To say that my time back in Seattle has been wrought with, let’s just say a comedy of errors would be an understatement. Let’s also say that unspoken expectations go, unfulfilled.
A flight to the West Coast from Seattle is really just not that terrible..and yes…I fly …wait for it…COACH. Our “package” includes one business class ticket or 2 coach tickets to the US, and we would rather have two trips, so, I fly coach. When I can fly to YVR (that’s Vancouver), I get to clear US customs there, and just hop down on a small plane, leaving me able to grab my bag and just walk out of the airport in SEA. It’s only a 12 hour flight, and like I said, it’s an easy flight…I am so thankful NOT to have to fly to the Mid-West or East Coast, those are long hauls (where flying business would definitely be a good gig).
SO, let’s move on to Sunday. The flight was fine, no problem. I got some sleep, watched old movies, and time just passed.
I stand up to leave the plane and I hear “Kate?" Holy heck…I was in row 67, in row 68 one seat over is my friend Christine who I work on the Local Tours committee with! 12 hours, never knew she was there. She was traveling with her daughter and they were also going to SEA, so we hung out during our layover. Nice.
I email Kari and let her know that I am “OTG YVR” (it’s a family thing). I then email her and give her my flight number and tell her to check the timing but we should be on time.
It’s time to board…
OK…off we go. We all walk out to the plane and just turn our faces up to the sun and relish the fact that it is sunny and we are not sweating (something we deal with in HK for many many months of the year)
We fly, we land, all is good. Our bags are the first ones out (though my bag, for some reason, was grabbed by two different people before being put back. I asked the couple next to me if THEY wanted to grab it too…they laughed).
I text Kari, I’m at baggage claim. The text I get back is “ WAIT! WHAT? You said LATER…I haven’t left the house yet!”
HUH? 15 hours and I get to wait another 30 min for my ride…sigh
Ok…it’s ok…I sit, I wait. I did tell her later…eh, I’m good. I have a chair, I talk to my sister. I’m fine. She literally threaded the traffic that bogs down at Northgate so she made good time.
YAY Home!…no soda, no coffee. Next time, there will be a list, like stars give when they do shows and concerts, of my requirements
THEN
The car situation starts.
Kirk decided to put his car in for an oil change and check up before he went on a long weekend with Skyler’s family. He texts ME, to make sure Kari tells Derrick (are you following this? I know the people and can barely follow it)…to check that the car is done on Monday b/c he will need it…and, can we pick it up AND can we drive it to Seattle for him?
Yea ok
I go to pay for the car…yes, it’s got problems. Safety problems, Something about the wheels potentially falling off? I tune out, do the proper mom thing, tell them to go ahead…and NOW there is a situation. Kirk has to have a car for work…so, being the loving, generous, caring Mom that I am, I am willing to go car-less so HE has a ride.
Kari and I plan to ride into Seattle, she hops in her car, I hop in mine…AND
Car won’t start.
It JUST worked…like 30 minutes ago.
Nope. Won’t start.
Now we REALLY have an issue. Derrick did give it the old college try, there was a belt off, but no go. It just won’t start and it’s too tight to get the belt on…
Kirk and Skyler did manage to work out a ride situation, but now I will be dealing with AAA in the AM…thank heaven for AAA.
Next day, I call, set it up. Go to make coffee. The coffee maker is broken.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I literally put my head on the counter and wanted to cry.
Tow truck shows up. Car starts. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. But I get the car to the shop, and it was minor. Thankfully.
And then
THE PHONE SITUATIONS START (yes there are 2)
Hey ANYONE, how long have the phones NOT been ringing? No one seems to know.
Alrighty then.
I am not technologically inclined and I am now dealing with phones on many levels. First, the phone system in the house does not seem to want to hold a charge…so off I go to Best Buy to get new hand sets. We literally use these for the house alarm, so we don’t really need a fancy set up.
Now, it’s time to deal with “The Service” issue.
Talk to Comcast and to say that was a frustrating experience is the understatement of the century.
IF ONLY
each CS person at Comcast would tell you the WHOLE story…not just the tiny part they deal with.
Modem is broken. OK…go to Comcast store and get a modem.
Guy at the counter hands it over w/a smile and a wave
Get home
Plug it in. Nothing
Call Comcast.
OH…dink dink dink…your phones need to be “re-set” to the system.
OK…but this CS can’t do that! I need to call a different number
OK.
Call the number
disconnected 4 times.
call the first number
OH…they are closed at 10 (when I was told to call, it was 10:30). Call in the morning
sigh
Here’s the thing:
IF ONLY Kevin..the FIRST guy I talked to said:
Ok, go get the modem, but there are a couple things you will need to do when you get it home, and make sure you do it BEFORE 10 pm…but no, Kevin did HIS job…
It only took Comcast 3 hours to trouble shoot “resetting” these phones. I was done. I told them to call me later, I was going to Emerald Downs AND deal with T-mobile, who for some reason could not do our Easy Pay AND by the way, if you pay with a rep on the phone, it costs you $5.
GEEZZZZZZZ
I spent 4 days yelling CUSTOMER SERVICE into my phone….and I got little.
As I write this (on the plane to Maui b/c my life is SO hard, I need a vacation), it seems really minor and I know I should not have gotten as flustered as I did, but sometimes you just want stuff to work. And you don’t want to spend the precious time you have at home, dealing with mundane drivel.
On a side note, the 4th was beautiful, it was fun to see Kirk’s friends and spend time with them. It made the first few days seem like a distant memory…almost
