'twas the night before an interview

[i wrote this entry about a week ago...]

i'm sorry i've been neglecting you. things have been quite busy the past week or so. i've made two trips down to SoCal, and have just landed in Indiana for a job interview and a lengthy holiday visit with family. (btw, don't ever plan to leave for an extended vacation within 24 hours of returning home from a different trip. just don't do it).


anyways, on my most recent trip to SoCal, i flew into to town for a special treat - spa day! i love glen ivy, and convinced three of my friends to join me. okay, it wasn't that hard to convince them since it was "buy one, get one free". soooo worth it. we had a great time! the weather was a bit cool, which is perfect for lounging in hot tubs all day. i don't think there is anything better than sipping a blended drink while relaxing in a bubbly hot tub. okay, maybe if it was on the beach instead of in the inland empire. but i was definitely happy, even without the beach ;) the highlight of the trip was when we visited one of the "quiet pools" - my friend tried to step into the pool from the side (instead of using the steps and hand rails). that might have been a mistake. she lost her balance and fell into the pool in slow motion. very quiet slow motion. somehow we kept from bursting out in laughter. but she still scared off the other people in the pool.

the spa was definitely the highlight of my trip down, but i also really enjoyed an evening at disneyland. we only rode two rides (california screaming and toy story midway mania), but then grabbed a snack and watched the fireworks in disneyland park - the snowfall at the end is the best! even though it's fake, i still love it!

on the flight back to san jose, the flight attendant detailing the safety information did a cute rendition that was phrased like "'twas the night before christmas". it was pretty entertaining. once i arrived back in san jose, i had less than 24 hours to do some last minute work, pack, and prepare for my trip out to indiana. somehow i made it, and even got almost everything packed into two very heavy bags. (they both weighed 49 pounds - take that southwest and your 50 lb limit!)

the flight to indiana was uneventful, although the flight attendant on this flight was far less rthymically skilled and her rendition of the safety information in "twas the night..." fashion nearly ruined the poem for me forever. but, i arrived safely, in one piece, and ready to get a good night's sleep and kick some interview butt. bring it on!

airport adventures

so i frequently travel between the bay area and SoCal, and yesterday was one such trip. i arrived at the airport a bit earlier than usual because i had to check luggage (normally i prefer to get to the airport and literally walk right on to the plane, but you have to be there 45 minutes ahead to guarantee your luggage will make it on the plane). anyways, i did a bit of work (yay me!), and packed up my computer when the southwest gate agent announced it was time to board. i love flying southwest, and secretly adore lining up in perfect numbered order - it brings meaning to my otherwise chaotic boarding experience.

so i was in line, waiting my turn to board, and two people go through the doorway into what i affectionately refer to as the "tunnel of doom"... all of a sudden the fire alarm went off. the gate agent looked around and waited for about ten seconds to see if it would turn off... everyone just stood there, really hoping she would ignore it and let us all get on the plane. but when the alarm continued to ring she said, "sorry folks, you're going to have to evacuate."

naturally, we were at the very last gate in a very long terminal, and so we headed en masse back toward the entrance in search of an emergency exit. we found one and headed outside, only to realize that no one really knew what to do after that. do we stand there and wait around? do we head back to the ticket counters and security gates? do we move 100 yards away from the building just in case?

well, everyone started herding back toward the ticket counters, where we were reassured that it was a false alarm and that they were in the process of clearing the alarm. the airport staff were very calm under pressure, especially after they notified everyone that we would have to go back through security. this didn't bother me that much - i wore slip on shoes - but the woman behind me had a full cup of hot tea she had just purchased inside the terminal. oh, and an unopened bottle of water for her flight. both drinks had to be tossed. bummer!

eventually, i made it back through security and down the 3 mile terminal back to my gate. the gate agent boarded everyone as they arrived, which made the process much quicker, but i did miss the joy of boarding in perfect sequential order.