January 2008 Archives

After a great and productive week at CalTech working with folks from the LIGO project, we started home on Saturday morning. Right as I was checking out of the hotel, I got a automated call on my cell phone informing me that our Phoenix to Philadelphia flight would be delayed at least 140 minutes do to "operational error." Not a problem, I thought, although we might miss the flight from Philadelphia to State College, there was another one about 2 hours later. We'd still have about an hour to get to the commuter flight. Besides, we still had a flight to catch from Bob Hope Airport in beautiful downtown Burbank, California (I can't hear that name without thinking of Laugh-In) to Phoenix.

We got to Bob Hope with plenty of time to spare, so we had the ticketing person see if she could get us a spot on the later flight to State College. Not a problem. She held our current spot too. The flight to Phoenix was a non-event, but our time on the tarmac at Bob Hope was about the only time the sun was shining the whole week. When we got to Phoenix, we found out that the flight to Philadelphia was not canceled rather than just being late. We went to the ticketing agent at U.S. Airways and she offered us a stay in Phoenix (which would have been cool if it were next Saturday night -- The Super Bowl), or a change in destination with a flight to Las Vegas and a flight from Las Vegas to Philadelphia where we might be able to get on the last flight, but probably not. When she found out we weren't hung up on Philadelphia, she booked us US Air to Detroit and Northwest Shuttle to State College.

What shouldn't surprise me is how quickly each ticketing person was able to handle the logistics of rerouting us around the country. This is truly cool software which includes the ability to book us on other carriers to "route around" the lost route. I was notified that the original flight would be late and that it would eventually be canceled. I arrived home only about 2 hrs after I would have originally and more importantly I ARRIVED HOME, rather than spending a night in Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Philadelphia.

Now if only my luggage would show up... (that's the automobile part -- a taxi dropped my luggage off about an hour ago).

While I can go a few days shaving with a pink razor, it's nice to have the Braun back.

I just realized when I looked at the date... A year from now, we'll have a new President.

It seems like these guys have already been running for the last 3 years. The way things are going right now, Pennsylvania may still decide the nominee. Wouldn't that be interesting? In their rush to move themselves up in the primary order, the other states may have just made the outcome more unsure because they have limited the amount of campaigning each candidate can do in each state. As "Super Tuesday" (February 5) became "SuperDuper Tuesday," it becomes impossible for the candidate to spend sufficient time in each state.

I selfishly hope that things are still undecided on April 22.