delta, delta, delta cannot help ya, help ya, help ya

hello, internet friends! and happy new year! also, my apologies for a recent lack of blog posting (though judging by my recent lack of comment traffic maybe no one cares?)

the thing is, you see, i went home for the holidays. not for christmas, exactly, because i arrived in denver on dec. 27th, but because i have a rad family who loves me lots, they waited to have christmas until i got there. all together now: awww.

i know. there was also lots of watching of movies, hanging out in aspen, attempting to shop in aspen and one heavenly spa treatment (all of which i will tell you about soon) and all of that added up to a pretty perfect trip. the only trouble was getting to and from said trip. and i am not usually one to point fingers, but it was all delta's fault.

first my flight from salt lake to denver was delayed. by many, many hours. it was weather in spokane and then it was a mechanical problem. i actually watched the mechanics take apart some of the wing and work on it. this does not instill confidence. also, all that waiting in the airport makes me cranky. really cranky. at least i didn't have it as bad as the people, also waiting for the same flight, who had been trying to leave portland since the 22nd. merry christmas to them.

then, on friday, just as i had checked in and was sitting down to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate in the terminal with my mom, i got a phone call from delta telling me my flight back to salt lake was delayed. by many, many hours. this very annoying information would have been useful a little earlier, but my mom and i hatched a plan to see if the ticket agent would let me change my ticket to a later day with no penalty, since my flight was already delayed. and he did! it was sort of like magic. actually, it was exactly like magic. so i got two extra days at home and an exit row seat.

which was perfect.

until.

i got on the plane on sunday, settled in with my book and my extra leg room, and the pilot came over to PA to announce that there was a major mechanical problem and he was cancelling the flight. cancelling it. that is nothing like magic. unless it's dark magic. either way, it was super-duper bad.

so, off the plane we came and everyone rushed into line at the gate to get new flights. we were also advised to try calling delta reservations to arrange for new flights, which i did and was told they couldn't help me, which was fine until i heard other people in the gate area saying they had secured new tickets by calling.

and then i was mad.

i know it is probably hard to believe, but i can bust out "irate customer who better get what she wants" when i need to. so i did. and i got the next available seat out of denver. which didn't leave until today.

so, my indefatigable father made the one-hour trek back to the airport to get me. again. to go back to my parents' house. again. unfortunately, we made the trip without my suitcase, which had already been loaded onto another, full flight leaving for salt lake. it's cool. i don't mind wearing my underwear two days in a row. (not true.)

when i walked in the door, again, my mom said, "how can we miss you if you won't go away?" she was only kidding though.

things went a lot more smoothly today: on-time departure and my suitcase was waiting safely for me when i arrived back in slc. whew. though i have to say, after all that trouble to get here, i sort of wish i was still back where i started. i guess there really is just no place like home.