Much has happened since my last post in February and I figured it's about time that I finally update my blog! Obviously, being a single parent dad with three small children, you're never short of great memories...usually the kind that could be on any comedy sitcom where the actor playing the parent can definitely sink his teeth into the challenging script. The challenges sometimes take us away from our kids. For instance, I had to take a flight from Charlotte, NC to Ithaca, NY for a job interview last March.
With all job interviews, you want to be on time and I didn't anticipate the nightmare of travel hiccups that I was about to embark on when I arrived at the Charlotte airport very early in the morning. I was expecting to arrive in Ithaca, NY at 11:19am, have lunch with the President and V.P. of the company during the interview process and then get a tour of their facility. I found out at the airport that my original flight had just cancelled and I had to take a flight to Laguardia, NY instead and then fly to Ithaca. I was OK with it after I learned that I would get to Ithaca a little earlier than anticipated. However, when I got to Laguardia, my flight to Ithaca was delayed twice and then eventually cancelled.
You can only imagine the sneers, jeers, snickering, pouting, and downright tears coming from some of the college students trying to get to Ithaca, NY. The drama from some of these Cornell University and Ithaca College students at my gate was a sight to be seen as I was anxiously sitting there with my own frustration. Heck, these kids were worried about getting to class after their Spring Break had just ended and I was sitting there in my three piece pin-striped suit worried about getting to my interview on time for a job. A poor girl next to me was crying and another young man was yelling at the helpless gate attendant.
I let the company know what was going on and they were gracefully understanding of the whole situation. The only flight that I could jump on that would get me at least close to Ithaca, NY was Syracuse, NY. Therefore, I flew to Syracuse, rented a vehicle and drove an hour to Ithaca, NY where I arrived a little after 4pm. The hour drive in pouring rain was highlighted by the fact that I was driving a brand new red Escalade and couldn't feel the road at all. As nice as the Escalade was, I would have traded that in for my "soccer mom" minivan anytime for this drive!
The V.P. let me know before I flew to Syracuse that he would just pick me up at the hotel after I got settled and then we would all have dinner. After the nightmare of trying to get to Ithaca had ended, I met with the company execs in the lobby of my hotel and spoke for awhile there. The last part of the interview occurred over dinner and then they were nice enough to give me the tour of their facility after dinner. They were very nice and gracious. The interview went well but the travel expectation of the job exceeded what I was originally told over the phone much to my disappointment and they were also just exploring ideas. Nevertheless, this job wasn't for me.
The flight coming home from Ithaca was much smoother but the comedy never ceased to end. While at the Ithaca airport, I listened to an elderly lady complain about her travel woes coming in and out of Ithaca airport and how she had no choice but to deal with it. The funniest moment came when she pointed out that the airport only has two gates which was obvious to everyone sitting there. All I could do at this point was laugh to myself and just pray to God that I never have travel hiccups like that again.
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