To HELL and Back, continued

Thank you to everyone for all your anniversary wishes! I will reply to each one momentarily. First I must share my hellish experience.

I was supposed to go see my sister in Florida for Monday and Tuesday. She lives in Germany but with her hubby in Iraq for an entire year, she needed some support and went to Florida to visit his family. This will probably be the last time we are on the same CONTINENT for some time so I decided I would hit up jetBlue and head out to see her.

She was staying in Jacksonville and I was to fly to Orlando (3 hours away from Jacksonville) via New York (JFK). First off, I am sitting on standby in Oakland. I was told fairly quickly that there would be no more standbys. This upset me and I (being over tired and emotional due to OTHER things) sat down and cried a little. Nothing too bad. Then, at the last minute, someone didn't show up so I got the last seat on the flight to JFK. I was very happy but also looked like I had been crying and EVERYONE on the plane (since they were already seated) saw me and my crying face. I HATE my crying face. I also despise crying in public.

So, 5 hours later, I get into JFK. I apparently didn't get checked in all the way through in OAK because everyone there besides Adri is RETARDED. This meant that I would not catch the Orlando flight because 10,000 people were ahead of me on standby. I didn't lose hope yet, however, all the flights we being delayed due to storms on the East Coast. I mean delayed for 3 hours! So, after missing out on 3 other flights to Orlando, the one flight I had the chance of getting on (5:55PM) had been delayed until 8PM, so, I call Michelle (my sis) and tell her what is going on. She says, "I know you have to leave for Australia on Thursday morning so if you don't get the next flight you should try to get home. Because by the time you get here you will just have to turn around and head home."

I went to go have a beer and eat something on my "emergency credit card." I was starving and had been in the airport since 2:30ish so I headed over to eat, it was a good hour and a half before they would even start BOARDING. So, I had a nice meal, chatted with some people who were heading out to Portland, drank my big ass beer and headed back to the jetBlue desk. The guy behind the counter, who looked a lot like Dave Gahan in his goatee days but with short hair, stated that I was not going to make it. There was no way.

Hearing this news I call Michelle and let her know. It is about 7:30 PM now, I am sweaty and hot (NEW YORK IS FUCKING HOT RIGHT NOW) I am tired and just want to go home. So, I go to the jetBlue desk to see if there are any flights back to OAK. I am informed that the last flight home has been bloody CANCELED. I inquire as to when the next flight is, promptly I am told it is at 7:10 AM. I try for Vegas flights, Long Beach flights, any flights that will just get me CLOSER to California. No luck. So, I am put on the standby list for the 7:10 AM flight, for which I must check in at 5 AM.

I ask if everyone who was on the OAK flight tonight (canceled) is going to be on THAT flight in the AM. The lady looks sorry and tells me most likely, yes. At this point I called...of all people...my parents. They had been ringing my phone off the hook to see if I had made it to FL anyway, so I called and explained everything. Considering that I had just traveled across the country, they searched and searched for a ticket to BUY me down to FL. No luck or ridiculously expensive were the outcomes. I had given up on FL, I just wanted to go home. But since I had no chance of that until the next morning I informed them I wanted a hotel and that I would use my emergency credit card to get it. They say, no, they will get me the room. So, they reserve a room for me at the Radisson on JFK. After taking the airtrain to a shuttle, sweating bullets the whole time due to the stupid heat, I arrive at the Radisson and relax.

That is, until, I walk up to check in. They find me on the computer and ask if I want to leave it on that card (my parent's card) I say yes just wanting to get my ass into a room, take a shower and chill. She asks for the card. I explain to her that the card is 3,000 miles away. She states she cannot check me in without it. I call my parents. They speak to the lady and arrange to fax a copy of the card, front and back as well as the ID bearing same name. Despite this wonderful idea, I have to WAIT for the fax before she can give me a room. My step-father has to buy the fax software (his trial period had ended), scan the stupid cards, and then send it. I stood there for about 10 minutes and then stated to the check-in clerk, "I'll be in the bar if you need me." I go to the bar, have a cocktail, anxious as all hell to get to my room. I receive a text from my parent's stating it is sent. I pay with my emergency credit card...AT THIS POINT A DRINK WAS AN EMERGENCY!!!! and FINALLY get a room.

I promptly go upstairs, strip out of my clothes in my WONDERFUL A/C chilled room. Take a shower and head downstairs to buy myself a bottle of wine. The man who rang up the wine asked the room service guy to grab two glasses. I corrected him and said, "No, just one glass." This was hilarious to these two men. ONe of them, who was rather hot, said "You going to party by yourself? You need company? I will keep you company." I politely declined his offer and went back upstairs with my bottle of wine and my one glass. Popped the tele on, poured myself some wine and kicked it.

The next morning I left all my luggage in the room, went to the airport to see if I could check in. No. Apparently my only chance of a flight was not until 6:15 PM. It was currently 5 AM. I turned around, went back to the hotel and crashed until check-out time (noon). Upon return to the airport it seems my luck had finally changed. I went ot the jetBlue counter and explained to the lady my situation. Then I told her, in a very friendly manner actually, ALL I WANT IS TO GET TO CALIFORNIA. I DON'T CARE WHERE! Long Beach, OAK, San Jose...SOMEWHERE. So at least once in the same state I could figure something out.

She was an angel from whatever heaven there is. A jetBLUE ANGEL! She told me that if she could do it fast enough, there was a flight boarding to Long Beach right then and it continued on to OAK. I would be on standby for both flights but I was checked in all the way through and good luck. Amazingly, I made it to the Long Beach flight just in time to hear a lady state to her supervisor "All standby's are ok to go." I almost cried I was so happy! I got on the flight and then once in Long Beach, they were announcing that if people wanted to change their seats on the OAK flight, they had tons of windows available, etc. Meaning, the flight was practically empty. I walked up and asked, what if you just WANT a seat in general? And I immediately got my seat and a whole row to myself. I thought everything was gonna be ok now.

UNTIL, I was waiting for airBART and had no cash. I couldn't buy a ticket with my card, so I didn't know what to do. Miraculously I found a BART ticket in my bag, however, airBart is $2 and the ticket was only $1.85. I gave it a shot and got on with a light scolding from the driver, figuring I could use my card to buy my BART ticket once at Coliseum. I step off airBART ALMOST HOME! Then, my card won't work to buy the ticket. I tried every machine. I knew that I had enough cash on the card so I inquired as to what the problem was with the folks in the both. They said that "Bart limits exceeded" which was the popular response to my card, meant I had tried to buy too many tickets that day or something like. I corrected them, no, it happened when I tried to by my FIRST ticket. I haven't tried any other tickets today.

After some arguing and explaining, the man wrote me a bill and let me on the train with all these threats that if it wasn't paid I would never get another driver's license, etc. I told him it would surely be paid. It was $3.15 for chrissake. I boarded the train. I never thought I would be so happy to be on a BART train in my LIFE. Upon arrival at Civic Center, Jools was there waiting for me to help pay the $3.15. When I tried to pay it, they just let me through. WTF?
I am going to mail the payment anyway. Someday I might want that driver's license renewal.

FINALLY, I got home. Worst. Trip. EVER. And I didn't even get to my destination. Fucking ridiculous.

Now, this may not sound so bad to you but let me explain one thing. I left SF at 5 AM on Monday morning. Flew 5 hours. Sat in an AIRPORT, a hot, humid sweaty packed airport until 8PM hoping to catch a flight. Rode a hot sweltering sweaty shutle to a hot sweat sweltering hotel LOBBY, where I spent at least another HOUR just seconds away from an AIR CONDITIONED ROOM. I went back to said airport at 5 AM to realize I was screwed. Checked out of the hotel (which I returned to via said shuttle) at 1 PM. And I did not get home until 9PM last night. Without ever getting where I was going.

I am NEVER flying jetBlue again without Adri being the one to check me in. THE END.