Regular crap

Until I figure out the picture thing you get what you get. And that expression kinda says it all.

Delta Airlines has once again figured out a way to piss off their customers. They cannot sell the middle seats for any amount of money. So they made them comfort seats and upgrade the low level assholes like Big Daddy and put them in those seats. Yes, they took BD from an exit row aisle to a middle "comfort' seat and called it an upgrade. Listening to the phone conversation between BD and the "Calcutta" Delta rep was a hoot. Because once you are upgraded you cannot change your seat yourself, you have to call "Calcutta" and ask them to help you.

I have been looking for a new lipstick and for some reason chose Revlon Color Stay Suede. It is kinda like having the driest ugliest lips ever. Buyer beware.

The crooked house now has a crooked driveway. Could not get pics but I will try this week.

Punkin Head is in the twin cities for a conference and tells me he is in the shabbiest Sheraton ever. I am looking forward to those pics.

Mom and I furniture shopped this week and I was pleasantly surprised by the Lazy Boy store. Next week we are going to Barnes and Noble and this I fear, my mom could spend days in a bookstore without food or water. This one does have a Star Bucks so I can get crappy food and coffee while I wait.

BD is off to China tomorrow so the cat and I are on our own. And we are not happy.

The Big Trip part one

Adrienne Vittadini ballerina shoe in black crystals with a leather bow.

You may wonder why I am featuring my foot in this shoe with that god awful carpet, well that is me waiting to go to Portland. In the second gate waiting area which was way smaller than the first one.

That day was the best I have ever felt about Delta Airlines. As we are sitting and waiting to board the pilot comes on the PA at the ticket counter and says, "That plane is no good". Then he babbled about looking around the airfield to find a plane with no where to go, and then he said "Hang on, the phone is ringing", and sure as shit we had a new plane. We got in a couple hours late and all was fine. They even brought a snack/beverage cart to the gate area where we were waiting and everyone lined up like we were waiting in the desert and had not had a little drink of soda or a pretzel in days and days instead of a few fucking minutes.

The flight was fine, Punkin Head picked us up and took us to the Benson Hotel and we had Christmas dinner. The dinner was fine, the service was bizarre and we got to bed around 1 AM Detroit time. And we barely slept all night. I have no idea why this happened, the bed was actually fantastic, the room was great. Just a real hard time sleeping for both of us.

Memorable gift giving, the kids loved their J Peterman navy watch hats and Punkin Head loved his red socks. The kids got me a beautiful vintage picture frame with their wedding photo-really nice. When we were packing to leave Big Daddy was packing a tie and I had to stop him and give him his Christmas, a red tie and red socks. He loved them. He then had to give me my present, Tahitian pearl earrings, which are lovely but they did not make the trip.

I got my hair done today-back home-and it is just too damn cold and getting colder. It is supposed to snow tonight. We are staying in and having tapas and snacks for dinner and I sincerely doubt we will see the ball drop in real time.

Tomorrow part two of the Big Trip.

Just tidbits

This tree reminded me of the trees in Shanghai, they trimmed them back like this every year. Different bark though.

Punkin Head is travelling in high style to his first conference, Delta, the airline of dreams. He can speak French to all his comrades as he used to be fluent. Years of not speaking it may have made him a tad rusty but I am sure it will all come back to him. Oh, he is in Montreal. Not as cold as the last time I was there with him, that was Christmas. He is staying at the same hotel, the Omni and he said it has been refurbished, and it did need it.

Big Daddy recently turned down a new job that would have taken us back to Shanghai. Said it was not enough money for the grief and this time he would have had to negotiate taking Sammy Dog as we are not leaving another pet unless we are headed to the poorhouse. We still see Remy at the groomer and I am so grateful he found a good home when we were all thrown to the wolves.

I had a few lowlights put in my hair, it was too blond for me. After a tad of shopping we went to Luxe for lunch and met a whacko. He said he was a former player for the Philly's, baseball I think, and he was one crazy dude. Looking for friends in an almost empty bar on football Saturday. He tried to strike up a conversation with Big Daddy and let me tell you, BD does not know sports. Nor does he care to learn about them. He was making the bartender search for the South Carolina/Arkansas game and I told him, dude, South Carolina is playing Mississippi State, it is on the other TV. Whacko.

Michigan lost to Michigan State yesterday. Sad, sad, sad.

This and That

Once again I am too boring for words. Sammy is trying to entertain me but it is a huge job.

Both my guys had very good trips last week. Punkin Head had a good interview and dinner with his cousin and her husband. She is going to Brandeis for a slightly similar career and they enjoyed comparing notes.

Big Daddy flew home Friday with a couple of baffling moments. First he was accused of having venereals as they checked his carry on bags. He thought they were searching for antibiotics, what else would you look for when venereal diseases are in question. No, they were searching for vernier calipers-about 4 inches long that he has had for over 15 years. They took his "venereals" and gave him a receipt. Fuckers. He got them in Japan in the 90's. Now I am wondering where my verniers are, I have not seen them since I quit my job.

Then BD discovered the difference between Delta and American Airlines. AA is very friendly and informative. When his flight was delayed about 15 minutes the flight attendant went on the PA system to explain that the slight delay was because someone noticed oil on the cement below the engine. In order to put their minds at ease she informed them it would be a short delay, just long enough to wipe up the oil.

Big Daddy scrubbed and shimmied all my windows and now I can see out of every one of them perfectly. I can see the rain.

Why does Delta Airlines suck?

Now that I am a newly repatriated American, or as Mexico likes to say Norte Americano, or as some might say, citizen of these United States, I no longer feel the need to be conciliatory to the asshats of the world. As Miss Donna would say, I feel like cutting-up. Yes, ma'am, I do feel the need to bitch.

I am one of those people that will take you at your word. Until you fuck me over. Then I might look for details that prove you to be a lying, thieving, piece of shit.  That is why I must post about the whoring, asswipe, fecking idiots that work for Delta Airlines.

We made a deal, me and Delta. I would purchase their crappy flights and they would kinda get me where I wanted to go most of the time. Then The Spawn of Devil, aka Delta, started changing the rules. They were sneaky about it, never really admitting they were changing shit, they were just adjusting for the current economy. Their web-site sometimes reflected some changes and sometimes not.

My latest experience with the three headed dog from hell wannabees makes me wonder why people keep buying the products. The Medallion status gets you mostly nothing, the Sky Club is worthless and customer service is non-existant. Just so you know, I fly Delta because it is where I want to go (not that they always get me there), I live in a hub and everything else is a side benefit from a Plat AMEX (not a Delta AMEX), I do not go out of my way for this abuse.

First, their web-site states that Platinum status is upgraded according to a schedule. They publish the schedule. They publish your turn. They publish the odds; how many seats, how many hopefuls, your turn in line.

Then they don't do the upgrades and their response is "There are other airlines". Well, no shit, I am amazed, I thought all those other planes were phony big Tonka toys sitting at the gates.

Second, they blamed me. I am only Gold, and even though I was number 4 out of 4 on the fucking list, I was the hold-up. The web-site says upgrade at 5 days for Gold and 3 days for Plat. I don't care if you hold seats to make money, just say so, don't dangle shit in front of people. Okay, just admit you don't follow your PRN and tell people. Own it.

Third, and this is priceless, they upgraded Big Daddy at the last minute but would not put me in BD's former aisle seat. Because they had already given it away. How do you put someone in a seat someone else is sitting in? They gave away my upgrade to someone more important, and gave away BD's seat prior to moving him? And then they moved me to an exit row and a flight with no seats. WTF.

So I sat in First as a Valentine present and as thanks for all the middle seats I sat in with China Southern. BD sat in the exit row.

And I got the wacko seat mate. This dude was so weird I almost asked for a Priest and I am not Catholic. He had everything he owned stuffed under the seats including the pillow and blanket. He took the middle so he had two under seat compartments. This of course took enormous amounts of energy to keep all his stuff from falling all over the floor. He wanted me to crawl over him to get into my window seat, and I have a rule "get your sorry ass up and let me in like a normal person". If you cannot stand up and let me in you are a safety risk to me. He also had bad gas. Horrible. He went to the lav while the plane was at the gate. (Proving he could walk) He then spent the entire flight hitting on the Flight Attendant and stalking her in the galley when she tried to hide. Then he gave me a song and dance in Detroit that he could not get off the plane without help, so I could not leave the plane either.  He is so lucky I did not bonk his head.

And those Delta bastards did not have cheese in the Sky Club. Nor did they have Sun Chips or any Chocolate on the plane. In.First.Class. So much for those promises.

Would it not be better to advertise they have no intention of honoring the Priority programs and just get down and dirty and tell people the truth: We oversell our planes, we do not have a clue if you might get to your destination and we will treat you however we feel like it depending on our moods.

Oops, I guess they did when they told us there are other airlines.

We made it home

For some reason this trip felt more grueling than usual. We had to sit at the gate for an hour due to ATC, which was no fun. There was a new twist, when we boarded there was a pilot wandering around the plane chatting and helping. He was quite jolly and had a great sense of humor, which just made the flight attendants look more grumpy. Then before the safety spiel he made a speech in each cabin about how Delta appreciated all of us. And of course everyone clapped. Then the captain came on the PA and thanked us all for how quickly we boarded and let them get the door closed ahead of time. We were number 7 in line for takeoff and there we sat.

Big Daddy and I sat apart, we had aisle seats almost across from other. Chaz had the window seat in my row, I know this because he introduced himself upon sitting and never shut up until he left. He left because this Chinese girl came up and showed her ticket and he sent her across the plane and announced that everyone knew seat A was on the other side. That is when I got a chance to speak and told him that no he was indeed sitting in A, by then she was back and the flight attendant was smirking. I know this because I was standing in the aisle so everyone could relocate to their proper seats. Then the 2 Chinese girls asked me to get up again as they wanted to change seats with each other, which meant moving all their stuff around. Why do people bring so much stuff onto airplanes.

I am still batting 1000, my reading light did not work, the screen prompt turned on seat A, and the FA's did not  care. It was hilarious though, the 2 Chinese girls kept trying to shut the light off as it was shining in their faces but I had the controls. I never told them, I just left it on.

My dental appointment was normal. The Dentist wanted an X-ray as I am very tender where the space re-gainer is. They updated all their systems last week and none of the X-ray machines could communicate with the system. So, no X-ray. Anyway, we got through the impressions and I should have a new tooth in 2 weeks. I am not going to miss this hunk of metal in my mouth.

The new neighbor across the street has a sign in the front yard. It is only printed on one side and that side is facing the house. WTF. It would be too obvious to go and look at it, but really what can it say?

You gotta be kidding me

I am getting antsy about going home. This is normal for me, don't like to fly, don't like to sit next to wackos, don't like most flight attendants. The flight attendants wear too much perfume and re-apply it on a regular basis.

I am checking the airlines, checking for typhoons and hurricanes and then boom, new information. I have to check for a satellite falling out of the sky. WTF. The reporters are saying that NASA is not quite sure about a lot of this falling out of the sky information. But we should not be really concerned as no one has been injured or died from other shit falling from the sky. Huh?

The FAA is saying it might be a little problem for planes. I can just see the pilots taking turns looking out the front windows but there is no backlight on these planes. That is where the tail is.

Yea, yea, they are saying Friday afternoon EDT, which is when we will be sleeping in Shanghai. I do not want to have to have to deal with Shemp cleaning this mess up so I can catch a plane. Mercy Sakes.

I am pretty sure we are back in Shanghai

Brain seems to think we are in a dream state which I cannot understand as I am sure I have slept for about 20 hours. It was a fairly bumpy ride, only the turbulence and the trolley woke me up. The latter is due to the fact that the trolley hit me every trip it took up and down the aisles. And I am amazed at how bad the food was on this flight. Even the FA's were commenting on it. Worst meal was the chicken smothered in BBQ sauce sitting on sweet potato puree with green beans mixed in.

Big Daddy almost got into his first major China incident of the "Return to Shanghai, part 10". The illegal taxi drivers were in high accost mode when we landed and followed him and another white lady into the elevator. I had wisely taken the escalator and missed the showdown. The taxi driver took command of the elevator and and demanded they all get off and ride into town in his illegal taxi. Then the white lady, who had obviously had enough, told him to get out of elevator or she would kick him in the fucking balls. He must have had a fairly good understanding of English (probably one of my former ESL students) as he ran off and hid.

When we got back to the apartment I had a great plan, I would guard the bags at the entrance and smoke and BD would take the first bags up and return for trip 2. For the first fucking time in history the doorman decided to help us. The doorman could not figure out how the wheels and straps and handles worked on the bags. When we got to the elevator BD got on first with his load, the doorman shoved his load in and punched some buttons and then everyone screamed at me to jump on board with my 2 bags. I jumped on, the doorman scurried away and the doors would not close. I could not move as I was squished into the tumbling bags, the alarms are ringing, BD is trying to pull the largest case inside the door tracks and finally we are underway. That is when we noticed that 10 random floors below our apartment are lit up and yes, we stopped at all 10 floors. At two in the morning this was not fun.

So far the only bright spot is the rosemary plant we left in a bowl in the kitchen survived and is happy back out on the balcony surrounded by his dead cousins.

Once again sitting and waiting

Flight delayed due to Typhoon. I am hopeful we make the plane, it takes off and arrives in one piece and we have electricity when we get there. I guess we have to fly between 2 typhoons. Hmm.

We got to have a last lunch with Punkin Head after spending the morning at the bank. When the flight was delayed we took our time and tried to relax.

Waiting for the Metro Car and hope that plane takes off when they said it would. Who knows.

Right now it is raining here like we are in a typhoon. What a mess for the last day at home.

It just keeps on

Punkin Head's cat, Noir, in real life she has yellow green eyes. She will rub against you but you are not allowed to pick her up. That is a big no-no.

Dental visit went to hell real quick. The area is too raw and angry for work and the dentist is kinda of a DENTAL GOD, he cannot understand why this is painful and then his assistant leaned down and told me he has never has any dental work and therefore does understand pain. And his father pulled his own teeth.

Big Daddy is on the phone to Delta Airlines to schedule me back  to land of propaganda on his flight. They fucked up the flights so they should pay for me to go home, this is of course thinking like a proper government type official. Obama screwed up the Bachorlette on regular television last night with his speech. That pissed me off, we know it is fucked up, get off the TV and fix it.  I have never seen the Bachorlette on a real TV screen before and I was amazed, people look different on a real TV.  My local TV news station people all look like they just returned from filming "Night of the Living Dead", these folks need a skin care regime.

BD leased a new car, Ford Fusion, Grey, and it is okay. Fits and Finish are not a 10 and the seals are an embarrassment. BD likes it and it has some program I cannot spell so that your phone works. As I am here 6 weeks a year and my primary phone is a Chinese piece of shit I am not that enamored of this feature. BD however is ranting about me going to get my phone "cynced", I am more "whatever".

BD cooked soft food for dinner in honor of my dental horrors, trout and fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Also Caprese salad. Could not chew the tomatoes. Best part was talking to Punkin Head and somehow we got on his trips out west for school (middle and upper school), this was part of his Earth Science program. He went to Alaska on one trip and pulled up in front of Caesar's Palace in a yellow school bus on another trip. I am begging him to write a guest post as he is an accomplished writer and much funnier than I am.

Oops, need another antibiotic and pain pill. Talk to you later.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

In the end we had to send Punkin Head to the market and instead of a fat pig we opted for wheat pasta with a light sauce. Because I cannot chew the steak I was looking forward to with all the stitches in my mouth. If you have never been awake while someone sewed up your mouth it is super creepy. And I needed 3 extra shots. Good news is the bone actually grew over my implant it was so healthy in there. Bad news is it hurts.

Just made it to the appointment as there were plane delays. We had to sit on the "alley" right in front of our gate at Detroit as there were only 2 Marshallers and we required 3. We sat on the ground at the gate in Shanghai for 45 minutes because Beijing called "an ATC" due to a flow problem. These are just not usually problems with International flights. Also took forever to get the bags in Detroit, that is due to Delta just not having enough staff.

Oh yes, saw a guy trying to get his Rimowa luggage off the carousel. No axe marks but it was so sleek and slippery he had to chase it half way around the carousel to get it off. The bags kept slipping out of his fingers. There were no porters in Detroit.

Passing Time

As we all know I have nothing to do as I am supposed to be flying across the ocean right now, I read a new book today. Okay, I got up in the middle of the night. That is what I do when I mentally shift to US time zones, I automatically start preparing.

The book is Confessions Of A Failed Southern Lady by Florence King, it is truly a hoot. I laughed until I cried and frankly I was glad I was not reading this on a plane as I am sure they would have put those plastic tie straps on me. Seriously, I had tears running down my face.

If you are from the south you will get it all, if you know nothing about the south it won't matter. Every family the world over has wacko's and generally the same type of lunatics. There is true love in this book, this family actually likes and loves one another. My only disappointment was there was not one, "Bless her heart".

We had to get McDonald's for breakfast as we have no food here. I have not had McDonald's in 15 years. It will be another 15 if all goes well. It was barely acceptable.  I think we are ordering German for late lunch and who knows what for late supper. Gotta watch the food for the IBS thing, not good when you are flying.

Bad thunderstorm this afternoon. Not good. Big hi-speed train accident, people died. Not good. China says lightening struck the train and then havoc ensued. One train ran over another train and they fell off the elevated tracks. Not good. China will never ask for help or advice in engineering for the future and I really believe they feel a few casualties are no big deal in the grand scheme of things. These people cannot provide safe drinking water in their major cities and so they move on to providing unsafe train travel for their citizens.

If Piers says one more time how great China is I am personally gonna bop him in the nose and make him drink the fucking green water.

Delta Airlines just ruined my tooth implant

I have scheduled this entire home leave, as everyone calls it, around finishing my dental implant. This requires 4 appointments with me and the dentist and the oral surgeon. Delta just cancelled my flight as once again one of the crappy 747's could not fly. So I am going home a day late and a dollar short. How do these cretins think I am going to reschedule 4 appointments on Monday when I get home after missing the first one?

And the asshats put me in the worst seat on the next plane a day later with no other elites in any of the other seats. Thank you for your loyalty. I do have status on your scrotus, stolen word, airline and you promised to treat me like a piece of shit, shit at least gets bagged and discarded in a proper manner.

So my phone call only got me moved up to the rest of the budget people seats somewhat better than the pauper seats. And now I have to rent a car or take a taxi home which makes my fucking budget ticket about on par with the United ticket I turned down as too expensive because Big Daddy's company will only pay for cargo tickets. I am pissed.

Maybe this is God's way of telling me I do not need this dental implant. Maybe I am just not being realistic about the world. Maybe I should just get over myself and teach pauper children to wash their hands. Although that is not allowed in China, you need a work permit for that kind of helping hands.

Delta Airlines sucks and ruined this entire trip home. They have cost me money and self esteem. They have insulted and treated me like shit on numerous occasions. The last time I flew here from Detroit they did not want me to use the Elite check-in line. I don't know why, I was cleaner than they were, I had a hair-do, jewelry and wore clothes that were not raggedy, unlike the Delta reps. I spoke English , they spoke Valley Girl, in sing-song. Okay I am getting petty now. They were nasty girls, it took me 15 minutes to get service ( I was the only one in line) and they never said sorry, or glad to have you fly Delta, or geez, I wish I wasn't an asshat bitch.

I am sure there is more to follow.

Rare Blue Sky

Shanghai a few days ago from the balcony.

Enquiring minds want to know why my name is so strange. I started this blog because I was laid off from my job for the first time in my life. I was bored and everything in my life was so strange. Also I did not want anyone to know who I was as I wanted to speak freely. I am still somewhat cautious in identifying people and places, it can be a small world and a vicious one. My name stands for the major companies I dealt with, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. It started out as an automotive blog written from my viewpoint. The pictures at the top are significant to me.

The old car is actually owned by the family and was manufactured by a family member. We could have been rich but Henry Ford is rumored to have burned the factory down twice.

The middle picture is a drawing that a guy on the line drew when Cerberus took over Chrysler. You can see the love.

The Phoenix was my hope that I would have a job in the future. We can see how that worked out. I am unemployed in the one place I was hoping not to be.

A friend convinced me join a social network to play free games as I was bored, broke, and slightly batty. This required my having a name. So I made up another one. I did not want anyone to find me on the social network. There are various reasons for this but the most important one is that I am the black sheep of the family. The truth is I always expected to find Jerry Springer on my porch sent by my family for an intervention. They find me lacking in their brand of Christian love and I have no money to share with them. Bless their hearts.

So, MOV, you can call me Nola. New Orleans is my favorite place.

Badger, no I will not be driving in China as it takes years to get a license and more moxie and insurance than I will ever have.

I need a car in the US because I am a pessimist and await the other shoe dropping and going home with no money and no car, and no ability to get one. You need a car to look for a job. Big Daddy works for a suspect company and I can no longer be surprised by anything that happens. The only thing that surprises me is that bullshit, ignorance and stupidity seem to be the norm.

So to lighten this up a bit,

The good:  BD bought me a foam rubber, covered in cloth, thing for the bed. I slept through the night without pain and got out of bed without a lot of pain. I cannot scrunch on the long train rides with my back. When I birthed Punkin Head it was discovered my tail bone points in the wrong direction. Was not great for either one of us.

The bad: Delta, the shit airline I must fly home (if I want to get there in less than 4 days) has now changed the Economy Plus seats on International flights to only Plats and Diamonds without charge. Must get on Flyer Talk about this one. So I have to pay 80 US dollars both ways for a seat that will allow me to walk off the plane without assistance. On a crappy 747 with no personal entertainment other than the cabin crew dissing the pax.

The Ugly: Mr. Rooter seems to be having a problem with refunding my money for the "not to code" chimney liner they installed. This will require me to go to the bar of my choice in Detroit and speak with my council person. And then others. And this just pisses me off. Not going to the bar, love the bar. He has one week to make this right. We spoke with the credit card company and that is the max time for his promises to appear on their system.

Partial Recovery

 Home since Friday evening and not up to par yet. We went for a walk Saturday morning and it was very chilly. All unpacked and put away and have the summer clothes in the closet and the  winter stuff packed away. Now some laundry is in order.

The new ayi's came this morning on time and did not fuck up. We will see how long this lasts. Big Daddy did a lot of cleaning while I was gone and it is looking nicer in here.

Have to call a man about a job and I am trying to decide, do it before or after the nap. We will see in a bit how fast I fade.

Flight home was fine and Delta is as fucked up as ever. They should just paint SO WHAT on the sides of the plane and leave it at that.

Something curious happened while I was gone, they rebuilt the coffee shop. I know I am a crazy white furriner but why the hell do you build a coffee shop and 8 months later tear it out and rebuild it? This time tho they did build an outside deck. No change to the footprint so that was not the reason. Maybe they needed some Chinese credits for hiring people or something.  Kinda reminds me of Plant Loco but Plant Loco redid everything 3 times minimum.

Taxi driver from the Pudong airport was hilarious, I told him to slow down a couple times and he kept telling me May Quanch (sp) which roughly translates to no problem, no big deal. By the time I gave him the final directions to the apartment he was peeing his pants laughing. He got a good tip for the humor alone.

Travel Pet Peeves

Home again to Michigan and I must say it is just as gray and dreary as I remember. There is some sun this morning so I should savor it, they say rain is on the way. Loving the TV and the fast Internet. Loving the pastrami and Swiss my special girl picked up for me. Big Daddy is so jealous I have real food. Speaking of BD he is back at the Best Western and went into the lobby bar for the infamous beef hamburger without beef. The bitch was still there but she did not wait on him, she sent the two girls. BD said they were trying not to laugh when he checked for the beef so this is obviously a story that made the rounds.

We tried to call for a taxi but the front desk never answered so we pulled all the bags to the front ourselves and Mr. Gatekeeper came up to us with the jabba jabba. As he has never spoken before I was in shock and awe. And of course had no idea what he was communicating. Turned out he was helping us get a taxi from the 3 stooges. 2 of the stooges spoke a bit of English so I heavily stressed drive slow and no crazy. Mucho pantomime. That worked out great, better than the child proof lock lessons. This guy for reason was using the child proof locks and was flummoxed when the doors would not open. This happened more than one time.

So I am going through passport control at the airport and I see this Chinese chick very oddly dressed. Well that was because she had her dress tucked into her panties in the back and her coat just barely covered her ass. After watching her awhile there was an opportunity to get her attention just before the security checkpoint where I knew she would have to take that coat off. I casually walked up and asked if she spoke English and thank goodness she responded yes. She thanked me. I hope she understood me.

Waiting at the gate I saw this guy, big guy dressed in shorts and a tee shirt. Well it was not shorts weather in Shanghai nor in Detroit. I was like, WTF. He just happened to be in front of me in the customs line and if me if it was always like this in Detroit. I asked him "like what"? He said passport and customs and I had to tell him it was the best I had ever seen, we were literally flying through. Although the bag carousel broke down 3 times and was still broken when I left. I asked about the shorts and he told me he was flying on to Atlanta. He said Atlanta International terminal was fantastic and very speedy. Who knew. So baggage claim is my first pet peeve, it sucks in Detroit.

I observed the flight crew arriving and I must say I have never seen a sadder looking group of people. Grim looking group. Not a smile to be had. They looked like they were dragging the world with them. And they stayed that way for the entire flight in coach. In B/E they perked up a bit but when they came through that curtain they left their smiles behind. I went back to the galley about 4 hours into the flight to ask for a glass of water and you would have thought I asked for the bitches tacky jewelry. They no longer put out the glasses and water for us scum in the back. When they served the last meal, breakfast, they give you a small styrofoam cup of coffee on request. No refills, none, nada. WTF. I realize water and coffee cost Delta big money but smiles are free. If they hate their jobs it is time to retire. And everyone of them was old enough for social security so what is the problem. Maybe they could just roll them over to be TSA and then they could still be mean but not have to pour the coffee. Pet peeve 2.

Gate lice. The final pet peeve. As in normal in China people started lining up for boarding early. Very early. But I noticed this was the white people in the "Elite" lane. And they stood there forever. And the Chinese chick checked their boarding passes and ok'd them. So when they call zone 1 I go get into the line and I am the last and only one. Hmm. Then I get to my seat, which is an "elite" seat and the bitch that was number 3 in line is in my row in the window seat. With no carry on bags. So why did she have to cheat. Did she think they were going to take her seat out and make her sit on the floor? And a lot of the other folks in the line ahead of me were all back in steerage with me too. And the Chinese chick let them cheat. Grr. Don't get in line until it is your turn.

Well to finish up with this post, as per my usual when I got home the toilet broke. As we are down to one toilet this is a bit of an issue. So yes, me and Mr. Rooter are dating again. He should be here this afternoon. Thank goodness Punkin Head stocked up the wine.

Shanghai Switcheroo

Okay, I am here and functioning. Arrived Friday night and this is the first time my brain works. Good thing too, my Internet and laptop don't like me today. Can't get the NYT crossword. That ticks me off cause I got it yesterday.

Went for a long walk Saturday morning and then just kinda turned into a zombie. There are some real dives and holes here. Will try to get some pictures if I ever get to see the camera. Or get a camera phone.

Did not bring my camera as there was no room left in the luggage. Had to pay for the ticket in steerage and pay for my bags. Or at least one of them, never understood as Delta is not very big on communicating. Tried to check in on line and could not. Visa requirement is check-in in person. OK. Went to curb check-in and could not. Wait a minute dude I did in December. Oh, we were Northwest then. Now I understand the improvements with Delta. So this dude carries my bags up to the counter and cuts the line to get me checked-in. The dudettes are all talking about how lousy their jobs are. Pay the bill for the bag(s) and she asked me when I am coming back as I have a 30 day restriction on my visa. OK, here is the deal-you go to Hong Kong for a visit and you are good to go for another 30 days. You can stay overnight, or have a glass of wine, or just get your Visa stamped and go back. So what is it her business how I fulfill my Visa obligations to the People's Republic of China? I am sure China scares me more than Delta airlines. And I am going to find out about this interest in my travels by Delta. Is she going to rob my house and wants to find out how long I am gone? And I had a return ticket in 3 weeks as she could have seen on her little screen. And who is to stop me from paying again to change the flight. Is she going to call China if I miss my flight out. End of rant.

Going out to lunch and walking around when Big Daddy gets home and will report more next time. Weather chilly and dreary. Oh, have to register at the hotel so I am in compliance with the Chinese. More important than the Delta who-ha.