I really should have driven...
Jun. 22nd, 2008 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
billeylerOkay, I'm chalking this one up to experience.
I'm sitting at the Denver airport, where I arrived 2 1/2 hours early. My 7:45pm flight to Albuquerque is delayed...by 4 hours and 10 minutes (we'll see if I actually DO leave at midnight, as it's been rescheduled). There was no connecting flight to anywhere else that goes to ABQ that wasn't already full with stand-bys. The flight to Amarillo was about to leave, but I would have had to wait until 7:50am to get the ONLY flight of the day from there to ABQ. (Amarillo is 4 hours east of ABQ).
Apparently, there was some pretty serious weather in south Florida, where Southwest 406 was supposed to leave FTL today at 2pm. It left nearly 5 hours late. Ugh. Then on to Tampa, to Chicago, to Denver, then to finish in Albuquerque. I bet they have a required crew change that's going to further delay it. Wonder if that crew isn't going to be more than a BIT cranky?
I'm so tired, I could spit. I didn't sleep much last night. I suspect it was watching the last 20 minutes of "Carrie" when I went to bed at 11:30. Tossed and turned most of the night, mostly in a doze rather than a full sleep.
Of course, the day in Denver wasn't without its own comedy of errors. I blearily crawled out of bed this morning at 7, had a quick shower, slugged down some orange juice and coffee with ice-cubes, then Ralph and I headed off to Cheesman Park to meet the rest of the Rainbeaus to decorate the flatbed for the parade.
Should I have been surprised that these guys REALLY aren't communicating with each other?
There was NO sound equipment. The organizer thought Ralph was bringing it, and of course, he brought ME, and no sound equipment. So it was a rather quiet hour of demo dancing on the float with me a capella calling with no microphone. I'd should be pissed, but it did work out okay, since the dancers did all kinds of parade style dancing and regular dancing on the float to the general amusement of the crowds (less than usual) on the roadside. The CD I burned Wednesday night with various Hawaiian tunes was left languishing in my laptop case.
After the parade was over, Joy took me back to her house so I could get a bit of rest...I did nap about 15 minutes, then enjoyed playing with their elderly small dogs for a good while. We headed back to the Capitol area about 2:30 so I could get ready for the 3:50 stage performance. And indeed that worked like a charm, with 2 squares of dancers for demos on the stage, then 3 squares off stage doing a kamekaze virgin tip. Almost made up for not having sound on the float this morning.
We were done by 4:15, so wandered over the the Rainbeau's Pride Booth again, visiting with people along the way. Two treats on that walk:
- I met up with Louis Horvath and his partner of 24 years, James there. Louis was one of the original Wilde Bunchers, and was the only WB attendee at the 1984 Seattle convention, helping make us a Charter member of IAGSDC. I hadn't seen them since they stopped dancing in 1985! We exchanged cards to catch up. He lives in Denver in the summer and Palm Springs in the winter.
- I got to yak and chat with the scrumptious Cal Smith (shirtless), who was there for the day, taking a break from his never-ending visits to Denver to deal with his apartments there.
Joy got me back to the airport at 5pm after a mere 40 minute drive from the Capitol area. I breezed through security, only to find that my flight is delayed...4 hours and 10 minutes.
DIA has free internet with plug-in stations here...a nifty benefit. But it's only 7:30pm now...and the flight won't arrive to whisk me away to ABQ for another 4 hours. I've called Danny who said that he'll still pick me up at the airport. I have no cash with me*, so a taxi from the airport is out of the question, since they tend to stop running from the airport about midnight).
Did I mention I'm tired?
Guess I'll let em know at work that I WILL be late, most likely.
In my own car, if I left downtown Denver at 4:15pm, I would have been home at 11:15pm. By flying, I'll be home at 1:15am.
[7:35 edit. They've moved the toteboard from an 11:50pm departure to 11:30pm. Little gifts.]
[8:40 edit. Hal Anker and his partner Rod are right here with me! They're returning to San Diego after a family reunion in the mountains outside of Estes Park. Their 9:00pm flight is delayed until 9:40pm]
* spent all my cash at the restaurant last night, stupidly not asking for a separate check so I could pay it by cc.
I think Danny and I will drive here for my next booking in September. Gawd.
I'm sitting at the Denver airport, where I arrived 2 1/2 hours early. My 7:45pm flight to Albuquerque is delayed...by 4 hours and 10 minutes (we'll see if I actually DO leave at midnight, as it's been rescheduled). There was no connecting flight to anywhere else that goes to ABQ that wasn't already full with stand-bys. The flight to Amarillo was about to leave, but I would have had to wait until 7:50am to get the ONLY flight of the day from there to ABQ. (Amarillo is 4 hours east of ABQ).
Apparently, there was some pretty serious weather in south Florida, where Southwest 406 was supposed to leave FTL today at 2pm. It left nearly 5 hours late. Ugh. Then on to Tampa, to Chicago, to Denver, then to finish in Albuquerque. I bet they have a required crew change that's going to further delay it. Wonder if that crew isn't going to be more than a BIT cranky?
I'm so tired, I could spit. I didn't sleep much last night. I suspect it was watching the last 20 minutes of "Carrie" when I went to bed at 11:30. Tossed and turned most of the night, mostly in a doze rather than a full sleep.
Of course, the day in Denver wasn't without its own comedy of errors. I blearily crawled out of bed this morning at 7, had a quick shower, slugged down some orange juice and coffee with ice-cubes, then Ralph and I headed off to Cheesman Park to meet the rest of the Rainbeaus to decorate the flatbed for the parade.
Should I have been surprised that these guys REALLY aren't communicating with each other?
There was NO sound equipment. The organizer thought Ralph was bringing it, and of course, he brought ME, and no sound equipment. So it was a rather quiet hour of demo dancing on the float with me a capella calling with no microphone. I'd should be pissed, but it did work out okay, since the dancers did all kinds of parade style dancing and regular dancing on the float to the general amusement of the crowds (less than usual) on the roadside. The CD I burned Wednesday night with various Hawaiian tunes was left languishing in my laptop case.
After the parade was over, Joy took me back to her house so I could get a bit of rest...I did nap about 15 minutes, then enjoyed playing with their elderly small dogs for a good while. We headed back to the Capitol area about 2:30 so I could get ready for the 3:50 stage performance. And indeed that worked like a charm, with 2 squares of dancers for demos on the stage, then 3 squares off stage doing a kamekaze virgin tip. Almost made up for not having sound on the float this morning.
We were done by 4:15, so wandered over the the Rainbeau's Pride Booth again, visiting with people along the way. Two treats on that walk:
- I met up with Louis Horvath and his partner of 24 years, James there. Louis was one of the original Wilde Bunchers, and was the only WB attendee at the 1984 Seattle convention, helping make us a Charter member of IAGSDC. I hadn't seen them since they stopped dancing in 1985! We exchanged cards to catch up. He lives in Denver in the summer and Palm Springs in the winter.
- I got to yak and chat with the scrumptious Cal Smith (shirtless), who was there for the day, taking a break from his never-ending visits to Denver to deal with his apartments there.
Joy got me back to the airport at 5pm after a mere 40 minute drive from the Capitol area. I breezed through security, only to find that my flight is delayed...4 hours and 10 minutes.
DIA has free internet with plug-in stations here...a nifty benefit. But it's only 7:30pm now...and the flight won't arrive to whisk me away to ABQ for another 4 hours. I've called Danny who said that he'll still pick me up at the airport. I have no cash with me*, so a taxi from the airport is out of the question, since they tend to stop running from the airport about midnight).
Did I mention I'm tired?
Guess I'll let em know at work that I WILL be late, most likely.
In my own car, if I left downtown Denver at 4:15pm, I would have been home at 11:15pm. By flying, I'll be home at 1:15am.
[7:35 edit. They've moved the toteboard from an 11:50pm departure to 11:30pm. Little gifts.]
[8:40 edit. Hal Anker and his partner Rod are right here with me! They're returning to San Diego after a family reunion in the mountains outside of Estes Park. Their 9:00pm flight is delayed until 9:40pm]
* spent all my cash at the restaurant last night, stupidly not asking for a separate check so I could pay it by cc.
I think Danny and I will drive here for my next booking in September. Gawd.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-24 02:24 am (UTC)The gate agents were very forthcoming that it was a weather delay, made inquiries on possibilities of other connections, supplied the waiting patrons with snacks and sodas after the shops in the airport had closed for the night. There was free internet and the passengers weren't (visibly) disgruntled...mostly since ABQ was the terminus of the flight and there were no connections.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 02:58 pm (UTC)We might drive to the next event in September, that way we'll have wheels if we want to do other things in our limited spare time.