JFK - Part 2

Okay, so as if yesterday wasn't enough of an adventure, today was just as "fun (?)". I slept a few hours in the hotel room...not soundly because I was afraid I would oversleep and miss the shuttle back to the airport. Since JFK is so busy, I wanted to make sure I was at the airport at least 2 hours ahead of schedule....now I ask myself "for why?".....

I tried to check in at the kiosk, but the kiosk didn't remember that I was there the day before and did not want to recognize anything I tried to enter. I was then directed to the lady at the counter...who...for 45 minutes...tried to get me a ticket. After looking at the paperwork I had -- which comprised of my boarding pass from Sunday (which, obviously was no good) and an "interrupted flight voucher" which I received from the UNhelpful clerk at the desk at gate 23 the night before -- the woman told me that my flight had been completed! Yup...that's what she said..to which I replied "if it was completed, then why am I standing here still trying to get to Charlotte, North Carolina!!" There was some consulting with the other ticketing agents who finally helped her issue me a boarding pass...which I hope would work once I walked the 2 miles (really, it seemed like it) to gate 23.

Again, there were delays. The flight that was to have left at 8:30 a.m. still had lots of people in the waiting area wishing they could get home. The weather was very gray and wet! But, again, we were told the delay was more due to the extensive air traffic than the weather.

My flight was to have left at 10:30 a.m.; however, at 11:30 a.m. we were still waiting to board the plane. Finally at 12:30 p.m., we were allowed to board the plane, only to find out once they had us trapped on it, that we would need to sit on the plane at the gate for a while. That "while" turned out to be one and a half hours. Lunch of peanuts and cookies was offered after about a half hour. The pilot told us that some of the airplanes sitting on the tarmack had been waiting for take off for 3 hours....one of them happening to be the 9:30 a.m. flight!! Oh joy!! Around 2 pm, our plane got in line with the others on the tarmack and with approximately 30 planes in front of us, we waited, waited, waited to take off. We finally landed in Charlotte at 4:30 p.m. And, much to my amazement, when I went downstairs to baggage claim, there was my suitcase waiting for me in the Delta Baggage Office!!!

One thing to remember....avoid JFK at all costs!! I'm sure many reading this blog has been through similar situations. Fortunately, this is only the second time I've run into delays. Most of the time my flights happen without incidence! However, I do think that Delta needs to get a letter informing them of this...as many on the plane were talking about. Oh, while waiting in the terminal to board the plane, a lady came around with a business card asking people if they would go on-line and rate the airline and airport. When she asked me, I gladly said yes!! They should know, after all!!!!

The Big Apple Adventure

Greetings from JFK International Airport....well, right now it is the Days Inn. I'm actually supposed to be in Charlotte, NC trying to find my car in the East Deck Parking Garage.....HOWEVER......

I had a wonderful time visiting my daughter Melissa and visiting with her and my 3 grandchildren. But, alas, the time came for me to leave and catch my flight out of the Bradley International Airport. Looking at my itinerary, it appeared that this flight was going to be direct to Charlotte. No mention of a connecting flight or lay over! Yay!! Upon arriving at the airport, we were all greeted with the notification of a delay. Not a long one, we all were told. It was just that there was so much air traffic on this particular day, that we would have to wait for a while. My flight was to leave at 5:30 p.m.; however, we did not board the plane until 6:15 p.m. Once boarded, the pilot came over the speakers to tell us that we would need to sit on the tarmack for another 30 minutes -- which turned into approximately an hour. No big deal, I told myself, this was a direct flight so there was no fear of missing a connection!!

The flight attendand came around with bottles of water and snacks while we were waiting, waiting, waiting for air control to release our take off. Finally, we got the release and we would only be 7th in line to take off! We taxied out to get in line and waited, waited, waited! Finally, the speakers told us again, that we would now be taking off! The co-pilot informed us that this was a 30-minute flight to JFK airport from take off to landing. We got to what looked like Long Island below us and we circled, circled, circled waiting for permission to land. Again, we were told, all this delay was due to an extremely high volume of air traffic.

The flight attendant then came around and asked us what our connecting flight destination was to be. I politely informed her that I did not have a connecting flight, that I was staying on the plane and continuing on to Charlotte, NC!! The young gal that sat across the aisle from me confirmed that because she, too, was to stay on the plane for Charlotte. We both then were politely told back that we would need to get off the plane because this plane was continuing on to Rochester, NY. Oh, there must be some mistake we told her. We only had one boarding pass and it said "Hartford, CT to Charlotte, NC". Nope....we had to get off the plane and check at the gate desk for the correct plane to take us to Charlotte.

There were three of us on flight 6702 who stood helplessly in this huge JFK airport looking at the departure and arrival boards frantically checking for our connecting flight to Charlotte. There were none listed on the board. We finally got to speak to an attendant at another gate who told us that we had missed our connecting flight!!! W H A T?????????????????? We didn't even know we had a connecting flight!! It seems that with all the air traffic delays, we had missed the plane that was waiting for us at JFK. We were supposed to walk off one plane and board another and that plane got tired of waiting for us!!! The next flight to Charlotte would be on Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. And to top it off, we were told that we were not eligible for any hotel or meal vouchers!! (Delta just merged with NW Airlines and they have all this hype going on on how they are going to be better, blah blah blah....well, this is not a way to show it!) We were on our own...either sleep in the airport or find a hotel. My budget couldn't really handle a $100/night hotel room (yup...there were none found for less...), but there was no way I was going to sleep in those uncomfortable chairs in the terminal.

I headed down to baggage claim to get my luggage and found the belt where the luggage would be unloaded for flight 6702. I waited and waited and waited and waited. No luggage. Oh no!!! It was probably still on the plane! Yes, that is precisely what happened I was told at the Claim Office. My luggage would be delivered to my home on Monday sometime after 7:30 a.m. Hmmm, my luggage would arrive home faster than I would!!! I hope they leave it at my house until I get there, or who knows when I'll see it again!!!

JFK is a HUGE airport!!! In order to get to the Days Inn, I had to take an airport train to an area called Federal Station where all the hotel shuttles wait for you! I was asking all the "safe looking" people I saw (you know, the ones with kids in tow) if they were going to the same place and could I please follow them because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing! Some said NO and there were a few angels out there who said YES. Bless their heart!!

I'm in the Days Inn ... with no luggage. That means no make up, no hair brush, no clothes, etc. I did get a complimentary toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and deodorant from the front desk!! I've asked for a wake up call at 6 a.m. I hope they remember! Breakfast is available in the lobby, which is a GOOD thing!!

Fortunately, I won't have to take the airport train back to the terminal. The Shuttle Man will drop me off right at the terminal! Horray for me because I seriously don't think I would be able to find my way back!! Let's see what adventures await me tomorrow! Good night all!!

Snow Thunder!

Snow thunder, the weatherman said. I had never heard of it...have you? In any case, early this evening as I was sitting on the couch crocheting, I kept hearing what sounded like thunder...but it was snowing, so I thought I was imagining it. Nope. The weatherman said it was snow thunder! Huh, who would have thought!!! These pictures were taken at 10 pm. The snow flakes were huge (little snow?), and there was about 4 inches on the ground already! You can't make out the middle picture so well. I was standing on the front step looking up toward the corner light and it was snowing like crazy!! I was almost tempted to stay outside and make a snowman, but I wimped out!! This is the second snow we've gotten this year with any accumulation. The nice thing is that by the weekend, the temps are going to be in the upper 60s!! Yay!!!

Order in the Court

Okay, so I left you hanging regarding my jury service (they no longer call it "duty" because they would prefer you look at it as a service [positive] to the system rather than a duty [negative]). Let me say, first, that Mecklenburg County has a beautiful court building. The facilities are state of the art! At 8 a.m. I reported to the 5th floor and was signed in. The area where we signed in -- all 119 of us-- was the jury assembly room. This was the "holding" area until we were called in by groups of 30-45 to be interviewed by the court lawyers and judge. There were 3 large seating areas with 42" plasma TVs, a mezzanine with pinball machines and pool tables, and a cafe area with snack/soda machines, popcorn machine, and tables to sit at. This was the area I mostly spent my time until the group was "called to attention" when more names were chosen to be interviewed. I met a very nice young lady, Genea, and we talked and talked, played cards, went to lunch together....this really helped pass the time! There was one calling in the morning (I was not called), one at 2 pm in the afternoon (I was not called...by this time thinking I was off the hook), and then the last calling at 4 pm. Guess what....I got called! Thirty of us were lined up out in the hall and roll call was taken. Made me think I was back in school! We were then marched off to one of the courtrooms. We were all seated on bench seats in the audience section of the courtroom. The court clerk then called 12 names and they were assigned seating in the jury section. They were interviewed in front of the rest of us. The case being tried was for DUI. One by one, the selected jurors were interviewed ... were they or any of their family been arrested for DUI...was anyone in an accident caused by a DUI driver...was anyone associated with MADD or SADD....etc, etc. As individuals were eliminated, more from our seats were called to replace them. By 5:30 pm, the jury had been selected and there were 6 of us remaining on the bench seats, of which I was one of them. So, the 6 of us had fulfilled our "service" for the next 2 years (before we could be selected to serve again) and the selected jurors had to report back to court the next morning! This was fine by me because at work we were trying to get all paperwork done for end of year reporting! But I did make a friend out of it, and we plan to get together soon! All in all, it was a very interesting procedure...one that I had always wondered about and wished I had been called for.

Snow..Major Headlines

Yes, we got snow. More in some areas than others. The max just southeast of Charlotte hit, I think, about 5 inches. There has been more news on the local tv channels about the "snow storm" than about the inaugeration! Since it was such a news headliner, I just had to take a picture of the mounds of snow outside my house.

I half expected to see that the birds made a snowman out of the snow in the bird bowl when I got home this evening but, to my disappointment, they did not ! And, by the time I got home, the snow had totally diasppeared!

Winter Weather Alert!

School's
Now
Out
Wow!

Yep...all the schools are closed today because of the major news headline....SNOW!!! Yes, all 2-4 inches of it...yes, I said inches!
I'm heading out the door to go to work in this "major blizzard"!

Jury Duty

Well, I can't get out of it! About a month ago I got a Jury Summons that said to call the day before my scheduled jury service to see if I was still needed. Today was the day to call....and, yup, I've got to show up at the Mecklenburg Court House at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning....in uptown Charlotte...at the height of rush hour...to find a spot in the parking garage. I know that this probably sounds trivial, and I probably wouldn't be freaking out if I knew how to navigate around uptown Charlotte...BUT I DON'T...MUCH LESS DURING RUSH HOUR!!!!
This should be very interesting....I'll keep you posted.

Birthdays

Well, in approximately 50 minutes, it will be January 7th and the birthdays of today will have passed! For me, I'd rather forget that I just celebrated my 59th birthday. The cliche, "you're only as old as you feel" has some truth to it, because, fortunately, I am in good health and do not feel 59 at all! The best part of each birthday since 2001 is that my first-born grandchild, Emmalee, was born on my birthday! She turned 8 years old today! She was full of excitement when she called me this morning to wish me a happy birthday. She was exuberant as she recounted that she was served breakfast in bed and got to open her presents first thing this morning....Hannah Montana gifts, Taylor Swift CD, pj bottoms, jewelry, watch, etc. What a special time for an 8 year old!! I am so glad that we share the same birthday! Thank you, Andrea and Melissa for calling to wish me a happy birthday...thank you, Dan, for the email. Thank you to my friends for the birthday greetings, and to those who bestowed gifts. However, take notice that this is the last birthday I will be having....there will be no more...I refuse to turn 60 next January!!!!

Merry Christmas (past) and Happy New Year (future) 2009

Yes, I can definitely tell that Christmas is over. As Maestro and I walk through our community, there are very few Christmas lights left up on the houses. The weather today hit just about 60 degrees, so we could see more families removing Christmas lights....even my friend, Mary, started taking her decorations down today. Christmas is definitely over!! It was fun driving through not only our community, but nearby ones, to see the beautiful display of lights! Very festive...and I even got into the spirit of Christmas by putting my little country tree in the front with white lights on it! I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish for all a blessed, healthy, prosperous, loved New Year to you all (y'all).

I purchased a metal wire "all occasion" tree when I went to Blowing Rock a couple months ago. It's a great tree that stands approximately 36 inches tall. (I'd show you a picture of it, but for some reason, my computer does not want to read my Kodak card...bummer!) Not your typical Christmas tree, but I love it!! On each holiday, it will be adorned with proper attire. I am presently on a search for Valentine decorations for it.

Now that January is here, it seems that already the days are much longer and I can just tell that Spring is just around the corner. Why, even the forsythia bushes have started to bloom! Crazy!!