Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Back from LA

So, I made it back from LA in one piece...though I'm not sure LA will be the same without me.

The worst part of the trip? The possibility of not getting out of Little Rock on time. We were all on the plane, ready to fly to Memphis, when the pilot mentioned a wee problem. Some light was on that shouldn't be on - a malfunction of sorts. We were already on the tarmac, so I figured someone could hit a button, get rid of the annoyance and we would be on our way. No such luck.

After idling for a while, we were sent back to the gate, b/c evidently this is a SPECIAL LIGHT that only the GROUND CREW can fix. Too bad they took away our hammers during the security screening, or I would have saved ground crew the trouble.

Those with connecting flights (yes, that's us) were told we might want to exit the aircraft. After dealing with a few people at the terminal who were NOT so gracious about rebooking our flight and/or getting us to LAX, I was about to lose it. Finally, we are back on the plane, with no way to make our connection from Memphis to LA. Can you believe that they couldn't even book a flight out of DFW to LAX? Not after 6PM? Yeah - they were just wielding their power. Luckily, the airline held our connection, since there were 14 of us they didn't want to buy hotels rooms for that night...and we made it to LAX, albeit a tad late.

It didn't matter to me at that point, b/c after our ordeal in Little Rock and we were FINALLY on a plane to LAX, I found some in flight therapy:

Yeah, that's four drinks. You know, the planes are LONG, and who knows when the flight attendant might be able to return with that magical cart of beverages? It could be an hour or more, and I was NOT going to run out of therapy.

One day, we made our way to Santa Monica Pier, and just HAPPENED to wander onto a movie set...and just HAPPENED to see Eddie Murphy:In all my trips to Southern California, I've NEVER been that close to a celebrity. I could have TOUCHED the man, if I had wanted to be escorted out of the area in handcuffs.

Oh, and yes, I got to hold hands with Matt Damon:And as an added bonus, I took a train from downtown LA to Laguna Beach to see my mom and dad on Father's Day:I'll have more to tell about my adventures in coming days...but now, I gotta catch up on work and REST!

17 comments:

Robocop said...

Fortunately for Des and I, our vacation went without a hitch. Sorry I have not been around, but things have been busy.

Anonymous said...

Whoa - Matt Damon has little hands.

Anonymous said...

Glad you're home safe. Sounds like a very good vacation. My sister lives in Memphis, BTW. (well, actually Olive Branch Mississippi, but she works in Memphis) :)

Kila said...

Welcome back! Can't wait to hear more about your trip (after you rest and do the laundry)!

Desert Songbird said...

Bummer about your flight woes, but glad to you made it back safely.

Junebug said...

You look beautiful in the photo with your parents.

Anonymous said...

Huh. You're much better looking than your parents....

Tiggerlane said...

robocop - good to see you again, you have been missed!

karmyn r - I know...don't they fit well? Teehee!

nekked lizard lady - next time I fly thru Memphis, I'll get her number, just in case I get stranded!

kila - will do! And glad you're not underwater!

desert songbird - I waved as I flew over your state! Once again, blame it on the inflight therapy.

junebug - thank you!

m@ - once again, the tribulations of being adopted.

Debs said...

I am glad you made safe and sound.

As Robocop said, we were very lucky and did not have any issues while traveling. *Knocking on wood.*

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

You could have stayed with me in Memphis!

And the heck with Eddie...seeing Mom and Dad is more important!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad Karmyn said something about Matt Damon's small hands! It was the first thing I thought while gazing at your pictures. You know what they say....small hands, small....gloves.

Nice picture of you and your parents.

Pamela said...

I can't believe songbird said that.. bwwaa ha ha ha ha ha ha.

oh? She was talking about vocal chords? tsk.. ha ha

Pamela said...

When did flying change from being something to enjoy -- to something to endure. sigh.
Glad you got there safely - had some great adventures -

Tiggerlane said...

debs - I applaud anyone who can travel without having troubles these days.

bond - so true - Mom and Dad were WAY thrilled. And Eddie? Didn't even notice how hot I looked on the pier.

arkansas songbird - LOL!! OMG...so I guess I'll move on in my fantasy world...and thanks...it was good to see them.

pamela - you know, I thought the same thing when I put my hands in his imprints...great minds think alike. Still..wouldn't mind checking to see if the theory holds true...and flying is SO NOT what it used to be. It's like prison.

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Eddie must be blind....

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

That photo of you holding hands with Matt Damon is so cute!

Tiggerlane said...

bond - he's married - maybe he's just REALLY faithful? Or maybe he was "in character."

rebecca - alas, it may be the closest I ever get!