It's been a while since my last news...and I never got in the tale of my return back to San Francisco from Newport Beach. This was quite the adventure. Bob & Marie dropped me off at the airport. I went inside to see a huge line for Reno Air. Fortunately, I had plenty of time so it didn't matter too much to me whether I waited in this line or somewhere else. Then I got closer to the screens announcing arrivals/departures. I checked. The reason for the long line became obvious. My flight wasn't late. It was cancelled. So was the only other flight (United Airlines) to San Jose that night. This wasn't good news. While it wasn't good news, it didn't seem to be all that horrible. There was a 9pm flight to San Francisco. While my car was in San Jose, I could at least get home Sunday night, go to work on Monday (remember that very new job I'd only started a month earlier), and figure out how to retrieve my car later, perhaps Monday evening. Or perhaps there was some way to get a flight out of LAX.

I waited.

At the counter, it was bad news. The SF flight was overbooked. My chances of getting on the flight standby were very slim. I put myself on the list, anyway. By this time, it was approaching 8:30pm. Other passenger were being shuttled to a hotel near LAX that evening and placed on an 8am flight from LAX to San Jose. I figured I'd take my chances on the SF flight and then catch a shuttle back to the condo where the rest of the family was staying. In the morning, I could find someone to give me a ride to LAX.

Well, I didn't get on the SF flight. While in the John Wayne Airport, I left voice mail for my new boss, telling him I was in LA & would be in late, by 12N at the latest. I also called to cancel an appointment I'd had to return some drapes for my house.

Then I set about finding a shuttle back to the condo. The catch was that I didn't know where the condo was. I didn't have an address or phone number. I remembered it was near River Street in Newport Beach and hoped I could remember what it looked like even though it was now dark. I set out to find a shuttle. I didn't tell the shuttle driver that I didn't know where I was going until we were well on our way. Fortunately, River Street is a big street so it was easy to find on the map. From River Street, I was able to figure out where the condo was. It took a couple passes but I found it. Of course, by this time it was approaching 11pm & everyone was already in bed. Maybe I should have taken the shuttle to LAX, instead.

Well, in the morning, Marie took on the task of navigating LA freeways to find the airport. I think we circled the airport but eventually found it. She dropped me off and once again I headed for the Reno Air ticket counter.

Everyone I'd been in line with last night was once again in line. And, once again, the flight was cancelled. As before, they said it was for mechanical reasons. That didn't help my situation with getting back to the Bay Area in time to go to work on Monday. This time, they put us on a Southwest Flight in another terminal. It was another hour later so I left more voicemail for work letting them know I hoped to be in by 2pm.

The scene at the Reno Air ticket counter was very chaotic. There was a full plane of angry people, most of whom had just been bumped for the second time in a row. There weren't enough seats available on other airlines. It was a mess. At least I've spent enough time in airports to know what was going on. At least I spoke the language. There was an elderly Chinese gentleman who was on the same flight. He had no idea what was going on. I think he knew one word of English: "Yes" which he would say and smile so sincerely that I really believed that he had just understood what was happening. But he didn't. The counter personnel were overwhelmed. This man was lost & no one around spoke Chinese. He was on my same flight so I gestured to him that were were going the same place & he followed me.

Next step was to get to the other terminal. This is LAX, which is always a mess. It's crowded and big. However, never underestimate the power of an elderly Chinese man with a baggage cart. People jumped out of our way because I think they realized he wasn't going to slow down. I followed until we got to the other terminal. I found the Southwest gate and then we stood in line again.

My new friend hopefully asked the woman behind us if she spoke Chinese. At least, I'm guessing that's what he said. She said she was Korean. No luck.

As we stood in line to check in (again!), I made sure my new friend had his ticket & picture ID ready. Then I went up to the counter & got my boarding pass. I waited for my new friend. Then came the security questions.

"Have your bags been under your control at all times?" the ticket agent asked. The man said "Yes" and smiled and nodded. She believed him. "Have you accepted any packages or items from any persons unknown to you?" she asked. He was about to smile and again answer "Yes." However, that wasn't the right response to this question. I knew he had no idea what it was she was asking him so I answered for him. The ticket agent asked if we were together. Uh oh. Have I just aligned myself with an international terrorist? Maybe he really is carrying a bomb!

Well, he got his boarding pass so I took us to the waiting lounge where we could wait again. I parked him in a chair against the wall and left in search of breakfast. I found an overpriced smoothie place where I purchased a smoothie for me & a bottle of water for my friend. I had no idea if he would be allergic to mango or whatever smoothie I got so I figured water was safe.

While we were waiting, my friend pulled out a cell phone & called someone. The person at the other end spoke Chinese. I assume this was to let them know he would be late. I was hoping he would figure out that he had to tell them there was a change of airlines as well as a delay. Through gestures, I figured out that he was going to rent a car in San Jose & drive to his destination. If he hadn't had the cell phone with someone at the other end who spoke Chinese, I would have been very concerned about his ability to get to his final destination.

Then we waited some more for the Southwest Airlines cattle herding process they call 'boarding.' My new friend still had no idea what was going on so he followed right behind while we got on the plane. At San Jose, he followed me to baggage claim and I directed him in the direction of the Thrifty Rental car shuttle. I showed him what the logo looked like so he (hopefully) would be able to figure out which shuttle is the right one. I eventually made it back home...although I didn't make it into work until about 2pm. That's a great way to start a new job.

Stacey