Trips

Day 69 – The Day of Delta Greatness

By Diana

Right now I am sitting in the Atlanta airport on my layover and I am at, I think, 1 of the two gates that are using a new boarding method at Delta.  They are doing kinda like Southwest where they have boarding lanes, but they are based on your zone.  I LOVE IT!!!!  A huge anxiety maker for me is when the people block the loading way and they are boarding the plane until the last group.  They just crowd the whole area and make it impossible to get to the front.  I HATE IT :)

I was lucky enough to experience this last flight to Baltimore.  It made it so easy to get on the plane.  Way to go Delta.

I was up very early, 04:00 for this flight and luckily I slept most of the first one.  I felt very good getting off the plane and now am eating my breakfast.  While I was getting food in Baltimore there was only a couple places open and Dunkin Donuts was one of them.  There was a lady with two kids, a 3 year old little girl and probably a 7 year old boy.  The little girl was so stinking cute!  She wanted a specific donut, not a specific kind a specific one.  When the mother got her the donut, she got her the kind, but not the one and the little girl had a melt down and dropped to the floor.  It was adorable, sorry for the mom, but I was just laughing.  It reminded me of those memes that you see where the kids are crying and the caption says something like, I wouldn’t let her eat the dogs food.  I really wanted to take a picture and make one but I wasn’t brave enough :)

I am sitting next to this woman who is so funny.  We are talking about transit stuff and how living in the city is amazing when you can travel around so simply without a vehicle.  It is like we are on the same page, nice.

I am sitting at this bar thing right next to the walk way so I am getting to people watch, which is nice.  You see some interesting people, interesting dress, shoes really.  Some of these women are insane with their shoe choice.

Tonight I am supposed to take mom to see Frank Sinatra Jr.  I am unsure if she will be feeling well enough to go, I don’t really wanna go but I hate to waste the tickets.  Hopefully she will be feeling well enough and be rested enough.

It was GREAT!!!!  My mom, and me, had an amazing time.  I really liked it and mom was singing along to the songs.  It had a visual component, showing old pictures and video and newspaper clippings – it was just really nice.

Mom and me at Frank Sinatra Jr.
Mom and me at Frank Sinatra Jr.
The band :)
The band :)

Day 68 – The Turn Table Day

By Diana

Today I was in Cumberland this morning and ended in Baltimore.  I had a meeting to go to so that is why I was there and my flight is very early tomorrow so I drove back this afternoon.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to finish up early enough to drive in daylight so I was very happy when we wrapped at like 14:45.  2.5 hours later I am in my hotel room.  Returned the rental car and got some dinner.  Had a friend meet me for dinner which was very nice.

I saw one of the turn tables in Cumberland and while we were looking at it they were shuffling 2 engines so I got them on video.  It was so great, I wasn’t expecting to see it in action – I was just happy to see it at all.  It was amazingly quiet for how much weight it is move and how quickly it is going.

My mom wasn’t feeling well last night so I got a little distracted and didn’t post this blog so I am doing it first thing this morning while I wait for my flight.  Have a great day!!!

Day 67 – Day of Travel

By Diana

I am finally at my hotel in Cumberland.   It wasn’t that it was long travel, even though it has been a long day, it was the driving in the mountains that got to me.  The vehicle I rented was more in case it snowed and it was just very underpowered for these little hills 😉

I just ordered me some pizza – my go to comfort meal when traveling.  I may have also gotten a cookie pie – maybe…

Interesting thing, when I got here the Harlem Globetrotters were just leaving.  I don’t think they were checking out, I think they have a game tonight, I was hearing on the radio.  I think that was pretty cool.

I got a little lost on the way to the hotel and went all through the town.  It was an interesting thing to say the least.  Not a very high income place and not really many places to eat and stuff.  The roads are a bit crazy!

I am in the lobby writing this and they have Maury on – the show where people just yell at each other that they are the father.  Crazy, I keep getting distracted by it – reminds me of old RailDOCS days :)

Alright, I am gonna call it quits and sit here waiting for my food so I can eat and hit the sack :)

Day 34 – A Day In-Diana

By Diana

I have been at the airport in Evansville Indiana for about 5 hours now.  I can assure you that it is about 5 hours too long!!!!  In reality it could be worse.  They have free wifi and a really nice sitting area –  I have been lounging on the couch type thing for a couple hours now.  I just am anxious to get home.  I am starting to feel a headache coming on and my nose hurts a bit.  I can tell the flight from ATL to JAX is going to be a hard one.  Thankfully it is short.

I spent the morning lounging around the hotel and helping a couple people on the phone and then dove the hour to the airport and helped a couple more people and now am doing this :)

I have slept pretty good the last couple of days and I sure hope that continues.

I really have nothing worth noting today, not that I normally do :)

It got pretty cold here today, the wind was just non stop.  I really think if the wind had died down it would have been a little bit nicer.

Alright, going to pack up the laptop and just relax!!

Day 33 – The Darkest Day

By Diana

It is so yucky weather wise today!  It is so dark out I thought it was closer to dinner time, but no it’s only 15:30!!  I just looked at my phone and see we have a tornado warning!  Amazing – just what everyone needs I am sure.

I worked in the hotel today and went out to Applebee’s for lunch with the test engineer Ricardo.  He is very nice and we talked about a lot of work type things and it was good.  He ended up being the last person to leave the meeting today and I helped him with a bunch of stuff in the program so that was a great session.

The person who I was helping a lot yesterday from Maintenance came over this morning and brought me muffins!  It was so nice and no one had done that for me before so I was very happy!  I ate one that was like apple pie style and then saved blueberry one for tomorrow.  The hotel here actually has very good muffins itself, but I am sure this one is very good too.

I had so many packages come in the last couple days it is going to be too much when I get home :)  My new bed will be here Thursday so I will be spending the weekend putting that together and moving stuff all around.

Alright, I am going to snack on the rest of my lunch and just veg.  Maybe I will get sleepy and be able to fall asleep here soon and get lots more sleep!!!

Day 32 – The Day of Railroad

By Diana

So today we were at the cutover and it was so very cold!!!  We stood at this crossing waiting to do our part for so long I was getting so very cold so I sat in the truck most of the time but at least I was able to get some other work done.  Once we finished with that crossing I was dropped off at the yard office to help a couple of the maintenance people with their stuff.  We got lots accomplished, so even though I missed a lot of cutover stuff we still got a lot done.

We had pizza for lunch which makes 3 meals in a row of pizza for me – I think I am officially pizza-ed out :)

I am back at the hotel now and am going to try to get some good sleep.  I feel very tired so I am going to pounce on that :)

Day 31 – The Day of Mistakes…

By Diana

It has been one of those days today!!!

  1. First off this morning, I set my alarm to be up at 04:45 to make my flight and I get awaken by the puppy and not the alarm.  Turns out I set the alarm for a weekday!
  2. I forgot to give Nickel his pain meds.
  3. I forgot that I was checking 2 bags and not 1.
  4. I made hotel reservations for not enough nights.
  5. I made car reservations for not enough days.
  6. I forgot that I  checked 2 bags (again) until I was half way to my hotel – so 30 minutes away.
  7. I almost killed myself in the elevator, they mopped and left it soaking wet.
  8. I just spilled an entire drink.

Now I am sitting in bed because this day has been too much!!

On the plus side, I wasn’t late to the airport and I had an amazing blue berry muffin and when we landed in Atlanta, it had to be the softest landing I have ever experienced.  Then in Atlanta I got my Starbucks and I had me another amazing blueberry muffin – I think better than the first but really only because she heated it up!!  It was so yummy :)

I got a nice rental car, very little miles and was very clean :)  I just finished up me some pizza and it was yummy so all in all it has balanced out I would say :)

Well, like I said I am going to just relax for a bit, try to catch a nap and stay safe :)

Day 22 – The Day That Was Delayed

By Diana

I am currently sitting in the Indianapolis airport waiting for my flight to leave.  It was delayed about a half hour and we are now scheduled to leave in about 40 minutes.  This delay meant that I was going to miss my connection in Atlanta so I had to push that one back until 18:00.  I should have been leaving there at 14:45.  Not a huge deal, I just want to get home today :)

I FaceTimed with my mom for the first time today!  I think she really thought it was cool!

No snow here today, the delay was actually an issue with the plane so that is a good sign.  At the airport here they are running exercises, or were at least, with the bomb dog and I got all kinds of sniffed several times!  I was just happy he didn’t get slobber on me :)

OK, I am going to look online for stuff while I wait for this flight, just wanted to go ahead and get this started for the day!!

I finally made it home at 21:30!!  So happy to be home and those puppies were so happy to see me :)

I had a ton of packages waiting on me and tomorrow I am going to deal with them all – I hope :)

Day 21 – The Day of Laying in Bed!

By Diana

Today was an off day so I have been basically in the bed all day!  Not sleeping or anything, just playing on the internet and watching TV and doing nothing constructive, but managed to spend a good bit of money on clothes – oops :)

I think I have decided that I would like a new bedroom set.  The good news is that what I want is not terribly expensive and I think I can sell mine for a good bit.  I love mine, don’t get me wrong, but I absolutely HATE how disgusting under the bed gets!  The bed I am thinking about it a platform bed that is very very low to the ground.  You would not be able to put anything under it and more importantly see under it.  Also, I am not liking how high my bed is with the dogs jumping off of it.  It is gonna be too hard on them.

I had lots of decoration stuff delivered this week so I am very excited to get home and see how it can be put up.  It should be very fun and I hope looks nice and functions like I need!

I found out today that I will need to be out again on from February 2 – 4.  This time in a place called Madisonville, Kentucky.  Hopefully it doesn’t snow too bad because it is like an hours drive from the airport and I really don’t want to try that for the first time :)

Alright, well I am going to get back to watching TV and playing around!  At some point I will have to eat, but I will play that by ear :)

Day 20 – A White Day and A Night at The Library

By Diana

It snowed last night!!!  Like enough to have a good couple inches on the ground.  I woke up about 05:00 this morning to the hotel people shoveling the sidewalk…

Today was the last day of the training sessions and I was happy it was over!  Not because anyone was ugly or anything but because I have now completed 18 sessions in 3 weeks of the exact same material – that twice a day too.  Alex was a huge help especially since we got a new release of software while we were here.  That means he was able to write down all the issues while I continued through the training.

Tonight we are going to go out for dinner, we have been eating in the hotel all week.

We went to dinner at a place called The Library.  It was alright food, not anything amazing, but it was close and not the hotel so that was good enough!  It was super cute, they gave you the check in a library book – WHAT!!!!!!   Ha ha, I was impressed :)

I played in the snow for just a bit outside the restaurant, nothing crazy.  It was so soft, just powder.  When we got back to the hotel the group was playing bingo.  They were paying quiet bingo because they had already been complained about from other guests.  Outside the hotel I was trying to play with the snow except here it was all hard!  Could have killed myself :)

IMG_2704IMG_2705IMG_2703IMG_2702