Well, for weeks I've debated whether to continue this blog into 2006...
I fully intended to write a big day-by-day diary of our trip to Puerto Vallarta, complete with photos - but the more I thought of it, the more involved it got, and I scared myself out of it.
You can still check out our photos on Carole's Photo Gallery
You see, we had a horrific 36 hour experience on our return trip (Thanks for nothing America West!) where our baggage got lost, our plane had an emergency landing in Las Vegas for mechanical difficulties, and we were told the next plane home would be in four days. We spent new years eve on the floor in the Vegas airport (no hotel rooms in all of Vegas on new years eve) and spent the next 24 hours araning flights to Oakland, Denver, San Franciso, Salt Lake, Oregon, Seattle, Phoenix, until we finally found a plan that would get us into Vancouver exactly 24 hours late. OH, and that ain't even scratchign the surface of the ordeal. BUT, I'm so sick of telling that story, I just can't bear to lay it all out again.
Just so that America West doesn't get off the hook completely though, everyone should know that the whole thing was because of a stupid labour dispute at the Phoenix headquarters of America West. Their pilots were pissed that they lost their seniority in a December 6th merger, so they launched a subtle work to rule campain of arbitrarily grounding flights due to safety or security concerns... apparently that's a pilots perogative. The Teamsters were also in the action - the unionized checkin clerks were rufusing to transfer any passegers to Alaska Airlines flights, as a protest against Alaska's recent canning of all unionized baggage handlers in favour or lowest-bid contractors. The America West counter staff actually REPEATEDLY lied to the faces of 152 passengers, telling us that there were NO flights available for four days - INCLUDING Alaska Airlines, when of course, there were plenty... they were just refusing to put us on any of them.
But that's over and done with. I was pissed. 152 of us were pissed actually, and only about fourty of us got home within the first 24 hours. The majority were held hostage by America West's union well into the new year. However, it's a new year now, and I'm done with that whole fiasco.
Since the new year began, there has been so much that I've wanted to blog about... today is election day, it has rained for 40 of the last 41 days (the record is 28 days in a row, but the one day it hasn't rained was the 28th day... can you believe it???)
Two mornings ago, I actually woke up to an inch of snow - it was so surreal! But of course, it turned to rain before sunrise.
Last night was Carole's work's Christmas Party (it's always in the new year for some reason) and it was really a lot of fun. It was at a private club called "Sugar", and it was a casino night. I spent more of the time of Blackjack and Roulette while Carole danced. Now that's a pretty good deal!
I've started getting into two new shows: Ewan McGreggor's motorcycle trip around the world, called "Long Way Round" and the new Battlestar Galactica series.
Since house prices have gotten so high lately, we're thinking of selling in the spring, so we're started some major renovations - I could blog 3 or 4 entries on just the housework I've done over the last 3 weeks (like the 10 hours of painting yesterday), but I just can't drag myself to do it!
Did I ever blog about the new computer I bought the other month? I don't remember...
There have also been so many significant world events too, things that I wouldn't have passed up the oportunity to blog a year or two ago, but the fact is, I'm just sick of it. I don't mind writing, I just hate feeling obligated - and the feeling that I'm getting behind, and have a whole catch-up list of stuff to blog about just sucks. I don't need the pressure, and frankly there are more productive things to be done!
So, what I'm trying to say is, this blog site is going to stay here, but I'm taking a break. Who knows, I may feel compelled to write something occasionally, but I'm not going to chronical my life and thoughts like I have been for the past four years. Has it really been our years? Wow... yes. Yes it has. I need a break.
So, this is the end... for now.
Posted by Calvin at January 23, 2006 07:23 AMblog when you want i say... i blog because like you get got tired of telling the same story over and over... so i wrote them in blogs... then i would just refer everyone to my blog for the latest news... but i too have gotten sick of it... however i'm all about the video uploading to google video so it's a perfect time to post my videos in my blog... instead of reading you can watch it... anyways... how exciting about your vegas vacation.... did you gamble at all while you were there?
I'll miss reading what you have to say, but if it isn't enjoyable for you, then at the very least, you should take a break from it. Without the blog to read, I guess I'll just have to talk to you more often. :>))
Posted by: paladane at January 23, 2006 06:49 PM