The Night Shift

[WildcatOne]

As we all know, I had an unexpected cancellation of my flight from Dallas to Des Moines Friday. I spent the whole day in the airport. I was caught up in a situation that I could not in my farthest imagination have planned to have happen, and it happened. My anger has subsided, I have accepted the fact that the airline is not liable and more than likely will not refund my money, (I went to their website and read the fine print) which in a combined total is a significant amount, and I have a perspective on it now that I didn't have when it was all going down. I won't go into the miserable details of what happened and how I reacted at the airport in the hours of 1:30-4PM from when I was standing in line to board the flight to Des Moines and suddenly the screen changed from "Boarding" to "Cancelled". I can just say that they refused to talk to me, they did not offer any explanation or alternative. "Your trip ends here. See ya." At the last possible second, as I was putting my travel bag down and preparing to dismantle the airline booth and its occupants with my bare hands and end up in trouble, an angel appeared from out of nowhere...a total stranger, a little old lady from Des Moines...and through the sheet of red that was all I could see, she shoved her cell phone in my face, with the 1-800 airline help desk person in there waiting to speak to me. I was able to book a standy flight back to Houston, although the poor soul who had to listen to me probably has bandages on her ears today from that pleasant chat. I have had some time to process this deal and think about it rationally, which unfortunately I was not able to bring myself to do while I was being shafted in Dallas. I could have stayed there and spent the night in the airport (I wondered what the cots were for that they had in the waiting areas) and flown to Des Moines Saturday morning...maybe...they didn't talk to me at all...but when I got back home, there was a message from them that I was booked on the 9:45AM flight. It was just not meant to be. OK. So. I got a few things done around here yesterday. Positive, life-giving things. My wife and youngest son had RSVP'd to my cousin Rodney's wedding down at the yacht club last night and I went with them. We walked in and all of my cousins that I grew up with were there, having a party and they were all blown away that I showed up. My SISTER, Sylvia was there! She flew in from Kansas City for the weekend to be there. I had no idea she was going to be there. We had a fabulous Italian dinner, hung out, got caught up on everybody and everything, and my cousin Bert from Shreveport's wife Debbie took this picture of me and Miss Debby. When something happens that you don't want to happen and you have to deal with it, what I do, anyway, is try to count my blessings and focus on the good side of it. This was good. It certainly wasn't the DragList Nationals, which I had planned and saved for for the last year, but it was my family and a wonderful occasion that my cousin was delighted to see me there for. As it turns out, Rodney lives right across the street from Pee Wee Bowen. It's a small world, after all. Here I am with Debby last night at Rodney's wedding. It's difficult for me to say "Cheers", but I am blessed to be the man in this exquisite woman's life, and my family was all there together for a few hours. What can I say. Through clenched teeth: Life is good. WC1

[draglist]

Good deal, Cat. Glad you were able to salvage the weekend and spend time with your loved ones. bp

[jim sanders]

yea well done WC.... turning the deal around like that... I would still be chained to the floor.....

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, Doc and BP. THIS part of me is still chained to the floor in a straightjacket, handcuffs and a hockey mask borrowed from Hannibal Lecter. Plus I have a dagger stuck in my heart with the airline logo on the handle. But I think at least part of this is my fault. I did not have an alternate plan in place, not in the most remote thought. Something that would work out to get me to Des Moines without the (as I have learned) flaky airline's mood swings changing my trip in the middle and offering no alternative whatsoever...I don't have a cell phone, and the only number they left a message for me that I had a flight out the next morning was here at my house in Houston...I know, it's the kind of perfect dysfunctional Friday the 13th maladjustment that can drive you crazy...it's what they deliberately intended to do...and I wasn't prepared...if that lady hadn't shoved her cell phone in my face while I was yelling at the airline agents, waving my paperwork and getting ready to turn their desk over (and get tasered by security and end up in jail with an FBI guy giving me the 3rd degree), yes...I'd be in chains right now on an assault charge...but I look back on it and I see Divine Intervention on my behalf, whereas I was crazy enough to get whacked over the head by a cop's blackjack and thrown in jail at that precise moment. As it worked out, I ended up on a plane back to Houston a few hours later, and I have a very clear perspective on what and how it all happened, and why. I can tell you that next year I'm driving to DLNIII, and I'm coming through St. Louis to pick you up, Doc. I can meet Billy in Shreveport or Little Rock and we can team up from there if he isn't towing his operation up next time...I'd like to add thanks here. You guys know EXACTLY how I felt and what you said about it is all true, so true it hurts to think about it. But I got out of that mess clean and safe. I had this going on, but I don't want to distract from the big story this weekend, which is DLNII...WC1

[pro70z28]

Glad things worked out o.k. for you WC. We all know how bad you wanted to be there, but plans are under way for DLN's III so all is not lost. See ya' next year for sure.

[Rapid Randy Baker]

WC, we sure missed you, but it sounds like in the end you got to spend time with your "OTHER" family. Congrats of making it thru the ordeal.

[Danny White]

John,

I am 5 hours away from you in NE Texas and 10 from Iowa. Bill was mapquesting that fact for me! Too get to my house you take 59/259/and 271 and your here Bill said to drive north and take a right! Maybe next year we can see some pretty scenary tough East OK or West ARK/Miss!

Danny

[jim sanders]

wow what a road trip that could be ! Imay be homeless by then but will have cash... just tell me where to stand on the way north

[Billy Mac]

Just hold yer thumb out and pull yer britches up above yer knees, Jim....SOmebody is bound to stop ......

Hey.....You've got a year to plan for it....which means a full year to convince that Kepner fella that he ALSO needs to come on up........Y'all could ride together

[jim sanders]

Hey John, this JTP otherwise know as John Bourgeois. (Communicating from Jimbo's house.) I enjoyed reading about your jobs: been there done that. I researched the Marshall problem on the internet and I got a fix complete with all instructions and pictures to complete the repair. After I went up to the local guitar amp repair shop, they suggested a heat sink. This is how they suggested to make the repairs on the internet, after the re-soldering was done, instead of an internal mount and wired cooling fan because of the possible noise generated by the fan. I have already made the re-solderintg repairs and used the amp on a job (in front of railroad tracks, outside) and it worked o.k. It was not really hot enough to give the acid test, but it worked o.k. They say that the amp gets hot enough to ruin the electrical integrity of the solder joints mounting the bridge rectifier. I really like your low tech solution of mounting a small out board fan to add cooling. KISS. I will continue to try to get the heat sink, but have not done it yet. Sorry that the you cannot get from Dallas to DeMoine, Iowa. sh*t happens. Jimbo can't get from Overland, MO with me picking him up and driving him to the band job (30 miles away). It's always good to read feedback from another guitar guy. When I get a chance at Jimbo's, I'll keep in touch. Remember, it's only rock and roll. (Just today bought Fender pickups for two China made "stars and stripes" guitars that I found in a truck stop on the way back from Florida after vacation. I did a fret job on them and needed to replace the pickups with the real deal stuff. I am just a sucker for a stars and stripe guitar, especially when the Strat and Tele both cost $129.00 each.) I've only got 24 guitars in my collection (almost none big money stuff, so I've always got room for one more. Cheers, John.