Free Trip To Fresno
Back in November, one of the vendors I use mentioned a completely free seminar in Fresno, California. I was skeptical about the completely free but it turns out it was (I only ended up expensing about $80 which was mainly for driving to the airport and parking). Vendor also suggested I bring a co-worker which I did.
I had planned on posting this blog (which I wrote on the plane home) the day after I got home but that was the day the GTO was stolen. Anyway, I’m just now getting around to it.
Monday was a travel day…nothing exciting to report.
Tuesday was the seminar/tour. We (about 25 IT/security types from different colleges and universities) got a ton of freebies. I brought home a very nice leather-type notebook/binder and an interested pen - when you click it an LED light turns on, a bag (which I gave to the desk worker at the hotel because it didn’t fit in my suitcase), sales materials, a few editions of the organization’s magazine, a nicer short sleeve shirt, a coffee mug, a certificate to commemorate the trip, and a framed group photo. There was also a ton of food offered throughout the day. Dinner was at a somewhat swanky restaurant. Appetizers were calamari and bruschetta. For dinner you could choose between fillet, salmon, and chicken. I had the salmon, which was excellent. Dessert was tiramisu – it was OK but I’ve had better. My point here…they laid out a lot of money for potential customers.
Wednesday was the trip home. Co-worker and I get to the airport and thru security without incident. As were waiting to board the plane, a super-obnoxious girl sits down fairly close to us (I had scoped out a spot close to a power outlet). The girl proceeded to talk very loudly to an unknown person – from what I gather it was a lover. Her first complaint was her trip thru security. She was rather upset that she had to throw away her lighter, take off her shoes, and got a pat down. She was pretty upset that she had to buy matches. The conversation continued on. Other topics included her desire to carry another unknown person’s baby but she wasn’t able to have a baby, keeping a big secret from her parents, and then unknown #1 talking her into driving this person’s van without a license. She also ranted on for a few minutes about how all of her teachers keep leaving school to work for the organization that hosted the seminar I was at.
Finally everyone gets settled on the plane and the captain comes on and says it’ll be a few minutes because the plane needs to be de-iced. About 10 minutes later, the captain announces that the de-icing crew has been sent home and they’re looking for another crew. Another 10 minutes later the captain comes back on and says that we’ll have to de-board the plane because they don’t have a de-icing crew. What the eff?…They sent they’re de-icing crew home. Hello, it’s cold! (Close to freezing). You’ve got to be kidding me…they sent there only de-icing crew home? We got instructions to head back to the ticket counter to have our flight rebooked.
I book it to the ticket counter. My first option is a flight leaving at 3:47 and arriving in Indy after midnight so I quickly ask to be moved to another airline. Me and co-worker, as well as, the other members of our group from Indy get booked on a flight from Fresno to Dallas to Indy that gets us home around 6:30. Not as good as the original flight but much better than the first rebook option I was given. As we were leaving the ticket counter, I heard the America West workers say that a de-icing crew was on its way in.
The Dallas flight was leaving shortly so it was back thru security for me. I had bought some water after coming thru security the first time and that had to go into the trash. Ugh. This time thru security, I was marked for special treatment. Special treatment included a bag search and pat down. Everyone with the rebooked flight got the special treatment – all 6 of us. As I was boarding the plane, I heard them call for our original flight…so we may have just made it to Phoenix but I think I’m happy with this option.
But now I’m in the air on my way to Dallas so all is well. Hopefully, I post the blog in Dallas.
Unfortunately, there is no free wireless at Dallas. But the super-obnoxious girl was on my flight into Dallas. Fortunately, I didn’t have to sit anywhere near here. She passed me shortly after she we got off the plane. She was talking to unknown #1. She was looking for a place to smoke big-tim! Very amusing.