Welll...the snow-grinch stole my xmas

[shadowkat]

Oh it's still intact in Hilton Head, SC - I unfortunately am stuck here in cold gray NYC. My nightmare started at 8:15 am this morning when I realized the flight had been delayed to 11:15. I'd been at the airport since 6:45am.
Then it was delayed til 12:15. Then cancelled altogether. Along with five other flights today all going to North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Why was it cancelled? Heh. Glad you asked. The plane was fine. It was just stuck on the runway in Norfolk, Va. because the flight crew manning it were stuck in Cincinnati, Ohio. As my pal, whose a travel agent explained, when a major storm hits three cities it has a domino effect on everything else. So I stood in line for 3 and 1/2 hours to get a voucher refund on the $361.70 I paid. I'm out five bucks on the expenses, which Delta did not refund. Because I got it through travelocity. Also out the 60 bucks round trip to the airport by cab and car service. Been up since 4:45 am. Slept less than five hours.
Ate little. And well, you have no idea how depressing it is to return home after a cancelled trip you've been looking forward to for months, only to unpack and rush out to get food.

Didn't just get food. I got French Pinot Noire (very good), Baily's Irish Cream, Hazelnut linzer cookies (4), two chocolat rum balls, two slices of bourbon chocolat pecan pie, two florentine cookies. And rented the following DVD's : The Day After Tommorrow, De-Lovely, King Arthur, and Dodgeball (I needed something to make me laugh and they didn't have Grosse Pointe Blank or Noises OFF which I'd requested, so - I asked the video store owner if he had
a movie that could make me laugh and had *nothing* to do with Xmas. )Then after the requisite phone calls to my family - I made myself Veal Marsala with Rosemary and mushrooms over linguini, the french wine I'd had at Thanksgiving,
and broccoli. For desert? A linzer cookie, a rum ball, and a florentine cookie.
I'm oddly not that hungry. All I've eaten today is well that, cream of wheat and two pieces of luncheon meat and a few M&Ms.

Kidbro, according to my depressed mother who'd been looking forward to seeing me, did offer to have me visit him in Beacon. But, well, I'm so tired of travel and one day of travel headaches and travel anxiety is more than enough.
And well - it would feel awkward. My downstairs neighbor also took pity on me and invited me to her bar - on 2nd Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, Dempsy's, for a party starting around 9-9:30pm. I'm wavering on that one. I don't know anyone and only sort of know her. But on the other hand? What do I have to lose? Except getting stuck somewhere else, alone, with people I don't know or barely do.

Oh, I'll still get the presents - probably have to hire a car service to pick them up at the post office which is in hell and gone. And Mom will send the fudge, spritz cookies, and magic cookie bars eventually. But...but...but...
somehow a telephone call isn't the same as a hug or smile. I miss my folks.
And I was looking forward to getting away just for three days. Looking forward to spending this holiday with them. This is the first Xmas I've spent alone in my life.

I shouldn't whine, I know. Afterall things could be worse. I could be stranded at an airport somewhere. I'm at home. I could be in Iraq. I could be working, although that's not so bad, as someone at the airport pointed out - you're getting paid. And I could be broke, unemployed, and alone. Yet...it's so frustrating to have what I was so afraid of happening, come true. And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, except grit my teeth and somehow make the best of it. Hmmm - I think that was my moto for 2001-2004: "Grit my teeth and Make the best of it."

Comments

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

It's very hard to have that happen, dear.

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

Sorry, this got interrupted mid-post to look up trains for my Mom.. I wanted to add that I'm thinking about you, and that the dinner treats sound great, and that I truly hope that next year brings you better things.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

For good or ill, I've decided to let my body rest tonight and have forgone the whole midnight party idea. Considering it started at 9:30 - and it's ten now and I'm not dressed for it - probably a good thing.

I am feeling better. The food, the good french wine,
(its "Reserve Maison Nicolas 2003 Pinot Noir" in case your curious or into wines (can't remember if you are). Smooth. Only 9.99 and no heartburn.) have helped considerably. As have the kind responses.
I feel loved in spirit, even if it ain't in body.

People have been kind to me today.

Hope your hunt for trains for your mother goes well.
And you have a good holiday! Also congrats on going back to school.

[atpolittlebit.livejournal.com]

*sends virtual hugs*

I know you were looking forward to this time with your parents, just having the break from everything and being where you're comfortable. I'm in Michigan still, instead of Ohio because we decided that driving the 400 miles through the various degrees of snowstorms and ice storms didn't make sense. At least I got to be part of that decision.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I'm in Michigan still, instead of Ohio because we decided that driving the 400 miles through the various degrees of snowstorms and ice storms didn't make sense.

Good move. Honestly, it could be worse - we could
be stuck like those poor folks on the Greyhound bus in the middle of Indiana - although they appeared to get something out of it. (It was on ABC News tonight - how these folks bonded on their bus after being rescued by the National Guard and finally sent on their way again.)

I know you were looking forward to this time with your parents, just having the break from everything and being where you're comfortable.

Yes that was it in a nutshell. As a friend put it to me tonight - I sort of wanted to go back and be their kid for three days. To be taken care of. To be in a house with a lagoon and walk on the beach...

But it wasn't meant to be, I'm afraid. I can't help but wonder if there's a reason for it? After all - my greatest travel fear was to be stuck - to not make the plane or have it cancelled. Now it's happened. No longer just a fear but a reality, and in truth it's not that bad. Disappointing, hurts, yes. But the world didn't end. My family still is here. I have people who care about me and love me even if they aren't physically present - and I think sometimes I take that for granted. Here in spirit if you will if not in body.

Heck my downstairs neighbor went to the effort to give me a card, talk to me when I told her what happened and even invited me to her party - I won't go, because of exhaustion, emotional and physical, but the fact she invited me was a nice warm gesture. She also told me she loved having me as a neighbor. Plus the people behind me in line at the airport were kind enough to lend me their cell phones to call my parents and my friend who was a travel agent. Then my friend - spent time on line checking the situation and explained it to me, calming me down and telling me to go home. She spent time tonight as well - making me feel better. Those moments are important, I think. They remind me that we do affect one another and as chaotic as the world may seem, as long as we have one another...it's okay.

Sometimes I think we make too much out of holidays.
Put too much pressure on ourselves to be with people to do certain things... instead of making an effort to do those things every day. Maybe this experience is teaching me to take advantage of those other times and not put too much emphasis on one day because it happens to be Xmas or Thanksgiving or
what have you?

Don't know.

At any rate - thanks for the hugs and the kind thoughts. I send mine to you as well. Dear friend.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Heh - not so stoic, actually. I cried the entire way home in the cab, barely made it out of the airport without sobbing, then for two more hours on the phone with my mother, who was begging me to go get something to eat - since at that point all I'd eaten was a few Peanut M&Ms I'd bought at the airport in the attempt to get quarters to leave a message.

The stoic bit came after eating the meal, taking a hot shower, and talking to my Dad and my travel agent friend. As Dad put it:" Two things you can't control - the weather and airlines."

(Maybe at least a token appearance at the bar might be fun, just to get out and have something to do for a little bit.)

Yeah, well decided after talking a while to a friend on the phone that I'm going to pass on the token appearance. I need 48 hours without travel, methinks.

I'm also afraid that if one more person looks at me sideways or gets in my way - I might kill them. Have a booming sinus headache on the way and my eyes are killing me from the tears and the contacts and the stress. Did not sleep well last night. Last thing I need is to get sick this weekend on top of everything else. Hey, that might be the silver lining in this - every time I travel to Hilton Head for Xmas I come down with the flu/chest cold which I end up giving to my parents. This year? Maybe we won't get it?

May 2005 be better for us all than 2001-2004!

Hoping to make it through 2004 at the moment. Still have one week to go. God it's been a long year, hasn't it? Not as bad as 2003 according to some, although to me they are about even in some ways.

But it is almost over...and 2005 looks brighter.

[thepackrat741.livejournal.com]

Go To Dempsy's
order the following ..

Mix in a LARGE shaker;
2-shots J.W. Black label
2-shots DRY Gin
2-shots Bacarrdi 151
2-shots Amaretto
2-ice cubes
shake it till it bruises the booze
split contents between 2 large ice tea glasses
fill remaining space in glasses with 7-Up

post results
;-P

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Heh.

Nice suggestion. But passing...don't want to be ill on Xmas morning. Felt ill most of today...and that was enough. Just want to sleep. And veg. And eat.

Besides I might kill someone...LOL!

But may keep the recipe in mind for New Years.

[thepackrat741.livejournal.com]

It's one of those drinks you're kinda' FORCED to share with someone ( split contents between 2 large ice tea glasses ) and the act of shareing the drink seems to make showing up at a party where you don't know anyone a little easier to bear. ( bare ? ) ( less OF a bear ? ;-P)

By the way ..it tastes VERY much like the soda Dr. Pepper .

Sorry to hear you felt ill today ( nerves ? / stress ? ) Hope the sleeping...vegging...eating thing helps.

A nice wine, some good cheese, and a call to the parents in the morning will probably go a long way towards bolstering the ole' christmas spirit.

[ann1962]

Continue to eat well ;-) And {{hugs}}. Wishing you the *very* best in 2005!

[deevalish.livejournal.com]

Sorry that your travel plans didn't pan out. But the treats sounded awfully good. Hope that you are feeling a bit better now. Happy Christmas and I hope that 2005 brings you more good fortune and much good news!

[buffyannotater.livejournal.com]

So sorry your holiday plans didn't work out, but I hope you enjoyed the treats and movies. The Day After Tomorrow was a lot of fun, if you don't take it seriously, as was Dodgeball (which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would or even want to admit!). As you know, I'm not a fan of King Arthur, but I did want to see De-Lovely, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, if you have the time/inclination to write about it in an upcoming post.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that you had this happen; there is no way around it,this sucks. I hope you can make the best of the day, treat yourself exceptionally well, and remember that the sun will still come up in the morning. It's hard being alone on these kind of holidays, I know. But you still have your family, even if they aren't with you physically, and of course, your virtual family on LJ. {{hugs}}

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

That's horrible. Sounds as if the food and drink were good anyway, though. Hope you're feeling better this morning.

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Commiserations.