life is good

Ahhh. I just got back yesterday from a great vacation [which I had really been needing] and although it got started off on the wrong foot [explanation to come on that in a bit] the rest of the time was great.


Today, back at work, I got the official offer of employment, and thanks to some great acting by me in the interview [i.e. 'life is hard on what I'm making now,'] and my stellar performance on the job so far, the salary they're offering me is more than what I was making at my last permanent job [a job which had me constantly at my wit's end.] Here's a quick comparison of this new job vs the last [permanent] one: Making more money, working only 40 hours, a manageable workload, better co-workers and bosses, quarterly and yearly bonuses, a MUCH larger company [so there's room for growth or transfer if I decide I'm tired of what I'm doing.] Oh yea, and I'm in a better apartment that costs less. So yea, things kinda fell into place, creating a great relief for me.



Now for the vacation:

First, before we even left for the airport, our flight had been pushed back from it's original 5pm whatever start time to 6pm. But we still left my place at about 3:30pm. Before I left I checked online where it showed that the flight was delayed and the departure time would then be 7:30. When we get into the airport at the gate it shows the departure time listed as 8pm. So already, we're 2 hours behind what the airline said. Well, everyone hurries on board about 8pm because there are thunderstorms coming and we'd like to get out before they hit. No such luck. As they are loading the bags someone notices some kind of tear in some lining in the plane so they have to have a mechanic come look at it. Because he's doing that, they can't load any baggage. Time goes by... he finishes looking at it and decides it's OK to go, but by that time it's already raining and before they can start loading bags again there is lightning. They close the ramp [because for the people on the ground it's akin to being in a swimming pool during a lightning storm] and we have to sit and wait. More time goes by... When the lightning FINALLY clears out, they load the bags and we miraculously start moving. Well, don't get your hopes up too, high, however... because of the previously closed ramp status there are 20something other planes ahead of us in line to take off. At a few minutes each, that adds up to another hour... because of the wind pattern they route us around the airport to the far side so we can be ready to take off, but by the time it's getting close to our turn, the weather has moved through, the winds have changed and they make us taxi to the opposite end of the airport. And it's not like Dallas is a little tiny airport. It's like... 20 miles from one end to the other. I don't remember exact times, but I know that by the time we actually FINALLY took off it had been 4 hours since we had gotten on the plane. THEN we still had the 2 and 1/2 hour flight to go. When we finally got to Utah it was 2 or 3 am [I don't remember exactly because everything was kind of hazy about then] but it ended up being a good 12hour voyage from the time we left my house until the time we got to my aunt Carol's where we were staying. I'd say that qualifies as the height of ridiculousness. We could have DRIVEN half the distance in that time. The rest of the trip, however, was wonderful. There was always something fun going on and we got to spend lots of time together as siblings [something I had been missing... a lot.]