Empty Row To and From Paris

Sometimes life is so much better than you can hope for.  Most of the flights I have taken since coming back from Iraq are full and even beyond full—overbooked with gate agents offering a free flight to anyone who can wait another day to go home.

When I booked my flights to Paris and back, I followed my usual practice of getting an aisle seat as far back in the plane as I possibly can.  Both ways I was on a Delta/Air France flight.  They sold the ticket as Air France, but it was a Delta plane—a Boeing 757 that was built when the Beatles were still a group.  This long, narrow plane has 34 rows of  coach seating with three seats on either side of the center aisle and ten rows of first-class seating with two seats either side of the center—not quite 200 passengers if the plane is full.

On the way over we had just 57 passengers.  On the way back the gate agent said there were 70 empty seats.  From Row 37 back to Row 44, most of us had a row of seats to ourselves.  I have been eating and napping for the last four hours.  Travel to Europe does not get any better than this!

Touching Off an International Incident--in Brussels!

If the US goes to war with Iran over an incident in Brussels, Belgium, I just want to say in advance, "It was not my fault!"

On Sunday evening I flew to Paris for a conference.  Since air travel is SOOOOOO much nicer in uniform, and since I was actually on a drill weekend, I decided to wear my soldier suit for the trip over.

Now waiting in the security line at Philadelphia airport.  My oversize slightly overweight checked bag was not a problem.  (If you know there is a regulation against travel in uniform, just let me enjoy my ignorance.)  As I always do I booked an aisle seat as far back in the plane as I could.  As I got ready to board a very old extended range Boeing 757, the ground crew said there were only 50 passengers--I had three seats to myself.  A whole row---AAAHHHH!!!

But the plane was delayed for 45 minutes while they tried to fix a leak in the 40-year-old toilet.  We arrived late for Paris and I had to catch a train for Brussels that left 15 minutes after I got my bag.  I made the train, but was still in uniform.  No problem, I'll change in the bathroom.  I went into the bathroom when I got on the train.  The floor was sticky. I checked another car. Blue water on the floor.
When I got to Brussels, I met a colleague who was going with me for a site visit for an event in December.  She said we had to go right away, I did not have time to change.We got the facility, a beautiful meeting hall for 1200 people called The Square.  I took my camera (with a long lens) out of my pack and took pictures of the place we would set up a display.  Then the representative from The Square took us down to the actual meeting hall.  When we walked through the door to the lobby, there were a dozen dark-skinned men staring at me.  A couple of them were holding signage with Arabic symbols.  It turns out they were setting up for a meeting of the Iranian exile community in Europe the next day--in the main hall of The Square.

So I am standing in uniform with a camera in my hand looking at a bunch of Iranians getting ready for a party.

I decided I had seen enough of the meeting hall.  We went upstairs to talk about plans for December.

Wrapping up the numbers for 2010

It will soon be a year since I have returned from Iraq.  During this year, fewer people are reading the blog, but the surprising thing to me is that more than 2000 people per month at still visiting the blog, the lowest since my return, but more than I expected a year out.

Tomorrow is drill.  I won't be on duty Sunday because I am flying to France for a meeting.  It will be my first time out of the country on business since 2006.  Paris is my favorite city outside America.  It was my favorite city in the world, but New York is edging past.  Paris is beautiful.  New York is vibrant.  San Francisco is definitely third, and Singapore fourth.

In 2010 I rode fewer miles than in 2009!!  I am spending more time at work than I have in a decade and it shows in my riding logs.  But I have been spending more time running and in the gym.  I ran at least 60 miles each of the last four months in 2010 and should be able to continue the trend this month.  Maybe I will finally get the last few points on the PT Test and max it.  My last four PT tests have been 290 to 297, but never quite 300.

The verdict from S-1 is the only way I can retire is to get run over by a Humvee.  I'll probably stay as long as playing Army remains fun.

Happy Belated New Year!

Last in the How I Would Have Died series--Face/Off

Last Friday I wrote the last post in the series on How I Would Have Died if I Lived 100 Years Ago.  This time it was about how the plastic surgeon on duty in the Lancaster General Hospital Trauma Center put my face back together.

We have a CLS weekend coming up at drill--that's the acronym for Combat Life Saver.  I know it's important but I grew up when Lifesaver candy was popular.  Combat Life Saver sounds to me like circle-shaped, camouflaged candy.

How I Would Have Died--If I Lived 100 Years Ago, Lack of Protocols

Here's the latest way I would have died if I lived 100 years ago.  This time it is the lack of emergency care protocols back in 1911 and before.

How I Would Have Died--If I Lived 100 Years Ago: Traumatic Brain Injury

http://www.chemheritage.org/community/periodic-tabloid/2010-12-24-how-i-would-have-died.aspx

Christmas Eve I made the second the post about my worst bicycle racing accident.  The subject is traumatic brain injury.

And No Internet Service

Part of the reason I found out about the screwing I got from DirecTV was because I recently tried to change my internet provider.  I had DSL service from DEJAZZD of Denver Pa since 2002.  Last year an ISP named Windstream bought them out.

Dejazzd had great service.  So did Windstream, but it was 38.95 per month.  Verizon offered me 19.95 a month and included a discount on DirecTV and Land line phone service.

They said it would be no problem to switch.

I tried several times from before Christmas to after New Years to get service, but Verizon kept telling me the line was being held by someone else.  I had cancelled the Windstream service on Dec 20.  I had a cancellation order number.

Nothing Verizon could do.  Someone the line was now held by an ISP called Covad.  I had never done business with them.  They had no record of my phone number and they could not help me unless I had an account number.

So I called Windstream.  They no longer had any record of me being a customer.  No record of my name or phone number--even though they and the company they bought had received more than $4000 from me over the past eight years.

I am thinking fo going back to Comcast Cable.

Sigh!