36 hours of my life, gone

It didn't start out very good.

I had to go to Sacramento for a Friday morning meeting, and Sacramento is a long way from Indianapolis. I had a meeting scheduled for 12:30 on Thursday, so I couldn't leave for the airport till 1:30. That was cutting it close for a 3:15 flight. In the rain. But I chatted with Mom on the way and found out she got a job. Go Momma!

The parking garage was full, but it stopped raining. I still don't understand how airlines share flights. I booked through USAir but I had to check in with United. I swore never to fly United again after they lost my luggage, remember? This was a bad sign. There was a really long line, but not many wanting to carry on their luggage. There was one frazzled lady at the kiosk, and I thought she was done, but clearly she was not. And she was grumpy about it.
I made it through a long security line. Had to take my shoes off. Ugh.
More good news: the flight was delayed by about 40 minutes.
Everything going to Chicago was cancelled or delayed, and that meant there were lots of grumpy people in the airport, not just at check-in.
My connection out of Denver was also delayed, so I had time to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, Pizza Hut pizza in an airport is nasty. And Pizza Hut garlic butter for my breadsticks tasted like water with a greasy yellow crayon dunked in it.

The next leg of my flight was uneventful, except that I left my Scrapbook Answers magazine in the seatback pocket. Grrrrr. At least I'd already left the included answers disc at home.

The Sacramento airport was fine, though the rental car guy was not so helpful. And after I got on the road I noticed the car only had 3/4 tank of gas. It was 27 miles to the hotel, and as long as I kept it under 75 miles total, there was a $9.50 gas charge. That was a big deal in my opinion.

The trip started out bad. The hotel website directions from the airport said to get on I-5. Not I-5N, not I-5S. Just I-5. Luckily, my contact in Sacramento answered her phone and could think on her feet. South!, she yelled back at me. Then we said hello. The next step was to take I-80 (east) which turns into the 50. I took the 80 for about 15 miles. No 50. I called Serena again. Um, you are on the wrong highway. Come back. Turning around, she decided to talk me in from where I was. With the assistance of Mapquest, she led me directly to the hotel over the next 24 minutes. Unfortunately, the concierge level (free food and drink) was closing just as I got there. We grabbed a bottled water and made plans to meet at 7:15am. That should be easy, since that would be 10:15am my time.

At 7:15 the next morning I was to meet for breakfast, but wait, change of plans. I went directly to the client site with the promise of bagels. We didn't get a break till 10:00 (that'd be 1:00pm my time for those of you keeping track) and I snarfed a bagel. By 12:30 we were finally walking over to the cafeteria. In 105 degree heat. In a suit. And heels.

By 2:00, I needed to leave for the airport. With written directions, I headed out. Thankfully, my car registered 73 miles, so I didn't have to stop for gas. I hopped off the bus at Terminal B for United this time (there was no US Airways listed, so I figured I was safe). WRONG! My ticket was actually on America West. In Terminal A. Now, I could wait for the rental car bus and go back to the lot, then back to Terminal A, or I could walk it. I changed into shorts and sneakers and hit the (very hot) pavement. My kiosk wouldn't give me a receipt (required by the government expense folks) so I had to wait while Mr. Executive Businessman not only griped and complained about getting on an earlier flight, but he wanted first class. I was just happy to be in the right terminal finally.

I met that guy at security and not only did he get the earlier flight, they did put him in first class. Unfortunate for him, he chose my line. The one with the screener trainee. At least I didn't get frisked.

By now, I was on the verge of tears anyway ... what a day ... but I hit a run of good luck. Were were on time! Well, we started out that way. Somewhere near our connection in Phoenix, a storm kicked up. The pilot announced we'd be circling for a while, but, um, we were almost out of gas. You'd think a plane running on fumes would be given priority landing status. Not so much. Back to Ontario Calif for refueling. Here's where the real fun began.

Our pilot was very close to 'timing out'. For all you non-fliers, that means you are definitely in big trouble. Pilots are only allowed to fly a certain number of hours per day, with required breaks in between. The overall number of hours in the air is monitored daily, weekly and monthly. Our pilot had had a long day, and we had exactly 30 minutes to get our plane in the air, or he would be grounded. And we would be grounded. Suffice it to say, they don't keep extra crews hanging around to relieve grounded pilots. Cut to 29 min and 30 seconds later, and we were in the air. Yes, with 30 seconds to spare. The cheers subsided and my seat mate (a nice Canadian pipefitter with a daughter named Ally) commented, "so, we are cheering for the guy driving our plane, who is now due a nap?". HMMMMM.

You would think all would now be well. You'd be wrong. Lots of folks were freaking out about missing their connections. With a wry grin the flight attendants explained that everyone was late, so the connection planes were probably still hanging around. Unfortunately, Mr. Edmonton would be stuck for two days if he missed his flight. I let him out ahead of me ... my carry on luggage was stowed 6 rows behind my seat. I can't believe the world hasn't read and adhered to tip #2.

My connection to Indy was delayed. I had only a short wait before we boarded, but Mother Nature (or was it SATAN?) had other plans. Another storm hit the airport and we sat on the runway. This time, I was in the middle seat (ew) of the bulkhead row (no storage for my bag, except the overhead bin). This plane was equipped with video, which is nice for a 3.5 hour flight. Unless it is leaving at 1 am ET. Then the video screen right in front of your head is a little annoying. My neighbors were at least bearable. The gentleman on the aisle liked him some Bloody Marys and the young lady at the window didn't snore. She did, however, squirt perfume before she deplaned. I should add that to my tips.

We finally arrived at 4:00 am. I was home and collapsed into bed by 4:45. You can make pretty good time on the interstate at 4:00 am. I was surprised by the number of cars on the highway, and the number of fast food restaurants open all night. Thanks to my family, who let me sleep late on Saturday. I needed it.