Ithaca is Gorges

Instead of complaining about traveling, I decided to post a positive note this time. I traveled to Ithaca, New York on Monday to deliver a couple of overview sessions for Safestart. The company was Borg Warner who manufacturers several components for engines, transmissions and many other items for cars and trucks.

Between sessions, the host (Training Manager) Steve Waight drove me out beyond the finger lakes into an area that had many gorges and waterfalls. When I typically think of New York I automatically get a vision of Times Square or Taxis bustling around town. Well, that image is now changed forever. The waterfall in the picture is the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi river. It is called Taughonnock falls and the area was incredible. If you wanted to say something about the majestic areas of the United States, you would think The Rockies, or the Grand Canyon. This area was truly majestic and belongs in the same sentence as the aforementioned.

I have ended my week for the last training class for Terra Industries. They manufacture Anhydrous Ammonia. There location is in Woodward, Oklahoma and is near the pan handle. When I left Phoenix on Monday it was already 92 degrees at 6am. When I got to Ithaca it was 56 degrees, and when I arrived in Oklahoma it was 74 degrees. What a relief from the desert heat. Whats more, is I played a game of golf on Thursday, but it started pouring and there were lightning strikes within less than a couple of hundred feet. So, the golf game was suspended. But the company was incredible! Justin, Scott and Mr. Ellis, all employees from Terra, were awesome. So within the last couple of weeks, I have played golf in Aliso Viejo, Anna, Ohio, and now Woodward, Oklahoma. What a treat. It makes the whole traveling in an airplane worth it. More importantly, I get to meet nice people like Steve, Scott, Eric G., Brian, Justin and ole' Smokey.

Just as Ithaca is "Gorges" so are the people I get to meet each and every time I go to work. If it weren't for the people, this job would be meaningless.

The Next to Last Nail

I cannot believe my Thursday this week. Well the first 1/3 of the day was great. I performed observation and feedback training to TAM International in Houston. Students were awesome and the southern hospitality was incredible.

On the way into Houston, we were flying about 1 to 2 hours ahead of Tropical Storm Edourd. We landed and there were no problems. Unless you want to consider 40 minutes to get your checked bag a problem...

After Thursday's class I had a 4 hour break between the class and flying home. Regrettably, I had a bit of anxiety getting home. Never-the-less, it does not excuse US Airways' behavior on this evening.

The incoming flight arrived in Houston an hour late. This was the typical, oh no big deal, it happens all the time simple "it's okay" error. As we were lining up to get onto the airplane, the gate agent (who worked really hard, it's just that he had that logo on his shirt that said US Airways) was told by the pilot that there was a tray table that would not lock in the upright position. So we had to wait for maintenance. There was another problem with the aircraft, a seat was stained from a previous passenger so they would not let anyone sit in it. I would say that would be about a $350 error (the cost of a one way flight from Houston) Literally, it was already 9:40 when we started loading. Now we are sitting on the airplane and the engines won't start, so now we have to wait for an air cart, to manually start the airplane engines.

Finally in the air. 8pm Phoenix time. 9:45pm we start to circle over the border of Arizona and New Mexico. We circled in the air for about 45 minutes. There was a storm on the ground in Phoenix that forced the closure of Sky Harbor airport. UGGGGHHHHHGHHGHHG.

We run out of fuel, and we have to divert to Tucson. Oh, well. Wait, there are all of the other airplanes that were supposed to land in Phoenix here on the ground in Tucson. 17 aircraft waiting for fuel. We ended up being 12th in line. I was an optimist and said, "at least we weren't last." But o contrair mo'frare. We were on the ground for 2.5 hours in Tucson. We received fuel 12th in line just like we were supposed to. But! Wait! Our engines wouldn't start. Well they wouldn't start in Houston.....why would they start in Tucson? So we had to wait for an air cart again. Last plane on the ground, and wouldn't you know it a passenger looses their cool. She just HAD to get off the plane. So they let her off. There is another story here for another time, but my gosh, we were ready to leave, and she spazes out now????

So what do I do? Is US Airways at fault here? DO I call them up and complain?

Comment me back and let me know what my next steps are. I am sure this is the last time I keep my composure. This is the Next to Last Nail that will keep the coffin shut.

US Airways, Nickels and Dimes

As I returned from Columbus, Oh. I am absolutely frustrated beyond words.

I read in the USA Today last week that US Airways lost $567 Million Dollars in the first quarter of 2008. First of all, I find this hard to believe, because every flight I have been on these last four months have been full. The first few months of the year, I received incredible customer service. Recently, I have felt betrayed and raped by US Air"WORST"

1) I used miles to fly my daughter to Cleveland, OH (50,000miles) they charged me $50 to use my miles. Seriously?

2) I get to the airport, and they charged me $200 to fly her because she was not 15 years old yet. Now most major air carriers UM (unaccompanied minors) age limit is 14 or 13; not US Air"WORST" their's is 15, and low and behold, they just changed their UM policy to charge customers $100 each way of travel. Seriously?

3) As of July 1st, they are charging $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second bag checked. Now this isn't a big deal to me, however, the ripples in the water are. For example, since there is a fee to check a bag, travelers are now NOT checking bags, and carrying on. This does a couple of things, one; it overloads the overhead bin space, so the last few travelers are going to be forced to pay either way. Two, now the aisles are more stuffed than before, causing flight delays and all other kinds of abnormalities. Seriously?

4) To top it all off, US Air "WORST" is now going to charge each traveler $2.00 to receive a soft drink, water or coffee. In addition, they are increasing their cost of alcoholic beverages to $7.00 per drink. Seriously?

Now, the big problem! I have been traveling with US Air "WORST" for the last 14 years. Even when they were America West. I have been trapped at an airport with America West Employees during the blizzard of 2006 in Denver. I have had flights canceled. None of which has caused me as much frustration as I feel now. What Knucklehead thought of the brilliant idea of charging $2.00 for each soft drink? This is the person that does not know the strength of long term investing.

Let me explain. These little short fixes for US Air"WORST" will only cause harm in the long run. Since I have been traveling, I have seen the likes of Southwest, United and Continental. I simply refuse to fly NorthWORST for customer service reasons. Organizations like Southwest really inspire me to travel with them for the long term. Southwest builds a relationship with their customers, to keep them coming back. US Air "WORST" is just in it for the money.

I use a business philosophy, if you nickel and dime, you will get nickel and dime! US Airways is nickel and diming their largest customer base, their frequent fliers. This will harm them in the long run. I will now avoid US Airways when I travel on long halls. Simply because they are blinded by the dollar. They want to fix now, and not the future. You want to know why? Well! They cannot see the future. They are blinded by their losses. They are blinded by nickel and dimes. SERIOUSLY!!!

Powerspace, Ace and Danger

At the end of my last trip, which I was going to call Anaheim Chronicles II, I decided against it. On Friday when I returned to Phoenix, My trip was capped off with a concert with my daughter, her two friends and Ashlee my Niece.

We saw Powerspace, Ace Enders and a Million Different People and Danger Radio. Cute is What We Aim For was the title band who played at the end, but I went outside and talked with Ace Enders.

The week started off with a golf tournament in Aliso Viejo with my good friend Mike Medina and went through to be one of the hottest weeks in SoCal.

I commenced to play Eric in tennis on Tuesday and again on Thursday. I thinked I faired better on Tuesday because my serves were going in. Thursday, Eric smoked me in two sets. I think I just got too frustrated and got too mad to play correctly. Overall, it was a pretty active week for me.

Now for work, I just did Traffic Control training all week! I topped it off with a one hour presentation at an auditorium in Huntington Beach. It was a very good presentation. I had a bit of a challenge on Friday with some of the students. They were having difficulty picking up the math in the traffic control set up phase of the training class. To top it all off Marjorie brought lunch to class and it might have served as a bit of a distraction to the students. Oh well, we recovered and I got really good reviews.

To finish off the week, as I alluded to it earlier, I went to a concert on Friday. What a blast. Courtney was on the stage side of the bar and I was on the "Adult" side of the bar. It seemed to be the right thing to do because I did not want to get involved with the teenage wasteland of stagedome. The kids were crazy in the middle of the dance floor. So, I just hung out at the bar. Come to find out, so did all of the band members from each band. What a kick! I hung out with Max and Kevin mostly from Powerspace. And then Alec and the keyboardist from Danger Radio. Courtney was now looking at me going, ha! my dad is hanging out with the band members, what a cool dad! To top the night off, I saw Ace Enders, yet again. In March, Eric and I saw Ace in Anaheim at the House of Blues with Angels and Airwaves. This guy is great!

He was sick this night, but he signed my Volcom shirt and all was good.

I think to top it all off, as I was walking out the door, Courtney asked if I could get her Danger Radio bag signed and I said okay. Walked right up to the band and they signed it right away. These guys are really awesome! Thanks Powerspace Ace and Danger Radio for a great night and to cap it all off an overall great week!

The Ends of 10

As I leave Jacksonville, Fl. I just realized that I am going to be at the each end of Interstate 10. From Jacksonville to Los Angeles. ( I will be in L. A. next week)

This week served as one of the worst sleep weeks I have had. From working third shift at Honda to training first shift in Jacksonville. I was still stuck on midnight training and could not make an adjustment. I stayed up until 1-2am each morning in Florida. Now it is 4:30pm EST and I am on my way home, via a connection in Charlotte.

I am due to arrive in Phoenix 12:00pm EST. I think I will sleep on the Aeroplane!

Well, I suppose I can describe my time in Florida. First, I purposely avoided visiting with my cousin. After a disagreement between My Aunt and Mother, I just decided I could not handl the drama.

My two days in Fl were with IFF International Flavors and Fragrances. They manufacture chemicals that help flavorize things like doritos, chips, and odorize dryer sheets, and household deodorizers. What a plant! Many chemicals.

The students went through a Train The Trainer for Safestart and it was incredible. The Union is strong and not a big advocate for behavior based safety. The Steel Workers Union. Hmmmm it figures. 20 people, 20 excited reviews. GREAT! I think I was hitting a grand slam the entire time. I enjoyed. Loved the southern hospitality!!!!! It is 10 after on the 10th day, I digest, it is the end of 10......

Columbus Red Eye

After connecting in Las Vegas at 11:00 pm, I arrived in Columbus, Oh at 6:30am. The flight was rather long and it was very difficult for me to sleep. For those that know me, I usually fall asleep without hassle. Well not this time. My internal clock is really messed up today, I slept till 1:30pm today and feel overly tired. Oh well....

I am here for a reason and that is to implement Safestart for Honda of America. The groups I am teaching are for the second an third shifts. Which ends around 1:30am.

On Monday, I received a call from a good friend in Bismarck, North Dakota. He is the Safety Manager for the DOE Western Area Power Administration in North Dakota. His phone call was not good news. He told me on the phone that another real good friend and the Safestart Administrator had died in a car crash. The crash happened at work on July 1, 2008. He wasn't speeding, he wasn't out of control, he wasn't frustrated. Brian Morris was neither of those. However, he was driving in a large dust storm with low to zero visibility and he could not see the dump truck in front of him. Brian will be missed.

From the Red Eye flight to the information about Brian, it has been a tough week already and it is only Tuesday. I leave for Jacksonville, Fl on Wednesday, I think things will turn around....I hope.

The Wonderful People of the South Pacific

Okay,

So My oldest is home from a 21 day trip to the southern islands of Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. She came home with the 2nd wind of an exhausted lion waiting for a kill. She had many stories and gifts from the visits to those islands.

I wiped away a tear when I saw her coming down the exit ramp from the security area at the airport.

The parallel here is that I went to the South Pacific too. I remember a trip in the Marine Corps when I went to Micronesia on and around the Equator. This trip was so self gratifying that I hope Courtney got to experience that culture as well. My trip earned a Humanitarian Service Medal. We (The Marines) went to Chuuk, Truck, Pulau, and several other little islands to recon their water wells, after most of their wells went dry in a long drought. We took sea water and desalinated it, my job was to inspect the water and test the pH and other contaminants.

The locals, when I went, were very cordial. I think Courtney, for the most part, witnessed high levels of civilization, however she did spend some time with locals in Fiji and the Maori in New Zealand. She did go to a museum in Australia and watched a Aborigone tribal dance. Metaphorically, Sheila said something to me that has stuck, The U.S. is the only country where you can be poor and fat at the same time.

These countries that Courtney and I visited did not have any evidence of that. Which should tell you something. Of course, I shall refrain.....but understand this, these people find a way to survive. The people here in the U.S. look for the next thing to complain about. For example, the price of gas, the cost of food, how far away your friends house is, what are you going to have for dinner what did George Bush do now.....etc, etc, etc. Quit complaining, make something happen. TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY