I Am a Dumbass

While I realize virtually every blog I write could be thusly titled, I have wisely saved it for a day such as today.

This past weekend, we visited the mid-west. The readers of the old blog may recall that our previous visit to the mid-west back in June, yielded its own blog post, when CO inadvertantly threw the luggage claim tickets in the trash during our lay-over in Pheonix, and when we reached our destination, we found our luggage had not. The missing claim tickets proved to be, let's call it a slight issue, when dealing with airline staff, and I had, oh let's call it a small calf, over the whole scenario. I have enjoyed giving CO crap about this incident ever since.

Let me tell ya, those days are O-V-E-R. I never get to bring that incident up again. Why? Why? Well because the fault was really more on the airline than on CO, since if they had not lost the luggage in the first place, the chucked out claim tickets would not have been an issue.

That, AND...

We had scheduled our return flight to get us back home in plenty of time to have some relaxation time, and still get to bed early and get a good night's sleep. We did, however, have another layover in Phoenix on our way home. I could have sworn that the layover was only about an hour, but when we landed I looked at the time on the ticket, looked at my watch, and was surprised to find the layover was actually two hours and fifteen minutes. Hmmm. Ok. We'll just get something to eat.

So we went into the airport bar, had dinner, a few beers and watched some football. About 45 minutes before our flight was shceduled to take off, we moseyed on over to the gate, which was strangely empty. I sat there for a few minutes, reading the sign behind the counter: Flight XXX departure time 5:48pm, status departed.

I'm sorry, does that say departed?

Well, that can't be right! Looking at my watch I see that it is only 5:15 now. How can the plane not scheduled to leave for another 30 minutes or so, already be departed?

Hmmmm. I scratch my head and think. I know it is the same time in Arizona as it is in California, so I have no adjustments to make on my watch. I look again, just to be sure. Yep...5:15.

Then the sick feeling washes over me. Wasn't there something about Arizona and the whole daylight savings time...as in they don't do it? So let's see, if in the summer, when I am used to traveling, Arizona is on the same time as California, and it is now November, and Arizona does not fall back, that means it is...HOLY CRAP! It is 6:15! 6:15!!!

Shit! Shit! Shit! And just for the record...SHIT!

Me: "Uh oh."

CO: "What?"

Me: "I think Arizona does not practice daylight savings time."

CO: "So?"

Me: "Uhm, so that means they are an hour ahead."

CO: "So?"

Me: "So that means it's six-fifteen."

CO: "So?" Note> CO does not actually look at the tickets. He just goes to the airport when I tell him, and gets on the plane I get on.

Me: "So our flight left at five forty-eight. We missed our flight!"

I run up to the counter and explain what a dumbass I am to the airline rep, who very nicely tells me, "If it makes you feel any better, it happens all the time."

No, actually, that doesn't help so much. It brings me very little comfort to know there are others in this world as stupid as I. In fact, it scares me a little. I am concerned about the future...and the gene pool.

I sheepishly go back to CO, who has not said a single word.

For those of you who remember the blog post about the other airport incident, you will remember it involved me shouting "We're fucked!" in the middle of the airport, and according to CO, flinging my wallet into my purse where it wisely stuck, not wanting to be flung again.

Me: "Sorry. You can feel free to shout 'We're fucked!' and fling your wallet this time."

The long-suffering CO, who is obviously a much better person than I, graciously refrained from accepting that offer.

Needless to say, we did not get home with time to relax, and the whole good night's sleep thing...not so much.

But on the bright side, I will never, ever forget what time it is in Arizona, and I have learned that Phoenix must be the vortex of all evil. It is a bad, bad place for us to layover. Next time...Denver or Las Vegas, but not Phoenix. Stay away from Phoenix!

I hope, someday, to fly somewhere with CO without having fodder for a blog post. See, there have been othr trips, too, that would have made fine stories, but it was before blogging, so they never quite made it, but the stories were there.

We were so close this time. So damn close! If it weren't for me, and the whole dumass thing!