The Best Made Plans...

The "dymanic duo" camera/case combo that I plan to use underwater... tomorrow!

I should be in Maui right now.  Instead, I am in a Holiday Inn Express in Burlingame, CA.  We had all kinds of flight trouble today trying to get to Maui.  My brother and his wife are going out with us to meet my parents who have already been on the island for a few days.  The plan was to fly to SFO (airport between us both) and go out together from there. 

First problem occurred when we checked in for a United Flight with US Airways.  We had two flights today, but only got one boarding pass, for the first flight.  The US Airways agent assured us we would get boarding passes in SFO without any problem for the second flight.

We boarded our plane, after I had to have one of my carry-ons inspected at security.  Apparently several books plus a ziploc bag full of oatmeal packets looked a bit suspicious.  It was actually kind of funny and the TSA people were very friendly and courteous. 

The only stroke of good fortune came when Eric and I got the whole row to ourselves... which was great.  But, then we sat and sat and sat.  There was a maintenence issue that needed to be resolved.  We only had an hour to catch our second flight and we knew already we would have to change terminals.  We were antsy.  Finally we took off 30 minutes late, and landed 20 minutes late.

Sprinting through the terminal did little to help our plight because we arrived at the United ticketing counter, only to be told that it was too late to get a boarding pass.  We had to be re-booked for the first flight the next day.  But for a few minutes, I felt like I was a contestant on the Amazing Race... it was kind of exhilarating to run through the terminal at high speed darting around people and looking important.  (Well, I don't know if we looked important, but it was still just a little fun!)

So here I sit... in the "business center" of a local Holiday Inn Express.  On the plus side, we did get to eat dinner at one of our fave restaurants from our California days, El Torito.  We walked the mile down the water front to the restaurant and it was gorgeous.  Freezing, but beautiful.  We have no clothes appropriate for SF weather, so we didn't brave a trip on BART into the city.  Dang it.... and Eric's brother and sister are only 60 miles away but traffic and lack of a car make the trip totally pointless.  Plus, we are going back to the airport tomorrow morning bright and early... no screw ups this time!

We don't have our luggage except carry-ons, so I am glad we both had the foresight to pack an extra pair of undies and a clean shirt in our carry-on bags.  I did it just in case our luggage got lost and I had to spend my first night on vacation with no clothes.  I had no idea that I would be the item that didn't make it to Maui tonight! 

So, for now, I'm signing off... and getting ready for a great trip to Maui tomorrow!  Aloha!

And thank heavens we have a direct flight back from Maui to Phoenix....

Windows, Schmindows

It's not Easter without tulips.  Tulips are my favorite flower. 

We had a wonderful Easter here in AZ.  It was sunny and warm, but not hot.  (We've had years where the "hunt" had to be in the house because it's so warm outside that the chocolate had no hope of surviving.)  

We didn't get dressed up, watched church in our PJ's, (click here for an explanation), and had a delicious ham for dinner.  I love making hams... so easy and no pressure to make sure it's fully cooked, because it comes that way!  I just wish my kids were more excited about ham.  And I dusted off the scrapbooking supplies and worked on finishing my album from our last Maui trip... in October 2006.  Yeah, I know I'm a bit behind...

The biggest news of the day was feeling an Earthquake!  It was little for us, but came from the 7.2 quake in Baja yesterday.  It was the kind that rocks and sways... almost like being on a boat.  And I did get just a touch of queasiness for a minute there.  I always think earthquakes are "cool", but that's because I've never been near the epicenter of one.  I know I shouldn't think they are cool.  I will repent tonight.

I want to upload pictures from Easter, but I'm having difficulties on multiple fronts. 

First, I can't seem to transfer pictures from my camera to the computer without it being a major production.

Second, not all my pictures from Easter even got uploaded, and some of them got dumped into the wrong folder.

Third, Photoshop isn't working right.  My Organizer is a total mess, and un-installing the program last night didn't help at all.... because thanks to my trusty "Missing Manual", when you un-install PSE, you also have to "deactivate" it and erase the "catalog".  Those geniuses over at Adobe are almost too freakin' smart for their own good.  And I'm sure if I have to stoop to calling tech support, I will be routed to India, which will involve a lot of "can you say that again?"s...

Fourth, Blogger, in all it's newness and glory won't upload my pictures directly from my hard drive.  I don't like this at all.  The only way I can get my photos into my blog is by uploading them into an album in Picassa and then transferring them over from there. 

And Fifth, the stickie note program in Windows 7 is cool, but was totally making my speed tank, which in turn caused other programs to freeze up repeatedly.  So no more long-term stickie notes on the desktop for me.

And if one person comments how these problems would NEVER happen with a Mac, I will punch your lights out.

My Sad Tale of Woe

Cars are such money pits. I know you all know what I mean. No matter if you buy the car new or used, there are always things to be done. New tires... brake jobs... oil changes... transmission services. And the newer the car is, the more expensive it is to repair. Gone are the days when Eric and his dad could fix things like CV boots or do their own clutch jobs. Practically everything in the car is electronic.

Three weeks ago I lost my keys. I had them in my hand to go unlock the car and load it up for a day trip and by the time we were ready to pull out an hour later they were gone. I still haven't found them. I have torn apart everything I can think of looking for them in the house, garage and car. It's driving me mad. This isn't the first time I've lost my keys. The last time was 3 summers ago (when I was driving a different car) and I put them in a well insulated pocket of my Camelbak and forgot they were there. It was so well insulated that when I picked up the pack and shook it, nothing rattled or made any kind of noise. I used Eric's set of keys for probably three months before I stumbled across the lost pair. I was so glad I didn't go to the dealer to get a new set. But, right now I have little hope of finding the lost set. It seems a hopeless case. I have turned my house upside down looking for them, with no success. And today I was given the bad news on how much it costs to replace them. $50 for the key and $120 for the remote. That's $170 for one set of car keys. OUCH. I think I will keep looking a bit longer.

I was also at the dealer today for another issue. For the last several days I've been getting warning messages from my car that I need to service my brake system. We had no idea what this meant or what needed to be repaired. I took it to the dealer today, and when I asked the service manager about the cost range, he asked me if I had bought the "extended" warranty. (My car has 43,000 miles). I said "no." He gave me this look that I was completely prepared for, but still annoyed me to no end. It was a look that spoke many things, but most of all it said, "why didn't you buy the warranty, you idiot?" Then I did something I rarely ever do... I retorted. And I wasn't nice. I was snarky, to say the least. I replied back that I was wishing that I had bought a Japanese car instead because I would never have these kind of problems on a Japanese car this early in the game. Anyway, he brought the conversation back to the problem at hand, and promised he could give me a diagnosis within an hour, then we could figure out the plan from there, depending on what was wrong. Fair enough.

I took Brayden and went to the waiting lounge which only increased my frustration and agitation. If I had to sit in that lounge for an hour, I might lose my mind. So, Brayden and I went for a walk instead. There won't be too many more weeks of beautiful weather in Phoenix, so I need to make the most of it. The Mesa Temple is just two blocks away from our dealership, so Brayden and I walked over there. I had my Nikon in the car, which I carried with me, and we found lots of beautiful spring flowers to take pictures of. Our walk kept me distracted from thinking about the potentially colossal car repair bill that was looming overhead. Just as we were starting back, I got the call on the car. "Hello?" "Hi this is Andy from B&B... your car is fixed, ready to be picked up, no charge." "What???" He repeated the same message. He wasn't really planning to tell me what was wrong with it. I guess he can do that since he wasn't charging me for the repair. But I did ask him... and it was something simple and easy to fix... something was leaking brake fluid, which apparently took them less than 15 minutes to find and 15 more minutes to fix. I thanked him and hung up.

Then I felt guilty. Horribly guilty. I knew he fixed it for free because of the snarky remark I made about Japanese vs. American made cars. I didn't have a problem paying for the repair. What I had a problem with was the guilt trip he gave me because I didn't buy the extended warranty. I wasn't trying to get a free repair out of him. I am just sick of all the companies who peddle extended warranties. To me, the concept of an extended warranty shows that even the company who makes a product doesn't expect it to last very long. So they suck more money out of you by guilting you into buying a warranty that you may or may not ever use. The principle of it just irritates me. I would prefer a product, even a car, be marked up a bit higher in price and have the "extended" warranty built in.

As soon as we got back to the dealership, I saw my car was sitting right in the front, keys in the ignition. The cashier had already processed my paperwork, so I jumped in the car and fled as quickly as I could. I'm sure Andy was hoping that giving me the repair for free would secure return business on my end, but I'm so embarrassed, I don't know if I can go back.

I can't decide which part of the day upset me the most. Was it the ridiculous cost of the replacement keys? Or the confrontational discussion I had with the service manager about the warranty? Or just the fact that my American made car that is now out of warranty is going to be a constant drain on my savings account? (In the last two months, I have had to buy new tires for $700, and get a new battery for $130....) Like I said, cars are money pits. I think there is something to be said for people who live in big cities and don't own cars. Sounds pretty enticing right about now.

Frustration

There are certain things I dislike about Summer in Arizona. Yesterday was our first 100 degree day. It was actually a little late in coming, but it ended up way over 100 degrees to make up for it. Summer is officially here. UGH...

• I hate the crickets in the summer time... they invade your home and are so dang loud!


• I hate the cicadas.... they are worse than the crickets.


• I hate that it's "scorpion season".


• I hate the fact that I have to brush my teeth with warm tap water... cold tap water disappears for a few months around here


• I hate running my A/C 24 hours a day.... literally... it NEVER turns off, especially upstairs.....


• I hate the $400-500 electric bill that comes with A/C running (I try to keep mine at 82 degrees, lest you think I'm paying to "refrigerate" my house).


• I hate the continual sound of the ceiling fans in every room.


• I hate my eyes drying out from said ceiling fans...


• I hate baking or turning the oven on for even 10 minutes to warm up chicken nuggets and fries for the kids.


• I hate that my front door handle will burn your hand in the late afternoon on a hot day (it faces west).


• I hate that my garage is a continual "OVEN" for 3 months straight... it's often hotter in the garage than it is outside.


• I hate walking outside at 10:30 p.m., when it's pitch black outside and feeling like I'm in an oven.


• I hate the humidity that comes in July, August and September. Whoever said AZ has a "dry heat" was only talking about June.


• I hate that you can't swim at night in July, August or Sept due to continual lightening (that never brings rain with it....)


• I hate that you have to get out the door by 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning to get a parking spot at our favorite lake before it fills up for the day.


• And today, I really hate how everything in Arizona wears out in less than half the time it should. The heat and high temps just destroy everything. Case in Point: this morning Eric woke up to a flooding garage. Our water softener (another necessity in AZ) has a crack in it somewhere and was spraying a mist of water all over one half of the garage. Now I get to call Sears to find out if our $600 water softener that's less than 3 years old is still under warranty. Not sure why, but I doubt it.....

How's that for a "downer" post?

What do you really hate about summer?