my love, you know that you're my best friend

As Labor Day approaches, I find myself in a similar position that I was in 2 years ago - one that I despise with a passion I cannot describe. I miss Astoria and last summer a lot. A LOT. This moving home thing is way harder than I thought it'd be. However, this time around, it's so much nicer to have someone to make it all worth it...

now progress takes away what forever took to find

R.I.P. LeRoi Moore

I honestly haven't been into new Dave Matthews Band since my junior year of college, but I've seen the band perform many times and it's just so sad. It like that kid you hung out with constantly your freshman year of college passed away and even though you haven't seen him since, say, Sept. 11 your sophomore year, knowing that he's not around anymore to create still feels like a huge loss. So R.I.P.

For any DMB/former DMB fans/interested parties, here's the set list from the show last night:

Tuesday Aug 19 2008
Staples Center

Bartender*
Proudest Monkey*
Satellite*
So Damn Lucky*
Eh Hee *
Water Into Wine*
Burning Down The House*
Dancing Nancies*
Loving Wings*
The Maker*
Sledgehammer*
Grey Street*
Dreaming Tree*
Crash Into Me*
Everyday
Anyone Seen The Bridge*
Too Much Intro*
Ants Marching*

Encore:
Sister+
Corn Bread*
Two Step*

Delta Does It Again

As if the obvious wasn't enough, here's another reason why Delta is a mess of an airline. Last night, I received my weekly email with Delta's fares. Although I've publicly sworn off flying Delta many, many times, the promise of a $69 ticket each way was almost too much temptation to resist. (Back story: This afternoon, I was looking into possibly flying to Raleigh this weekend - I know it's not really practical at all, but let's face it; being back on LI makes me restless to go do things far away from LI.)

So anyway, here's a screen cap of the email, which was sent at 9:26pm on Monday, August 18:

Please note that it says, clear as day, that flights from JFK to RDU for travel this coming Saturday to next Monday or Tuesday are $69 each way.

So, I figure, "Hey, why not just check it out? Don't have to buy a ticket, just look..." Here is what happens when you follow the rules - magically, the trip is $339. I may consider myself more of a writer than an accountant, but this makes no sense. I try one more time, thinking perhaps I screwed up the dates or something. Still:

Upon further investigation on the website, I learn the following:

So...it's $129 each way to/from RDU from either JFK or LGA? That's significantly different from $69 each way. And if the site just wasn't updated as of me writing this (it's almost 1am early Tuesday morning/late Monday night), then why even send out an email if the website isn't updated?

Nice job, Delta. Nice job.

Angelina Jolie is Mother-of-the-Year

I'm bored. At the risk of being a little bit of a Perez-copycat, I just had these thoughts while I was killing time looking at this magazine in the bathroom before (you know when you have nothing to do, so you just finish looking at whatever's staring you in the face when you sit down even though you're already washed-your-hands-done?) & had to take a picture of the cover and add my own things:

1. Congratulations to Angelina Jolie for actually being a mother and being exhausted after taking care of her children. Let's all give her a Noble prize for being such a fucking saint. The only woman in the world to be exhausted after dealing with 6 kids under the age of 8. Duh.

2. The thing that is wrong with Madonna's face is that she's old, she works out too much, and she's had about 19 too many plastic surgeries.

3. I'm cranky, but let's call it feisty.

Colleen Go Boom

I'm not sure which is funnier: what happens or that her name is Colleen:

California Dreamin'

I had the craziest dream last night and I have no idea what it means at all, though I should probably just take it as it is:

I was returning home to New York (JFK airport for some strange reason; I usually fly out of LGA) from what I think was Raleigh (minor detail I forgot after waking up). I had a flight that left early in the morning and the last time I looked at my watch in my dream was 6:45am. I fell asleep. I woke up and I was on a JetBlue flight (which I guess is why I was supposed to be at JFK, since it doesn't fly to LGA), but it was strangely quiet. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something. I was in the front and like, "Eff this! Let's get off this pliz-zane!" I looked at my watch and saw that it said 9pm, but thought not much of it, thinking that maybe it was 9am & my watch was just spazzing. I left the plane. It was sorta set up like the "Soarin' Over California" ride at Disneyland - very wide.

I walked off and into the airport and immediately got confused. It wasn't JFK. I kept walking, this time a little more, "Ummm WTF?!" Then I see a huge sign on the wall: "Welcome to Los Angeles International Airport."

Naturally, I'm a little bit panicked to find out that I have not landed in New York, but LAX in California.

So I run back to the plane and am magically not stopped by security or anyone and I go back to my seat, as they're in the middle of announcing that we were unable to land at John F. Kennedy Airport and had to fly to LAX instead. (As Jay pointed out when I told him this morning, "So...they couldn't land in NY, so they...flew to California?")

As one can only do in dreamland, I find a free customer service representative as soon as I get into the terminal, who looks and sounds suspiciously like my Aunt Carol, who I only see like 4 times a year. I explain to her that I'm part of the NY JetBlue flight and I needed to get home. She took me to this back door - almost secret entrance - to a ticket counter that also doubled as a line at a grocery store. Yes, it was still set up in LAX. I explained to him the situation - realize that it's actually only 6pm since it was PDT time - and he looks up my next flight options back to NY.

At this point in my dream, I'm magically also on the phone with Jay, explaining what's happening to him. It was the same situation as when I returned from Comic Con; a Wednesday and I technically didn't have anything to do until the following Monday. So I suggest to the ticket agent/grocery store clerk that I can wait til the following morning to get a flight out (hey, when in Rome Los Angeles...). Jay and the Aunt Carol look/soundalike try to shush me up, but I insist the whole time, "It's fine. I don't have anything to do the rest of this week and Jana lives in Burbank, she can maybe come pick me up! I've never seen LA!" Jay keeps insisting he'll call his Aunt Cindy or some other relative he has in LA or even Ralph & Stevi while the Aunt Carol look/soundalike is hushing me up, like I'm an idiot for not wanting to rush back to NY on a red-eye flight.

The man tells me there's a flight leaving very soon or else there's another one at 11am the next morning. I'm all about calling Jana in Burbank to show me LA/introduce me to David Duchovny ((sigh)), but just as I'm about to find out what flight I am taking, I woke up.

So, what does it mean?

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!

Happy 2-year anniversary, Collwrites! Even though I made a post back in January 2006, this wasn't a regular thing until August 16, 2006. Meeeeeemories....

Don't Trust Boys You Can Only Operate With a Coin.

Jay just discovered both the Dresden Dolls and the Hype Machine, so I'm being ignored over Skype while he plays and decided to write a blog post about nothing while I pass the time.

La la la la laaaaa!

37 Hours in Raleigh

Not much to report here. Made a spur of the moment trip to Raleigh last weekend. Jay, Clif & I went to see The Dark Knight in IMAX, which rocked. We walked around downtown for a little while because a free concert was going on outside, but were too cheap to pay cover charges in any of the bars there, so we went to a bar at North Hills mall since Clif & Cassidy had met us there for a little dinner at 5 Guys and Clif went with us in our car and left his there. It was actually really fun. At first, we were doing that whole, "We're only going to order the drinks that are the specials of the night so we save money" type thing. Then when we sat down, it became "Colleen needs to try that giant margarita they have here!" Then it turned into "Okay, one more drink!" Then "Okay, let's order the hot wings, we're kinda hungry." It was really fun and I'm glad I went. I left at 7am Sunday morning because it was my dad's birthday.

On a girly side note, when we were walking around down town, we stopped in front of the entrance of the free concert. It looked familiar and I looked around and realized that we were standing in the exact same spot that Jay & I first met! All together now: "Awwwww!"

The end.

Oh and Clif willing used my lip gloss because no one had chapstick. Priceless.

The Cooch Couch.

This may be the greatest furniture ever:





Found them here: http://31504.livejournal.com/50971.html

Hilarious.

Entering the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy

Enough of all the depressing airline posts! Although it may not seem like it, I do actually spend like a good 40% of my day NOT focusing on flying. As previously mentioned, Jay & I celebrated our one year anniversary with a trip to Disneyland. It rocked. Much thanks to "Producer Ryan" for the hook-up and the special reservation to Blue Bayou! And of course, a million thanks to Jay for taking me! :)

Getting ready to leave Ralph's apartment

Yup, we're still hammin' it up, ready to leave.

Pretty.

Splash Mountain

Hollywood Hotel of Terror, Time #1

Hollywood Hotel of Terror, Time #2

Damn, my flight to Hoth is delayed.

Space Mountain

Just a little woman, not strong enough to lift weights...

Chillin'

Celebrating our actual anniversary at - where else? - the airport!

The Curse Even Affects Fake Flights

So last week, on Monday July 29, Jay & I went to Disneyland in Anaheim, California to celebrate our one year anniversary. The whole day was awesome. My first trip to Disneyland totally rocked :) I cannot wait to go back. I'm in love with just about every ride we went on, most particularly The Hollywood Hotel of Terror, Space Mountain, the Indiana Jones ride, Splash Mountain, and Soarin' Over California.

Speaking of Soarin' Over California, it's a simulated flight that takes passengers up into the air and over the landscapes of California. I kept joking to Jay to beware, because me + flying = you never know. So we got our Fast Pass for it and as we're waiting on in line, we're laughing back & forth about our upcoming "plane" ride. We get inside and sit down on the left hand side on the ride, and buckle our seat belts when we hear a male attendant say to the female attendant, "This ride malfunctioned at the end of the last trip, so these people have to get up." So they make everyone that was sitting on the left of the ride unbuckle their seat belts and wait til the "next flight"!! Jay just kept looking at me and repeating, "You've got to be kidding me, you've got to be kidding me. You actually delayed us from getting on this plane ride and it's not even real!"

Yup, you can't make this stuff up kids. I'm cursed!

Also, I forgot to mention in my mammoth previous post, at least I was not on this flight: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-07-28-delta-jfk-delay_N.htm

And Trent from Pink Is the New Blog had a bit of a problem too: http://pinkisthenewblog.com/home/london-calling-take-two/

Typical Delta.

At Least JetBlue Gave Me Free Liquor

Because I know everyone loves a good airline story from yours truly - and I've got lot so 'em - here's what happened to me Tuesday, July 22 as I attempted to leave for San Diego, California on a 6:40pm direct flight from JFK Airport in NYC. I was flying JetBlue.

Let's preface this by saying that the weather forecast for July 17-22 was rain. July 17, 18, 19, 20, & 21 came and went without rain at all. In fact, it was quite humid and sunny all week. So naturally, the one day that I need to fly out somewhere, it's going to rain.

So I'm already freaking out that morning when it starts to rain. It stops, I hear it's supposed to pass early. Still way worried and being totally neurotic (more so than usual) the entire day because I know that something is going to happen, because something ALWAYS happens to me when I fly. On the way to JFK, my mom finally actually snaps at me me to shut up because she's had enough. But I know what's what, so whatev.

I arrive at JFK at 5pm for my 6:40pm flight, so I'm already early. Go through security with my first ever problem - my watch set off the metal detector, which is strange since I always have it on and it's never been a problem before. I'm assuming this means that either 1) JetBlue's sensors are very sensitive or 2) Delta's metal detectors are just for show. I'm going to assume option 2. A security guard was kinda a douche to me, but it was the end of the day & I was too nervous at what could possibly go wrong, so I didn't take offense.

I get through security and I've still got a full hour before takeoff, so I get a beer and bust out my broken laptop and my turkey sandwich & try to relax. So far, everything is on time except for the flights to Raleigh-Durham, actually. Ah, irony. This man approaches me and asks if I'll do him a favor and watch his 3 & 6-year old daughters while he goes to buy water and crap. I know I don't look dangerous or anything, but I was a stranger and I did have an alcoholic beverage in my hand. But he was from the Northwest, so maybe they're more trusting out there or something. They begin to board my plane EARLY. Yes, EARLY! Daddy Northwest isn't back yet, so I start to get a little nervous after the 3rd boarding call about 8 minutes after the first. I pack the girls up to go look for their dad, but he comes back at last. So I run over to my gate and we're boarded early for an early departure.

They tell us to turn off our cell phones/portable electronic devices and play the video on what to do should we encounter a problem in-air, blah blah blah. I say my goodbyes to my parents, to Jay, Jana, etc., letting them all know that I'm on my way and it's early! This was around 6:30ish. I fall asleep and wake up at 7:20pm because an announcement is being made. I look outside (no matter what, I'm still little kid enough to always want a window seat) and we're still at the gate. The announcement says that we're going to be indefinitely delayed here, so we can feel free to use the restroom or turn on our cell phones again. As soon as this is said, it starts pouring outside. Naturally, I burst into tears. I call my parents, Jay & Jana and all three of them answer with the EXACT phrase, "Why are you calling me?" All I'm thinking/self-pitying/crying is, "Why is this happening to me AGAIN?! THIS ISN'T EVEN DELTA!!!" So I'm pretty much a mess at that point. My parents are spouting this annoying, "It's all in your positive attitude, that's what will stop the delay - positive thoughts!" bullshit that makes me hang up on them. Jay & everyone on his end (Jack, Rob & Bev) are cracking jokes that's I'm NOT in the mood to joke about yet, but at least Jana, James, & John were sympathetic. It was awful. I was convinced beyond doubt that the flight was going to get canceled anyway because that's my luck. Though we've driven towards the runway, the pilot tells us that he's turning the plane off since all departures are closed & only planes that are low on fuel can arrive.

Finally, after an hour of waiting (so 2 hours after we were supposed to leave), the rain clears out and we start to move again. No announcements were made yet, but at least we're doing something. James is keeping me informed through a JFK radio tower feed on what's going on throughout this entire delay, so at least I've got some idea of what's up. About 15 minutes go by and then we stop again. Pilot gets on the P.A. and goes, "Well folks, we're #8 in line for take off, but it seems that a plane has landed on the departure runway and has malfunctioned. We don't know how long it will take someone to take it off the runway, but until then, all departures have been shut down again."

Not gonna lie, I started freaking out again. My phone was dying, so I couldn't text or use it for calls as much. After a teary phone call to Jay about how now I'm going to have to go through this alooooooone (insert breaking voice & sobs), my phone dies. I continue to feel sorry for myself. I don't even have any shame at this point, because I hate my flying experiences this much.

I actually like flying. Contrary to popular beliefs, I don't hate airports at all. I hate airlines themselves and I particularly hate the lack of respect given to customers and the terrible customer service. Before I go on, I just wanted to clear that up.

My phone died around 9:20pm. We were only delayed this second time by an additional 45 minutes, so "luckily" we took off at 9:30pm. Because at this point, we had been delayed almost 3 hours, word was that we were going to soon have an issue with fuel. We saved a little in that hour that we shut the plane off, at least. Which leads me to a question: Why don't more planes do that? If you're going to blame your dying industry on fuel costs & not your complete lack of respect for your customers, why aren't more planes shut off to avoid wasting gas? ANYWAYS, we ended up making a 5:45 minute flight in just five hours (our pilot was BOOKING) and I stared at the the JetBlue personal TV screen the entire time - keeping it on the channel that shows you where you are flying over. Obsessive? Yes. But it made me feel more like I had some sort of control.

However, there was one great thing about the flight. Our flight attendants were awesome. They were all under age 30 and I got not 1, not 2, but THREE free little Vodka shooters with some tonic. Let me tell you, that's one way to calm down after a stressful evening. Also put me to sleep for a good hour and a half. I can't blame JetBlue for this issue at all. I slightly blame JFK for not being better organized - taking 45 minutes to get a plane off a runway? No one even went out there for the first like 25 minutes. I was on the opposite side of the plane, but those who were on the other side could see what was going on. Mainly, I just blame my terrible, terrible luck.

But at least JetBlue gave me $15 worth of free liquor.

R.I.P. StarkedNY

I actually have some sad news. After 2 years of editing StarkedNY, I've just very suddenly found out that the blog is being canceled by the network that owns it. I loved maintaining that site and it was such a sudden notice, that I can't help but be really sad over losing it. I know that it's not the only site to be closed down in the network. Blame it on the economy or the stats or my base pay was too high, but it still kinda sucks. That blog helped me pay my rent when I wasn't working for those 2 months and before that, it was how I paid for NC visits and Comic Con this year and last year. I guess now I have to find something else to supplement that income. Originally, I was given a 2 week notice to end on August 14 (ironically the very first day I started editing it back in 2006). I was told a warning email came 2 weeks prior to that, but I never received it. When I questioned her, my channel editor said that she had sent this notice to me last Monday (conflicting with the '2 week earlier' story the head boss emailed me), but I checked my spam, trash & inbox again and still it wasn't there. On Sunday, I was told to "disregard" that 2 week notice and it was actually a ONE DAY notice. A "miscommunication" that I think is somewhat unprofessional. I've sent an email to the big boss to get clarification on StarkedNY's final day, but thus far, have not heard anything back. I understand how times are and how businesses work, but still the way it was handled - I never once yelled at anyone or said, "This isn't fair" and still don't intend to do that at all, so why am I being ignored for a simple question? - makes me feel as though they don't really respect their bloggers at all. What is it with the world today that everyone treats each other like crap?

However, I'm very grateful that the second blog I picked up for the network was not canceled.