Southwest Airlines

A few weeks ago I was looking to book a flight from Seattle to Orlando. Using the preferred Microsoft travel site, the best price I was able to find was $917. That sounds even more absurd today than it did back then. I decided to search Kayak and was able to find similar flights for around $750. That still sounded high so I checked prices at Southwest Airlines and was a bit surprised to find a flight for $580. That seemed a lot more reasonable so I booked a ticket with them.

When I told several of my coworkers that I booked a ticket with Southwest they laughed and hassled me a bit. I guess traveling on Southwest isn’t very cool since they don’t have a first class section. I was surprised to hear them say how much better Delta or United is. I guess they don’t read Consumer Reports where Southwest was rated at one of the top four airlines, well ahead of Delta or United. Here is what they said:

If JetBlue, Southwest, Frontier, or Hawaiian flies your route, look no further. All four of those airlines provided a superior experience, according to CR readers, at a price that?s often lower than their competitors.

I am a big fan of Southwest. I’ve flown a number of airlines and Southwest and Alaska Airlines are my two favorites for travel within the US. Of those carriers serving Europe, SAS is my favorite although British Airways and Lufthansa are also very good.

One reason I enjoy flying Southwest is their employees are always happy and make me feel like they appreciate my business. They also don’t take themselves too seriously. After the stress of getting through line after line at the airport, it’s refreshing to be among a group of people who genuinely like their jobs and go out of their way to help.

Yellow Cab a no-show

I scheduled a Yellow Cab last night to take me to the airport this morning at 5:30 am. I figured everything was fine. I was wrong.

I called Yellow Cab at 5:35 am and they didn’t have my reservation in the system. I’m beginning to think they’re “system” is a stack of Post It’s and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. The dispatcher didn’t seem to care, so when she told me to “sit tight” and she’d call me back in five minutes, I decided to drive myself to the airport.

Now I’m running late and the roads are already packed so I arrived at the airport with 40 minutes to get through security and check in my bag. As I was running towards the gate, I heard the last call for my flight over the intercom. I was last person to board which means I sat in a middle seat for the next 4 hours. So much for printing my boarding pass last night!

I hate you, Yellow Cab. I will never call you again.

Technorati Tags:

Calling a Cab

I called Yellow Cab tonight to schedule a ride to the airport tomorrow morning. I got off the phone and this thought came to mind:

Has there ever been a time where I have called to reserved a cab and the person taking my reservation expresses even the tiniest bit of gratitude that I decided to do business with them?

I’ve called to schedule dozens of cabs and I can’t recall a time when I’ve been asked anything other than my phone, name and address. Would a simple, “Thank you for choosing Yellow Cab” kill them? taxicab

I wonder if the people taking the reservations are outsourced and are paid by the number of appointments they setup. I wonder if the owners of these cab companies have ever called in to schedule a cab to hear just how their customers are being treated.

Why is it that when I spend three bucks on kids hot chocolate at Starbucks the employees there treat me like I spent $300? Yet I spend $50-$80 on a cab and consider my trip a success if I leave the cab not smelling like an ashtray.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Off to Orlando

Tonight I was explaining to our kids that I am leaving in the morning for a short business trip to Orlando. Here are a few of the kid’s reactions:

Luca: “Can’t someone else go?”

Lincoln: “Will you bring me back a gun that doesn’t shoot water?”

Anna: “Can I go with you?”

Luca: “Can you just go for 2 days? Or just one?

It’s always fun to see the kid’s reactions when I tell them I have to go somewhere. Luca assumes I’m going to months. Lincoln doesn’t care that I’m going but wants to make sure I bring something back for him and Anna wants to come with me.

I don’t like saying goodbye to Kim or the kids, even for just a short five days. I don’t know how our service men and women leave their families. Especially when there’s a chance they will not return. It makes me realize that I have it easy.

I tucked the kids into bed tonight and came down to the computer. Less than five minute later Luca came down and crawled on my lap. She put her head on my shoulder while I rocked her asleep. I would not trade these moments for anything in the world.

The Ultrasound

I went to Kim’s ultrasound on Friday. This is baby #4 so, like everything else pertaining to the birth of the baby, I know my place and don’t say much unless I’m asked. Basically, I’m there to hand over the insurance card. That’s my big contribution.

Our ultrasound technician was a very bubbly, friendly women. I remember the first time I looked at an ultrasound screen, I couldn’t make out anything. The technician would be going on about this or that and I’d sit there and nod as I looked at the screen with absolutely no idea what she was seeing.

But this time the technician took the time to point out the obvious (to her) features. One screen showed the baby’s spine. Another a hand or lips or leg. And then she brought up a screen and said, “This is definitely a boy!”

So Luca was right. Another boy will make two girls and two boys, and we are thrilled. I’ve never given much thought about the sex of the baby, but Luca was convinced she was getting a “baby Lincoln” and I didn’t want to tell her she was going to get a “baby Anna” instead.

One Anna Lynn is perfect but PLENTY!

DSC_0688 
Lincoln will be getting a baby brother in a few months.

Rip DVD to PC

What is the best Windows program that will rip a DVD I own to my PC for viewing? I use DVD Shrink/Nero for DVD to DVD ripping, but am not sure what program I should use if I only want to watch the DVD on my computer. I’d like a balance between speed and quality.

This should be easier to do. If I own the DVD I should be able to make a copy of it for viewing on my PC or whatever other device I want to use.

Technorati Tags: , ,

Ducane Grill

ducaneUp until we bought a Ducane grill nearly two years ago, we didn’t grill very often. I’ve bought a couple of off-brand grills at Target and they worked well for a while but deteriorated after a couple of years. The steel outer cover and grill would rust and it would become very difficult to keep clean.

So I decided to spend a little more and get a Ducane stainless steel model. Both the outer cover and grills don’t rust now and it’s much easier to keep clean. There’s no porcelain to crack or paint to chip. I also like the grill itself is a bit wider than most but the entire unit is quite compact. We’ve only used the included rotisserie once as we usually grill burgers and steak.

We grill a lot more often since we bought the Ducane and I’m certain it will last us many more years.

The model shown above the 24-inch Three Burner Gas Grill available only at Home Depot for $719.

Pros:

  • Stainless make for easy cleanup and no rust
  • Wide grilling area
  • Temperature gauge on cover
  • Exquisite construction
  • Electronic igniters for every burner
  • Drip pan is easy to remove

Cons:

  • Expensive for size
  • Not much surface area
  • No place to hang grilling accessories
  • Cover not included

Summary: A top quality grill for those who demand 100% stainless construction.

Technorati Tags: ,

Super Soakers

 When Grandpa is in town it means the kids get spoiled. Today was no exception when he bought them each a Super Soaker water gun. They are battery operated which means they can shoot soak. The kids thought it was funny to shoot me in the butt while I was filling up soakers.

The kids had so much fun getting wet, then getting cold and then sipping hot chocolate that Grandpa made just for them with his seven special ingredients.

 soaker

Technorati Tags:

Mariner’s Game

I went to the Seattle Mariner’s game tonight with my dad. We had a salad at FX McRory’s before the game and then watched the M’s play the Detroit Tigers who won 6 to 3.

Just before the game started, they showed a short history of Ichiro’s time in Seattle that included some of his best highlights. When that was over they announced he signed a contract extension through the 2012 season which sent everyone into a frenzy. I read in the paper tonight that he signed a 5 year, $90 million extension.

My dad and I watched the game, chatted about sports and munched on roasted peanuts. We had great seats only 16 rows back down the third base line.

Even though the M’s lost it was fun to watch the game and spend time with my dad. Here’s a picture from our seats.

mariners 

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Name the Product

I saw an advertisement for a sleeping product tonight which included a beaver, Abraham Lincoln and a deep sea diver. It’s one of the weirdest ads I’ve ever seen.  

Can you name the product?

It’s been an hour and I’m still thinking about how dumb this ad is yet I’m still thinking about so, on one level, the ad worked on me. Yet that’s of little consolation if I can’t recall the name of the product to “ask my doctor” about.

ad