The Secret to Getting Good Airline Service

We had another wedding to attend last weekend, In Phoenix. Nothing terribly exciting, however I gained this great travel tip: if you want to be treated royally, even on a schlock-service airline like Southwest, travel with an over 80 yr old lady, and push her in a wheelchair. Everybody treats you great, doing all they can to make everything easier for you and your “charge”. The only negative was that one gate attendant spoke to my mother–in-law like she was speaking to an idiot. Sometimes people need to use a chair in the airport because a couple of hours standing and walking around is too rough. That doesn’t justify talking to a person like a six-year old. One attendant let me push the wheelchair down the jet way – I’ve always wanted to do that!

I’ve been busy at work, the typical corporate stuff, spending lots of time being a PC jockey, and lots of meetings over the phone. This job produces nothing interesting that I care to write about.

Ahhh the World Series. If there is any justice in this world, the Cubs’ day is coming soon. I enjoyed watching the parts of the games I saw. Especially rewarding after watching the too frequent and nauseating shots of President King George the First and Barbara (or, was that the Quaker Oats man?) rooting for the Astros. Bush league.

Fall weather has finally come, the soup & stew season is upon us. Made a beef stew today, from Fanny farmer’s recipe. The flavorings are lemon juice, allspice and Worcester sauce. This is my favorite classic stew. Pure fall delight.

I hope all you readers out there enjoyed Indictment Friday as much as I did. I will repeat my promise I make to all my readers: I never have, and never will “out” a CIA operative. Nor will any member of my vast Hangininsac staff. That is my solemn vow to you, my readers. Heck, I won’t even tell you confidential stuff about work. And remember kids, Tubby McTreason (aka Carl Rove) is still under investigation. Tell you one thing, if Rove ends up in prison, no risk of him squeezing out through the bars.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

After Over a Month of Full Time Work. . .

God, I feel like such a tool.

The hanging guy is a little more tired than he remembers being in the past. That’s my excuse for not blogging over the last month. We had a great weekend getaway for my sister’s wedding reception. Fun party, upstairs from a bar with fish mounted on the wall. I saw lots of my sister’s friends whom I haven’t seen for years. It was a great time.

Work, ah work. There is little I can say, since almost everything I am working on is confidential in the eyes of my employer. The lunches are good, and I can get up and take a walk around the building whenever I want to. Plus pretty good free coffee in the morning. The commute is a drag, even though it’s sometimes nice to have a place to go. A closer place to go would be nicer. All I can say is that a corporate environment is what it is. If it was legal to hunt weasels, would anyone go hungry?

We had a neighbor who is soon to visit Guatemala and a Guatemalan coworker of Kathleen’s and her husband over for dinner last night. That was fun. I cooked chicken, since I recall most natives of Latin America like red meat cooked very thoroughly. Since no one likes chicken cooked rare, it’s a lot easier pleasing everyone. I roasted another free range Rocky chicken on the grill. They are the best chickens I have ever had the honor of cooking. They come from Petaluma, and are raised in some way alternative to the usual factory farming methods. I have never inquired into how they are raised, since if I was that concerned, I’d make something vegetarian instead. The Guatemalan husband said the chicken reminded him of “porch hens” from Guatemala. I looked it up and the Rocky Chickens are free ranged. I think the key to their superiority is that the body fat is really well distributed throughout the meat. Very tender and juicy, even the white meat. You can read about it here: http://www.petalumapoultry.com/products/rocky.html . In addition to Rocky, they offer organic chickens calle Rosie. Cute names, but they all get plucked in the end.

Now calm down. Just in case anyone thinks I have lost my trademark stinginess, the chicken was on sale at Whole Foods for about $1.25 per pound. That’s only $.25 more than the de-beaked factory chickens at the “pedestrian” grocery store across the street from Whole Foods.

I also served ratatouille. I make that all summer here, and I am looking forward to soup and stew season. We still have about a month to go. We have left over ratataouille for lunches. I can be a rataterrorist all week!

I am soooo glad the Packers had a big win today, although, 50-something to 3 is a little embarrassing. . The Badgers’ loss does not really bother me.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.