-to-time by what it’s become.

I went to college with Floyd Wright. He had a different name then, but he’s the same guy. He’s much too thin to be on radio, a medium that normally attracts a more corpulent corps of workers.

Even in college radio Floyd was great on-the-air, because he had a quick and unusually mature sense of skepticism and irony. He also had ‘pipes.’ I’m jealous of anyone with ‘pipes.’

I met Pete Salant more recently, maybe 10-15 years ago. At the time he owned and ran a small AM radio station&#185 in my little town. It was just another stop in a long radio career that including on-air and programming work plus years as a consultant.

I’m not sure, but it’s probable Pete didn’t hire me when I sent a tape to him at WYNY in New York. It’s OK. There is a long list of people who didn’t hire me. In fact, there’s a long list of people who didn’t hire me at that particular station!

Pete’s also partially responsible for “Nine,” the fictional audio history of WVWA, Pound Ridge, NY. It is an iconic snapshot of radio’s coming of age a few decades ago. It is required listening for radio people.

Oh – Floyd works for Pete at WWYZ, aka Country 92.5 in Hartford.

Dinner ran over an hour and a half. If I didn’t have to get back to work it could have run much longer. Our lives are interconnected through radio and through the people we know, and know of. In other words, there were lots of people and situations to trash and praise… mostly trash.

I’m sure Margo, our 20-something waitress, had no idea what was going on at our table. She could definitely tell we were having a good time.

We’ve got to do this more often.

&#185 – When I say small in reference to Pete’s former station, I mean low power. His station’s transmitter drew less power than the three way light bulb in my family room. In spite of the station’s relative power, I was a dedicated listener long before I met him.

When Good Airlines Go Bad

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I’m a big fan of Southwest Airlines. I still am at this moment, but they’ve shown a side I hadn’t seen before.

Our flight from Midway was due out at 8:00 PM. “Conditions” (a word which covers a multitude of sins) didn’t allow us to depart on time. Hey – it happens.

The departure time was changed to 9:25 PM, so Stef and Helaine headed out searching for food. I sat on the floor, playing online poker.

A little after 8:00 PM, I faintly heard an announcement from the boarding area. I wasn’t sure what I heard, but Hartford was included. With Helaine and Stef gone, my laptop open on the floor and five bags next to me, I was stuck.

Next to me, another laptop user was also sitting on the cold marble. I had heard her mention New Haven in her conversation. I asked if she’d mind watching my stuff for a moment while I checked out what was going on.

At the gate, the CSR told me “we’re boarding now.” Yikes!

I called Helaine on the cellphone. She was at the far end of the concourse and I was at Gate 24. “Run,” I said.

To show the agents I was earnest about getting on, I disconnected from the poker game, pack muled myself and carried all the bags to the gate.

I will remember that for a while because my hip is killing me with the twingy pain that probably means I pulled a muscle!

It looked like they were about to close the door, but they weren’t. A minute later, Helaine and Stef, who had ordered dinner and then canceled it (thanks Harry Carey’s who understood their situation), pulled up to the gate.

We got on a half empty plane. Many of those who held boarding passes were nowhere to be found.

Imagine you’re told that your plane is delayed nearly two hours. You walk away to get a drink, a sandwich, go to the men’s room. When you come back, your flight is gone! I suspect this counts as “your fault.”

A few more, but not all, the passengers made it on the plane before we left for Connecticut. We arrived at Bradley after midnight.

While I went to get the car, Helaine and Stef stayed for the bags. The buzzer buzzed. The carousel spun. Some bags came down – not all.

A disembodied voice on the PA system apologized. Another plane was about to leave. Our bags would have to wait a few minutes more.

I know it’s tough to be in the airline business on a night when Mother Nature just isn’t cutting you any slack. I just think, in this case, Southwest didn’t live up to its reputation – at least it didn’t in my eyes.

The delay in Chicago wasn’t handled properly. No one was ever advised the plane might not be held until 9:25. I’m not sure what to make of the baggage snafu in Hartford, other than to say we once had this same problem with Carnival Air.

Does any airline want their attention to customer needs compared to Carnival?

Southwest Airlines Understands Customer Service

Possibly you remember how in January, Helaine, Steffie and I were scheduled to fly to LA from Hartford for a cruise? Though we left ourselves more than a full day of leeway, a major snowstorm was coming.

I called Southwest, and after some cajoling and pleading, our reservations were changed without charge. I wrote about it when it happened, calling the entry Southwest – May I Kiss You On The Lips?.

I’ll complain when things are bad, so I should compliment when they’re good. I did, by writing a letter to Southwest (as much as I love them, they’re very email un-friendly).

Today, I got my reply from Customer Relations (read it here) and a copy of the note Colleen Barrett, Southwest’s president, sent to the people who helped me (read it here). Do you think that note will help the next folks in my situation?

Damn right it will.

Just as important, the note from Southwest’s Kaye Kelly to me said, “I, of course, did back flips when I read how Patty and Linda were able to “bend the rules” and change your itinerary as you requested.”

Amazing! At Southwest, employees get rewarded for bending the rules to help a customer. This customer couldn’t be more pleased to let you know.

Doing Our Taxes

The distinguished looking man on the left is Mark Everson. You probably don’t know him. You’ve probably thought of him. He’s the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.

Hey, Mark! I’ve just done my taxes. What exactly were you guys thinking?

I am a lucky guy. I make a good living. With few investments outside my home, cars, or retirement account, my taxes should be easy. After all, I’m an employee. I can’t deduct much of anything.

Even using an online service, it still takes hours! I tried to get it right. Can anyone be sure they did?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m willing to pay taxes to pay for government services and programs. Sure, I don’t agree with everything you guys in Washington/Hartford/Town Hall are doing, but I’ll pay my fair share. I just can’t seem to figure out what that is.

Why should doing my taxes be so stressful? Mark, are you with me?

The commish is probably a bright guy. He went to school here in New Haven at Yale. Yale is no guarantee of brightness (insert your own joke here since the last three presidents have gone to Yale), though it’s a reasonable reassurance.

Why can’t I, a former math team member, easily blow through this thing without worrying I’ve done something terribly wrong and will end up bunking with a former politician in Danbury, or worse? Why is it so difficult? Why is it so confusing?

Is there a reason you’ve got multiple forms, all named 1099? There’s 1099B, 1099DIV, 1099OID… I could go on. This is like George Foreman naming all his children George – and you know how we feel about that idea!

Then, there’s the question of money for Steffie’s college expenses. We were good parents and put something away when she was a little girl. Exactly how much did we originally invest in the late 80s? Uh – I’ll get back to you on that.

In the past, I’ve had relatives who worked backwards in their tax forms. In other words, they decided what they thought would be a fair amount for them to pay, then worked from there until the other numbers made that happen. I don’t do that.

I’m not looking to move my geofffox.com headquarters to the Cayman Islands or Bermuda. Should I? That really pretty yacht we saw in Cabo San Lucas, owned by a guy from Montana, flew the Cayman flag. Maybe he’s on to something?

A few years ago, Stanley Works, the tool company in New Britain, CT, tried to move its offices offshore. Lots of companies have. Even our cruise ship, Norwegian Caribbean’s, “Norwegian Star,” was registered in the Bahamas. That’s not part of Norway nor the US.

All I want is an easier tax system. Since none of the special exemptions I have to ponder are for me, you’ll probably have to tick off people with more influence than I have. C’mon Mark, you can do it.

Finally, am I being graded on spelling?

A Day In Baltimore

I am posting this entry from Los Angeles. It was written before we left Baltimore. More on the screaming baby flight from Hell tomorrow.

If we would have stuck to our original reservations, our flight would have gotten to Baltimore 36 minutes after the Los Angeles plane left!

Now the entry:

baggage cart in our holiday inn roomNo need to rush. I’m writing this from Gate B17 at Baltimore – Washington Airport. It’s nearly 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Our flight doesn’t leave until well after 6:00 PM.

Our night at the Holiday Inn – BWI was fine, but I have an admission to make. If you work at that hotel, you probably scrambled around, looking for one of those huge baggage carts on wheels.

It was in our room.

It was a conscious decision. We didn’t want to inconvenience anyone else… and we didn’t want to load and unload. OK, it was a selfish decision. Shoot me.

Helaine's shadow puppetActually, our night at the Holiday Inn was just fine, punctuated by Helaine’s discovery that ‘shadow puppets’ could be projected on the wall. She does the world’s best AFLAC duck. Steffie attempted a worm.

We are currently like a band on the run with a series of one night stands. Hartford yesterday, Baltimore today, Los Angeles tomorrow, our cruise ship in the days beyond that. Each city-to-city move is a series of intertwined coordinated actions. We’re getting pretty good at this.

The same driver who brought us to the hotel last night took us to the airport today. He said he remembered us. Tipping works.

At the terminal’s curb I went and got two luggage carts to move our stuff inside. The Skycaps looked with envy. A potentially big customer was rolling by and they weren’t getting any.

Stef and Helaine pushing baggage carts in the BWI rat mazeWe moved into the rat’s maze that leads to the ticket counter and scanned the agents. Who would we get? Who did we want?

We lose.

It didn’t take more than 15 seconds to see Jnacei&#185 didn’t have the normal Southwest spirit. Maybe she was having a bad day? Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. I would pay.

Our three reservations were considered separate. The bags would have to be split among the three tickets.

One of our bags weight 54.4 pounds. Too much. Unbelievably, Helaine and Stef removed exactly 4.4 pounds. It hit the scale at 50.0.

If it would have been 50.1 pounds, I sense we would have been forced to pull more out! This was not a rule bender we were dealing with.

Signatures were needed to ship our soft sided garment bags. That’s a first.

I’m not saying she did anything wrong – because she probably didn’t. It was just a tooth pulling experience all the way around.

Jnacei did lighten up as our time together was drawing to a close. Or maybe she was just taking pleasure in explaining how far it was to our gate and how much additional time we needed to set aside for that journey.

Did I mention – our flight wasn’t for another four plus hours?

Phillips SeafoodSteffie and Helaine were hungry, so we headed to a ‘real’ restaurant, Phillips Seafood. I must admit, though it cost nearly as much as Steffie bat mitzvah, it was very good.

I had lobster bisque and the premium crab cake as a sandwich. When my food was finished, the girls offered me their leftovers. I’m like Mikey in the cereal commercial. Give it to daddy – he’ll eat anything.

So that brings us to B17. Our flight is on the board as delayed, but Victor at the counter across the hall said it was only delayed by eight minutes. It is coming in from Islip, on Long Island, where it rained all day.

Southwest Hartford flight delayedOur original flight from Hartford is also on the board as delayed. I will watch with interest to see if it is in early enough to allow passengers and baggage to move to the Los Angeles flight.

Blogger’s note. Though there is no Internet access, a few moments ago a little balloon popped up on the bottom of the screen saying a wireless access point had been found. When I tried to connect – no Internet. On further inspection, it was someone else’s computer, “Carolyn.” Luckily for Carolyn, I’m not a hacker.

&#185 – I was going to use her real name, and then I realized she might sue me.