last sunday, as you may or may not know, i flew across the country to pasco, wa. i originally had about an hour and 1/2 layover. unfortunately, my flight out of tampa was delayed and the conx was going to be very tight, so the guy at the counter kinda' ignored what i was saying (because he knew i was correct-we were set to land after boarding had begun for my flight out of denver). he was at least kind enough to move me forward several rows, even though it was a middle seat. the great thing is that it was a couple, so she moved over and i ended up with an aisle.
i had to bust a move to get from gate 17 to gate 55...a rather sprawling airport. and i was slightly winded and sweating, but i made it just as boarding was beginning, as we'd made up a little time coming into denver. i saw my colleague and she got ready to board-somehow she'd gotten first class; i was pretty far back (it was where the aisles were when i booked!) the flight was rather uneventful until we landed.
upon landing, something flew by me and i barely glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye. my first thought was luggage had come undone and fallen...but whatever it was didn't thud onto the ground. i leaned into the aisle in time to see the drink catapulting down the aisle at an unbelievable speed! a few voices from my area of the plane shouted,"WATCH OUT!" (fortunately no one careened their head into the aisle as it was passing, because i guarantee it would've broken their neck). fortunately no one had any limbs sticking out into the aisle either. it came to a stop after crashing into the last seat in first class, which happens to jut out into the main aisle where first class ends (embrair 175).
 |
| here's the thing. if the top latch is latched, it seems like the thing isn't getting around that top latch...but if it does, and the brake below is down in lock position, the thing doesn't fly down the aisle, right? if the break is on, it falls forward and slides down....sketchy.... |
i was trying to recreate my entrance onto the plane...i'd passed by my colleague, but which seat exactly had she been in? as we were taxiing to a gate, the flight attendants hustle to the incident and once we actually pulled up, we were instructed to remain seated. then i heard my name over the intercom, and i was asked to get my belongings and try to help my co-worker. so we waited and then the wheelchair arrived. first off the plane!! (not the way you want to do it). once we got inside, the airport sheriff was there to take a report, and before he'd gotten all the information he needed, the emt crew showed up and began taking vitals and checking stuff. moments later they hauled her off in a gurney, and another officer accompanied me to get luggage and my rental car. she told me which hospital i needed to go to, and marked it on a map-super helpful.
once i got the car, i had to try to figure out the bluetooth pairing so i could make a couple calls to work. unfortunately it was sunday, and i wasn't sure who'd be available-i just wanted to let someone...anyone know. messages. i left messages. after picking her up, we went to the hotel and checked in- thumbs up, it was very nice and the perfect location! we didn't even have to make a fuel purchase, because everything was within a 2 mile radius! shout-out to all you small towns!
once we'd checked in, we went to mexico lindo for dinner and it was fabulous! it felt like 5, but it was only like 2:30...the weather was overcast and 30's, and 2:30 looked much later in washington state than it does in florida. this weather makes my boss happy, but not so much my cup-o-hot chocolate. we ended up getting back to the hotel around 4, and i was like, "good night!" (seriously). i took a few minutes to write up an email to let HR and our vp of professional development know exactly what had happened. and i did go to bed rather early.
which led to waking up early-4:30 am early...and when i couldn't get back to sleep, it was nice to have gotten a call to occupy some of my time until breakfast opened! but hey, once 6:00 rolled around, i was in the dining area, making good of the buffet! and writing more of my Christmas cards! i was there until around 8, when my coworker made it down- eye still hurting, and a bit of a headache. so after we finished with breakfast, she went back to make some calls and take a nap. around lunch time, i offered to run out for some lunch and get some supplies for the training. our training was to take place from 4:15-7:15...late night!
i ended up doing the presentation portion of the training, as she was still feeling a little light-headed/sore eye...and she fielded questions and helped individuals. it was a mixed level group, but we had a good session. while perhaps some people do, i rather don't enjoy the set-up in college campuses with the lecture room. the other thing about college campuses is that usually we have a bit of playing around to do trying to get the equipment and sound working!
once we were finished, we made our way quickly back to the hotel and it was time for bed, because our flight was a 5:05 boarding...pretty sure we left the hotel around 4:15. and arrived at the gate in time for breakfast to-go and boarding! uneventful, home by 6!
stay tuned and i'll tell you the tale of the flip-flops very soon!
julie
No comments:
Post a Comment