Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Baking
I'm making Chex Mix today and pulled out the onion powder only to find that the 20 oz pkg was a solid brick. Somewhere along the line the cap was probably left open and moisture got in. But... I needed onion powder so I used my knife and got as much out of the container as I could then pulled out a mortar & pestle and squished it into submission so I could use it. Then I found the expiration date... Aug '07. So a grocery store run was in order.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sensory Overload
Since I've been back in Virginia, I've been out tagging along with Christmas shopping. I can tell the pace of life is MUCH different. Now, keep in mind I'm in Norfolk/Virginia Beach. This is not Boston, NYC or anything big. First off, driving at highway speeds took a little getting used to. It was a bit dizzying. Then I get to the stores... you know what effect in TVs and movies where the world starts moving, almost like a psychedelic thing. Well, that's what happened to me in both of the stores I went to on Sat. I had to go to a part of the store that no one was in - purses.
I'm braving the mall tonight- wish me luck.
I'm braving the mall tonight- wish me luck.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Temp Gym
I'm slowly catching up to the speed of things here and just got my temporary gym membership today so I can stave off the insanity while i'm back. My dad is my gym buddy for the next couple weeks so i'm hopefully not going to have a problem being dragged out of bed
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Down the Rabbit-Hole... a Jetsetting adventure like few others
Ladies and Gentleman... Step right up... A tale of wonder and excitement, new friends and lack of sleep. Just imagine yourself there every step of the way.
Scheduled: Saturday: BET => ANC (2:30pm flight)... ANC=> SEA (6:30 PM flight)... Overnight stay in Seattle... Sunday: SEA =>MDW (Chicago)(8:30) & MDW=> ORF (Norfolk)(5 PM)
Actuality:
Saturday: I arrived at airport early and check my bags, then went to grab food and check out a little store above one of the airlines (got some etched bone hairsticks). We got through security and boarded the plane and sat there. We sat for about 1.5 hrs then we were told we were de-boarding because they had to turn off electric on the plane to work on a mechanical issue. We headed to the security area and were told to sit tight until they could take care of the problem. We couldn't leave the security area and go back in the terminal (which does not have any food or shops or anything). They brought in mechanics in and went to town.
At 4:00, we were given a card to fill out and get 2000 free miles for our mileage plan. At 4:30, we were told they were still working on the problem. But that if we didn't get out of there by 5:30 we weren't going anywhere. So at that point the 'released' the flight so we could head out into the lobby area.
At 5:30, our flight was cancelled and we were given another card to get mileage or discount of future flight. So I called my ride and headed back home. Get re-booked Sunday for the same time since there was no Sat evening or Sun morning flight, ordered dinner (I didn't want to do dishes again), called dad to work on getting my connecting flight from Seattle and my hotel back a day and then I passed out on the couch (I'd just put nice new flannel sheets on the bed and made it up so pretty for when I get home- I didn't want to make it ugly again).
Sunday: Take 2... Headed to the airport again and checked luggage and due to lack of extra seats on the plane, I propped up against the wall and opened my kindle to pass the time. Suddenly, I had a new friend. He sat his lil 3 year old booty down about 6 feet from me. About a minute later, he looked at me over his Nintendo DS, sized me up and shifted a foot closer- and when back to his game. A minute or so later, he sized me up again and scootched a little closer and went back to his game. Then again, and again, and again until he was hip to hip with me and showing me all about his game. Dad was watching and elbowed mom till they pulled out a camera and took pictures of my new friend playing fun games with me on the phone he'd borrowed from somebody.
At 3:30 (1 hr late), there's an announcement that we don't have a plane yet. It has yet to leave Anchorage due to crappy weather. So we sit and we wait and eventually we get a plane and board. After we're loaded there's an announcement that we're heading to Anchorage but if weather turns bad we'll be re-routed to Fairbanks.
6 PM (still in flight), we're told we're heading to Fairbanks. After the announcement was made we had a bit of time left until we landed so I headed to the loo. Just as I head back out and turn to make my way down the aisle back to my seat we hit a nasty bit of turbulence. A flight attendant and I both came out of the bathrooms at the same time and we didn't even have time to close the doors before the trip got super bumpy. The 2 flight attendants back with me wouldn't let me head back to my seat. And just as they tell me not to go, we lose gravity. Yes, you read that correctly, I was looking up at the front of the plane and we dropped so suddenly that objects on tray tables left the table and ended up multiple inches above the tables before they dropped suddenly. A few seconds later, it happened again. Very quickly, it was decided that I'd stay in the back of the plane and ride everything out in a jumpseat, which is not really allowed but at the same time is wayyyy safer than walking up the aisle in that kind of turbulence. Joys of fantastic weather, right? a few minutes later we steady out and I'm escorted by both attendants back to my seat. Quickly.
6:45pm... we land and were directed to the ticket counter. They make an overhead announcement asking us to call the airline via phone and try to get to a new flight and to help them get through the line quicker. There were 3+ flights that all got cancelled and we were in line for 3 ticket people (that's over 100 customers per employee). I was able to get customer service on the line (with a really bad connection). I told them I didn't care what combinations of flights I took, but I needed to get to Seattle in time to catch an 8am flight the next morning. After looking into my options, they were able to reserve the last seat for me on the Red-Eye that left Fairbanks at 1:30 am and arrived in Seattle at 4:30am. BUT, I had to wait in line and talk to an agent at the desk because so close to the flight, they couldn't add my name to the flight list. I got in line crossing my fingers that the reservation held. We hear overhead announcements that they're asking passengers to pick up our bags on the carousel. Needless to say, none of us wanted to give up our spot in line. People were getting spots on flights for the next day at 3:30 and then 5:30 as the earlier flight filled so everybody was pretty upset. I sat in line for another 45 minutes and waited my turn patiently. Then as she's booking my change, she asks if I'm ready to check in. "Um, yes, except that my luggage is on the baggage carousel since I've been in line." Her eyes got big, "Please go get it and come right back." I hauled butt and ran to the carousel to grab my bag (luckily it was just around the corner) and ran back. Then I was handed a boarding pass and headed through to security. It was about 8:30 pm at that point but I was ticketed and on the next flight out that was going to get me into Seattle in enough time for my flight in the morning from the West Coast to the East by way of Albuquerque, Chicago and finally Norfolk.
Getting through security and with 5 hours to kill my stomach starts with the hunger pangs (also realizing I hadn't eaten all day) so I wander to the one and only cafe in the 6 gate terminal (out of a single terminal for the whole airport). After getting a turkey and cheese, apple, orange juice and water I headed to the one and only shop in the terminal and checked out the snack selection for later and also decided since I didn't have a change of clothes so I opted to buy a shirt, souvenir of my Holiday Jet Setting Adventure. This t-shirt had a band of hikers through the mountains of Alaska and so my new Fairbanks t-shirt says... "Bring a compass, it's awkward when you have to eat your friends." I agreed with the sentiment so the shirt is now mine.
I hopped my red-eye and hoped to get some sleep but it somehow eluded me. Plane landed in Seattle and my feet carried me straight to the baggage claim and by some Travel-God mystery I was the ONLY person waiting at the claim and my bags were first off the plane. So I turned right around and headed to the Southwest counter around the corner and checked my luggage for the final day of travel and headed into security, AGAIN, only to have to track down my gate. See, Southwest puts on your boarding pass the departure city and the arrival city, but if you have a stop in another location, there's no mention on your boarding pass. This is only a problem when flights are listed on the departure and arrival board as the next city on the route. So my boarding pass said SEA=> MDW (Seattle=>Chicago-Midway), the only problem is that the airline listed the flight as Albuquerque on the departure board so I had a hell of a time finding my flight listed and eventually just went to a gate employee and asked what gate I should go with my flight number. It took a minute to be understood with the delirium that comes after 18 hrs of literal travel and 24 before that of being in limbo- but I located my gate and took a seat waiting it out till it was time to board. About 2 minutes into waiting I realized I was overheating fast with my Monkey Fur (fleece jacket) so I hit up the giftshop and found a lightweight sweatshirt from Seattle that is big and cozy and perfect for plane rides.
By some miracle, Monday's traveling was practically smooth sailing. Everything went as planned and I actually arrived about 25 minutes early in Norfolk. By this point the rotating baggage claim wheel made me dizzy and I just wanted to be done. So 1 shower and a soggy salad later (which was amazing even if they put the dressing on it too early) I felt pretty good. I wasn't seeing things that the caterpillar would have created but I felt a little like the Mad Hatter still but I got back, in one piece and all is relatively well in the land of warmth. I even wore flipflops the day after landing (today) and went on my merry way.
Scheduled: Saturday: BET => ANC (2:30pm flight)... ANC=> SEA (6:30 PM flight)... Overnight stay in Seattle... Sunday: SEA =>MDW (Chicago)(8:30) & MDW=> ORF (Norfolk)(5 PM)
Actuality:
Saturday: I arrived at airport early and check my bags, then went to grab food and check out a little store above one of the airlines (got some etched bone hairsticks). We got through security and boarded the plane and sat there. We sat for about 1.5 hrs then we were told we were de-boarding because they had to turn off electric on the plane to work on a mechanical issue. We headed to the security area and were told to sit tight until they could take care of the problem. We couldn't leave the security area and go back in the terminal (which does not have any food or shops or anything). They brought in mechanics in and went to town.
At 4:00, we were given a card to fill out and get 2000 free miles for our mileage plan. At 4:30, we were told they were still working on the problem. But that if we didn't get out of there by 5:30 we weren't going anywhere. So at that point the 'released' the flight so we could head out into the lobby area.
At 5:30, our flight was cancelled and we were given another card to get mileage or discount of future flight. So I called my ride and headed back home. Get re-booked Sunday for the same time since there was no Sat evening or Sun morning flight, ordered dinner (I didn't want to do dishes again), called dad to work on getting my connecting flight from Seattle and my hotel back a day and then I passed out on the couch (I'd just put nice new flannel sheets on the bed and made it up so pretty for when I get home- I didn't want to make it ugly again).
Sunday: Take 2... Headed to the airport again and checked luggage and due to lack of extra seats on the plane, I propped up against the wall and opened my kindle to pass the time. Suddenly, I had a new friend. He sat his lil 3 year old booty down about 6 feet from me. About a minute later, he looked at me over his Nintendo DS, sized me up and shifted a foot closer- and when back to his game. A minute or so later, he sized me up again and scootched a little closer and went back to his game. Then again, and again, and again until he was hip to hip with me and showing me all about his game. Dad was watching and elbowed mom till they pulled out a camera and took pictures of my new friend playing fun games with me on the phone he'd borrowed from somebody.
At 3:30 (1 hr late), there's an announcement that we don't have a plane yet. It has yet to leave Anchorage due to crappy weather. So we sit and we wait and eventually we get a plane and board. After we're loaded there's an announcement that we're heading to Anchorage but if weather turns bad we'll be re-routed to Fairbanks.
6 PM (still in flight), we're told we're heading to Fairbanks. After the announcement was made we had a bit of time left until we landed so I headed to the loo. Just as I head back out and turn to make my way down the aisle back to my seat we hit a nasty bit of turbulence. A flight attendant and I both came out of the bathrooms at the same time and we didn't even have time to close the doors before the trip got super bumpy. The 2 flight attendants back with me wouldn't let me head back to my seat. And just as they tell me not to go, we lose gravity. Yes, you read that correctly, I was looking up at the front of the plane and we dropped so suddenly that objects on tray tables left the table and ended up multiple inches above the tables before they dropped suddenly. A few seconds later, it happened again. Very quickly, it was decided that I'd stay in the back of the plane and ride everything out in a jumpseat, which is not really allowed but at the same time is wayyyy safer than walking up the aisle in that kind of turbulence. Joys of fantastic weather, right? a few minutes later we steady out and I'm escorted by both attendants back to my seat. Quickly.
6:45pm... we land and were directed to the ticket counter. They make an overhead announcement asking us to call the airline via phone and try to get to a new flight and to help them get through the line quicker. There were 3+ flights that all got cancelled and we were in line for 3 ticket people (that's over 100 customers per employee). I was able to get customer service on the line (with a really bad connection). I told them I didn't care what combinations of flights I took, but I needed to get to Seattle in time to catch an 8am flight the next morning. After looking into my options, they were able to reserve the last seat for me on the Red-Eye that left Fairbanks at 1:30 am and arrived in Seattle at 4:30am. BUT, I had to wait in line and talk to an agent at the desk because so close to the flight, they couldn't add my name to the flight list. I got in line crossing my fingers that the reservation held. We hear overhead announcements that they're asking passengers to pick up our bags on the carousel. Needless to say, none of us wanted to give up our spot in line. People were getting spots on flights for the next day at 3:30 and then 5:30 as the earlier flight filled so everybody was pretty upset. I sat in line for another 45 minutes and waited my turn patiently. Then as she's booking my change, she asks if I'm ready to check in. "Um, yes, except that my luggage is on the baggage carousel since I've been in line." Her eyes got big, "Please go get it and come right back." I hauled butt and ran to the carousel to grab my bag (luckily it was just around the corner) and ran back. Then I was handed a boarding pass and headed through to security. It was about 8:30 pm at that point but I was ticketed and on the next flight out that was going to get me into Seattle in enough time for my flight in the morning from the West Coast to the East by way of Albuquerque, Chicago and finally Norfolk.
Getting through security and with 5 hours to kill my stomach starts with the hunger pangs (also realizing I hadn't eaten all day) so I wander to the one and only cafe in the 6 gate terminal (out of a single terminal for the whole airport). After getting a turkey and cheese, apple, orange juice and water I headed to the one and only shop in the terminal and checked out the snack selection for later and also decided since I didn't have a change of clothes so I opted to buy a shirt, souvenir of my Holiday Jet Setting Adventure. This t-shirt had a band of hikers through the mountains of Alaska and so my new Fairbanks t-shirt says... "Bring a compass, it's awkward when you have to eat your friends." I agreed with the sentiment so the shirt is now mine.
I hopped my red-eye and hoped to get some sleep but it somehow eluded me. Plane landed in Seattle and my feet carried me straight to the baggage claim and by some Travel-God mystery I was the ONLY person waiting at the claim and my bags were first off the plane. So I turned right around and headed to the Southwest counter around the corner and checked my luggage for the final day of travel and headed into security, AGAIN, only to have to track down my gate. See, Southwest puts on your boarding pass the departure city and the arrival city, but if you have a stop in another location, there's no mention on your boarding pass. This is only a problem when flights are listed on the departure and arrival board as the next city on the route. So my boarding pass said SEA=> MDW (Seattle=>Chicago-Midway), the only problem is that the airline listed the flight as Albuquerque on the departure board so I had a hell of a time finding my flight listed and eventually just went to a gate employee and asked what gate I should go with my flight number. It took a minute to be understood with the delirium that comes after 18 hrs of literal travel and 24 before that of being in limbo- but I located my gate and took a seat waiting it out till it was time to board. About 2 minutes into waiting I realized I was overheating fast with my Monkey Fur (fleece jacket) so I hit up the giftshop and found a lightweight sweatshirt from Seattle that is big and cozy and perfect for plane rides.
By some miracle, Monday's traveling was practically smooth sailing. Everything went as planned and I actually arrived about 25 minutes early in Norfolk. By this point the rotating baggage claim wheel made me dizzy and I just wanted to be done. So 1 shower and a soggy salad later (which was amazing even if they put the dressing on it too early) I felt pretty good. I wasn't seeing things that the caterpillar would have created but I felt a little like the Mad Hatter still but I got back, in one piece and all is relatively well in the land of warmth. I even wore flipflops the day after landing (today) and went on my merry way.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Daylight and Temp
Sunrise: 10:40 AM
Sunset: 4: 36 PM
Temp: a Warm 34 degrees... Now when I say that I mean that compared to the -14 degrees with -40 windchill, this feels completely warm. Yesterday when I left the gym I didn't wear my coat and just carried it.
Sunset: 4: 36 PM
Temp: a Warm 34 degrees... Now when I say that I mean that compared to the -14 degrees with -40 windchill, this feels completely warm. Yesterday when I left the gym I didn't wear my coat and just carried it.
Friday, December 2, 2011
reschedule
By 11am 2 of my 3 afternoon patients had cancelled. There was a thick layer of fog around and it was causing trouble for planes. My right hand opted to call my 3rd afternoon pt and see if they were planning on coming. The conversation went something like this...
One would hope someone wouldn't go out on a partially thawed river, but if you're that desperate to see the doctor, who knows what someone would do.
"Hi, I'm calling from the audiology clinic at the hospital. I know it's pretty bad weather out there today so I was calling to see if you were planning on keeping your appointment."
"Well, I was planning on driving down on the river in somebody's truck but it's been so warm this week I was really nervous about the river thawing out (note: high of 27 this week, low of -14)."
"Well, if you'd like we can reschedule you."
"That would be great. I'm so glad you called, you probably saved my life."
One would hope someone wouldn't go out on a partially thawed river, but if you're that desperate to see the doctor, who knows what someone would do.
Happy December everybody. Even with the cold, it doesn't quite feel like the Holiday season yet. I haven't seen much in the way of holiday decorations yet though. Not sure what traditions tend to be around here. Maybe people just don't put out outdoor lights and decorations because of the extreme cold and wind and curtains are closed for various reasons. I don't know. Maybe I'll find out at some point.
On the flip side, next weekend I get to spend 2 days traveling to head home for Christmas and New Years... Cross your fingers for me. I'm going to have to dress in layers since I'll be leaving a negative temperature environment to a 50-65 degree temperature (still kinda blows my mind).
Oh well... today is pretty foggy (roughly 100ft visibility this morning on my way to work). Takes some serious concentration to drive in in the dark at 8am, but people are good about slowing down and taking time, etc.
Off to see patients. Happy Friday!
On the flip side, next weekend I get to spend 2 days traveling to head home for Christmas and New Years... Cross your fingers for me. I'm going to have to dress in layers since I'll be leaving a negative temperature environment to a 50-65 degree temperature (still kinda blows my mind).
Oh well... today is pretty foggy (roughly 100ft visibility this morning on my way to work). Takes some serious concentration to drive in in the dark at 8am, but people are good about slowing down and taking time, etc.
Off to see patients. Happy Friday!
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