Perspectives of a Canadian in the Old/Deep/New/Geographic South: This is where I ramble on about nothing in particular and post a few nice pictures.
Travel issues aside, the past week in Edmonton was pretty awesome. Could have used a few more days but I was able to get around to most things that I wanted to do and see most of the people I wanted to see.
The weather started off pretty mild, but then turned cold. It felt good to be back in winter again.
Dim sum and dinner at real Chinese restaurants was a welcome change compared to the Chinese food in Charleston. Indulged myself with Boston Pizza a couple of times, which was yummy.
There were a few people I didn’t get a chance to meet up with, which was a little disappointing and a few things I didn’t get to do. Will just have to save those for next time.
I did get to see the new Centennial Science Center going up in place of the Physics building and V-wing on the U of A campus. On my last trip it was just a big hole in the ground. Looks like a nice building, although for something with as grand a name as “Centennial Center for Interdisciplinary Science”, it seemed like it might be a little on the small side. Maybe it’s bigger than it looks on the inside. Also saw a bunch of new buildings on campus. The Engineering sector of the campus is positively packed with buildings now. A great big long building popped up opposite the hospital too. Didn’t get a chance to find out what it was though.
My friends tell me I should move back to Edmonton. This past trip made me feel like a stranger in my own home town. So many changes, so many new things. I started wondering if I could go back. The city is very different from the one I grew up in, but it’s still home.
Well, it’ll be several more years before I think about thinking about making any kind of move. Based on what one of my friends was telling me about what was going on with his department, there might not be much for me to go back to anyway.
Charleston really needs a Chinese restaurant that serves a proper dim sum. I really miss not being able to get this:
<img src=http://imabug.net/gallery3/var/resizes/EugeneAlbums/Edmonton2010/P1190808.JPG?m=1318906190″ alt=”Dim sum” width=”400″ />
I’m really starting to think that United’s Charleston-Chicago route only exists on paper and doesn’t really fly at all.
Three times I’ve tried to fly it. Three times, I get to the airport and discover it’s been “canceled”.
Yesterday capped off a great trip back home to Edmonton with a 19 hour journey getting back to Charleston.
Get up at 4AM MST (6AM EST) and head off to the airport. Get onto my 8AM MST flight to O’Hare and have a nice uneventful flight. I get to Chicago, go check the flight board to see what gate to go to next and see a big red “CANCELED” next to the Charleston flight. Expletives ensue.
Head off in search of a United customer service desk, which I discover now consists of a bank of check-in kiosks. At least they make it reasonably easy to rebook yourself. The first option the system presented me with was an early morning flight out of Chicago through Washington-Dulles the next day. Yeah, don’t think so (although if I had done that I could have spent part of the day visiting with a friend in Chicago). Next option was another flight leaving at 6PM (on the same day) again through Washington-Dulles and arriving back in Charleston just before midnight. No sign of the flight direct to Charleston at all. Further utterance of expletives ensues, but I decide to take it.
I end up spending the next 6 hours wandering around O’Hare’s C terminal and reading about Monte Carlo simulations, having already finished the other more interesting book I had brought with me. Finally get onto the flight and have an otherwise uneventful and boring trip. Get to Washington-Dulles, check the flight board and find the flight to Charleston has been delayed 30 minutes due to “weather”. Expletives. By the time I get to the gate, it becomes a 50 minute delay. More expletives.
Another boring flight that finally lands me in Charleston just after midnight. Go to baggage claim to find my bag, but it never comes out. Expletive expletive. Fortunately I found it stored away in the United baggage office.
My checked bag managed to beat me back to Charleston. WTF.
From all of this, I learn two lessons.
I used to think that some airlines were less painful than others. Now I just hate them all.
This is what I was wandering around today
The snow in most places was 30 cm or deeper. Not a whole lot for this time of year, but still a good bit.
I even saw a rabbit in my wanderings.
