Today was a long day.
It started out nice enough, I woke up to a gorgeous sunny day with the sound
of waves crashing on the shore outside.
We got ready, packed our bags (so we didn’t have to do it later) and then
went downstairs to eat.
We met Steve Bardenhagen for breakfast and then played miniature golf with him.
Steve works for Alt-N on RelayFax, our fax server application.
Without Steve it would still be one of our lesser worked on programs.
Now ComAgent-Java is the least focused on 🙁
I need more time to work on that.
Back to the story…

So far things are going OK, but we’re supposed to wait for our shuttle to
pick us up at 1:55.
It came at 2:15.
We got to the airport and were pretty rapidly given our tickets and sent to
go through security.
We made it through that pretty painlessly.
Then we got to our gate, A6.
A6 had the worst PA system,
it sounded like a megaphone.
Our flight was supposed to bored, I mean board, at 3:55.
At 3:55 we were watching another plane start to board at A6 – it was going to
Mexico City.
We heard nothing over the PA
saying that the gates had been switched, that things were delayed or that
small rodents had eaten the runway up and that we were stuck in Cancun.
So Jon, Steve Jess and I went into the bar/restaurant next to the A6 gate and
ordered some drinks and fries.
We talked and continued to wait.

We finished our drinks and fries and then headed out to meet up with Jerry
(which was the first time I saw him all weekend).
Then, then, they announced that the flight would start boarding in
20 minutes.
They announced it with a megaphone, there was no
PA system!
After 20 minutes they megaphoned that they would start boarding in 15-20
minutes (again).
Finally, we all boarded.

The plane made relatively good time back north and I slept most of the way –
I was bushed.
Upon arriving at DFW airport we landed and taxied towards the gate.
I say towards the gate because just when it looked like we were going to
actually reach the gate, they stopped the plane.
The plane that was at that gate still had apparently not figured out that we
needed to be there.
So we waited.
Then the captain came over the overhead speakers (no megaphone) and said that
the plane was out of the way and we’d be at the gate shortly.
Jessica had to go pee.
The captain came over the speakers again and said that the ground crew was
moving some equipment and so we’d have to wait some more.
Jessica’s bladder ruptured and the paramedics were rushed out.
Just kidding, but by now she was in pain.

Finally we disembarked the plane and headed towards
U.S. customs.
We headed from gate A18, where our car was parked at, towards customs.
Towards customs we walked.
And walked.
And walked some more.
We arrived at customs which was at gate A1.
There we stood in a long line.
Jessica still needed to go potty.
Finally the customs agent checked us out and we were herded towards an
escalator.
At the bottom of the escalator was a lobby with baggage… and a bathroom for
Jessica.

So after taking care of business Jessica and I headed back across the airport
to A18.
We got there, got into the car and headed towards home.
At the toll booth, where the airport practices extortion, we handed the older
gentleman in the booth our ticket.
He looked at it for some time.
Then, he muttered something and punched a number on a device next to him.
After a few moments another man walked into the booth – apparently a manager.
That many apologized to me for the delay and then the older fellow said,
“It’s mutilated.”
Wrong!
That ticket had been in my glove box all weekend long where it had peacefully
rested, and unless some glove box gnomes came and mutilated it and then
cast a spell on it so that it looked fine to us, but not to the toll booth
fellow, it was not mutilated.
The manager told him to type ‘mutilated’ into the computer and then punch in
the ticket’s number.
The computer seemed to like that because they then asked us for $48.00
USD for our car’s three
day stay.
I could have stayed at Motel six that long for that much – with Jessica and
my car.
Then they explained that my ticket was too long.
Like I had stretched it out before pulling up to the booth.
Darn glove box gnomes!

We rushed home and got our change of clothes for the night in Sherman with
Amanda and Doug and to check the phone messages.
Then headed to get gas in the car, some money for dinner, and then to Sherman.
Right.
This day needed more delays.

I inserted my debit card into the pump and told it to use it as a credit card.
Stupid me – it didn’t like that – it told me to see the cashier.
Stupid them – the station’s store was closed and the cashier was not present.
I tried again and all was well – 1 minute lost at the gas station.

I then proceeded to the Bank of America
ATM in Albertson’s.
The machine didn’t like my card and said it wouldn’t work in that machine.
I went to the second machine – same error.
I finally bought a pack of gum and took some cash out that way.
5 more minutes lost in Albertson’s/B. of A.

Money in hand I went to McDonalds.
Where I waited for them to ask me to give my order.
We waited about 1 and a half minutes.
Then I backed up and drove forward again in case my car hadn’t triggered some
trigger.
Nothing.
So I thought after yet another minute, “I’m going to pull forward and give my
order in person.”
Good thing I did because once getting around to the other side of the
building there was a sign that read, “Place order, pay, & pickup here.”
Doh!
That was just icing on the cake.
Why would you not put a sign up saying, “Pull forward.” or have someone out
in the front using sign language to get us to pull forward.
Neon lights would work, even chalk on the sidewalk would have been better
than a sign on the other side of the building.

We drove our car up to Sherman from there and went to bed around midnight.
Abby was asleep so we just talked with Amanda and Doug for a bit and then
crashed for the night.

Finally resting,

Randy “Jet lag” Peterman