Month: February 2003

Okay, every day is job search day, but today I’m going to work extra hard at it. I have two recruiters to call for follow-ups, just for starters. The big reminder of why this is so important is that the Department of Employment and Training website and phone system have been down for 3 days now (today is day 4) so nobody has been able to file their unemployment claim for last week. Normally we’d be getting checks today, but we haven’t even been able to call in the claim, so the checks haven’t been cut, never mind mailed. Do you think they’d have information on what to do on their website (i.e. go to your local office instead)? That would be nice. I tried calling this morning and the line was busy…that NEVER happens.

HELLO? State of Massachusetts, little help here!

I did joke with the manager at Office Max that I should work there for the employee discount and she offered to get me an application. I’m torn about taking a part-time job, because if something full-time came up, it might impact my ability to work certain hours. I don’t know that it would be fair to the store, you know? On the other hand, I could use the money. I guess I’ll wait for another week or two before I make that decision.

Oh, so briefly I’ll share Mr. Dump’s airport adventure with you. He had a ticket for the 8:15pm British Airways flight to London. Got to the airport around noonish. They checked him in, assured him it would take off. He and I were both skeptical, but we’re not the experts. He got on the plane and I started watching the online flight tracking. No sign that it took off. Still watching. It says the flight is “on time” but it’s now 45 minutes after he was supposed to leave. I check the BA website…it still says estimated to leave at 6:05. Hmmm. So around 7:10 it says “departed.” Cool. I can’t believe his plane got out, NOBODY is getting out of Logan.

At 2:30 AM the phone rings…it’s Mr. Dump. I assume he’s telling me he’s in London. He’s telling me he’s still in Boston. Spent 7 HOURS sitting on the runway, no food, barely any heat. Eventually they realize that sitting there all that time, there’s ice and snow in the engine. They get everyone off the plane, give them back their luggage, and shuttle them to an Embassy Suites, where he has to share a hotel room with 3 strangers. I cannot think of anything I’d like less. That means sharing a BED with strangers, mind you. It’s boggling my mind, but hey, there were 400 people on that plane.

He was back at the airport by 10ish this morning, and their plane is now scheduled to leave at 5, as an add-on flight because the regular 6:05 was already booked up. Oh, and the 8:15 BA flight? That one did take off, albeit very much later than 8:15. But why did the the 8:15 take off and not the 6:05? Who knows. I am just glad *I* wasn’t the one stuck sitting on a plane for 7 hours in a snowstorm. I’ve had to sit for 4 hours on a plane on the taxiway, waiting for a thunderstorm or some nonsense to pass, but not 7 hours. Yuck.

“Monday’s storm brought the snowfall total for this winter to 97.7 inches,

about 56 inches above normal.”

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! 56 inches above normal! Well I can tell you this, I’m watering the HELL out of my lawn all next summer.

Snow is now out of the driveway and on top of the lawn. Again. Let’s get with the warm already.

Is it okay if I don’t actually go anywhere today? I don’t feel like driving in a land where I can’t see around corners. I hate big piles of snow at the ends of streets. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.

One pass on the driveway complete. At LEAST a foot of snow. Oh man, am I glad this didn’t happen last week when we were sick. I’m feeling better and that still wiped me out.