12.11.2006

What A Week

This week was our Christmas party with the company I work with. Last week I spent trying to make sure that everything was caught up and I was ready to go. My flight was supposed to go from Sacramento to Dallas TX. Last minute I found out I needed to go to Houston afterwards.

So, I tried to change my flight, but upon doing some research I realized that it would be cheaper for me to buy two one way tickets and just miss my original return flight than change it. So I contacted Expedia, and told them not to change my ticket. The lady said to me, "No problem, it hasn't even been touched yet!"

The next day I get to the airport and when I go to check in, the lady tells me I have no flights, and I owe them 700 dollars. At this point I had 30 minutes to get to my flight. I was livid.

So, after her telling me that it was not the ticket, but me that was wrong, I asked for the supervisor. The supervisor tells me the same thing, and that she is doing me a huge favor by getting me on the flight that I had already booked, and in the process taking away the seat I had reserved next to my girlfriend. What a pleasure American Airlines. Luckily, a kind man who got my original seat switched with me.

So, we get to Dallas, and wait about 40 minutes for the shuttle to the hotel we are staying at. We finally get to the hotel, and everything goes pretty smoothly. We have a few drinks and go to sleep at about 2. The next morning I wake up and go to the meeting while my girlfriend watches my sister's baby. (Who also works for the same company)
Afterwards, there is a fairly uppity party, the kind where the appetizer is one ravioli filled with duck, and the dessert looks like a peppermint house filled with cool whip. On the plus side, there is an open bar with premium liquor.
The next morning (after about four hours of sleep) I wake up at 5:40 to get on the 6:00 shuttle to the airport for my 7:00 am flight. Well, I miss the bus, and have to wait for the 6:20 bus. He calls to find my gate, and finds out my flight leaves at 6:45. After a gut wrenching ride in a van with no seat belt (which I don't advocate, but it's always weird protocal in public transportation) I go to check in to my flight at the self check in. Lo and behold, my flight says that I leave at 1:35 pm to Houston International. (I was supposed to go to Houston Hobby, about 1 hour closer).
So I go to the lady, and she says, "Well sir, your flight actually leaves at 9:00 am, to Houston Hobby". So...I woke up early for? No worries, my girlfriend's flight leaves at 9:35, and so when she gets to the airport we hang out for a bit, which is always nice.
My flight leaves, and I sleep all the way there. When I arrive at Hobby, I go looking for the budget rent-a-car bus. One hour later, it arrives and delivers me to the rental center. My luck is the stuff of legends. Either I'm finding the most wonderful girl in the world, or an awesome job, or I'm having travel arrangements that make you belive in God, if only to believe in the Devil's hand.
"I'm sorry sir, even though you reserved this car through your company, with your company's credit card, we can't rent this to you as you are under 25"
So, back to the airport. Go to Enterprise. Rent the car out of my pocket. Back to another rental station. Now, I finally have a car, and it is about 1:00. So I drive to the hotel, after a short stop for lunch. I thought I had checked into a La Quinta, but apparently I only looked at them because they had no reservations for me. On to the Days Inn.
"I'm sorry sir, check in time isn't until 3:00."
"Do you have a couch I can sleep on?"
"...?"
Let's just wait and see what happens on Wednesday.

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