Connections

I had a quick business trip into Portland, Oregon. Portland is one of those few airports with a sushi restaurant. So, naturally, I stopped by the Rose City Cafe for some sushi before I made my way home. It was one of those strange trips that required a stopover in Los Angeles on the way up and on the way back. It seems a bit odd, since I used to go direct from Orange County or Los Angeles. There is a non-stop from San Diego, but it seemed to cost a bit more to go that route. Airline fares are as strange as they have ever been. I guess we can take some comfort in the fact that some things never change. Later.

Eye Of The Storm

It was a week of thunder and lightning storms throughout the journey into Seattle and Kansas City. I went out to dinner with a few collegaues last evening, and when we left the restaurant, the rain was coming down in sheets. The next morning, there was no trace of the storm. It's amazing to me how fast the storms of the evenings got erased from existence with such great speed. Okay, enough about the weather report. I'm back to my old schedule, and there's no stopping me now. Tomorrow, the world... or at least Portland. Later.

Rings Of Hell Revisited

A historic event has occurred. I decided to end the boycott of Continental Airlines. Given the fact that they were the only carrier that could get me to Harlingen, TX, in less than three segments, I decided that it was also practical. The only problem was the fact that I never actually made it to Harlingen using Continental. You see, I never had an on-time flight on Continental this week, or in the last few years, as I recall. Anyhow, I wound up in McAllen after midnight, without transportation. So, I was forced to rent the last vehicle in McAllen -- a dirty pickup truck. In other circumstances, the sight of me climbing into the cab would have been extremely comical.

So what ended the boycott? Even though this was one of those really bad trips, and they really couldn't do anything to really help me much at all, they were still professional about it. That's all I ask of an airline -- or any other service organization for that matter. No floggings. No cavity searches. No other invasive procedures.

Later.

Partially Frozen Over

I spent some personal time in San Francisco this weekend. I had forgotten that San Francisco is one of those places that you can freeze to death in the middle of the summer. It was personal time, but I never said that it was one of those relaxing trips. I had to do one of those uneasy family reunions. Anyhow, I'll let you read all about it in one of my other blogs.

I flew into San Jose, which was not as easy as it had been, when I flew back and forth in the heyday of Reno Air, before they got bought by American. I actually did fly on an American Eagle commuter back and forth. I even had to connect in Los Angeles, once again. Not too much of an exciting experience to report. This time, it was the purpose of the trip that overshadowed everything else. Again, I'll let you read all about it elsewhere, for those of you who know where to look.

Boycott Continental. Yep, I'm still at it.

Later.

Phoenix Rising Once Again

It's August, and I'm in Phoenix. This really sounds familiar for some reason. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I've flashed back two years into the past, when my friend and former colleague Kathy and I visited Phoenix about four or five times in August. It's hot, sticky, and just as you'd expect a place like Phoenix to be. Hey, at least there's some consistency in my life once again. The craziness has started once again, and I guess that's a normal state of being. The ride into Phoenix tonight was a bit reminiscent of some old wooden roller coasters that I remember from a couple of years back. Anyhow, I'm just here for the evening, and then it's back to the daily grind. Peace out.

Boycott Continental! At least for now.

Later.

Not Frozen Over Yet

I feel like a trailblazer once again. It's surprisingly warm in the evening in the little town of Blue Springs, Missouri, tonight. I'm in the middle of a quick trip to Kansas City to do a repeat of whatever magical sales presentation that I did earlier this year in Springfield. I've got a morning appointment that could have been done over the phone, but one of the upper echelons wanted a personal visit, so I'm on a quick overnight trip to wear my tie and shake a few hands. Hopefully, I'll be able to get out of here a little early. These days the travel seems to just get in the way of the day job. Now that's a real switch from the old days.

One thing's for sure, hell would have to freeze over, thaw out, and then freeze over again before I'd ever want to think about even wanting to work at my old company again. In the last job, it was one of the most dysfunctional experiences with some of the most destructive and sadistic management that I've ever seen. It was an eye-opening experience to finally be part of something special in this last year. Even with all of the extra corporate strategic work that I've taken on in the last several months, I don't think I'd ever want to trade it in for anything.

Boycott Continental. Yes, I still mean it.

Later.

The Adventure Continues

I had lost my site for a few weeks, but I have returned. I'm currently trapped in Atlanta for the night, and I owe it all to an annoying gate agent/witch at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport. It was a short seven hour ride in from Philadelphia, in which we were trapped on the airplane on the ground for an hour while my flight to San Diego took off. Normally, that wouldn't bother me too much, because I can always find a way home. I found the way, since the Los Angeles flight had some room. However, the gate agent had a vendetta against me for some reason. The agents on the phone instructed me to get to the Los Angeles flight, but the gate agent pretty much destroyed all hopes of my return home. Hey, the ranting continues on and on and on . . . It's good to be back.

Boycott Continental. (And I'm not too crazy about Delta after this incident, either)

Later.

Vacation

I entered the world of the leisure traveler once again. I'm doing this a lot more lately. Anyhow, it was a whirlwind trip to Honolulu. I've noticed that Los Angeles seemed to have a few cutbacks in personnel lately. Even with the cutbacks, the security line seemed to move nicely. The airport in Honolulu seemed to be a bit more problematic. The ticket lines and security lines were reminiscent of an oil painting.

After the trip to Honolulu, I actually spent some time in San Diego. I had a friend over for a few days, and we toured San Diego and enjoyed the fact that we didn't have to be tied to any type of schedule. For the first time in several years, I think I finally had a chance to relax and have some fun. I've been taking myself way too seriously for way too long.

Boycott Continental! I mean it, you know.

Later.

Homecoming

It's been quite a while since I've taken the long trip off the beaten path into the past. I started with a slight detour to Neptune -- New Jersey. Anyhow, I had some business in Durham, North Carolina, one of my former residences. Unfortunately, I had a brief fifteen hours in town, and none of my friends seemed to be picking up their phones that afternoon. I had to rush back to finish up my remaining assignments at the office before I take a few vacation days next week. I'm off to Los Angeles and Honolulu for the weekend, and then it's back home for me.

Boycott Continental. I really mean it, you know.

Later.

Back In Circulation

It's been quite a wild ride for the last few weeks. After several months of being office-bound, I returned to the field. When I return, I really go overboard. I've been to Salinas, Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit, Jackson, Tampa, Miami, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Philadelphia in the last couple of weeks. While it was nice being back in circulation, I am reminded that perhaps there is some sort of happy medium between the really nutty schedule of the last few weeks, and the total absense of travel in the last couple of months. Anyhow, I'm really tired right now. I think I need some sleep.

Boycott Continental. You know you want to.

Later.

Looking Upward

I'm beginning to forget what the airport looks like. It's been about a month since I've been up in the air. It's been close to a decade since that's happened. Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure that all of my readers (all two or three of you) knew that I was still alive. I've been office bound for the last couple of months, but all of that is about to change, as trade show season continues. I'm off to Detroit, Jackson, Tampa, and Pittsburgh in May. I never thought I'd be this happy to see the airport.

Boycott Continental! Yep, I still remembered!

Later.

Speeding Through San Diego

I've been traveling a lot less lately. I did have the opportunity to do a quick day trip to Dallas last week, though. It's still nice that the people at the San Diego airport have quickly gotten to know me over the past year. I always seem to just make it to the airport lately. I had a whole ten minutes to spare this time. Last time, I cut it a bit close with only three minutes to spare. It's a good thing I still have elite status with the airlines. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to get through the security lines at warp speed.

Boycott Continental!

Later.

There's No Place Like Springfield (Again) . . .

This time, it's Springfield, MO. Yes, once again I returned to Springfield. To the left, there's an empty field. To the right, another empty field. Hmm. I'm sensing a pattern here. Anyhow, this is my only trip for the month, so I guess I'd better write about it. It was a quick trip up to Springfield, but the flights were busier than normal. In fact, even with my multi-million-miler status, I couldn't get out of those center seats on the way up and back. Despite that, I still say . . .

Boycott Continental! Yes, I really mean it.

Later.

Double Connections

To avoid Continental, I had to travel on a double connection on American from San Diego to Los Angeles to Chicago to Indianapolis. Unfortunately, when you have a couple of extra variables in the mix, there are a few more things that can go wrong with the trip. My flight in Los Angeles was delayed by a few hours, which would cause a misconnect in Chicago, where there was some weather issue. Well, I decided to catch the earlier flight out of Los Angeles, and had my luggage moved to the earlier flight. Well, when you are in the middle of LAX with multiple flights that are delayed, the chances of having you and your luggage arriving at the same time are not very good. By some miracle of American Airlines, my luggage actually made it to Indianapolis that night, and so did I. The moral of the story -- Boycott Continental. It actually works out in the end.

Boycott Continental! Yes, I do mean it.

Later.

Going To The Show

I just returned from a trade show in Dallas. Before that, it was a week's worth of a national sales meeting. To say that I'm tired would be the understatement of the year. Anyhow, it wasn't the show or the meeting that really drained me. It was the effort that I had to use to get out of the center seat that I was stuck in for the long trip home. It took six phone calls, three ticket agents, and finally a long begging session with the gate agent to get me out of the center seat. Hey, I wound up in the bathroom aisle. But at least it was an aisle.

Boycott Continental. I mean it, now.

Later.

A Time To Thaw

I'm hoping that this has been my last trip through the snow. I just returned from Duluth, MN, in the winter. Let me repeat that. I just returned from Duluth in the winter. Prior to Duluth, I spent the day in Minneapolis. Before that, it was a couple of days of Milwaukee. Just before that it was Ann Arbor, Michigan. I've definitely been breaking my "no snow" rule as of late. The flight delays seem to be getting longer and longer. I've been noticing that I've been spending a lot more time sitting on a plane that is stalled somewhere on the runway, waiting in that eternal line prior to take-off. I've actually had a lot more misconnects and delays in the last few months. Looking at airline statistics, I've noticed that the average wait time for take-off has definitely increased over the previous year.

It's time for me to thaw. I'm off to Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days. It will be a relief not to have to pack that heavy winter coat.

Boycott Continental. The grudge continues.

Later.

Spin

If you've read this month's main column, you already know that I've been traveling through the winter wonderland of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota this month. My job is in marketing these days, and part of what I do requires a process called "spinning." Basically, this just means that I find a way to place a positive (or negative) way of presenting facts. Well, I had an experience last week that gave new meaning to the the spinning process. I was in Ypsilanti. That's in Michigan, near Ann Arbor, for those of you who are interested. I was in a rental car on my way back to the airport. It was snowing and a bit icy on the road. As I am one of those overly cautious drivers, I slowed down to 15 mph for the turn onto the freeway. However, being unaccustomed to the fact that brakes should not be used while on ice, I wound up spinning the car 360 degrees in slow motion. This was one of the most disturbing experiences that I have had in a while. Anyhow, I didn't crash into anything, but I wound up in a ditch buried deep in the snow with a small tree in front of me. When I backed up, I dug myself deeper in the snow. So, contrary to all of the rules of logic, I decided to drive forward into the tree. Strange as it may seem, that did the trick -- I spun around and popped right back onto the freeway onramp.

Well, that was my mini-adventure in the Detroit area. Next, I'm headed for Minneapolis. And yes, I'm still going to be behind the wheel -- at least until someone decides that I can have a driver. Maybe I can put a better spin on this story so my company will hire a driver for me... Hmmm.

Boycott Continental! I mean it, now.

Later.

Return To Portland

Once again, I'm off to Portland this evening. It's very nice to be back on the playing field again. After a few weeks on the ground, it's quite refreshing to be back in the air once again. It's going to be a quick trip to Portland to do truly act as a consultant. I'm not really sure why I'm going, but I was asked to be there just in case. I guess it would be a good thing to actually find out why I'm going, so I'll add that to my list of things to do tomorrow.

Boycott Continental! My name is Brent, and I fly American! Can I be on the commercial, too?

Later.

Holiday Greetings

Happy Holidays to all! I'm enjoying semi-retirement. Really! I've managed to avoid the hustle and bustle of holiday travel for the first time in many years. The only downside was the fact that I had to be on-call at the corporate office during the holiday week. I actually wound up going into the office just about every day this week. Once again, old habits die hard. Almost all of the major work is completed, so it should be a short day tomorrow. The adventures at 30,000 feet resume on Monday -- onward to Portland. Oregon, not Maine again.

Happy New Year! Boycott Continental!

Later.

Real Life Sequel

I was just in Phoenix this weekend -- well, let's say I was passing through the Phoenix airport, when suddenly, a page was heard overhead... "Captain Oveur. Captain Clarence Oveur. Please pick up the white courtesy phone. " Sounds like a normal page doesn't it? For those of you who do not recognize the reference, this comes from the movie Airplane! Well, if that wasn't bad enough, a few seconds later, the same voice overhead announced, "No, the white phone."

Something told me that sanity had gone right out the window. After all, an hour earlier, I saw the lit up sign on one of the gates -- Flight: HoHo. Departing: Dec24 Destination: North Pole. Limit 8 reindeer per Santa Claus.

Since sanity has completely left the building, it's time for me to keep my feet on the ground for the rest of the year. So, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. The adventures will continue next year. Really! I already have a trip scheduled on January 3rd, and I'm sure there will be a lot more to tell.

Boycott Continental! Where would we be without a little consistency in the universe?

Later.