Random Brain Dumping

Musings and observations about life

Please don’t pinch me

Have you ever wanted something so badly that when you got it, disbelief took over? Recently, I had such an experience. Sadly, it began with a death.

Tabatha and Xavier with their mother, Sabrina.

Tabatha and Xavier with their mother, Sabrina, before our lunchtime cruise.

When my ex-daughter-in-law called just before Christmas, her words came fast but disconnected. Her sadness transcended the distance. I immediately knew something was wrong. She had lost her father. Her hero. His death, she said, forced her to realize the fragility of life, the pettiness of our decisions in the context of life. She wanted to reconnect.

An eternity had passed since we had last communicated. My two oldest grandchildren, her children, both were in single digits then. I think. I don’t remember.

The conversation filled me with incredible sadness and gratefulness at the same time. I struggled with how to reconnect with her and the children.

Baby steps. Yeah. Baby steps. “Don’t rush it; don’t be too eager,” I thought.

She and I became friends on Facebook, and exchanged text messages.

Xavier and Tabatha, and the zorse (a zebra and horse cross)

Xavier and Tabatha, and the zorse (a zebra and horse cross)

One phone call with the kids. Another phone call. Pictures and videos of the kids being shared.

Then, a plan. I would visit them in Florida. When the plan fell through, I pretended I was OK. I was devastated.

So was my mother, who called my ex-daughter-in-law and lashed out like a mother bear protecting her cub. I was doubly devastated. What if that call had jeopardized my chances of seeing my grandchildren?

I didn’t talk to my mother for two weeks. How could I say to her how angry I was (in a calm voice) without being disrespectful? We had never gone that long without talking. Once the words came to me, Mother and I talked, and I thanked her for her concern but respectfully insisted that she let me fight my own battles. Meanwhile, new plans for a Florida visit took shape. When I saw them, nothing else mattered.

Tabatha in 3-D glasses

Tabatha in 3-D glasses

Xavier in 3-D glasses

Xavier in 3-D glasses

When I think about having seen them, I’m taken back to the feeling of having my first grandchild, discovering the bond between a grandparent and grandchild. The time apart had not diminished the bond.

We did nothing special. We took a lunchtime cruise, their first. We rode horses, our third time together. We saw “MIB3” in 3-D and Imax, and have the glasses to prove it. We had breakfast and dinner. We bonded.

It’s been a month. I’m still floating. Please don’t pinch me. I know that the pinch indicates you’re awake, and what’s happening is really happening. In this case, I’m still in disbelief that I saw them, that we hugged and had fun together. I want this dream, this feeling to continue.

So, don’t pinch me. If you pinch me, I might wake up.

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June 25, 2012 Posted by | Random Brain Dumping | , , | 6 Comments

In the “Spirit” of flying

Last year, a friend invited me to join him for a weekend in Fort Lauderdale. He reserved my room and booked my flight. That’s where the problem began.

The flight was on Spirit Airlines, and the original cost was apparently unbelievably low.

He accidentally misspelled my last name and booked the wrong return time. What a difference an O makes.

Anyway, because the reservation was in my name, I had to contact the airline to get it fixed. Changing the time for the return flight resulted in a cheaper fee, and the reservationist asked if I wanted to apply the difference to my checked bag fee or my overhead bin fee.

I generally pack so that I can take one bag on board, which I told the agent.

“So, you want to apply the refund to the overhead bin fee?”

That question dumbfounded me.

She was telling me that regardless of whether I wanted to check my bag or carry it on, I still had to pay a fee if I wanted to put the bag in the overhead bin.

Spirit Airlines jet

Almost nothing is free on Spirit airlines.

To carry my own bag on a plane and hoist it overhead.

Of course, she explained, I could put a bag under the seat for free.

I applied what I believe was a $35 fee to the overhead bin use fee. Mind you, it was $35 because I booked early, but even that was $5 more than if I had booked it online myself.

I guess luggage designers will soon start making suitcases that fit under the seat. Just when we finally got luggage that not only rolls without toppling over but fits in the overhead bins.

Now, I’ve heard that beginning in November, Spirit will start charging $100 for carry-on bags.

One … hundred … dollars.

On top of your ticket fee.

And the airline gate folks don’t play.

If you attempt to walk on the plane with two bags – including shopping bags, purses, backpacks – the gate attendants will check your ticket. If you haven’t paid for the extra bag, you will before you board. Then, you would have had to pay $40 to use the overhead bin.

Oh, and on Spirit, you have to pay to choose your seat. Chances are you’ll get a middle seat if you don’t pay the extra money.

Water? That will cost you, too, unless you have to take some medication.

Before you’re enticed by the airline’s low airfare, be sure to check out its baggage fee page. The company calls them “optional fees.” Ah, so nice … and deceptive.

I think the airline got its name because you’ll be dead-broke by the time you complete your flight.

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May 7, 2012 Posted by | Random Brain Dumping | , , , , , | 4 Comments

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