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I met my friend Myra for lunch today at Rockford. Myra is such good people. I love that she’s in my life.
I had their Pimento Cheese sandwich, and Myra had their Roast Beef sandwich. When our waitperson enumerated the sides, I got “potato salad,” “black-eyed peas,” but didn’t quite get what the third option was, which I heard as “butterines,” I thought they might be some genetic combination of some vegetables, so I asked for a repeat. “Butter beans,” she said. After having a quick Single Iced Skinny Caramella Sugar-Free at Helios, I stopped by the post office on the way home, where I mailed Donna’s birthday present and a couple of cards. I’m trying, once again, with a math-related birthday gift for my ex-wife. I mean she was a math and computer science major! |
Last year, I bought her, The Proof, a documentary about Andrew Wiles’ quest to solve Fermat’s Last Theorem, about which I heard at the 2007 STC Annual Convention in Minneapolis. I thought I was ordering a DVD copy of the movie, but when it came, it was a VHS version. Since it requires Donna digging out her VHS player from god knows where, she just hasn’t gotten to it.
So, this year, I bought her a very thin book with a math-related theme, whose title I’m not going to divulge here on the outside chance (like one in a million) that she’ll read this entry before her birthday on the 16th. My only trepidation about this gift choice is that she is not a reader. Things that make you go, “Hmmmm.”
At home, I put away a bunch of junk that’s been laying around my house for various amounts of time—a lot of it from my weekend away this past weekend.
I worked out today from about 4:15 – 5:15.
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On the way home from the gym, I stopped at Arby’s and used my “4 Regular Roast Beef Sandwiches for $5” coupon for dinner for Robert and me. I was surprised to see the saving on the receipt: $6.11. That’s quite the discount.
Our People-to-People (P2P) Technical Communication Delegation to the People’s Republic of China received our flight information today:
CHICAGO NON-STOP AIR SCHEDULE
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Schedule of Flights |
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Monday the 20th of October |
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United Airlines |
Flight 851 |
Plane Type: 777 |
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Departs: |
Chicago, IL |
at 12:33pm, on 20th of October |
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Arrives: |
Beijing |
at 3:00pm, on 21st of October |
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Friday the 31st of October |
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United Airlines |
Flight 836 |
Plane Type: 744 |
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Departs: |
Shanghai Pu Dong |
at 4:05pm, on 31st of October |
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Arrives: |
Chicago, IL |
at 3:54pm, on 31st of October |
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———————————————————————————————————————————–
ALTERNATE DEPARTURE FROM LOS ANGELES
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Schedule of Flights |
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Monday the 20th of October |
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Cathay Pacific |
Flight 881 |
Plane Type: |
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Departs: |
Los Angeles, CA |
at 1:45am, on 20th of October |
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Arrives: |
Hong Kong |
at 7:25am, on 21st of October |
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Tuesday the 21st of October |
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Dragonair |
Flight 990 |
Plane Type: |
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Departs: |
Hong Kong |
at 9:00am, on 21st of October |
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Arrives: |
Beijing |
at 12:30pm, on 21st of October |
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Friday the 31st of October |
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Dragonair |
Flight 831 |
Plane Type: |
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Departs: |
Shanghai Pu Dong |
at 8:40am, on 31st of October |
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Arrives: |
Hong Kong |
at 11:35am, on 31st of October |
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Friday the 31st of October |
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Cathay Pacific |
Flight 884 |
Plane Type: |
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Departs: |
Hong Kong |
at 1:10pm, on 31st of October |
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Arrives: |
Los Angeles, CA |
at 10:35am, on 31st of October |
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Since there were only a limited number of seats (we have 25 people in our delegation) out of Chicago, I responded immediately that I wanted one of those. Afterwards I tried to upgrade my seat to business class, but in order to do so, we have to basically decline the seat offered by P2P, book our own business class flight, and then take a $795 credit, which obviously must be what they paid for group rate seats, and apply it to our ticket.
The problem was that the coach class ticket without the group rate was about $1275. This means two things: (1) That’s too much of a discount to pass up, and (2) Upgrading that $1275 coach ticket to business class would make the differential even worse. I stuck with the P2P ticket.
I then booked my flight from RDU to Chicago (for the outbound) and my Chicago to RDU flight (for the return). All set.
Dancing was fun tonight, after getting the speakers fixed.
In his zero-understanding (or caring, is probably more like it) about customer service, and the fact that customers are what keep that bar in business, Brigner (the manager of the joint) made a comment about having to come from home at 9:00 at night to open the office just to flip a switch to turn on the speakers. Something like, “My eyes better not get all infected having to come out here at 9:00 at night for you bitches,” was his comment—I imagine an allusion to contact lenses, but I don’t really know that.
Funny. I’ll bet he never sits at home and says, “I love just sitting here on my ass while you bitches pay for drinks, give tips to my bartenders, and entertain people who happen to be in the bar on Wednesday nights and who enjoy country music and line-dancing.”
Again, things that make you go, “Hmmmm.”