I am home from the cruise. I hope to post pictures and share funny stories later but for now, let's talk about transportation. Today I was on a boat, a motorcoach, a plane, a bus, a train, and another bus. I also made a lot of friends today. I felt very much like my sister, Amy, who knows no strangers.
While the rest of Travel Troupe (plus four) drove home from the cruise, I had tickets to fly home so that I would not miss tonight's Book Club Reunion Slumber Party.
My day of transportational adventure started this morning traveling on the boat back into LA. I got off the boat at 8:25 am with no hassles. Of course, I had no luggage, which helped! My stellar husband and my stellar friends got to deal with bringing home all my luggage.
The cruise line provides motorcoach transfers to LAX, so I hopped on board the Southwest bus and sat next to an elderly lady traveling alone...Friend #1. She wasn't really alone - she had been on the cruise with 2 friends and a cousin but they were flying home to different cities so she was only alone for this portion of her vacation. She spent the half hour drive to the airport telling me about how she tripped over a doorway on the cruise ship and cut open her skull and almost broke both legs. She could barely walk and had arranged for a wheelchair at LAX. Poor lady. I also heard about the Saint Bernard and the Collie she used to own many years ago.
We arrived at LAX at 9:28. I printed my boarding pass, zipped through security and decided to check to see if there were any earlier flights to PHX than my scheduled 11:25 flight. Even before I got to the monitors to check the flights, the very first gate I passed said PHX - 9:40 - Now Boarding. I got into line, upgraded my ticket and got a new boarding pass and got on the plane. I was at LAX for a total of 12 minutes, start to finish. Sweet. I made no friends on the plane, which was also sweet.
I've been wanting to see if the light rail would be a viable option for airport transportation, so I planned on taking the light rail home as an experiment. The light rail doesn't go directly to the airport - they are linked by a bus shuttle service. I waited for the shuttle bus for all of 2 minutes. Sweet. The bus ride was quick, too. I met two guys who were not from Phoenix and were trying out the light rail. I helped them buy their tickets. I sent Friend #2 to Tempe, because he was looking for something to do during his 6 hour layover. The other guy, Friend #3, was going in my direction. He was from San Francisco and was here in Phoenix for a Dental Educators convention. He told me that he would help me use the BART the next time I was in San Fran.
My lucky transportation day continued - we only waited for 2 minutes for the train. Sweet! Friend #3 and I did not get seats together on the train, but were separated by a girl going to the Irish Faire downtown. I was wearing a bright green shirt, so she assumed I was going there, too. Friend #4! She's from Mesa and was taking the light rail for the first time. The three of us chatted during the ride. Friend #4 went to the University of Illinois and graduated the same year as me. Small world.
Friend #3 and Friend #4 got off the light rail downtown, while I continued to the end of the line. I like the light rail, I really do, but good god is that thing SLOW! I thought I would never reach Christown! The longer it took, the less my sense of adventure was keeping me entertained.
Finally, I did reach the end and this is where my transportation luck and my penchant for making friends ran out. After getting off the train, I had to wait 14 minutes for a bus. I was getting very antsy as this expedition was taking so very long and I just wanted to get home to see my puppies. The bus finally came and then proceeded to stop at every major stop, every minor stop and a few made-up stops causing the three mile journey to take more than 20 minutes!
Total travel time from the Phoenix airport to my house was 1 hour and 35 minutes. I have learned that the light rail will never be my preferred means of airport transportation! I'd rather pay the $30 for a cab and get there in 20 minutes!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
I Love It When We're Cruisin' Together
Travel Troupe is on the road again!! Travel Troupe and four more, that is! Yippee!!
The caravan leaves in the morning. We're driving to LA and then boarding a big ol' boat for Pat's Birthday Cruise. I'm going to ride dune buggies in Puerto Vallarta, go ziplining in Mazatlan and swim with the dolphins in Cabo. The dolphins are on my list of things to do before I die, so I guess I'm getting one step closer to dying happy.
My roommate is taking care of the doggies and the kitty - thank you, Chris! Jen, the world's greatest dog walker, is coming over every day, too. I'm worried about my Mo. She has been sick all week (because dogs always try to find some way to prevent you from leaving them), but she is now on antibiotics and appears to be feeling better. Fingers crossed... but my heart still hurts to leave her.
I'll be back in a week with pictures and stories.
But the fun doesn't stop with the cruise! Oh, no! The day of our return is the Big Book Club Reunion Slumber Party!! Yee-haw!!
The caravan leaves in the morning. We're driving to LA and then boarding a big ol' boat for Pat's Birthday Cruise. I'm going to ride dune buggies in Puerto Vallarta, go ziplining in Mazatlan and swim with the dolphins in Cabo. The dolphins are on my list of things to do before I die, so I guess I'm getting one step closer to dying happy.
My roommate is taking care of the doggies and the kitty - thank you, Chris! Jen, the world's greatest dog walker, is coming over every day, too. I'm worried about my Mo. She has been sick all week (because dogs always try to find some way to prevent you from leaving them), but she is now on antibiotics and appears to be feeling better. Fingers crossed... but my heart still hurts to leave her.
I'll be back in a week with pictures and stories.
But the fun doesn't stop with the cruise! Oh, no! The day of our return is the Big Book Club Reunion Slumber Party!! Yee-haw!!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I've Got 14 Minutes and 54 Seconds Left
Tick off two more seconds from my 15 minutes of fame.
The New Times website has pictures of me and Christy from the Great Urban Race.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/slideshow/view/255184/8
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/slideshow/view/255184/9
The Great Urban Race website has our picture with the Phoenix results.
http://www.greaturbanrace.com/register09_phoenix.php
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.
The Great Urban Race website has our picture with the Phoenix results.
http://www.greaturbanrace.com/register09_phoenix.php
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
I've Got a Bike, You Can Ride It If You Like
I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it
My friend Craig rides a bike exclusively. He has no car. He uses no public transportation. Just his bike. I find this very interesting.
I don't like bikes. I've been hit by a car on a bike. I'm not comfortable on a bike. I am scared of bikes. I compete in adventure races that include biking. Some people find this interesting.
I've got two adventure races coming up. One's in March. One's in April. I should get reacquainted with my nemesis. Face my fears. Ride a bike.
My friend Jamie has a bike. He is my bike dealer. He lets me borrow his bike. I borrowed his bike on Sunday.
I rode the bike to work on Monday. My friend Craig mapped out the safest route. There are streets with bike lanes almost all the way. The distance is ten miles.
I was nervous. I did fine. I did not crash. It took 54 minutes to get to work. It would have taken less time if I didn't stop to text my spouse Pat every 20 minutes.
My spouse Pat is paranoid. He thinks that girls who are scared of bikes shouldn't ride them in traffic. I told him I'd text him to let him know I was safe. I did this so he wouldn't worry. He left his phone at home and didn't get my texts.
My friend Craig told me that there are spots in the city that cars can't go. He says these spots give a cyclist a sense of exclusionary entitlement. One spot was on my route. I enjoy exclusionary entitlement. I took a picture of it.
My friend Jamie has a friend named Andy. The friend named Andy is a sumo-wrestler. He rides on the bike's handlebars. He says "squeaky squeaky" when you squeeze his buns. There is some controversy over his name. The friend named Andy might be named Sammy. But he told me it was Andy. He was a good travel companion.
My friend Jamie's bike spent the day in my office. I didn't want to lock it up outside. It might have gotten stolen. And it's not my bike. That would have sucked.
I thought about taking the light rail home. I did not. I rode the bike the whole way home. It took 47 minutes.
Bike-commuting was fun. I would like to do it again.
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it
My friend Craig rides a bike exclusively. He has no car. He uses no public transportation. Just his bike. I find this very interesting.
I don't like bikes. I've been hit by a car on a bike. I'm not comfortable on a bike. I am scared of bikes. I compete in adventure races that include biking. Some people find this interesting.
I've got two adventure races coming up. One's in March. One's in April. I should get reacquainted with my nemesis. Face my fears. Ride a bike.
My friend Jamie has a bike. He is my bike dealer. He lets me borrow his bike. I borrowed his bike on Sunday.
I rode the bike to work on Monday. My friend Craig mapped out the safest route. There are streets with bike lanes almost all the way. The distance is ten miles.
I was nervous. I did fine. I did not crash. It took 54 minutes to get to work. It would have taken less time if I didn't stop to text my spouse Pat every 20 minutes.
My spouse Pat is paranoid. He thinks that girls who are scared of bikes shouldn't ride them in traffic. I told him I'd text him to let him know I was safe. I did this so he wouldn't worry. He left his phone at home and didn't get my texts.
My friend Craig told me that there are spots in the city that cars can't go. He says these spots give a cyclist a sense of exclusionary entitlement. One spot was on my route. I enjoy exclusionary entitlement. I took a picture of it.
My friend Jamie has a friend named Andy. The friend named Andy is a sumo-wrestler. He rides on the bike's handlebars. He says "squeaky squeaky" when you squeeze his buns. There is some controversy over his name. The friend named Andy might be named Sammy. But he told me it was Andy. He was a good travel companion.
My friend Jamie's bike spent the day in my office. I didn't want to lock it up outside. It might have gotten stolen. And it's not my bike. That would have sucked.
I thought about taking the light rail home. I did not. I rode the bike the whole way home. It took 47 minutes.
Bike-commuting was fun. I would like to do it again.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Saving Captain Jack
First off...apologies if this post goes somewhat astray. My husband is currently here in the office with me. He's trying to learn to play a No Doubt song on the guitar and the stereo is loud, his amp is loud, he's screaming the wrong lyrics and jumping around. It's a little bit distracting.
But since the computer is a desktop and it's stuck here in the office (er..."studio") and I told Wayne I'd blog about this story tonight, Pat and I are trying to peacefully co-exist. Well, I'm being peaceful. He's being LOUD. To be fair, he was in here first. So, I'm going to get this one done ASAP and leave him alone in his studio. He's already been hinting that I should do that. "Little One, don't you have to go play soccer?" "Aren't you going to walk the dogs??" Of course, I may not ever finish this post if he breaks the light with his head mid-jump, which looks like could happen any second. Men who are well over 6 feet tall need to be careful when jumping in a room whose only means of light comes from the ceiling fan fixture.
So here goes...Saving Captain Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow, that is.
Kiri's pet boy Wayne met me for lunch downtown today. I was waiting for him outside my building and I see a lady chasing around an injured sparrow apparently trying to catch it. This is proving difficult for her as she has one hand holding her phone to her ear and the other hand has to keep blocking her purse from falling off her shoulder. Wayne rides up on his bike and I point out the crazy lady. What does she think she's going to do with the bird if she catches it? Put it in her purse and take it to the vet, maybe. I don't know. (Cacophony update - Pat is now on to a Melissa Etheridge song. I believe he at least has the lyrics right on this one, but those can't be the right chords he's hitting on that guitar. He claims to be pretty close, though.)
Crazy Bird Lady sees us watching her and asks for our help. Turns out she wasn't that crazy. Captain Jack isn't broken at all, but rather his wings are all caught up in string. Wayne drops his bike and starts the process of catching the bird. With two hands and no flopping purse, Wayne is able to catch the sparrow pretty quickly.
The string is caught up in both wings and both legs. I try to unwind it from his little talons. Captain Jack is pissed - he's biting us with his small but thankfully ineffective beak. The string isn't actually string but bird netting, so unwinding is impossible. 
(Music studio update: Back to No Doubt. Chord, chord, chord, chord, "OOPS!", chord, chord, chord, "Damn it!")
As quick I can, I run into the jewelers to borrow scissors and run back out. Sometimes you just end up running with scissors. Snip, snip, snip. We've got one wing and one foot done. Wayne spreads the wings and we get the other one taken care of. Snip, snip. Captain Jack is free of the net! Hurray!!! We take a quick picture of our little friend before we release him.
Wayne lets go and Captain Jack is not pissed anymore!! Captain Jack flies away, free as...well...a bird.
(It would be awfully fitting if I could tell you that Pat is playing Free Bird right now. But he's not.)
But since the computer is a desktop and it's stuck here in the office (er..."studio") and I told Wayne I'd blog about this story tonight, Pat and I are trying to peacefully co-exist. Well, I'm being peaceful. He's being LOUD. To be fair, he was in here first. So, I'm going to get this one done ASAP and leave him alone in his studio. He's already been hinting that I should do that. "Little One, don't you have to go play soccer?" "Aren't you going to walk the dogs??" Of course, I may not ever finish this post if he breaks the light with his head mid-jump, which looks like could happen any second. Men who are well over 6 feet tall need to be careful when jumping in a room whose only means of light comes from the ceiling fan fixture.
So here goes...Saving Captain Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow, that is.
Kiri's pet boy Wayne met me for lunch downtown today. I was waiting for him outside my building and I see a lady chasing around an injured sparrow apparently trying to catch it. This is proving difficult for her as she has one hand holding her phone to her ear and the other hand has to keep blocking her purse from falling off her shoulder. Wayne rides up on his bike and I point out the crazy lady. What does she think she's going to do with the bird if she catches it? Put it in her purse and take it to the vet, maybe. I don't know. (Cacophony update - Pat is now on to a Melissa Etheridge song. I believe he at least has the lyrics right on this one, but those can't be the right chords he's hitting on that guitar. He claims to be pretty close, though.)
Crazy Bird Lady sees us watching her and asks for our help. Turns out she wasn't that crazy. Captain Jack isn't broken at all, but rather his wings are all caught up in string. Wayne drops his bike and starts the process of catching the bird. With two hands and no flopping purse, Wayne is able to catch the sparrow pretty quickly.
The string is caught up in both wings and both legs. I try to unwind it from his little talons. Captain Jack is pissed - he's biting us with his small but thankfully ineffective beak. The string isn't actually string but bird netting, so unwinding is impossible. 
(Music studio update: Back to No Doubt. Chord, chord, chord, chord, "OOPS!", chord, chord, chord, "Damn it!")
As quick I can, I run into the jewelers to borrow scissors and run back out. Sometimes you just end up running with scissors. Snip, snip, snip. We've got one wing and one foot done. Wayne spreads the wings and we get the other one taken care of. Snip, snip. Captain Jack is free of the net! Hurray!!! We take a quick picture of our little friend before we release him.
Wayne lets go and Captain Jack is not pissed anymore!! Captain Jack flies away, free as...well...a bird.(It would be awfully fitting if I could tell you that Pat is playing Free Bird right now. But he's not.)
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