Earlier this month, I shared that I had a pretty big announcement coming soon.  After a few interesting guesses, time for the first clue:



Clue #1

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Earlier this month, I shared that I had a pretty big announcement coming soon.  After a few interesting guesses, time for the first clue:





One of my favorite artists is Paul Simon, and his song Call Me Al always cheers me up when I'm traveling - especially the 3rd verse.

"A man walks down the street, its a street in a strange world. Maybe its the third world, maybe its his first time around.  He doesn't speak the language, he holds no currency. He is a foreign man he is surrounded by the sound, the sound of cattle in the marketplace, scatterlings and orphanages.  He looks around, around he sees angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity, he says Amen! and Hallelujah!"

I've felt like the guy in the song - a stranger in a strange land.  Come to think of it, I have actually been surrounded by the sound of cattle in the marketplace!  I wish I could jump on a plane right now to give my friend Melissa a hug.  I know what it is like to be a foreigner in unfamiliar surroundings.  No matter how close to home you are, it can still feel like a million miles away.  When everyday conveniences turn into a struggle - like driving to the grocery store in a new city - it's easy to get discouraged. Separation from the little things we've grown accustomed to can make you feel absolutely alone in the middle of a crowded city. 


Here's a little Paul Simon to cheer Melissa, and any homesick traveler up! (Sorry, I couldn't find the original music video with Chevy Chase - a classic!)





PS - When did Paul Simon get so old?

I wish I could...

Thursday, September 23, 2010



One of my favorite artists is Paul Simon, and his song Call Me Al always cheers me up when I'm traveling - especially the 3rd verse.

"A man walks down the street, its a street in a strange world. Maybe its the third world, maybe its his first time around.  He doesn't speak the language, he holds no currency. He is a foreign man he is surrounded by the sound, the sound of cattle in the marketplace, scatterlings and orphanages.  He looks around, around he sees angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity, he says Amen! and Hallelujah!"

I've felt like the guy in the song - a stranger in a strange land.  Come to think of it, I have actually been surrounded by the sound of cattle in the marketplace!  I wish I could jump on a plane right now to give my friend Melissa a hug.  I know what it is like to be a foreigner in unfamiliar surroundings.  No matter how close to home you are, it can still feel like a million miles away.  When everyday conveniences turn into a struggle - like driving to the grocery store in a new city - it's easy to get discouraged. Separation from the little things we've grown accustomed to can make you feel absolutely alone in the middle of a crowded city. 


Here's a little Paul Simon to cheer Melissa, and any homesick traveler up! (Sorry, I couldn't find the original music video with Chevy Chase - a classic!)





PS - When did Paul Simon get so old?



During my regular web crawl, I stumbled upon this YouTube video on www.lifehacker.com where the star impressively packs a ton of stuff into a very small bag.



If you saw my suitcase, you'd see how much room I have for improvement!  Hmmm...better practice before I head for Augusta next month!

Packing Like a Pro

Wednesday, September 15, 2010



During my regular web crawl, I stumbled upon this YouTube video on www.lifehacker.com where the star impressively packs a ton of stuff into a very small bag.



If you saw my suitcase, you'd see how much room I have for improvement!  Hmmm...better practice before I head for Augusta next month!


Yikes!  I checked out my itinerary for tomorrow and I'm scheduled to leave Augusta tomorrow after 4pm - the last flight to Dallas and the last flight from Dallas to Des Moines.  "What's the big deal?" you ask?  Sure, I would get to sleep in and have plenty of time for brunch, but I would also be putting myself in a prime spot to miss a connecting flight and potentially not get home tomorrow night as planned.

When your first flight is delayed, it isn't too much of a problem to catch your connecting flight.  Between DFW and DSM, there are plenty of flights - if I miss one, catch the next.  As flights throughout the day are delayed or canceled, flights back up and the last flight home lacks a back-up plan.

No worries - with a little bit of research, I can fly standby and potentially get home 8 hours earlier than planned.  Okay, here is my current itinerary -

American Airline's policy is that you can only sign up for standby at the airport.  Hmm...tough call.  Do I wake up extra early and gamble not getting a ticket?  Time to check my odds.

I start by going to the airline's website, http://www.aa.com/ and start the process of making a new reservation for tomorrow from Augusta (AGS) to Des Moines (DSM).  Don't worry, this process won't require your credit card or any other information to be provided. 

Search for a one-way ticket (why waste your time searching for a phantom return flight?) and enter the date of your flight.  When the search results are displayed, I can expand the flight details which will allow me to view available seats





Yeah, when the flights are under 50% sold...the odds are in your favor.  Standby priority is usually based on your status with the airline and the price of your ticket - full fare travelers outrank deeply discounted tickets (think priceline, etc).  If you don't have status with an airline but there are five or more seats, I'd say your odds are pretty good at getting on those flights.  With status, you can feel pretty comfortable with even less.
For comparison, here is the 8:15pm flight from DFW to DSM. 


So, I've got my bags packed  (yup I packed the night before, surprised?) and I'll head to the airport around 5:30 in hopes that I can catch the stand by flight!  Fingers crossed, and wish me luck!


Update: I made it home early, back in Des Moines before 11am!  When checking in at the airport - I forgot that American Airlines gives you the option to do confirmed standby for $50.  This would mean that no matter if there were only one seat available on either of my flights, I would have an assigned seat.  Luckily, I knew that the flights weren't full; after declining the confirmed seat, the machine spit out my tickets with seat numbers!

Fixing a Travel Mistake

Friday, September 10, 2010



Yikes!  I checked out my itinerary for tomorrow and I'm scheduled to leave Augusta tomorrow after 4pm - the last flight to Dallas and the last flight from Dallas to Des Moines.  "What's the big deal?" you ask?  Sure, I would get to sleep in and have plenty of time for brunch, but I would also be putting myself in a prime spot to miss a connecting flight and potentially not get home tomorrow night as planned.

When your first flight is delayed, it isn't too much of a problem to catch your connecting flight.  Between DFW and DSM, there are plenty of flights - if I miss one, catch the next.  As flights throughout the day are delayed or canceled, flights back up and the last flight home lacks a back-up plan.

No worries - with a little bit of research, I can fly standby and potentially get home 8 hours earlier than planned.  Okay, here is my current itinerary -

American Airline's policy is that you can only sign up for standby at the airport.  Hmm...tough call.  Do I wake up extra early and gamble not getting a ticket?  Time to check my odds.

I start by going to the airline's website, http://www.aa.com/ and start the process of making a new reservation for tomorrow from Augusta (AGS) to Des Moines (DSM).  Don't worry, this process won't require your credit card or any other information to be provided. 

Search for a one-way ticket (why waste your time searching for a phantom return flight?) and enter the date of your flight.  When the search results are displayed, I can expand the flight details which will allow me to view available seats





Yeah, when the flights are under 50% sold...the odds are in your favor.  Standby priority is usually based on your status with the airline and the price of your ticket - full fare travelers outrank deeply discounted tickets (think priceline, etc).  If you don't have status with an airline but there are five or more seats, I'd say your odds are pretty good at getting on those flights.  With status, you can feel pretty comfortable with even less.
For comparison, here is the 8:15pm flight from DFW to DSM. 


So, I've got my bags packed  (yup I packed the night before, surprised?) and I'll head to the airport around 5:30 in hopes that I can catch the stand by flight!  Fingers crossed, and wish me luck!


Update: I made it home early, back in Des Moines before 11am!  When checking in at the airport - I forgot that American Airlines gives you the option to do confirmed standby for $50.  This would mean that no matter if there were only one seat available on either of my flights, I would have an assigned seat.  Luckily, I knew that the flights weren't full; after declining the confirmed seat, the machine spit out my tickets with seat numbers!


What a great three day weekend! 

Friday night I drove from Augusta to spend time with family near Atlanta.  After getting a head start leaving Augusta, I made it to my Aunt & Uncle's house in time to go to the high school football game where I got to see my cousin Brandon and the Ola Marching Band perform at the half time show.  The turn out for the game was amazing, but the final score of the game proved that band draws more of a crowd than the football team.

The rest of the weekend was spent eatting, shopping, watching movies, swimming in their pool and relaxing in the hot tub.  It was so wonderful to spend time with my Aunt Cathy, Uncle Darcy, and cousins Will, Brandon, and Mackenzie and her husband Brandon.  Especially Mackenzie who I haven't seen in FOREVER!

What a great three day weekend!

A Weekend of R&R in the ATL

Monday, September 6, 2010



What a great three day weekend! 

Friday night I drove from Augusta to spend time with family near Atlanta.  After getting a head start leaving Augusta, I made it to my Aunt & Uncle's house in time to go to the high school football game where I got to see my cousin Brandon and the Ola Marching Band perform at the half time show.  The turn out for the game was amazing, but the final score of the game proved that band draws more of a crowd than the football team.

The rest of the weekend was spent eatting, shopping, watching movies, swimming in their pool and relaxing in the hot tub.  It was so wonderful to spend time with my Aunt Cathy, Uncle Darcy, and cousins Will, Brandon, and Mackenzie and her husband Brandon.  Especially Mackenzie who I haven't seen in FOREVER!

What a great three day weekend!



I'll keep this short and sweet, but I've got a big announcement coming up! I'll give you a clue - there will DEFINITELY be more travel in my future!

Take your best guess in the comments section!

Big Announcement Coming Soon!

Thursday, September 2, 2010



I'll keep this short and sweet, but I've got a big announcement coming up! I'll give you a clue - there will DEFINITELY be more travel in my future!

Take your best guess in the comments section!

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