Our relocated Cali girl, Megan McGlover is back with another ATL weather report. LOL We so relate. We also want to send our prayers and thoughts to the people in Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and other states hit hard by the recent tornadoes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9lkycLVYvk&feature=uploademail
After digitally capturing each day initially in 2010 my Mom (Sis) and I (Lisa) decided to challenge ourselves again in 2011. We went with a different approach; captured whatever enticed us on a weekly basis. So here we are in 2012 deciding now just to keep to the daily challenge of a picture a day from now till whenever we get sick of doing it! There might get some journaling along with our digital images. Whatever we decide, we'll try to be entertaining. Sarcasm is guaranteed!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Week 20 - Lisa
I went home to California this past weekend for a Tribal
Council meeting. I flew into San
Francisco on Friday morning. I stepped
out onto the platform to catch the "AirRide" to the rental car
parking lot and had my breathe taken away.
Yowza, it was freezing. I had
left 90 degree weather in the ATL and stepped out into SFO's 50something
degrees. Instantly my bronchitis cough
erupted. Yes, I was home. Woohoo!
I tried not to get teary-eyed as I admired the hills of San Bruno,
Oakland and the Bay while riding the "AirRide" train. I'm a "Emerald Club" member with a certain
car rental company so I can pick whatever cars are parked in the so called
"Emerald" area. I chose a 2012
Mazda5. Why? I have no clue. It didn't look to big or too small and it was
a pretty green color. LOL I zipped on down to Salinas to stay the night
with my godparents with a quick stop at the Gilroy Target. Had a nice dinner and visit with my cousins
and godparents, made sure I got to bed at a reasonable time of 11pm (2am
est). I was pretty tired after a
HELLacious week at work. I was up and
out the door at 8:15am for our 9:00am meeting in Gilroy.
Here's where my troubles start...
As we broke for lunch I was going to drive to wherever we
were eating but discovered it was right across the street and could be walked. I went to put my keys back in the room but
was distracted and ended up carrying them with me. I know I had them because I was annoyed to be
carrying them. I had no pant pockets to
stuff them into. My fellow Council
Members and I ordered lunch and sat at a couple outside tables. Let me say the
new, well new to me, Mexican chain Mi Pueblo Food Center is awesome! They were a fine tuned machine behind the
super Cocina Mexicana. I believe it was
while cleaning up our bags and containers that one of us accidentially threw my
keys in the garbage. Of course I did not
discover this until 5:45pm when the 8.5 hour meeting was over.
I was beyond the point of crying when I called the "Emerald" hotline to report that my sorry ass lost the keys to my car. I'm anal, I'm organized, I don't do these type of things, well guess what, I do. <sigh> "Ms. Cxxxxxr, did you retrace your steps?" "Yes." "Ms. Cxxxxxr, did you go back to the restaurant?" "Yes." "Ms. Cxxxxxr, did you look on the floor of the vehicle?" "YES!" This was going no where fast. I finally said, "Look, they are gone, so what are you going to do to help me?" "Ms. Cxxxxxr, are you in a safe place?" "Um, well as long as it's daylight yes." The woman replied, "Ok, so we can dispatch for a truck to come out and unlock the door to the vehicle so you can take out all your belongings." "Then you will have to call us back and we will dispatch a truck to tow away the vehicle, return to the rental station, pick up a new car and tow it back?" "Huh?" "Are you kidding me?" "No, Ms. Cxxxxxr, that is our policy, one thing at a time." I said, "well how long will this take?" "To dispatch to unlock one hour, to dispatch to pick up vehicle and bring you a new vehicle three hours." "OMG!" "Well, Ms. Cxxxxxr you did lose the keys to your vehicle." <slow simmer> "Yes, I am aware of that fact, thank you." Thankfully, two of my cousins had stayed with me. They were busy in the background trying to call locksmiths to come make me a key but as we suspected due to these new fandango type of cars and keys, no can do. So I was stuck with "Emerald's" plan of attack. So I called back with a weak tired voice and said, "Ok, dispatch the round one please."
Meanwhile I was texting with my sister because the week
leading into my trip we came up with the grand plan to invite my aunts and
female cousins to come to her house for pizza after my meeting. So they would all be waiting for me. Waiting and waiting and waiting
apparently. I told her to cancel. One aunt and two girl cousins stuck to the
plan and were either on their way or had already arrived. "Enjoy the pizza family. Wah!"
At 7:00pm, the tow truck pulled in, this was a huge flatbed
that could easily haul two vehicles. The
driver unlocks the Mazda, we unload my things and I asked him, "Hey do you
think you could take me and the vehicle back to the San Jose Airport if I call
and they agree?" He said sure so I
made the call. It took the rental car
agency 30 minutes to make up their minds.
Yes, he could haul the car and me back so I'm thinking small victory,
yay! Then I start feeling a tiny bit
nervous about driving the hour back to San Jose with a complete stranger. I'm not a sissy-lala by any means but still
things run through your mind. So I
jokingly told the guy with my eyebrow on high arched alert, "So I'm not
going to end up in Mexico working in slave labor while Nancy Grace pleads for
my life on Fox month after month right?"
"I just want you to know if you try to kill me or you know do other
things, you will get hurt in the process."
"I will go down with a fight and you will suffer SOMETHING for
it." "Trust me on this!" Thankfully,
Bobby as I would come to know him over the next two hours, had a sense of humor
but clearly got the message. ;>
So off we went up the 101 (with 'do you know the way to San
Jose' fighting for a spot in my head against 'Me and Bobby McGee' - busted flat
in a Church parking lot, waitin' for a tow truck) bouncing roughly in the big
ass truck and slowly creeping through the traffic. Bobby McSanchez and I talked about our
families, being from the Bay Area, living in the South, and my Tribe. About half way, I get a phone call from
"Emerald" telling me that the car lot is in Santa Clara and here's
the address. The customer care person said I would have to wait at this lot while Bobby went and loaded a new vehicle and brought it back to me. WTH?! Bobby had a GPS so we figured out it wasn't
really that far from the airport but still thanks for the detailed instructions
an hour ago. I had told him I could call a cab once there, I wasn't goint to make him go through all that. We find the lot at
8:15pm. Lots of crashed and broke down
cars, one night attendant in a pitch black lot.
I'm not sure if Bobby felt the slow panic rising in me or the guy just had good old fashion manners and common sense, I think probably a combo of all three but
he said to me, "Wait in the truck, I'm going to unload the car and take
you straight to the rental car place, no way in hell I'm leaving you out
here." If he hadn't been 5' 1",
married with grandkids and seriously needing a shower, he might, just might,
have been my knight in shining armor.
Instead he was my hero tow truck driver! <insert Enrique Iglesias - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5m5aEtC0Hw>
It was now 8:45pm.
It was now 8:45pm.
If you've been to the new San Jose Airport set-up with the
six story rental car parking lot and new terminals then you know just what kind
of driver Bobby McTowTruckDriverHero was to pull that rig into there. That was no small feat to deliver me right
smack in front of the sliding glass doors to the rental car station. I was majorly impressed. I slid out, grabbed
my gear, thanked him over and over, gave him a grateful tip and headed
inside. I can only imagine the sight I
must have been. Wrinkled clothes, hair a
mess, three target bags of souveniors, two Smokey the Bear hats, my luggage and
a tote. It was now 9:05pm.
After having to tell the entire story over to the clueless
staff at the station I was directed to go to the sixth floor via elevator. The doors open and Rico Sauve greets me. He's clueless and I have to re-explain
everything to him. He finds me a car, I
load all my stuff inside, slide into the driver's seat, text my sister and
exhale from exhaustion and relief.
I pull around to the booth that checks your rental agreement,
lifts the bar and sets you free.
Unfortunately, she had no clue about my swap of vehicles and after what
felt like another hour of phone calls and arguing with the downstairs guys
wishes me a "blessed night" and let's me free. It's now 9:40pm.
I rolled down the drivers side window, crank up the stereo to
the Saturday night 70's and 80's soul station and find my way to
Livermore. I pull into my sister's drive
way at 10:10pm. Yes, I flew and I cannot
remember the drive at all. But dang if
that pizza and cold Heinekin didn't taste SO good.
And yes, it was great to see my family.
My night ended that morning at 1:00am after spending the last three
hours laughing and talking with my family.
Thankfully, the rest of the weekend was pleasant and
uneventful. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell
you about the senior citizens that sat next to me on the plane, ripped my
blouse and spilled water on my head. I
should have sensed it was going to be a strange adventure then!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Week 20 - Sis
Today is the third day of my four day solo living in Georgia. Now I've never had a problem being by myself and enjoy it occasionally. Some of the positives are eating out of, or on, any type of paper plate, plastic container, a pot, paper towel or napkin. Also whatever comestibles that remain from prior meals. That's right, leftovers, like homemade blueberry pie, meatloaf sandwiches. The pleasure of having the tv volume at any level I choose or can hear. Watching more foreign films and less cooking shows. Hearing how we should try to make these meals that would cost a fortune and takes a restaurant style kitchen to prepare them in. Not having to hear a word for these past four days about Spain. My daughters safe return with lots of stories of her adventures and about family. Negatives: CAT duty. That meant I had to clean the very full litter box, ugh! I have only owned one cat in my adult life and she was an indoor/outdoor cat who went somewhere private to eliminate. No one to share the Giant's games, a good meal, adventures and visiting family.
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