Black Hand Productions

Julie and I headed out to San Francisco to visit with Jack and Eddie and catch a string of Mets – Giants games.  The weather was hotter than one would have assumed.  We managed to find a couple really nice bars (Eddie Rickenbarker’s, 21st Amendment, and the San Francisco Brewery Company).  We had a really good dinner at Joe Dimaggio’s Italian Steakhouse.  James gave us a grand tour of the city and we spent an afternoon on Alcatraz.

Mets – Giants:

While in town Julie and I managed to see 3 games at AT&T Park.  All Mets victories and all offensive games.  We had different seats each game which gave us some interesting views.   I’m pretty sure during the course of three games I witnessed at least 3 uncalled balks.  Of course when we got home and watched the fourth game of the series on ESPN they actually called a balk.

If some one can actually explain to me what is a balk and what is not a balk with a straight face I’ll buy you a pitcher of beer.

Travel Notes:

Air Travel:
For once my flight was really good.  We actually had wireless internet for the entire flight for about $10.  There is really no reason every flight shouldn’t have this.  The network speed was great, the only limit was how much battery you had… I had a lot.

Of course upon landing a girl 4 seats up had to vomit on herself but I’ll take that for wireless internet any day.

San Francisco Public Transit/Cabs:
We took a cab to the hotel with out much problem, once we checked in we asked the front desk for the best way to AT&T Park.  The concierge directed us to the MUNI.  First mistake.  We walk the 4 blocks to the station which also has a BART stop.  To our utter amazement the MUNI only takes quarters.  In the year 2009.  Quarters.  OK, no problem we’ll just use the change machine.  The change machine that just gives $5 dollar bills.  So let’s recap.  The MUNI only takes quarters and the change machine only gives out $5 dollar bills.  OK, the clerk told use to use the BART ticket machine which can give you change if you hold down a secret button… except the BART ticket machine can only give you change from a $1 dollar bill.  Ok, so we need quarters for the MUNI, the change machine only gives you $5 dollar bills and the BART ticket machine that does give change only takes $1 bills.  All in the year 2009.  Perfect.

So after making quarters out air, we get on the train as directed by the concierge and head in the complete opposite direction of the ballpark.  Great.  We eventually get out somewhere and spend 20 minutes looking for a cab.  Once we do get a cab (the game has already started) we get about halfway there and the cab driver has a request:  Does he mind if we stop and so he can put in a dinner order at a Turkish restaurant?  Of course the reason behind this is that his wife is nagging at him and him and he doesn’t have the phone number.  Sure, why not.  So to recap, crazy train ride + amazing cab ride = late to baseball game.

*Side Note:
The rest of my photographs are here.

Ok Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger you’ve had your moment in the sun now go back to flying.  America’s had a little too much ‘Sully’ stuffed down their collective throats over the last month.  Be it the Inauguration of Barack Obama, the Super Bowl coin toss, or the 60 Minutes interview we’re good now.  We’ve had our share.

What Sully acomplished was pretty amazing but no more amazing than the ANONYMOUS pilot of JetBlue Flight 292 in 2005.  He managed to land a plane with a broken front landing gear that was in flames while the all the passengers watched live on TV. Sure Sully managed to land a plane in a river in the middle day on a cold day.  Awesome.  But I don’t think he should be doing everything short of Dancing with the Stars to promote his awesomeness.

Meanwhile the captain of Flight 292 just keeps plugging along up there in the friendly sky’s defining gravity like it’s his job.

So when I finished the last post at around 6am before boarding my flight I never imagined the saga had just begun.  My flight to Columbus (via Washington) was on time and everything was going fine until we got directly above Columbus.  Our captain got on the intercom and notified us that we would be redirected to Indianapolis.  This is about the time I said ‘What the Fuck’ as loud as anyone has on an airplane in a long time.  Granted I had headphones on so who knows how really loud my cry for help was.

The rationale given for our detour was really amazing.  The visibilty over Columbus was not suitable for our landing and our fuel level was too low to go into a holding pattern.  Now I’m not really sure how long we would have held in the pattern but I’m willing to bet it was less time than it took to fly to Indianapolis.  So we land in Indianapolis, fuel up, dump the shitter and sit and wait for another 45 minutes.  Let less we forget I had football tickets, probably the only OSU game I’m going to see all year and I didn’t land in Columbus until after kickoff.  Needless to say I despise Air Travel.

So when I finished the last post at around 6am before boarding my flight I never imagined the saga had just begun.  My flight to Columbus (via Washington) was on time and everything was going fine until we got directly above Columbus.  Our captain got on the intercom and notified us that we would be redirected to Indianapolis.  This is about the time I said ‘What the Fuck’ as loud as anyone has on an airplane in a long time.  Granted I had headphones on so who knows how really loud my cry for help was.

The rationale given for our detour was really amazing.  The visibilty over Columbus was not suitable for our landing and our fuel level was too low to go into a holding pattern.  Now I’m not really sure how long we would have held in the pattern but I’m willing to bet it was less time than it took to fly to Indianapolis.  So we land in Indianapolis, fuel up, dump the shitter and sit and wait for another 45 minutes.  Let less we forget I had football tickets, probably the only OSU game I’m going to see all year and I didn’t land in Columbus until after kickoff.  Needless to say I despise Air Travel.

Not sure who to chalk this one up to USAIR or United but they both blow in my book. Here’s how I spent the last 12 hours.

5:30pm:
I leave work early to get home, change clothes, and catch a cab to the airport since my flight is at 8:10pm.
6:30pm:
I get a voicemail from the Airline (at this point not sure which one) saying my flight’s been delayed.
6:34pm:
I check United’s Flight Status section of their website to see if my flight’s on time, it is.
6:35pm:
I call United’s Customer Support to check if my flight’s been delayed, it’s not. I’m assure by ‘Tom’ from Bangladesh that my flight is on time.
6:55pm:
I call begin my attempt to call the Car Service which is in vain.
7:05pm:
I decide to walk a block to the actual Car Service dispatch center to ask for a rid e in person.
7:30pm:
I arravie at Laguardia, checkin electronicly only to find my flight’s been delayed by 2 hours.
7:35pm:
I begin to understand why the Airline Industry in going bankrupt.
7:45pm:
I call United again, asking them how their website and their Customer Service dept. didn’t know the flight was canceled after they called me. They’re sorry for the miss-communication.
8:00pm:
I find a bar with bad food and have a beer.
8:30pm:
The customer at the next to me has a orders a drink and when the waiter returns with the beverage the clase splits nearly in half. Straight down the middle. I take this as an omen of the way my night is shaping up.
9:00pm:
Taking the demonic splitting of glass I decide to move on, as I’m walking to the next airport bar I notice on the board that my flight is now canceled.
9:10pm:
I head to the ticket counter to ‘barter’ with the agent about getting a flight to Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati… anywhere. He of cousre tells me there’s nothing until 3:50pm Saturday which I find unbelieveable. Then I started suggesting other cities to fly to and then to Columbus. I always thought this was the job of the Ticket Agent but it’s not. This is the job of the Customer, the ticket agent is just there to feel your pain. We find a flight via Washington Dulles (which I hate) at 6:00am Saturday getting me in Columbus at 10:00am excatly 2 hours before kickoff and 1 hour after tailgating begins.

If you can’t tell I’m pissed. I just spent my entire evening at the airport without leaving. It fucking blows and so does United or USAir or whoever the hell operates my flight(s). The Whole Airline Industry can kiss my ass.

Not sure who to chalk this one up to USAIR or United but they both blow in my book. Here’s how I spent the last 12 hours.

5:30pm:
I leave work early to get home, change clothes, and catch a cab to the airport since my flight is at 8:10pm.
6:30pm:
I get a voicemail from the Airline (at this point not sure which one) saying my flight’s been delayed.
6:34pm:
I check United’s Flight Status section of their website to see if my flight’s on time, it is.
6:35pm:
I call United’s Customer Support to check if my flight’s been delayed, it’s not. I’m assure by ‘Tom’ from Bangladesh that my flight is on time.
6:55pm:
I call begin my attempt to call the Car Service which is in vain.
7:05pm:
I decide to walk a block to the actual Car Service dispatch center to ask for a rid e in person.
7:30pm:
I arravie at Laguardia, checkin electronicly only to find my flight’s been delayed by 2 hours.
7:35pm:
I begin to understand why the Airline Industry in going bankrupt.
7:45pm:
I call United again, asking them how their website and their Customer Service dept. didn’t know the flight was canceled after they called me. They’re sorry for the miss-communication.
8:00pm:
I find a bar with bad food and have a beer.
8:30pm:
The customer at the next to me has a orders a drink and when the waiter returns with the beverage the clase splits nearly in half. Straight down the middle. I take this as an omen of the way my night is shaping up.
9:00pm:
Taking the demonic splitting of glass I decide to move on, as I’m walking to the next airport bar I notice on the board that my flight is now canceled.
9:10pm:
I head to the ticket counter to ‘barter’ with the agent about getting a flight to Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati… anywhere. He of cousre tells me there’s nothing until 3:50pm Saturday which I find unbelieveable. Then I started suggesting other cities to fly to and then to Columbus. I always thought this was the job of the Ticket Agent but it’s not. This is the job of the Customer, the ticket agent is just there to feel your pain. We find a flight via Washington Dulles (which I hate) at 6:00am Saturday getting me in Columbus at 10:00am excatly 2 hours before kickoff and 1 hour after tailgating begins.

If you can’t tell I’m pissed. I just spent my entire evening at the airport without leaving. It fucking blows and so does United or USAir or whoever the hell operates my flight(s). The Whole Airline Industry can kiss my ass.

Late last night I returned from Ireland in what has been a two week
training session and my second experince with International Travel. I’ve come to believe that International Travel is simply an Aptitude Test, or maybe more accurately Survival of the Fittest. The Heathrow Mile wasn’t nearly as bad the second time around, but then again it never is. Irish Customs’ is a joke compared to the US or British. As with most of my trips, slogans were coined and marketing plans devised. I’m contemplating an Irish Startup that specialize in creating bumper stickers and t-shirts that simply read ‘Stick It To The Crown’. I’m confident they would do well in the Republic of Ireland. Below are some random pictures from my time in Cork, Ireland.

*Note: Click on the images below to view larger images.