My way or the freeway

Another week, another flight. This time I was in Los Angeles for a good 36 hours, primarily for a really well-received game audio event I was helping organize. Of course, the flights in both directions were late. (I'm at the gate waiting for the return one, which is posted as "only" running 5 minutes late - we'll see. Heh, while writing this, it's just gotten pushed out another half hour. Good times.) Travel itineraries sometimes now include the type of plane and occasionally the flight's historic on-time information; I should have been worried when it showed the return flight as 0-10% on time. (Instead I just hoped they didn't have enough data or something.) On the flight here, it was several hours late. Looking at the terminal's departure list, I counted 5 other flights (from other airlines) going to the same location before this one would even board -- so I went back to the ticket counter, explained that I needed to make a meeting, and they generously rebooked me for no charge on another airline -- the one I almost always fly to Los Angeles. They wouldn't do it for me on the return though, so we wait and we blog.

While in LA, I got to meet up with a few friends who I hadn't seen in a while, including two new babies! Both are older than Zachary, and both are girls (yes, older woman, and no, I don't think we're going to start matchmaking quite yet). They were both super cute (one dances by raising one hand in the air and shaking her waist; the other wakes up totally happy and makes these tiny deep noises that are somewhat similar to Zachary's sleep noises), and so different from each other and Zachary. It's amazing how they're unique little people with their own behavior traits even so early in life.

Based on the relative locations of the airport, my event, and friends I was going to see, I made it a goal to avoid all LA freeways. I succeeded until the last possible car ride; I needed to get back to the airport from Studio City, and there was just no fast alternative. When the freeways (6, 7, 8+ lanes wide) are the slow route, you know something is wrong with your transportation system, and this is one thing that seems to get worse every time I visit. Even the surface streets were often a mess; I spent 25 minutes going 1 block en route to my event last night. But well worth any waits to get to attend successful events and see so many old friends!

Happy Chanukah to those who observe it! (Does anyone else find it ironic that there are all of these ad campaigns reminding us that "the holiday season is coming"? Isn't it already here if we're going to lump the always-moving Chanukah dates with Xmas and Kwanzaa?) Zachary, Meh, and I lit candles for the first night on Tuesday. And last night I happened to be driving past the Santa Monica Chabad's giant outdoor menorah (don't worry, electric candles) as they were lighting for the second night. I actually saw a ton of public menorahs all over Santa Monica. No such luck tonight though, as I'm at an airport, which we all know have tried their darndest to go holiday neutral - which means festive wreaths, ornaments, and chrysanthemums, but no menorahs that I could see.

I had to share this image another blogger took at an east coast PCC/Whole Foods-type high-end grocery market.

Yup, the store has apologized. And blamed their customer training. Ouch, hopefully nobody gets sacked for something this silly and laughter inducing. 'Tis the season, after all.