From One Extreme to Another

So, anyone here in Indy can attest to the crazy weather we had this weekend.

Yesterday started out alright... a little overcast, then the sun came out, and then, without much warning, some major storms rolled in with hail and funnel clouds (not tornadoes, since they never touched sown). Eric and I were driving back downtown from up north, literally trying to beat the hail and really scary looking clouds that were the edge of the storm. It was very defined and you could see right where the rain started. As we got further away from the head of the storm, but still parallel with the storm, you could see where the funnel clouds were trying to form. Luckily, they were quick and brought little damage (that I know of).

Then, today we wake up to absolutely beautiful weather, not a cloud in the sky! The high was in the upper 70's, which made a great day to hit the ballpark and watch the Indians play. Which we rode our bikes to, even. Absolutely perfect!

But it was hard to believe we had the storms we did the night before and that they were over so fast - normally rain sticks around for awhile in these parts, or at least the clouds do. But I'm not complaining. The storms hit when we weren't trying to do anything but relax - nothing was going on outside (for us, anyway).

That's weather in the Midwest, I guess. Go figure.

What day is it?

Seriously. I'm not sure if the holiday weekend has me screwed up or if I'm just that burnt out.

I just got finished watching a movie and as I got up to go to the kitchen, I started thinking about what I had to do tomorrow... thinking tomorrow was Saturday. Then I had to stop and really think about what day it was. It took me awhile to come to the conclusion that it's Wednesday.

I think.

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

I promised there would be good stuff to blog about after the Indy 500, and I hope I fulfill that promise with this blog today!

It was hot!! That's the first thing that needs to be noted. The air temperature hit a high of 86 degrees with the track temperature somewhere around 110 degrees... so that probably put where we were sitting in the mid-90's, especially since there was little to no breeze most of the afternoon. But boy, when it did gust a little, it felt great! Everyone got a little sun to show for the afternoon.

The people watching was superb this year, though there were no drunk obnoxious people near where we were sitting this year. I think cause everyone was sweating out the alcohol as quick as they could take it in! But we had a couple of bros near us in retro gear of some sort, then a guy in a lobster shirt, a white guy with a huge fro and a polyester shirt with Target symbols on in (I know I'm missing a few good ones)... oh, and a big group of of people representing Latin America that would bolt out Spanish songs during yellow flags, when the engines were at a low roar. That was as obnoxious as it got, which wasn't bad.

The nearly 100 jello shots I made were a hit and were gone by the end of the race. And it was just our group downing them, we weren't just throwing them out to randoms walking by. So the shots, on top of the beers kept everyone nice and relaxed. My friend, Chris, never even left the blanket. But we had everything we needed there - food, drinks, good view of the jumbotron... I just can't sit that long myself, so I had to walk a bit. We all had a good time out there. It would've been hard NOT to have a good time.

What about the race, itself, you ask? Well, it was a good one. I believe there were 8 cautions, most of which were true accidents, not just debris or something stupid like that. So there was plenty of action. Nothing in our turn (Turn 4), unfortunately, but plenty to keep our attention on the jumbotron. Helio grabbed his 3rd Indy 500 win, which is an accomplishment itself. And all three female drivers finished the race this year, with Danica in 3rd! Usually at least one of them crash out!

So it was a good day. The track was packed this year because of the good weather. Unfortunately, that meant more traffic coming in and out of the area, but we handled it. Very glad I have today to recuperate, though - I was beat last night and still a little tired today. But I'm about to go take a nap, so all is well.

For all my pictures, check out my Fotki Page.

Ready for the Weekend

It's here. Memorial Day weekend. Up here, this is the true official start to Summer. Pools finally open, parks start various programs, and, of course, it's time for the Indy 500!

Ever since I've moved here, I don't get the pool and park think. Is it really that difficult to make a judgement call, based on weather forecasts and general inquiry from the public, when to open and close pools?? Maybe the program thing makes sense because of school... but even then, school doesn't start and finish the way is used to when they probably implemented this regulated open and close dates (close date being labor day). I understand pools can't be open 12 months a year, like in FL, but surely they can be open longer than the 3-1/2 months they are open - I know I've witness weather that could permit pools to open earlier or close later, at least on weekends if not 7 days a week!!!

I digress.

The bigger thing is the Indy 500 this weekend. As I've done just about every year since I've lived here, I will be going to the race, doing the infield thing. So I'll have plenty to blog come Sunday night or Monday sometime. The weather is supposed to be great, so I'm looking forward to a good race! It's usually a pretty good time, regardless of the weather. At this point, though, it'll just feel good to be outside in the warm sunshine!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

A First Birthday

In continuing with my blogging about "Firsts", I went to a First Birthday party over the weekend. I almost forgot how to shop for such a youngin'... but I quickly remembered how once in Target.

The party was actually a combined party for Eric's youngest nephew, Nolan, who is the one who turned one, and his step-niece, Taylor. Eric's mom baked a couple of cakes and we had a nice family BBQ at Eric's sister's house. It was nice. As typical of a one-year old, Nolan had no idea what was going on. He's just starting to walk, so that was all the entertainment we needed.

Of course, Eric's other nephew, AJ, provides plenty of entertainment as well, as typical of a kid his age. He's still adjusting to having a baby brother (even after a year), and as hand-me-downs come out for Nolan, he quickly claims them as 'his' still and proceeds to play with the toy or put the clothes on (even if they are quite a bit small).

Taylor's approaching that "tween" age and still adjusting to the blended family, though I think she's fitting in quite well. She's great with the boys, despite the age difference. I could see her and Darian getting along fabulously! Maybe one day...

Anyway, compared to last weekend, it was quite low key. But I needed that after the long week I had at work. The whole weekend stayed low key for Eric and I. The party was Saturday evening, and before that, our main even was going to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to see the latest special exhibit. But though it was low key, the weekend was eventful with small things and running around, so there was no time to be bored. Winter is definitely over. FINALLY!

A Weekend of Firsts

This past weekend was my FIRST time flying Delta in a number of years. And you see from my last post how that went. But there was a good reason I was going to FL this past weekend - my niece's First Communion.

So after my long trip down on Friday, Saturday morning started early (6am wake-up time!!) so we could drive from Jacksonville to Palm Bay for Darian and Bubba's soccer games. It was their last games of the season. This was my first opportunity to watch them play and I must say, I was quite impressed since this was their first season to ever play! Darian may even be on a competition team later this year - they've expressed interest in her goal-keeper abilities. Oddly enough, they have Bubba on the defensive side of the ball, as well. Both kids love playing, so I see this becoming 'their' sport.

After soccer, the kids and I took our first beach trip of the year. And I say first cause I really hope I can make time for more. We had a limited time there since there were evening activities planned. But we had a good time while there. It was HOT!! There were near record highs all weekend. That made the water seem that much colder!! But regardless, we got out there - me for just a little bit, but the kids were out there nearly the entire time. They almost left their boogie boards at home, but I think they were glad they had them in the end, if for no other reason than to float on.

That evening, the whole family, including both sets of grandparents (to the kids, not me), Nan, Andy and Jan (my uncle and aunt), Kristin & Gregg, myself, and the kids, went over to the Pitts' for some grilling and swimming. Only the kids actually swam, but it was a nice evening of catching up with everybody.

Come Sunday morning, the big day for Darian had arrived. And she was really excited. They found a really pretty little dress for her and my sister and mom made the veil. So after a trying morning of getting everyone ready to go, we went to church for Darian's First Communion. I can't decide if I like the way they do this - it's not as a big class with a special mass, but rather 4 or so kids during a regular mass. I guess it really doesn't matter. The outcome is the same, after all.

After mass, Darian opened up some gifts back home, as did the moms in the family for Mother's Day. Then we headed back over to Mom and Pop Pitts' for an afternoon of eating and more swimming. It made for a nice afternoon of more catching up. It was also hot enough to get more people into the pool and that made for some fun. By the time we left to head back to Jacksonville, we were all full and tired.

Monday was the day to head home (for me), and I dreaded both the fact that I had to get up at 5am and the fact that I had to deal with Delta again. But it was unavoidable. Delta was a little more manageable this time, but that's probably because I already has a 3-1/2 hour layover scheduled. If they screwed that up, there's really something wrong with that airline even more so that typically wrong with it or any airline! I got home and it was still light out, and that along made me happy. But to top it off, after Eric picked me up, he came back to my house to mow my lawn so I could do other things and get settled back home for the work week ahead. Isn't he wonderful?!?

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So after the weekend travels, my first day back to work on Tuesday required me to get up at 4:30am to meet a coworker at 6:30am to travel to Chicago for the day to meet with the FAA, among other things. I was already tired from all the weekend travelling, but of course there was no choice in the matter. It turned out to be a LONG day though - I didn't get back to my car until 11:30pm!! So by the time I got home and into bed, it was nearly 1am. I slept in a little this morning and went into work about an hour late. I figured it was justified.

Now I Remember Why I Quit Flying Delta

Delta Sucks!!

Years back, I made a decision to no longer fly Delta. They screwed me over one too many times, and when they weren't screwing me over, I witnessed them screwing other people over. But as the years passed, I seemed to forget that. And when the merger with Northwest was announced, I was skeptical. But it was going to be hard for to NOT fly them anymore... now there really were few other alternates for me to get to FL. It was WORTH flying through Detroit to go to FL, just to avoid Delta and their hub in ATL!!

Regardless, I gave them another shot. I should've known I was in for a long day when I couldn't check in online. Then when I DID go to the airport and check in, they couldn't give me both boarding passes at the ticket counter - I had to get the 2nd one at the gate. So I did, and eventually I was on my way.

Or so I thought.

We pushed back from the gate and taxied toward the runway. And stopped. The wouldn't let us take off (THEY being Delta in ATL) because there were storms in the area. So we had to hold at IND for about 20 minutes.

I only had a 45 minute scheduled layover in ATL.

We finally took off and the pilot made good time, but we still landed close to next flight. Of course we pulled up to a different concourse. I jumped on my Blackberry and checked the status of my next flight. I thought for sure it'd be delayed.

Nope.

I haul ass from B to A and get to the gate. Didn't look like they started boarding yet. There were other people there going to Jacksonville, too (they also hauled ass from their respective gates). Then I got suspicious... no gate agent, no change in schedule on the board... turns out the gate agent was busy moving the jetway back from MY plane! And there I stood, with at least a dozen other people who were delayed by Delta on the front half of their trips, only to be denied on this flight.

So I head to the rebooking desk and scan my boarding pass, only to find out they put me on STANDBY for the next flight. I got pretty pissy at this point. I had to get to FL TONIGHT, if not JAX, then MCO or MLB! So I go talk to an agent and plea my case. He barely says two words to me the whole time,. never smiles, only makes eye contact as I first walked up. He types on his keyboard and produces a confirmed ticked for the next flight (why couldn't the computer automatically do that?). So now I have to go to the gate to get a seat.

I stand in line at the gate, waiting for a gate agent to arrive, and get an assigned seat. Again, HORRIBLE customer service! At this point, I have about a half-hour until boarding begins, so I go get some food and wait.

Now, what really irks me is how they seemed to care less about this inconvenience. I KNOW Delta overbooks their flights on purpose and this is a regular practice, so you think they'd balance it out with better customer relations. Northwest at least automatically gave you a food voucher and some extra points/miles with a rebook when it was their fault... and a SMILE while doing it. I at least felt like they kind of gave a damn, even if it was a front. I think Delta gets a kick out of inconveniencing passengers! They sure as hell don't care!

So I finally get to JAX, about 2-1/2 hours later than originally planned. At least I made it, I guess. But I was going to make it, no matter what it took - different city, different airline, rental car... I was going to get to FL!! But now I'm wound up. I think there will be a letter written... I'm curious to see how they respond compared to Northwest. I thinking much of nothing.

The Mini

The official commencement of "The Month of May in Indy" began today with the 500 Festival Mini Marathon. Okay... so technically, I think they had some kick off ceremony yesterday... but most people see The Mini as the start of the month leading up to the largest spectacle in racing - The Indy 500.

I have to admit, when I first move here, I didn't get all the hype. And actually, I still don't get all the hype, though I get into it a little more now. Example... The Mini. I don't run The Mini, but I've been volunteering at one of the finish line Gatorade stations for 4 or 5 years now. I'm not a morning person, but I get up every year to do this because it's a blast to do!

And this year was no exception! The weather turned out great, too. . As of last night, I was still concerned about rain. And a few small drops did spit on us early on. but it was nothing, and the sun rose, and the clouds melted away. We got everything ready, and I got to give the first wheelchair racer some Gatorade after he finished - which was the beginning of the craziness that is the finish line!! You see so may people from all walks of life. It's really cool!

Eric and I are talking about training to run next years race. That would be a huge thing for me, but I'd like to be able to say I did The Mini at least once! So we'll see - I'll keep you posted!