I love to travel. Whether it be for a major vacation or a quick trip to a nearby city, I love to hit the road for an adventure. So far this year it appears that 2010 will provide much in that arena. Nothing over the top since I am on a budget, but right now it looks as if I'll end up an average of one fun trip per month.
Surely other trips will pop up as the year progresses, as will numerous trips to the lake, but for now the first four months of the year appear to be off to a nice start. Last month (January) it was a trip to Atlanta for a cousin's birthday. This month (February) I'm headed to Myrtle Beach for the Alice in Chains concert. AIC is one of my favorite bands of all time and I cant wait! March brings the Bridge run in Charleston, followed by a return to Myrtle Beach for a golf trip in April. What to do in May? hmmmm. Only time will tell.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Vehicular Woes
Like most of you, I take my vehicle in every 3000-5000 miles to get the oil changed. I tend to rotate my tires every 10,000 miles or so. When I get it serviced, the fluids are topped off for me. The only items that I actually do myself are pumping gas and replacing wiper blades. Well, I guess I also clean it on occasion, but that is different.
My grandmother always filled her tank before it reached the half empty mark. That is probably a good practice, but I tend to wait until right about the time that the pesky little gas light pops on. Of course that light was designed to be there for people like me. When the light turns on, I know I still have time to fill up. The key is remembering to do so.
In my 16 years of driving, I had never run out of gas... until yesterday in Columbia. Or at least I thought I ran out of gas yesterday. What a fiasco!
Here is a play by play of how it went down:
Monday morning I notice my gas light. After grabbing breakfast, I didn't have time to stop for gas so I planned to get it that afternoon on the way home. That afternoon I was on my way home from work, with plans to meet friends out at 6:00. No problem. I had plenty of time. There was no rush. I should have stopped for gas, but of course I forgot.
Just after I passed Greystone Blvd (the Zoo exit), I noticed that my truck was losing power. I immediately glance down and see that I'm below E. Uh oh, I'm empty! My truck began to cut out and I ended up coasting to the side of the road. By this point I had no power steering since the engine was off. Kind of scary, but luckily the traffic was minimal. At that point it was 5:20.
I was on the side of the road, just where Huger St splits off from Elmwood Ave. I had intended to meet Stacy at the house to give her a few items, so she should have been there waiting on me at that point. That worked out perfect, so I called her and ask her to grab my gas can and meet me. I'm sure she had other plans for the night, but jumped to action to help and I really appreciate that!
Stacy and boys showed up with gas. I put the gallon in and... no luck. Surely there is no need to reset anything to get the engine running again. My mind was racing. I know absolutely nothing about vehicles... nothing. I thought that perhaps the one gallon was not sufficient and the fuel lines need to be filled. I hopped in her car and we filled up the 5 gallon tank, and repeated the process. No luck.
Oh, it's also worth noting that I had talked to my parents a few times as well and they reaffirmed my thoughts that the dang truck should crank once gas was added. The next step was to call Chevy to see if there is anything that needs to be reset. Doubtful, but worth a try. After over half an hour talking to some helpful people and some idiots, it was evident that adding the gas was all that should have been needed. Oh, one funny point. The last guy I spoke with was going through manuals and trying to be helpful. After 5 minutes of 'helping me', he says, "now, when you say gas, you do mean fuel, don't you?". Uh, seriously. It's obvious this dude would not be able to help me.
I decided that it may be something besides the fuel that caused this. Perhaps being low on fuel was just coincidence. I popped the hood and looked inside. Of course I had might as well have been looking at the inner workings of a nuclear bomb. As I said before, I don't know anything about vehicles. One thing I do know is how to change the oil, so I decided to check the oil levels. The dipstick proved to be dry. That is never good. I jump in the car with Stacy again (at this point, the boys are getting hungry) and we head back to the gas station to get a quart of oil. Back to the truck. Added the oil. Still no luck. I checked the dipstick again and seeing that it was still dry, the oh shit moment set in. This was suddenly beyond just getting the truck cranked again. It was time for a tow. Stacy leaves to take to boys to eat while I handle the tow.
Let me pause for moment to say two things:
(1) I had a road trip to Atlanta this weekend. I am so thankful that this did not happen there, or even worse, somewhere between here and there. That would have totally sucked!
(2) Last Thursday when I drove to lunch, my check engine oil light came on. I would have followed up on that, but when it went off moments later I assumed there was nothing to worry about. Not the best idea in retrospect.
So back to the events of evening. I called my insurance company, USAA, and they ordered a tow for me. They said it would be 30 minutes. I swear it was like 8 minutes later that the truck pulled up. I was very impressed with the service. By this point it was 7:30. My truck was being towed. I was hungry and annoyed. I kind of left out the part of the story where all though this process I was getting very annoyed and really pissed at some points, but somehow after the tow truck arrived, my annoyance was alleviated. I accepted the situation and moved on. The drop-off of the truck was easy. Very quick in fact. Then I hitched a ride home with Stacy and after 2 hours of this fiasco, she was actually able to pick up the things that she was originally dropping by the house for. She had no idea what she was getting in to. hahaha.
I wish this story had a great ending but in reality the story is still not over. I have not heard from the shop that is checking out my truck. I don't know what to expect but I am eager to find out what the deal is. I'll update this story as it unfolds. On a happier note though, after all of the dreadful events of the afternoon, I was still able to go out with friends for a little while and enjoy a nice dinner. I guess that is the happy ending to the dreadful afternoon.
My grandmother always filled her tank before it reached the half empty mark. That is probably a good practice, but I tend to wait until right about the time that the pesky little gas light pops on. Of course that light was designed to be there for people like me. When the light turns on, I know I still have time to fill up. The key is remembering to do so.
In my 16 years of driving, I had never run out of gas... until yesterday in Columbia. Or at least I thought I ran out of gas yesterday. What a fiasco!
Here is a play by play of how it went down:
Monday morning I notice my gas light. After grabbing breakfast, I didn't have time to stop for gas so I planned to get it that afternoon on the way home. That afternoon I was on my way home from work, with plans to meet friends out at 6:00. No problem. I had plenty of time. There was no rush. I should have stopped for gas, but of course I forgot.
Just after I passed Greystone Blvd (the Zoo exit), I noticed that my truck was losing power. I immediately glance down and see that I'm below E. Uh oh, I'm empty! My truck began to cut out and I ended up coasting to the side of the road. By this point I had no power steering since the engine was off. Kind of scary, but luckily the traffic was minimal. At that point it was 5:20.
I was on the side of the road, just where Huger St splits off from Elmwood Ave. I had intended to meet Stacy at the house to give her a few items, so she should have been there waiting on me at that point. That worked out perfect, so I called her and ask her to grab my gas can and meet me. I'm sure she had other plans for the night, but jumped to action to help and I really appreciate that!
Stacy and boys showed up with gas. I put the gallon in and... no luck. Surely there is no need to reset anything to get the engine running again. My mind was racing. I know absolutely nothing about vehicles... nothing. I thought that perhaps the one gallon was not sufficient and the fuel lines need to be filled. I hopped in her car and we filled up the 5 gallon tank, and repeated the process. No luck.
Oh, it's also worth noting that I had talked to my parents a few times as well and they reaffirmed my thoughts that the dang truck should crank once gas was added. The next step was to call Chevy to see if there is anything that needs to be reset. Doubtful, but worth a try. After over half an hour talking to some helpful people and some idiots, it was evident that adding the gas was all that should have been needed. Oh, one funny point. The last guy I spoke with was going through manuals and trying to be helpful. After 5 minutes of 'helping me', he says, "now, when you say gas, you do mean fuel, don't you?". Uh, seriously. It's obvious this dude would not be able to help me.
I decided that it may be something besides the fuel that caused this. Perhaps being low on fuel was just coincidence. I popped the hood and looked inside. Of course I had might as well have been looking at the inner workings of a nuclear bomb. As I said before, I don't know anything about vehicles. One thing I do know is how to change the oil, so I decided to check the oil levels. The dipstick proved to be dry. That is never good. I jump in the car with Stacy again (at this point, the boys are getting hungry) and we head back to the gas station to get a quart of oil. Back to the truck. Added the oil. Still no luck. I checked the dipstick again and seeing that it was still dry, the oh shit moment set in. This was suddenly beyond just getting the truck cranked again. It was time for a tow. Stacy leaves to take to boys to eat while I handle the tow.
Let me pause for moment to say two things:
(1) I had a road trip to Atlanta this weekend. I am so thankful that this did not happen there, or even worse, somewhere between here and there. That would have totally sucked!
(2) Last Thursday when I drove to lunch, my check engine oil light came on. I would have followed up on that, but when it went off moments later I assumed there was nothing to worry about. Not the best idea in retrospect.
So back to the events of evening. I called my insurance company, USAA, and they ordered a tow for me. They said it would be 30 minutes. I swear it was like 8 minutes later that the truck pulled up. I was very impressed with the service. By this point it was 7:30. My truck was being towed. I was hungry and annoyed. I kind of left out the part of the story where all though this process I was getting very annoyed and really pissed at some points, but somehow after the tow truck arrived, my annoyance was alleviated. I accepted the situation and moved on. The drop-off of the truck was easy. Very quick in fact. Then I hitched a ride home with Stacy and after 2 hours of this fiasco, she was actually able to pick up the things that she was originally dropping by the house for. She had no idea what she was getting in to. hahaha.
I wish this story had a great ending but in reality the story is still not over. I have not heard from the shop that is checking out my truck. I don't know what to expect but I am eager to find out what the deal is. I'll update this story as it unfolds. On a happier note though, after all of the dreadful events of the afternoon, I was still able to go out with friends for a little while and enjoy a nice dinner. I guess that is the happy ending to the dreadful afternoon.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
23 days
That is how long it's been. 23 days since my last post. Why? I have no idea for what reason I've lost my inspiration to share, but I just don't feel inspired to elaborate on any one subject. So, for tonight I'll make a few short comments on a number of subjects (10 to be exact):
(1) My boys
I can't believe Jackson is nearly done with first grade... and Alex is nearly finished with daycare. Wow, how time flies. They're getting so big and they're a strangely independent duo for a 5 and 6 year old.
(2) Family
I'll finally have family in town and I'm very excited about that. My brother Matthew and sister-in-law Laura are moving to Columbia and I couldn't be more pumped about it. They won't be living next door or even down the street or anything like that, but having bought a house near Sandhill they will not be too far away. Not to mention, there is always a reason to head out to Sandhill. Now we'll have one more.
(3) American Idol
I think that this season, America has been choosing well. My two favorites are still in, and nearly everyone has been voted off in an order I approve of. There is a good five left. I'm still not a fan of Kris, and I hope he goes this week but even he has done well. Danny Gokey deserves to be runner up, and if Adam Lambert doesn't win it will be a total farce and as big of a shock as it was to see Daughtry voted off early a few seasons back.
(4) Stock Market
I've recently opened an eTrade account. I am enjoying learning the market and doing a little investing. It is really amazing how volatile the market is and it's crazy that something like the swine flu even has an impact on financial stocks... go figure. Anyway, I'm learning and I like it.
(5) First hundred days
There has been much press for Obama's first hundred days. I guess we'll here more tomorrow during the address, but my take so far is that I'm impressed with what he is getting done for the most part. I'm also impressed the he is getting congress to pass the spending he wants. I am, however, not impressed that congress has yet to buy in to his revenue building or cost cutting ideas. There are two sides to that coin. If you're gonna spend more, you'd better bring in more too....
(6) filibuster-proof?
Arlen Specter pulled the old switcheroo today. After serving 5 terms as a Republican Senator, he decides to head to the other side of the isle due to his "moderate philosophies" being more in line with the Democratic party.... or more importantly, he didn't think he could win a sixth term as a Republican. Either way, with his becoming the 59th Democrat, when/if Al Franken takes that crazy Minnesota seat... well, do the math. With a united front, those numbers are Filibuster-proof.
(7) Golf
I had an awesome golf weekend a few weeks ago. Three fun rounds, 16 guys, 3 beautiful days in Myrtle Beach. It was awesome. Although I didn't play fantastically, I definitely have the bug. This weekend I'm playing in a Captain's Choice tournament with some friends. 2 of the 3 of my teammates were also in Myrtle so we should be well-practiced, and the fourth can hit the ball a mile so I think we really have an opportunity to score well. We will see.
(8) Travel
Stacy is traveling again. I lose track sometimes. She goes through long periods without leaving Columbia, but when the travel starts it seems to happen quite a bit. Last Monday through Wednesday it was Pensacola. This Monday through Thursday it's El Paso (which happens to be where I was born). Next Monday through Wednesday she is on the road again... I forget where. When she is on the road I think I play the single dad role well. It's tiring but also fun. I tell you what though, it's always great to see Stacy return home. Anyway, at times it is a lot of travel and I think she enjoys it. I wish I could work in a little travel too (in addition to my golf outings!)
(9) Work
It's amazing how much work I get done without actually accomplishing any goals. On Friday afternoons when I look back at the week I typically feel like I spend so much time working on the small things that pop up, that I rarely actually accomplish what it was that had intended to knock out on Monday morning.
(10) Running
Stacy has signed up for her first Marathon. It's the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC. I have to say that I'm impressed and a little jealous. We have both jumped into running road races over the last year, which we are both really enjoying. So far, we only have 5Ks and 10Ks under our belts. I fully intend to run a Marathon...one day. I have a short term goal of a half marathon before the year's end and I feel like that goal is plenty for me. Stacy on the other hand is taking it to the next level. She has already worked her mileage up quite a bit. Before long her Saturday runs will be over 10 miles! All I can say is... wow.
So after 23 days, those are my 10 subjects. I hope you enjoyed.
(1) My boys
I can't believe Jackson is nearly done with first grade... and Alex is nearly finished with daycare. Wow, how time flies. They're getting so big and they're a strangely independent duo for a 5 and 6 year old.
(2) Family
I'll finally have family in town and I'm very excited about that. My brother Matthew and sister-in-law Laura are moving to Columbia and I couldn't be more pumped about it. They won't be living next door or even down the street or anything like that, but having bought a house near Sandhill they will not be too far away. Not to mention, there is always a reason to head out to Sandhill. Now we'll have one more.
(3) American Idol
I think that this season, America has been choosing well. My two favorites are still in, and nearly everyone has been voted off in an order I approve of. There is a good five left. I'm still not a fan of Kris, and I hope he goes this week but even he has done well. Danny Gokey deserves to be runner up, and if Adam Lambert doesn't win it will be a total farce and as big of a shock as it was to see Daughtry voted off early a few seasons back.
(4) Stock Market
I've recently opened an eTrade account. I am enjoying learning the market and doing a little investing. It is really amazing how volatile the market is and it's crazy that something like the swine flu even has an impact on financial stocks... go figure. Anyway, I'm learning and I like it.
(5) First hundred days
There has been much press for Obama's first hundred days. I guess we'll here more tomorrow during the address, but my take so far is that I'm impressed with what he is getting done for the most part. I'm also impressed the he is getting congress to pass the spending he wants. I am, however, not impressed that congress has yet to buy in to his revenue building or cost cutting ideas. There are two sides to that coin. If you're gonna spend more, you'd better bring in more too....
(6) filibuster-proof?
Arlen Specter pulled the old switcheroo today. After serving 5 terms as a Republican Senator, he decides to head to the other side of the isle due to his "moderate philosophies" being more in line with the Democratic party.... or more importantly, he didn't think he could win a sixth term as a Republican. Either way, with his becoming the 59th Democrat, when/if Al Franken takes that crazy Minnesota seat... well, do the math. With a united front, those numbers are Filibuster-proof.
(7) Golf
I had an awesome golf weekend a few weeks ago. Three fun rounds, 16 guys, 3 beautiful days in Myrtle Beach. It was awesome. Although I didn't play fantastically, I definitely have the bug. This weekend I'm playing in a Captain's Choice tournament with some friends. 2 of the 3 of my teammates were also in Myrtle so we should be well-practiced, and the fourth can hit the ball a mile so I think we really have an opportunity to score well. We will see.
(8) Travel
Stacy is traveling again. I lose track sometimes. She goes through long periods without leaving Columbia, but when the travel starts it seems to happen quite a bit. Last Monday through Wednesday it was Pensacola. This Monday through Thursday it's El Paso (which happens to be where I was born). Next Monday through Wednesday she is on the road again... I forget where. When she is on the road I think I play the single dad role well. It's tiring but also fun. I tell you what though, it's always great to see Stacy return home. Anyway, at times it is a lot of travel and I think she enjoys it. I wish I could work in a little travel too (in addition to my golf outings!)
(9) Work
It's amazing how much work I get done without actually accomplishing any goals. On Friday afternoons when I look back at the week I typically feel like I spend so much time working on the small things that pop up, that I rarely actually accomplish what it was that had intended to knock out on Monday morning.
(10) Running
Stacy has signed up for her first Marathon. It's the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC. I have to say that I'm impressed and a little jealous. We have both jumped into running road races over the last year, which we are both really enjoying. So far, we only have 5Ks and 10Ks under our belts. I fully intend to run a Marathon...one day. I have a short term goal of a half marathon before the year's end and I feel like that goal is plenty for me. Stacy on the other hand is taking it to the next level. She has already worked her mileage up quite a bit. Before long her Saturday runs will be over 10 miles! All I can say is... wow.
So after 23 days, those are my 10 subjects. I hope you enjoyed.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Nashua, NH
I'm in Nashua this week for a Conference. It's been very worthwhile... but as with any conference there is some fluff. This conference is for a product owned by Oracle, so of course there are 'other' Oracle presentations that I could care less about, as well as a few presentations by vendors trying to pitch their product. All of those aside, I've learned much and am very glad I made the trip. It's funny. With 27 different presentations scheduled, I knew which 8 I would actually get something out of...so far, I was very right.
As with most travel, I've eaten well since I arrived. By 'eaten well' I mean to say that I've eaten too much and too unhealthy.... which is good, right?
It's been a good trip, but I'm ready to go home. Tomorrow I hop on a plane to head back to South Carolina. I have one stop in Philly and hope for no delays...I'll keep my fingers crossed. Luckily on the trip here everything was prompt; one layover in DC that offered me enough time to eat lunch and read a little, but my plane left on time so that is all that matters.
As with most travel, I've eaten well since I arrived. By 'eaten well' I mean to say that I've eaten too much and too unhealthy.... which is good, right?
It's been a good trip, but I'm ready to go home. Tomorrow I hop on a plane to head back to South Carolina. I have one stop in Philly and hope for no delays...I'll keep my fingers crossed. Luckily on the trip here everything was prompt; one layover in DC that offered me enough time to eat lunch and read a little, but my plane left on time so that is all that matters.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Airport Security
Stacy called on Wednesday (from Dallas) telling me that she lost her keys. Between the time she arrived at the airport in Columbia and when she arrived in Dallas, they disappeared. Knowing that she did not lock them in the car, we made arrangements to get her the extra key. When she arrived home last night (over 24 hours later) she informed me that she found her keys... in the Columbia airport... sitting beside where she had sat her bag down the day before.
I was very happy that she found her keys, yet a little disturbed that keys could sit there that long without anyone noticing. What if it had been something that threatened security? Luckily it was not. It was a set of keys, and I'm happy that security was poor enough to not realize they were left laying there.
I was very happy that she found her keys, yet a little disturbed that keys could sit there that long without anyone noticing. What if it had been something that threatened security? Luckily it was not. It was a set of keys, and I'm happy that security was poor enough to not realize they were left laying there.
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