Back Spasms

I have now joined the thousands of people across the world who can say, 'My back was so painful I couldn't even move'. When you are in Canton, Ohio at the Comfort Inn, that is a terrifying situation.

I arrived in Canton on an August evening, checked in, wrote a couple of reports and went to bed. The next morning when I jumped out of bed to turn the air conditioner down and start a shower, the first step was uneventful. The second sent shock waves through my body and I stifled a scream as I crumpled to the floor. Now, I have hurt my back before--pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve. But I have never experienced this spasm stuff that creates virtual paralysis. I managed to crawl back to the bed to lay down and to figure out how to make it stop so I could start over.

So there I was in bed, not moving, and needing to get to the bathroom for morning activities. Every attempt to move sent waves of spasms through my back. Being the nurse that I am I decided to attempt to log roll off the bed, keeping my back completely straight. It wasn't completely successful, but I got to the floor, then on my knees, and finally was standing. Very carefully I walked to the bathroom which had lots of towel bars firmly secured to the wall. Thus was able to sit and rise without too many spasms, and then wash my face. I stood by the bed and weighed my options. I didn't want to try the bed again, so I gathered my phone, the TV remote, a pillow and a Diet Coke and sat down in the recliner. As long as I sat quietly I was okay, but couldn't get out of the chair without sliding forward onto my knees and pulling up with my arms.

So what to do? Obviously I'm not going anywhere right now. I called the facility and told them I was having some back problems and couldn't be there as scheduled at 8:30, but would try to get there by 10. I was supposed to check out of the hotel and drive to Columbus at the end of the day, check in there for the night, visit a facility in Columbus the next day and fly home the next night.

At 9 I decided to try a shower to see if I could get ready and leave. I managed to get in the shower and let the hot water run on my back for several minutes. I got out and dried, but was so miserable and exhausted, I knew the recliner was the most I was going to be able to accomplish. So I called the front desk to extend my stay there for another night, called the facility and said I wouldn't be able to keep the visit. So I sat, crocheted, and watched the Olympics. I had, for sustenance three granola bars, three bananas, and three Diet Cokes.

As the day wore on I found I could get up from the chair without sliding to my knees and could walk about the room without every step causing spasms. I was able to drive to Fazoli's between 4 and 5 and get something to eat. Then I laid down in the bed around 6 to take a nap and when I turned over about an hour later, it started all over again.

The good news it, I survived. I was able to get some sleep and drove to Columbus the next morning without a major problem and actually completed the visit at the facility scheduled that day. I had one more major attack of spasms in the early afternoon, there, but made my flight on time and sometime during the layover in Cincinnati, the spasms left and haven't returned.

I hope they never do.

Summarizing the Latest

The past three weeks have been an endurance test. I scheduled four visits each week, which means I don't get that Friday at home. The over scheduling was so I could under schedule in September in preparation for my cruise the end of September.

The second week in August I was in North Carolina. I was able to work in a visit with Molly and Ben by flying into Raleigh on Sunday and spending then night with them, then driving to Charlotte on Monday morning. On Thursday I drove back to Raleigh and stayed through the week end with Molly and Ben. It was a fun time. We watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and movies. I was able to get a lot of crocheting done!

The downside was that I was only home about 12 hours before heading to Cedar Falls, Iowa on Monday.

Right now I am in Canton, Ohio. The flights were great. I have learned to get nearly everywhere without having to go through Chicago O'Hare.

Okay, Marian

I know, I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with my travels. It's hard enough just DOING the travels.

Montana ended up being very pretty, but I didn't get to drive the Going to the Sun Road. I did, however, drive to Glacier National Park and check out what I could see. I bought the season pass to the park. For 25$ I could go for the day and for 35$ I could have a one year pass. Since I am going back in September, and six months from then, I decided to go for the extra 10 bucks. I'm hoping that in September I will be able to drive the Going to the Sun Road and cross the Continental Divide. I bought a book about day hikes and plan to go early in September and try some of them.

I took the week of the 4th of July off as vacation. I knew I was in trouble when I realized I had planned about 30 days worth of stuff to accomplish in seven days, but I had a good time. My sister-in-law brought Elizabeth (the dog) down to spend the week with me. If I ever have a job without this much travel I would love to have her back full time. She has calmed down significantly from her puppy days and is just a joy to have around. We walked every day. I probably wouldn't have quite the weight problem if I had her to keep me moving.

The week after the fourth I was in Greeneville, South Carolina. It's hard to get anywhere in the south without going through Atlanta, but the connections went off without a hitch. I was impressed with Greeneville. The facility was about 10 miles from the actual city, but there was a nurse on the evening shift who was insistent that I visit the revived downtown area. So I did and I am so glad she sent me there. Like so many older cities, the downtown goes down hill as the suburbs evolve. She told me the area was essentially a dump until they decided to revive it several years ago. It was beautiful. There is a river that runs over some falls which have historical significance to the area. They have built this suspension bridge over the falls. I ate at a neat restaurant overlooking the river. I have pictures but not on this computer. I will try to remember to post them when I am at home.

Subsequent to that adventure I have been driving around the Midwest. It's pretty boring travel. I did, however, find a great book at the library to listen to as I drove to Cedar Rapids, Iowa today. It's by Ralph Moody and one of the 'Little Britches' books. I remember them from my childhood. We lived in the country outside of King City and would read those books aloud in the evenings. I couldn't remember much about them, but I checked it out anyway to refresh my memory. I listened to it for the 5 1/2 hour drive today and enjoyed the story. It certainly made the drive go faster. I'm headed to Omaha tomorrow afternoon and will be able to finish it.

Don't give up on me. I may be slow, but check occassionally to see what I'm up to next.

It's Snowing!

You may recall that last February I was re-routed to Montana in the middle of a blizzard. As a result, I asked to have the next visits as I wanted to actually be able to see the mountains. I was rewarded with a positive response.


Now is the time for the next visit.


I scheduled the flights with time to explore and checked the information for Glacier National Park. The 'Fun in the Sun Road' was partially closed when I first checked three weeks ago, but being the positive person I am, I was sure it would be open by the second week in June. I anticipated brisk, sunny days with blue skies and comfortable temperatures. I actually packed slacks and light weight shirts, shorts and T-shirts and laid out Capri's, a T-shirt and sandals for the flight. Then for some reason I decided I should check the weather report for Kalispel, Montana on Monday night before I left on Tuesday morning. The forecast was for highs in the 50'2 and lows in the 30's, so I repacked, taking the shorts out and replacing light weight tops with sweaters. I put away the Capri's and got out jeans, a sweater and athletic shoes to wear on the plane. And at the last minute, I hunted down my heavy black sweater and put it in the suitcase.

Leaving Kansas City at 10AM (the flight was delayed) I felt a bit foolish, as I was uncomfortably hot and the other passengers were wearing summer attire. I changed planes in Denver and it was sunny and breezy. But, alas, when we were boarding the plane for Kalispel we were told that we might not be able to land in Kalispel due to a snow storm. If the weather prohibited the landing we would be re-routed to Missoula and arrangements made to transport us on to Kalispel.

Fortunately, luck was with us.

The flight was rather bumpy, but we made it to Kalispel on time. Actually, we landed a bit ahead of time. AND the snow storm was in full force. Visibility restricted my ability to see the mountains.....AGAIN!. Instead of heading for Glacier National Park, as I had planned, I just went to the hotel.

But all good stories have a good ending, and so does this one.

When I checked in at the hotel, I discovered I was the 'customer of the day'. I received a gift bag with bottled water, candy and microwave popcorn and an upgrade to a suite.

I'm here until Friday morning. Maybe the weather will improve.

Delays

I have decided that summer air travel is much more unpredictable than winter. I really have not had many problems this winter, other than being cold. The flights usually were on time and I have always had my STUFF since I quit checking my luggage. But the summer storms have started and my TRIALS have begun.

I am in Milwaukee, waiting on my connection back to Kansas City. I was to be here about 2 hours. BUT, the first screen I saw said my flight was 'DELAYED'. I went to a 'restaurant' and ordered a glass of wine at the bar. (The tables were full). I chatted with two policemen from Cleveland who were on their way to Dallas to pick up a prisoner who was delinquent with child support. They had been here four hours and were not sure they were going to make it to Dallas in time to pick him up tomorrow morning and head home. I finished the wine and went back to my gate to check out the 'delay'. Right now the plan is that I won't leave until 9PM, which means I won't be home until much later than I wanted to be.

The good news is that I don't have to leave Kansas City until next Tuesday.

The Results

Only three of the wheelchairs were used and the passengers were all older (even older than me) ladies. One of them immediately got out of the wheelchair once she was out of the walkway. One of the others moved from the wheelchair to a motorized cart and took off to parts unknown.

Tonight I am in a foggy Milwaukee waiting to connect to Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have almost three hours between flights and will not arrive in Grand Rapids until 11:30. We almost didn't get to land in Milwaukee because of the fog, so I am hoping that it clears enough that I actually get to take off at 10 when the flight is scheduled. The weather has been a little rough. There were storms both days in Indianapolis and we were without electricity at the nursing home there most of the morning.

Now I am actually going to try and do some reports so I don't have to do them this week-end.

A Wheelchair Parade

I'm in Indianapolis, sitting at a gate, waiting for my co-worker to arrive from Houston. We are doing a two day Mock Survey here.

The airport in Indianapolils does not post 'Arrivals' inside the secure area. I guess they figure if you are inside the secure area, you are only interested in 'Departures'. I am assuming my co-worker will arrive at the gate the next American departure to Houston leaves from, so here I am. Amazingly there is a relatively empty bar across from the gate, and I am having pleasant glass of Chardonay while I wait.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a parade of six empty wheelchairs. They are now lined up at the door. The chariot awaits!!! I can't wait to see who exits the plane to assume the chariot!!

I'll keep you posted.

Still traveling

Gosh, I can't believe it's been almost two months since I posted. Travel has been less eventful since the weather improved and so far the summer storms have not cause me any problems. I have been avoiding American, and United if at all possible. I have much better luck with Southwest and Midwest. My last American flight was five hours late leaving Kansas City.

I found I can fly to Kalamazoo on Delta which connects in Cincinnati instead of O'Hare in Chicago. On my last trip there were storms in Chicago and all the American and United flights from Kalamazoo were canceled. I connected in Cincinnati and got home without a problem, but the airport in Cincinnati is a bit annoying. The waiting area is like a huge auditorium with the gates around the periphery and the PA system just booms all the time.

I have traveled East to small towns which require connections. Southwest is usually the best option, even so, the travel day is long. One was to Kingsport, Tennessee and the other Mystic, Connecticut. Both were great trips and I saw wonderful country. I left at 6 AM for Connecticut, which meant getting up before 4 am to be at the airport by 5. Both times we started the engagement as soon as we arrived and worked through the supper meal service. By that time, all I want to do is find food and go to sleep.

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still around and still traveling. I'll try to do a better job of keeping you up to date.

Speeding Along

After spending last week in San Francisco at the same building all week, moving from place to place this week has been more complicated.

On Monday I had a drainage system installed in my basement and they didn't finish until almost seven in the evening, which meant I didn't head to Ames, Iowa until then. It's a little over a three hour drive. I picked an SUV at the car rental place and that ended up being a bad idea. The wind was terrible and tossed the vehicle (and me) all over the road.

Just north of Des Moines I thought about the speed limit. I looked at the speedometer and it said 68 and about the same time saw a speed limit sign that said 65. I breathed a little sigh of relief and set the cruise control. BUT, moments later the flashing lights appeared in my mirror and I pulled over. A very nice highway patrolman told me I was going too fast. I said, "This is 65, right" He said, "Yes, I clocked you at 74". Obviously that was prior to me thinking about the speed limit and setting the cruise. He nicely invited me into his vehicle. As we were on the highway and cars were whizzing by, I chose to crawl over the console and depart from the passenger door. I had my driver's license and my insurance papers, but no registration as it was a rental, and no paperwork from National. One of the perks of being an Emerald Club Member is that you pick out a car and leave. They check you at the gate into the computer and give you a map and you are on your way. He didn't seem too concerned about the paper work. The stars much have been aligned because he didn't seem in the mood to make a point. He asked me where I was going and I told him to Ames to consult with a nursing home. He was interested in my weekly travel schedule and asked where all I went. After a nice friendly conversation, he gave me a WARNING!!!! Got that......No Ticket!!!

And I nicely and legally drove the last 30 miles and went to bed.

A Lost Coat

The arrival of Griffin David Smith kept things pretty busy the first week in March. I was able to set my schedule to allow me to be in Kansas City for the week. Since the baby was induced on Tuesday, I rescheduled one visit and I was able to babysit for Mira and take her to meet her new brother on Tuesday afternoon.

Last week I was again on the move and the week was interesting to say the least. I left Kansas City for Denver around 4 on Monday afternoon. About 30 minutes into the flight I realized I had left my leather jacket at the gate in Kansas City. That agitated me such that reading was impossible from that point on. I vacillated from trying to force myself to accept that the jacket was gone, to thinking maybe it would end up in the lost and found and I would get it back. Since my final destination was Denver and I only had to drive to the hotel and check in, I decided to navigate the system and attempt to report my missing jacket.

I started out at a customer service desk on the Concourse. It was a long line. Apparently a mechanical issue had delayed a flight from Los Angeles such that many people had missed their connection. Eavesdropping on their conversations was entertaining enough, but the girl in front of me was a vision!! I was so excited that I had packed the digital camera Molly gave me. It would be my first pictorial post......but the batteries were dead. I thought I had put new batteries in it, but I guess not. Must have been some toy of Mira's I put batteries in. So I will have to describe the ensemble. She was probably mid twenties. On her head was a turquoise crocheted hat. It was some kind of bubble stitch that just covered the crown of her head and about midway to her ears. A little bigger than what a skull cap would cover. She had a short haircut, light brown with not real discernable cut. Just sprigs of hair peaking out from under the yarn. She was wearing a neutral colored tunic top over a straight skirt that was made from some brown and orange cotton fabric with a quasi pasley design. Bright green (St. Patrick's Day Green) tights and army green rubber boots completed the picture. I'm just so sorry I couldn't get the picture.

I waited in that line almost a hour. I asked for a telephone number for Kansas City and was told they could only give me the 800 number. I begged a little and said that the 800 number would never get me to a person in Kansas City that could actually be helpful. She then suggested I go to baggage claim downstairs and see what they could do. When I arrived at baggage claim there were three workers and no customers. Why didn't I think of this an hour ago?

The gentleman with whom I shared my tale of sorrow at the baggae claim office, was quite helpful. He said he would just call Kansas City, looked at a list, and started dialing the phone. It was busy, so he tried another number. As it was starting to look like this was going to take some time, I went to the Ladies Room and he kept dialing. In the end, he spent about 20 minutes with several numbers and people, but ultimately found a person at the gate in Kansas City who knew about my coat! (If it took him 20 minutes when he had a list of phone numbers, can you even imagine how long it would have taken me?) They said they would put my name on the coat and I could pick it up at baggage claim on Thursday when I got home. So with a much lighter heart, I caught the shuttle to National Car Rental and headed to the hotel.

There's No Place Like Home

I scheduled a Michigan facility with two Ohio ones. This included one day for travel from Kalamazoo to Columbus in the middle of the week and required me to not get home until Friday night, but it got the visits in without messing up two weeks.



The week started out with me wrenching my back getting on the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the terminal as I tried to flip my bag onto it's side with a smart little wrist maneuver. The second I did it I knew I was in trouble. I made it to Kalamazoo by bracing my back with pillows and having excellent posture, but was in significant pain throughout. It was supposed to be a quick connection in Chicago, but wasn't (as usual). We changed gates a couple of times and ended up being over an hour late leaving. In addition, the flight was oversold and they were begging people to take a $250 voucher and coupons for a hotel and meals to take a flight in the AM. I'm not really sure if it was oversold, or if the weather was creating problems. It was stormy and VERY windy and they kept talking about weight restriction changes. The crowd didn't look that overweight to me, but maybe when the wind is blowing additional weight is a problem? Anyway, I wasn't giving up my seat...my back hurt! As always, there are people in the crowd making a scene. This time is was a woman who kept carrying on that, "They just don't care anything about us." (Yes, that is definitely the problem. The gate personnel just don't care.) I really felt sorry for her husband. He wanted to take the voucher and stay over, but she was so into making a scene he couldn't even get her to listen to the options. At some point, they finally disappeared. I had left to get a Frappuccino at Starbucks and when I got back they were gone. And they were still asking for volunteers to give up their seat.



They finally started announcing that the last four people who bought their ticket would be bumped. That caused a stir. I wondered where I was on the seniority ticket buying list. I had scheduled about three weeks prior and felt safe. When they announced the names to 'come to the counter' I was happily handing my boarding pass to the gate guy and heading down the walkway.



My night in Kalamazoo was terrible. I don't think I slept over 15 minutes at a time and repositioning was major effort. I had no medication other than Benadryl, Claritan, and Levaquin. I stopped at Walgreen's the next morning and bought some Ibuprofen. That helped some, but I was pretty miserable most of the day. I stood at the table part of the time to read charts rather that sit down, because it didn't hurt as bad. By the end of the day I decided I needed to go to Urgent Care and get stronger meds if I was going to survive the week. I only had to wait about two hours and got a prescription for Tylenol #3. It was snowing and blowing and I had boots with heels. Getting in the car was a production as I had to lift the left leg in and then try to reach the door to close it. I was afraid to take two pain pills as my plane left at 6 AM and I didn't want to oversleep, but I did sleep better and made it to the airport without incident. I had to change planes in Chicago and had time for breakfast. Did you know Macaroni Grill serves breakfast? I had an Italian omelet and it was quite good.

When I arrived in Columbus, it was snowing. I was headed to Canton, which is a two hour drive. As I headed north it kept snowing more and more and I really did not want to drive the whole way in a blizzard. I called Molly and asked her to check the weather on the internet. She said as I went north I would run out of the snow, and I did, until the last 30 miles into Canton, when it started up even heavier. I stopped at Wal-Mart for Diet Coke before checking in to the hotel and got a muffin at Panera. I really intended to check in, rest, and go somewhere for supper, but instead took two more Tylenol #3 and slept from 3 until 6:30. At that point, I ate the muffin and watched Law and Order reruns until I went back to sleep.

The drive back to Columbus on Thursday evening was without snow until about the last 10 minutes, but by morning the car was covered and it was snowing steadily. You guessed it. My flight on Friday evening was delayed leaving Columbus and I missed the Chicago connection by minutes. Flights out of O'Hare are always delayed 30 minutes to an hour, but not Friday. The one time I need for it to be late, it leaves within 15 minutes of when it is supposed to. I was rebooked on a 7:45 AM flight for Saturday morning. I got a room at a Renaissance Inn near the airport and made the best of it.

I was up at 5 AM, showered and got ready to leave the hotel on the 6 AM shuttle. As I started to leave the room my phone rang. It was American Airlines telling me the 7:45 flight was canceled and I was rebooked on a 9AM flight. So I ordered breakfast from room service and wrote reports.

Home looked wonderful!

Montana?

Last Monday I headed to Chicago to provide a 3-day Mock Survey. Great week!! Same client all three days equals only one report. Great hotel and didn't have to move. Home early Thursday afternoon.

It didn't work. I arrived at the facility only to find out another Polaris consultant had arrived about an hour earlier and had started the survey. Since this was supposed to be one consultant, three days, there was obviously a problem. I called the boss to let him know we were both there. He said he would check and call me back. We checked our e-mail and discovered she had been assigned on December 7 and I was assigned the facility on December 17. We decided to just proceed with both of us working the survey until we heard different. We would plan to finish on Wed, which would provide the client 4 days in stead of the contracted 3, and I would get to come home on Wednesday afternoon.

It didn't work. Victor called back around 4 and said he found out what the problem was and that it was 100% his fault. (We already knew that) He asked me how I felt about going to California to do a three day Mock Survey--Wed, Thur and Friday. Okay, I guess. So he said he would contact the client and get back to me. When I hadn't heard by 5 I figured I was headed home on Wednesday afternoon.

It didn't work. He called me back at 6 and said I was going to Montana. .....Montana? I wasn't excited about this adventure. Tuesday morning I started checking flight prices. It was going to be over $1,000 to get a flight from Chicago to Montana and back to Kansas City. Good news. Now I figure I AM headed home on Wednesday afternoon.

It didn't work. He talked with Travel and got the price down to $950 and I was headed to Kalispell, Montana Tuesday afternoon. There was a semi-blizzard going on in Chicago and flights were averaging delays of around 2 hours. I only had 1 1/2 hours to connect in Denver, so figured there was no way I would make the connection and called Marc and Susan to arrange for a bed for Tuesday night. But God must have been part of this plan. My plane left Chicago only 45 minutes late and I made it on my connecting plane with somewhere between 2 and 3 minutes to spare. I landed in Kalispell around 11. It was cold, but clear. The lady at the car rental desk gave me directions to the Hampton Inn. Unfortunately when I arrived, she had sent me to the Holiday Inn Express. I went into the Holiday Inn and asked where the Hampton Inn was. The clerk was very pleasant and understanding and provided me with good directions. I checked in and was in bed by a little after midnight.

Once I was there, it was really okay. Just the thought of all that travel and potential for disaster was a bit daunting when viewed from Chicago at noon. But it worked out well. The facility was nice and the staff great. We had a semi-blizzard there on Wednesday and low cloud cover on Thursday, so I didn't see the mountains, but I've been to Montana. And, since I had to go to Montana on a moments notice in the middle of snow storms, I thought I should get that assignment next summer when they are due for their next visit. So I'm planning to head back there in August and will plan a bit better, with a little down time to actually see the mountains. Kalispell and Columbia Falls (which is where the facility was located) are at the base of Glacier National Park. It should be a great trip.

It's a Blizzard

Last week I commented that travel had been pretty routine. No canceled flights. No lost luggage. Not even interesting and/or unique people to share. Well, that all changed this week when I was scheduled for Iowa and Omaha.



I started out on Monday, headed up 35 with the destination to be Cedar Rapids, Iowa. First I planned to go to David and Debbie's and have supper with them at this great little German Restaurant in Story City. It was 68 degrees in Kansas City when I left at about 2:00 About Cameron the temperature dropped to 45 over a 10 mile stretch and the fog rolled in. The fog lasted about 40 miles, then the temperature dropped to the mid thirties and the fog cleared. The road was fine, but there sure were lots of cars in the median and ditches as I drove through southern Iowa. About Des Moines, the fog came back and as dusk came upon me, I decided that I would skip dinner and go on to Cedar Rapids. Fog isn't fun in daylight, but I sure didn't want to be in a foggy dark any longer than I had to. The German Restaurant will be there next time.



I arrived in Cedar Rapids around 6:30 and made myself fill the car up before I went to the hotel. When I checked in, I discovered I was at the wrong Holiday Inn Express. I was at the one they usually scheduled me to be at, but for some reason this time the reservation was at the OTHER Cedar Rapids Holiday Inn. Fortunately, they called and negiotated for me to stay where I was.



I completed the visit and left early because it was starting to snow and 8-10 inches was predicted. Well, it arrived. I drove across Iowa on I-80 in the middle of it. What should have been a 4 1/2 hour drive at the most ended up taking 7 hours. There were times I though I should stop and find a hotel, but finding the exit and changing lanes seemed scarier than just staying in my lane and moving along. Des Moines was the very worst. The snow was heavy and there was a lot on the road already. I couldn't see the lane markings on the road, and was nervous about making the exit East to Omaha. Then add all those semi's into the equation and I was gripping the steering wheel with both hands and praying for steady nerves.

I arrived at the facility in Omaha around 9. When there I usually stay at a guest room at the facility instead of a hotel. Remember.....it's Super Tuesday. I get to the room and find I have NO TV!! Actually, I do have a TV. It's an elderly one, with a twist knob to turn it on and rabbit ears for reception. (Elderly TV in an elder care facilty....get it?) Unfortunately, the only channel I can come close to receiving is CBS with Katie, and she really annoys me. I did try to watch her, but that channel kept fading to snow, so I just gave up and went to sleep.

Heading home the next afternoon, the sky was blue and the roads were clear. It's is just amazing that we can erase such a storm so quickly.

It's Winter

It's been a cold time for travel. This time last year, my travel responsibilities took me to Arizona for two weeks. This year I am in Northern Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio. The miserable cold does take some of the fun out of the process. I am more inclined to go straight to the hotel, rather than explore. It's hard to even make myself shop!!

After so many winters when I never even took my heavy coat out of the closet, this is an awakening. Windshield scraping was rare. Last week I ended up in Cedar Falls, Iowa with nothing but a jacket and the temperature was a nice ZERO when I awoke. That evening I drove from Cedar Falls to Omaha which is about 4 1/2 hours and realized that if I had car trouble I was in a fix, with no coat or blanket in the car and no 'serviceable shoes'. I think that a cell phone makes me invincible, but there are those spots in the world which do not support cell phone use.

My lodging in Omaha was a guest room in the facility. As I watched the news that evening, I discovered a snow storm was expected to move in the next morning and last throughout the day. Sometimes things just work out. I usually provide only one day at a time at a facility, however, this time I was staying two days. I was already safely ensconced in the building and didn't have to leave until 24 hours after the snow was supposed to stop. When I started home two days later, the sun was out and the highway was clear.

I'm in Ohio this week and it is a deep freeze, too. It snowed yesterday, but today is bright and sunny. My week-end was very hectic and I packed in a rush, forgetting black socks and a black belt. I stopped at the mall here last night and bought the socks (you can never have too many pair of black socks), but I just couldn't force myself to buy another black belt. I already have three. So today, I have the shoe string from my athletic shoes threaded through my belt loops to keep my pants up. I think it's great that the pants are so big that I actually had to have something to keep them up!!

New Traveler

Last week was the Garden City gig. That flight is nearly always interesting. On the flight out, there were only three passengers. The pilot had us all sit in the very back to balance the plane. I was in the next to the back, with a fellow in the back seat who was into technology. He spent the first part of the flight working on his lap top. Then he put it away and got out some type of handheld thing that he kept messing with and looking out the window. Now I am low technology on airplanes and am embroidering a dish towel and watching him out of the corner of my eye, trying to figure out what he is doing. WELL, I finally got it. He had a hand held GPS and was watching our location as we flew over Kansas. I think that qualifies as electronic device that is NOT allowed as it uses radio frequency airwaves. That annoyed me. I really wanted to instruct him on his illegal activities, but tamed my tongue and hoped he would get off in Dodge City, which he did.

The flight home was more fun. We had a 'first time' flyer. I pegged him at security. He just didn't understand the whole 'liquid and gel in the zip lock bag' thing. After all, he only had a small tube of toothpaste. I saved the day by giving him the zip lock bag I keep my phone charger in. Then he was all worried about where his suitcase was. He had checked it, but when he got on the plane and saw the pilots luggage in the front closet, thought his should have been there, too. He travel companion told him his suitcase was in the back of the plane, but he was still skeptical and asked the pilot when he boarded the plane. He chose a seat over the wing and shortly after take off realized that was a mistake, he couldn't see out the window. Remember this is the Garden City flight and we have lots of open seats. He quickly started checking out the view from other seats and found one to his satisfaction. He watched everything intently. When we landed he thanked the pilot for a great flight and then started worrying about where the suitcase was. He started to the back of the plane where they were unloading, but they stopped him and told him it would be at the luggage carousel. It was fun to see someone so excited. Generally people are just going through the motions.

Now Carolyn would have visited with him and found out where he was from and where he was going and what for.... and probably how many children he had and his net worth. I wish I had, but I just haven't mastered the art of small talk with strangers. I'll keep working on it.

A 'Distressed Traveler'

When I made these reservations a couple of weeks ago, I knew it wouldn't work. The last flight out of Chicago on a Thursday night in January, especially with only a 55 minute time frame in which to make the connection, is just not a good idea. I hate it when I'm right.

I was scheduled to leave Kalamazoo at 8 PM. There was a lot of snow in Kalamazoo, but Thursday had been bright and sunny and according to most reports, there was no weather problem in Chicago, so I though I might actually luck out.

I left the nursing home about 6 and stopped at a great little restaurant called 'Fat Tony's'. It's right by the entrance to the airport and has good sandwiches and good wine. I always tell them what time the plane is leaving and they always get me fed and on my way in plenty of time. I figure I need to eat there, because I never have time to eat in Chicago between flights on the way home. Since I am usually on American flights, I leave at 7. This leaving at 8 on United was new and I hope never to do it again. The reason I took this flight is because I am supposed to manage my travel money and keep airfare below $500. I waited too late to make the reservation and the American flight exceeded the limit. United was about $100 less.

When I checked in the reservation clerk looked unhappy. My flight was to be at least 45 minutes late leaving Kalamazoo, which in the best case scenario would put me into Chicago with 10 minutes to make the connection. Remember, I would have to travel from Concourse F to Concourse C, which is a 10-15 minute trip whether you walk or take the shuttle. I decided to be stranded in a hotel in Kalamazoo rather than at Chicago O'Hare, sleeping on three seats with my belly possibly exposed and chilly. The reservation clerk called the Clarion Hotel for me and I heard her ask if they had any rooms available at a 'distressed traveler' rate. Seems they didn't have to be responsible for my bill because they didn't actually cancel the flight. It was just delayed. If I had gone on to Chicago and missed the flight, Chicago might have paid for a room, if one was available. Been there, done that, and it's too far to drive to Marc and Susan's from O'Hare.

So instead of coming home, I watched Obama beat Hillary in Iowa from the Clarion Hotel in Kalamazoo and came home on Friday morning. The hotel bill was $79, so in the end, I didn't really save anything by taking a different flight.

It's A New Year

It's a New Year and I'm headed to Kalamazoo. The plane left on time from Kansas City to O'Hare, but is delayed from here on to Kalamazoo. Apparently it is snowing in Kalamazoo. I have previously flown American to Kalamazoo and have those concourses and gates all figured out. United is a bit different and more spread out. I arrived on Concourse C and will leave from Concourse F. The flight attendant said there would be a shuttle available, which scared me a little. I imagined Kansas City and having to take the Red Bus and go back through security. When I headed out following the signs from C to F, I found you can actually walk, down escalators, along moving sidewalks, and up escalators and arrive at the F Concourse. I never did see a shuttle. Since I had two hours between flights (actually 3, since the flight is delayed) I had plenty of time to figure it out. I had a nice salad at Chili's and on the way back to the gate, saw a sign that said, "Shuttle to Concourse C". Since my return flight tomorrow only allows 55 minutes to get from on place to the next, I decided to check this system out. The shuttle bus runs every 10 minutes or so. I think I walked it in about that much time, and if I was standing waiting, I would be a nervous wreck. I think I'll just walk.

I found a quiet place to sit and read. There is one distracting thing about it. Across from me laying asleep on three seats is a gentleman with a stocking cap on and his belly exposed. I would think it might be a chilly belly. Another fellow has his computer plugged into the only outlet and is sound asleep with his head nodding over the machine. I wonder if he would notice if I unplugged him.