No "Trip to Nowhere" for this Frequent Flyer

I took quite a bit of ribbing for a trip I took a couple years ago.  Mainly because I did it for the sole purpose of earning the frequent flyer miles. 

Once again, here we are in December and my Delta SkyMiles balance is a mere 1,123 miles shy of Gold status.  So I started combing delta.com for cheap flights.  Problem is, my calendar is jammed for the next couple weeks and I don't have a whole lot of flexibility to score the cheapest tickets. 

I spent about an hour on-line and finally settled on a round-trip from White Plains to Atlanta that would consume about 9 hours there and back (no overnight).  I put it on hold until I could juggle some things on my calendar. 

Then I received a Gift!  An e-mail from Delta Airlines telling me that I could BUY the extra miles I needed to round up to the next level.  How thoughtful of them.  Did they know about my little incident at Phoenix General Hospital?

So I went to the Medallion website to figure out if it was worth a couple hundred bucks, and here's what I learned that I would enjoy as a Gold Medallion member:

• priority security line access
• upgrade capability on award tickets
• waived fees for last-minute changes (super important for shuttle flights to Chicago or DC)
• waived fees for standby
• 100% mileage bonus (vs. 25% for Silver)
• international Sky Team lounge access

I say "Yes!".  I think it's worth it.  So you're looking at the newest Gold Medallion flyer of Delta Airlines!  Woot!

The EMTs in Arizona are breathing a collective sigh of relief!

 

 

Sept. 11, 2001: My "Most Important" Meeting

From the September 11th Memorial at Sherwood Island.  Taken by Todd this morning, Sept. 11, 2011.

It was only his second day of retirement, and I had gathered everyone around the TV at around 7:30 a.m. to watch Jack Welch plug his book "Straight from the Gut" on The Today Show.  After watching the softball interview with Matt Lauer, we all needed to get on with our plans.

Dad had been visiting for the weekend.  We had only been in the Trumbull house for a couple of months and there were plenty of projects to tackle.  On this late summer weekend, I remember the guys being particularly proud of themselves for having removed the "cat door" into the basement.  I also know that dad spent countless hours on his knees that weekend, swapping out the Pergo in the dining room for a much-improved bamboo one.

Todd went off to the law offices in Bridgeport and dad jumped in his van for the long drive back to Erie.  I, in turn, went to get ready for my day, too.  I had a 10:30 meeting at Crotonville with a new Program Manager.  We were to discuss the possibility of my joining the prestigious faculty there.  For me, this was an important meeting.

By the time I got out of the shower, the news of the first plane was coming across the telly.  I remember calling dad, who, by this time was almost to Newburgh.  At the time, we still thought it was a little plane and had very little detail.  A short chat on the phone, and we each went back to what we were doing.  Minutes later, I called Todd at work.  By this time, he was already watching TV in the boss' kitchen.  Now it's just past 9 a.m. and I have an hour drive to Crotonville, so I got in the car and started to drive.  I had an important meeting to get myself to, after all.

I'll never forget making my way through the backroads of Connecticut and Westchester County, listening to am 880.  It seemed like every several minutes, there was more "Breaking News." While I was still in Trumbull: the second tower was hit.  Some of it was news; some of it, unconfirmed reports of this or that happening.  Now, New Canaan:  the Pentagon's been hit.  And I kept driving.  After all, I had an important meeting to get to.

The front porch of the main education building at Crotonville has a sweeping vista of the Hudson River. On a clear day, you can get an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline. It's so stunning that I once worked with a FORTUNE magazine photographer to do a portrait of Jack Welch for one of their many cover stories during my time in corporate media relations.  September 11, 2011 was, perhaps, one of the clearest days that I remember standing on that porch.  For so many reasons.

By the time I was pulling into the driveway, the news of the second tower collapsing was just breaking.  And surely, when I walked into the Education Building, I met with a silent crowd --  all fixed on that point on the horizon that was now just a massive cloud of smoke and dust.  And it was massive.  And the crowd was silent.  All operations at Crotonville had ceased by the time I had arrived.  My 10:30 meeting -- the most important thing on my agenda for the week -- was, of course, cancelled.  The person I was meeting with had already left the campus.  Her sister and brother-in-law both worked in the Towers.  She needed to find them.  In that very moment, I realized:  My meeting wasn't so important, after all.

I remember sitting stunned in the White House (the name of the recreation building) on the GE campus for a couple of hours.  I don't remember if we were in a lock-down, or if I, personally, was locked-down.  I just remember not wanting to get in the car to leave.  Instead, we sat in a TV room, watching events unfold into the early afternoon.  Eventually, I made my way home.  I thought about all of those commuters, taking a similar route, escaping the city dust-covered.  But I had only watched from a safe distance, away from the dust and the smoke.  I arrived home clean that afternoon.

We were to have flown to Rome on September 14 for a week of vacation followed by a week of my teaching in Florence.  But airports were closed and my client decided it would be in everyone's best interest to cancel classes indefinitely.  Now my schedule had, dare I say, a gaping hole. 

I felt empty and helpless--but at the same time, full of energy to do something positive.  For the next three weeks, I got myself up every morning, put on my work clothes and went to the Salvation Army in Bridgeport.  They needed so much help organizing the countless donations that were coming in for the Ground Zero workers.  And I had the skills and energy to do what they needed.  There was so much to organize as donations flooded in from all directions.  We were one of the major staging areas for supplies going in to the city.  I never moved so many cases of water and --believe it or not-- bags of dog food.  It was a massive undertaking.

Eventually, though slowly, things returned to "normal."  Work started to come back.  I remember being in Chicago teaching on the same day that President Bush told everyone to start flying again.  "I'm doing my part!, " I remember thinking.  But we never took that trip to Italy.  For so many reasons...


TEN YEARS LATER
Today, we attended an impromptu ceremony at the 9-11 memorial in Westport

Ironically or coincidentally, it was a volunteer from GE's Veteran's Association who led a somber ceremony and read the names of all of the Connecticut victims who perished in the towers and on the airplanes.  This was, perhaps the most important meeting I've ever had on September 11th. 

We will never forget.  9 - 11 - 2001.

Here are pictures from Sherwood Island and then from the Freedom Riders bikers as they passed through Trumbull this afternoon.

I'm About to Come Alive!!!

Jimmy (not Howie Mandel), me, Pat, mom, Scott and Amy backstage at the NY State Fair

Neither an earthquake nor the threat of an impending hurricane was going to stop this "girl's weekend" --  nosiree!  It was (again) such a treat to meet Train backstage again (here's our last visit), this time before the show. 


It's funny how things work out.  I managed to accomplish some real "business" on campus, then had a great time with Mom and Amy at theNew York State Fair.  Mom (again) hooked us up for the visit with the band.   And we had great seats for the show. 


Seriously...who has more fun than us? 

Hey Ronald! Wake up and smell the coffee!

In case you don't know, McDonald's has excellent coffee.  Within the last couple years, I guess they decided to compete in the premium coffee (a'la Starbucks) space and improved/upgraded their coffee offerings significantly. 

Finding a decent cup of coffee when I'm on the road is always a challenge.  And this last trip was no exception.  I arrived in South Bend with an hour to spare, so I went on a coffee hunt.  Actually, I was in Mishawaka, a neighboring working class town and one that just may be without a Starbucks.  But I saw a McDonalds and I knew that I couldn't go wrong (or so I thought). 

Giant, banner-sized signs greeted me and welcomed me to enjoy a delicious McCafe coffee of any size for only 99 cents.  "Perfect!" I thought.  "I'll sit here and have a coffee and do some last-minute prep before I have to teach."

So I approach the counter and order a large coffee with milk and one Splenda (my usual).  "We only have Half and Half," I was told. 

"You don't have MILK FOR COFFEE???" I asked.

"We have milk, but you have to buy it separate," I was told. 

"And how much is the milk?" I asked.

"Ninety-nine cents."

So much for that cheap cup of coffee. 

So, dear Ronald, take note:  You will never, ever be able to compete in the premium coffee space if you don't give your customers the "condiment" options they may want for their coffee!!  And isn't it just so McDonalds-like to offer only the full fat stuff instead of milk, skim milk or even the fake powdered stuff? 

Kinda makes gas station coffee look not-so-bad after all!

 

You want WHAT???

It's no secret that Todd (sometimes) mumbles (a little).  The other night, we went out for a nice dinner.  When the bartender asked what I wanted, I ordered a cucumber martini. "Got it!" she said.  

Then Todd ordered.  She looked puzzled.  "You want 'valium, vermouth and a shot of Chardonnay?'" she asked.  She seemed really confused.

What he really wanted: Valley of the Moon Chardonnay.   

And that happened BEFORE we started drinking!

Another yummy breakfast

Here's another one of my favorite and easy breakfast delicacies!  This one is great cause it's pretty portable, so if I'm on the run, it can go with me in the car or on the train.

Smear about a tablespoon of peanut butter* on a whole grain (not whole wheat) tortilla, then wrap it around a banana.  That's it -- a whole recipe in one sentence!

I almost always round out my breakfast dish with a small can of V8 juice because you can never have too many vegetables!

*Trader Joes has an excellent peanut butter that contains flax seed.  I don't like some of the organic or salt free peanut butters, so I consider this version a healthy substitute for those!

My Favorite Breakfast

On the days that I lift weights (about 3 days a week), I make myself a yummy protein shake.  It's super easy and -- best of all -- super filling, so it gets me through the whole morning.  I get all of the ingredients at Trader Joe's but I bet you could find them in the healthy food section of just about any supermarket.

Here's the combo:
1 cup of skim milk
1 T psyllium husk (100% fiber)
2 T organic flax seed oil
1 t. vanilla
1 scoop Vanilla flavor Designer Whey protein powder
20 ice cubes

Blend until smoothe.

I usually have this with either:
1 small can V8 juice AND
2 plain whole grain rice cakes and 1 T. peanut butter  OR
1/4 cup almonds

Who needs a "flat belly diet" when you can have a delicious shake instead?  Filling, delicious and nutritious!  Eat this breakfast a few times a week and you'll keep your insides cleaned out for a long, long time! 

How Did You Do It?

That's the first question that everyone asks after they've noticed that I've lost weight.

I wish I could offer an easy answer, but there is no golden ticket.  It's really just a combination of common sense, paying attention, writing things down, reading labels, and exercising -- a lot!

So I decided to share some of the new wisdom I picked up along the way. 

Here's something that helped me tremendously as I planned what to eat each day:

Eat like a KING for breakfast.
Eat like a PRINCE for lunch.
Eat like a PAUPER for dinner. 

Since I love breakfast, I particularly like this rule.  I'll share some of my breakfast secrets in upcoming posts.

May 5: National Prayer Day

I came here tonight to post about my weight loss progress.  But when I logged on, Tracy's blog popped onto my screen.  Exactly two years ago, just five weeks before her final days, she posted this prayer for National Prayer Day, May 5.

You probably know that I'm not particularly "religious."  But I am spiritual, and I do believe in prayer.  So, if you are too, and if you do too, then this is for you, from Tracy:

Dear God: The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong, and I love her. Help her live her life to the fullest. Please promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations. Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most, and let her know when she walks with you, She will always be safe.

And Dear Tracy:  We know that you are walking with God and will always be safe.  We miss you!

Happy National Prayer Day.

Oh, gosh, and Happy 49th Wedding Anniversary to Mom and Dad!  That's 98 years of pure wedded bliss!

Birthday Cakes are Like Friends...

It's pretty...with the rainbow sprinkles and all...



BUT...





























It's what's on the INSIDE that really counts!

Olivia is the luckiest 9-year old alive.  Amy made this seven-layer beauty from (almost) scratch. 

Let's say it was quite a surprise when we cut into the first slice!  A roomful of little girls squealed with delight!  Seven layers of delisciousness and beauty.

Thanks for sharing your birthday Little Miss O!  I love you (and your fabulous rainbow cake) so much!

Amy:  Wow! Wow! Wow!  Let's enter this one in the State Fair!

Enough, Already!

Last year when I drove to Syracuse for the Villanova game, I thought that the 40 inches of new snow was exciting, novel, pretty, thrilling...  I even blogged about how much fun it was! Yippee!   That blizzard made the weekend such a special "adventure."

Enough of that!

OK.  Now we're on snowstorm Number Four (I'm not counting the little 3 and 4 inchers in-between).  This one dumped another 16 to 20 inches on us.  The snow-plow mountain at the end of our driveway rivals any commercial parking lot mound in "normal" winter conditions.
  

Poor Hogan has given up trying to tunnel his way into the backyard.  (We really have to come up with a solution for that).  That said, he can still retrieve a tennis ball when thrown and sunken into the fluffy stuff.  He comes up with a white face and a bright yellow ball!!

Hogan yearns to venture out into his domain -- the backyard-- but dares not!

I don't have any idea how the mailman is going to be able to reach our mailbox, despite the fact that we shoveled around the opening so that he can get at the little door.  I guess I shouldn't worry too much about that one.  They're the ones that brag about completing their appointed rounds...

The snow is piling up on the roof again and I'm keeping watch -- through our opened kitchen and dining room ceilings -- for signs of new leaks.  Maybe it's a good thing that we're tied up waiting for the insurance folks 'cause I don't think we've seen the last of the stuff.  I have the buckets and towels on call.

And, buried under it all is the 90-foot tulip tree that came crashing down into the backyard during the Dec. 26th storm.  I think it'll be a while before we even see the trunk of that tree!

What a mess!  When it started coming down hard yesterday afternoon, we started to wave a little white flag, but it got buried overnight!

Hello Miami?

 

Ice Damming 101

Last week, I marvelled at the glory of nature with its crisp wintry white scupltures and icy delights.  




Today, I am cursing it.




First, look at the pretty pictures...

At about eleven yesterday morning, I learned about a whole new winter phenom called ice damming.

Here's what ice damming may look like on the outside of your house:

And here, kids, is what it will look like on the inside of your house:

Let's see...Right now, we're looking at two new ceilings:  one in the dining room, one in the kitchen.  The potential of a new sub-floor (and hence a complete re-tiling) in the master bath.  And assorted collateral damage.  Luckily, we were home when things started to "burst forth," so we were able to catch a lot of the leaks before they sat and did more damage. 

When we called or gutter guys (literally, The Gutter Guys LLC), they almost laughed and basically said "take a number and get in line."  It was Amica, our brand new--and now favorite--insurance company that was able to get us an alternate roofing crew to start the cleanup.  They're now on day two of snow and ice removal and the leaks continue.  ServPro has been in to start the cleanup, but it'll be weeks before everything gets put back together.

My love affair with winter may have hit a little bump in the road...

 



Seventeen and Ohhhh!

The hardest part about getting to the game in the Garden was DEFINITELY getting out of the driveway!!!  The snow was soft --and deep-- until I got to the very end.  Then I hit the "snowplow crud."  It was soft enough that I sunk all the way to the bottom, but SO DEEP that I couldn't lift my legs back out (partly because of the deep snow and partly because of what my trainer did to me earlier in the week -- ouch!).    I stood in crotch deep snow for a couple of seconds, just to catch my breath, then catapulted myself out into the street where my friend was waiting for me in a warm car.

I had snow all over my pants and up under my knee-length coat.  I was soaked!  Funny thing is, once we got on the road, it was smooth sailing.  Everything was perfectly clear and there were hardly any cars.  I guessed that most people couldn't get out of their driveways, and no one was dumb enough to wade through waist-deep snow for a silly basketball game.  It took us exactly one hour to get to the parking garage near MSG.

And the Orange won the game!!!

So it was worth all the effort!

Carla, Bob Hand and Jaime

Here we are, cheering for the "home" team! 


You know, Syracuse is "New York's university!"  The Orange was definitely in the Apple last night! 

Next stop:  Cincinnati.  Wait, is that considered another "home game?"  Oh.  It IS a home game.  What about Pittsburgh next Monday?  Will that somehow get pegged as a home game?

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Another twenty inches (at least) of fresh stuff.  This time, I have some kind of chest cold, so I feel guilty that Todd is outside shovelling and I'm all warm and cozy with my cup of tea!  Hogan definitely can't navigate now.  Not sure how we're handling that one yet. 


It seems to have stopped for now.  Next priority is getting the plow guys here so that I can get out for the "Orange Out" in Madison Square Garden tonight!!  Woo Hoo!


I'm no Sam Champion (local weather guy), but here are a couple of clips of today's downfall.

Ahhh! Winter!!

What's not to LOVE about more than 12 inches of fresh, white snow?!? 

Everything looked like a picture postcard this morning when we took Hogan for his walk in Southport.

Let's see if I can give you a link to the whole photo album from the storm, our shovelling adventures and the dog walk:  Click Here to see the album

How Many Concerts Until You're Officially a Groupie?

We saw Marc Cohn at Town Hall in New York (Times Square) last night.  It was, as always, AMAZING!  Don't ever, ever miss a chance to see him.  He never dissappoints. 

 

So, on the way home we tried to count the number of MC concerts we've been to:

 

• Fairfield Theatre Co. (the BEST--it was like a "Behind the Music" format and we were second row, center...almost too close!)
• Westport Playhouse (A guy gave this concert to his wife for a 40th b-day present, the public could buy the remaining tickets.  BTW, perhaps the worst of the series.)
• Ridgefield Playhouse (at least four times that we can count, maybe 5)
• Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theatre
• Pace University, NYC
• Fairfield Quick Center
• Town Hall, NYC

 

I think that makes 10.  Are we groupies, yet?

A Weekend of "Excessive Celebration," Thanks to the Orange

What a weekend for my Orange!

I road-tripped to Syracuse to watch the first-ever Pinstripe Bowl with fellow fans (a.k.a. the Harle's) in "Jamesville's only gated community."  We had a "luxury suite" in the living room, complete with a full spread of fare and free drinks galore. 

What a game!  So exciting.  And at the end:  EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION!!!  (Only those who watched may get the nuance). 

The next night we went to an awesome NY Eve party and stayed up till the wee hours.

Next day:  To the Carrier Dome!!  We had great seats and got to see our beloved Orange school the Irish.  Hey, is Olivia wearing my shirt???

The girls learned to do the "freshman stomp" at the Dome, too!