Tomorrow I fly to the State Too Very Far Away for my professional organization's annual conference and a day or so of sightseeing with Son. Hurray! The conference itself looks to be somewhat of a bust. There don't seem to be any papers that are relevant to what I do, or that even look interesting. But, I will spend one day with Son and two days at the conference and then come back to UniTown late Tuesday evening.
Next Saturday is Youngest Daughter's graduation and party. Yay! Eldest Daughter is driving in Thursday which will be wonderful. Spouse is already planning to load ED up with food, I am sure.
On the grant front, the group I've been working with just got a small grant for some software we are going to use in a set of integrated courses. Should be fun, because it involves trebuchets!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
And yet another....
"My grade adds up to almost an 87. Since I am in the high 80's, would you please reconsider and give me an A?"
My response: "I am sure you realize this request is impossible. If I raise your grade nearly four points just because you ask me to, then I must do so for every student in the class who is unhappy with his or her grade."
Sheesh. Why don't I just give everyone an A right off the bat and not make them actually do any work? It would sure save me time and effort.
So an 86 is "high 80s" now. Ain't inflation grand?
My response: "I am sure you realize this request is impossible. If I raise your grade nearly four points just because you ask me to, then I must do so for every student in the class who is unhappy with his or her grade."
Sheesh. Why don't I just give everyone an A right off the bat and not make them actually do any work? It would sure save me time and effort.
So an 86 is "high 80s" now. Ain't inflation grand?
Oh, here's another
"After looking at the break down, it looks like my total score for the course was 88.99. Given my time and efforts that I put into the course - especially in HW# 1, 3,4. I know this is really close to an 'A', and I am wondering if my efforts are sufficient for an 'A' in the course?"
My response:
"Effort never earns one an A. I could put in a herculean effort to do a cartwheel, but I'll never manage to do one successfully--so I'd never get an A in cartwheeling, nor should I."
My response:
"Effort never earns one an A. I could put in a herculean effort to do a cartwheel, but I'll never manage to do one successfully--so I'd never get an A in cartwheeling, nor should I."
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Done!
and the e-mails are already coming.
"I figured my grade out and I should have gotten a A. Did you grade on the curve?"
"Please can I have an appointment to discuss my grade."
No, and no.
THANK GOD this academic year is over. What a long, hard year it was.
I am in the coffee shop until 5:30 or so. The rain has just started, and the outdoor umbrellas went flying by a moment ago. We are supposed to get thunderstorms this evening. I'm going to make a cherry pie for Spouse and then go to bed early with my Kindle and a mug of tea.
I figure I've earned it. Tomorrow is Shot Day, and then I have to go full bore on the conference presentation for Monday, but this evening I aim to enjoy myself.
"I figured my grade out and I should have gotten a A. Did you grade on the curve?"
"Please can I have an appointment to discuss my grade."
No, and no.
THANK GOD this academic year is over. What a long, hard year it was.
I am in the coffee shop until 5:30 or so. The rain has just started, and the outdoor umbrellas went flying by a moment ago. We are supposed to get thunderstorms this evening. I'm going to make a cherry pie for Spouse and then go to bed early with my Kindle and a mug of tea.
I figure I've earned it. Tomorrow is Shot Day, and then I have to go full bore on the conference presentation for Monday, but this evening I aim to enjoy myself.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Remember
This post from National Review Online says it all:
This Memorial Day... [Pete Hegseth]
Tomorrow, Americans across this great country will join together in remembering those American warriors—throughout our storied history—who gave their lives in defense of freedom. From the blood-soaked beaches of France to the bombed-out back-alleys of Fallujah, the American G.I. has fought—and died—opposing that which is evil and oppressive, and defending all things good and free.
Memorial Day is about one thing: remembering the fallen on the battlefield and passing their collective story to the next generation. These stories, and the men who bear them, are the backbone of this American experiment and must never be forgotten. As John Stuart Mill once said, “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse.” The minute, excuse me—the second—we believe our freedoms "inevitable and/or immutable," we cease to live in history, and have soured the soldier's sacrifice. He died in the field, so we can enjoy this beautiful day (and weekend). Our freedoms—purchased on the battlefield—are indeed “worthy of war.”
And this day, with America still at war, it is also fitting that we remember the soldiers currently serving in harms way. Because, as any veteran can attest, just one moment, one explosion, or one bullet separates Veterans Day from Memorial Day. Soldiers currently in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting for our freedoms today, knowing it’s possible they may never see tomorrow. These troops—and their mission—deserve our support each day, and our prayers every night. May God watch over them—and their families; May He give them courage in the face of fear, and righteous-might in the face of evil.I adapted this brief text from a speech I gave on Memorial Day in 2007 in my hometown of Forest Lake, Minnesota. Wish I could be there today...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Back from Kosovo, landed in grading jail
and terribly behind on everything, so no time to blog until probably next week, after grades are in and Commencement is over.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Even in grading jail, the snowflakes fall
No outing for me today (just as well--it's close to 90 degrees out there); I am stuck in grading jail with three classes to handle and one week left in the quarter. I've finished grading one set of assignments but I have two team assignments, two individual assignments, and a set of midterms still to go. Then there's two students finishing incompletes, and on top of that my own research work waiting to be done....
Ugh.
So yeah, even from 4000 miles away, the snowflakes fall. The latest is a grad student who was so eager to schedule his defense he didn't bother to ask the committee if they could actually attend at the time he chose. He's succeeded in angering two professors on the committee (including me, his chair) and the graduate coordinator. Nice going.
Tuesday I walked downtown to the Kosovo Museum and the Museum of Ethnography. The first floor of the Kosovo Museum is devoted to antiquities from the Illyrians, Dardanians, and earlier groups, way back to the Bronze Age.
The second floor is devoted to the war, full of banners with photos of Kosovars who died in the conflicts, with their units and areas of operation. One section displays gruesome photos of mass graves--women, children, old men--slaughtered and dumped in shallow pits. Some were burned. A map of Kosova depicts all the places where these mass graves were found, marking them with small black skulls.
I didn't take any photos there.
On one side of the museum steps sits a trio of artillery pieces, and reminders of another conflict--Jewish gravestones.
The Museum of Ethnography is a short walk away, behind the old mosque. More about that later--it's back to grading now. I want to finish another assignment before lunchtime.
Ugh.
So yeah, even from 4000 miles away, the snowflakes fall. The latest is a grad student who was so eager to schedule his defense he didn't bother to ask the committee if they could actually attend at the time he chose. He's succeeded in angering two professors on the committee (including me, his chair) and the graduate coordinator. Nice going.
Tuesday I walked downtown to the Kosovo Museum and the Museum of Ethnography. The first floor of the Kosovo Museum is devoted to antiquities from the Illyrians, Dardanians, and earlier groups, way back to the Bronze Age.
The second floor is devoted to the war, full of banners with photos of Kosovars who died in the conflicts, with their units and areas of operation. One section displays gruesome photos of mass graves--women, children, old men--slaughtered and dumped in shallow pits. Some were burned. A map of Kosova depicts all the places where these mass graves were found, marking them with small black skulls.
I didn't take any photos there.
On one side of the museum steps sits a trio of artillery pieces, and reminders of another conflict--Jewish gravestones.
The Museum of Ethnography is a short walk away, behind the old mosque. More about that later--it's back to grading now. I want to finish another assignment before lunchtime.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Blast it, may those burglars get some nasty horrible disgusting painful disease
My changes to direct deposit did not go through for some reason, so now it's a scramble to get my paycheck into the bank and auto payments made on time, and to do it from thousands of miles away.
I am so angry and furious over this awful mess they made of our lives. Everyone keeps talking about a sense of violation. I don't have that feeling; my main emotion all along has been rage.
I am so angry and furious over this awful mess they made of our lives. Everyone keeps talking about a sense of violation. I don't have that feeling; my main emotion all along has been rage.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mother's Day picnic!
A group of students, faculty, and staff piled into cars and drove to the tiny village of Bukoviku for a cookout and picnic. On the way there, we stopped at a gas station to wait for the rest of the caravan. Two KFOR Hummers pulled up, flying American flags, and the soldiers hung out the windows and eagerly asked, "Are you Americans?" Peter and Chris and I said we were, and our boys got out to shake hands and exchange names and home state info. We invited them to the picnic, since Bukoviku was part of their patrol territory, and they said they'd stop by if they could.
We went on our way, and finally arrived at the Bukoviku elementary school, a freshly painted stucco building (that is sponsored by the US Army unit we met--they bring the kids school supplies and help fix up the place), and drove up the hill onto the wide grassy meadow at the top. While the cooks fired up the grill, the rest of us followed Besnik, whose family lived in the village, on a hike down the mountain to his ancestral house. What a view! What a horrible climb back up this was going to be!
Besnik's family home is a couple hundred years old, and in bad repair. No one lives there now, but the barn is still being used, to judge by the stacks of hay and the distinct aroma of manure. We picked our way down th
e rocky, muddy path into the "center" of the village and peeked into the old mosque. Then we started back up the mountain. (no, not the snow-covered one in the photo)
Oh Lor
d.
It was straight up. And up. And up. I was the last one to make it up the hill (but not the only one who had to stop a couple times, and I was definitely the oldest on this trek, other than Chris), and Chris gallantly waited for me even though he could have gone ahead very easily.
The week without meds took more out of me than I thought, and a couple times it was very hard going but I was determined to make it on my own power and finally did. I didn't even collapse in a heap once I got to the top. I just found a nice piece of shade and sat there for a bit.
The food was soon ready, and Chris brought me a plate with a very welcome bottle of water. Very spicy ground beef, a slab of soft cheese (like feta), a couple slices of cucumber, a green onion, and a couple slices of tomato. Scrumptious food. Later, we got some of the Kosova national dish which I forgot the name of--baked layers of dough and cheese, eaten with plain yogurt. Filling stuff, but tasty.
The guys were kicking soccer balls around and two of them even had a football they were tossing back and forth. Pretty soon, we saw the two Hummers pull around the corner, and were joined by the soldiers. Staff Sgt Diaz told me that they hardly ever get to talk to Americans, and definitely hardly ever get to just spend time with Kosovars in a social setting, so they just loved this picnic and the welcome they got. Some of our students are cadets in the Kosovo military, and they crowded around the soldiers talking shop. They even asked for (and got) a spin around the parking lot in one of the Hummers. A good time was had by all--and since this platoon had done a tour in Iraq--Staff Sgt Diaz had been in the fight at Fallujah--I am glad they got some light, pleasant duty. They deserve it.
We finally packed up about 3 p.m. and headed back to Pristina. Stopped at a nice restaurant called "The Planet" en route, where we had something to drink and the undergrads tried to persuade me to come back for an entire 10-week quarter.
By the time we arrived at the school, it was 5:30 and I was really beat. I took a quick shower, napped a bit, and then called my mom and kids for Mother's Day. I got to talk to all of them, which was a real treat. Son and his friend Nick sent me a "We love you!" message that got me all verklempt.
I finally crashed about 9:30, and fell asleep even through the raucous music and shouting going on outside from the students' soccer contest.
Today is (another) holiday so I didn't go anywhere, but tomorrow I'd like to walk downtown to the Ethnographic museum and take some pictures of the mosque across the street. We'll see. I have to check the weather--it POURED during class, so hard that I couldn't talk over it, thanks to the tin roof on the building. I don't think I want to walk over a mile through rain.
We went on our way, and finally arrived at the Bukoviku elementary school, a freshly painted stucco building (that is sponsored by the US Army unit we met--they bring the kids school supplies and help fix up the place), and drove up the hill onto the wide grassy meadow at the top. While the cooks fired up the grill, the rest of us followed Besnik, whose family lived in the village, on a hike down the mountain to his ancestral house. What a view! What a horrible climb back up this was going to be!
Besnik's family home is a couple hundred years old, and in bad repair. No one lives there now, but the barn is still being used, to judge by the stacks of hay and the distinct aroma of manure. We picked our way down th
e rocky, muddy path into the "center" of the village and peeked into the old mosque. Then we started back up the mountain. (no, not the snow-covered one in the photo)
Oh Lor
d.It was straight up. And up. And up. I was the last one to make it up the hill (but not the only one who had to stop a couple times, and I was definitely the oldest on this trek, other than Chris), and Chris gallantly waited for me even though he could have gone ahead very easily.
The week without meds took more out of me than I thought, and a couple times it was very hard going but I was determined to make it on my own power and finally did. I didn't even collapse in a heap once I got to the top. I just found a nice piece of shade and sat there for a bit.The food was soon ready, and Chris brought me a plate with a very welcome bottle of water. Very spicy ground beef, a slab of soft cheese (like feta), a couple slices of cucumber, a green onion, and a couple slices of tomato. Scrumptious food. Later, we got some of the Kosova national dish which I forgot the name of--baked layers of dough and cheese, eaten with plain yogurt. Filling stuff, but tasty.
The guys were kicking soccer balls around and two of them even had a football they were tossing back and forth. Pretty soon, we saw the two Hummers pull around the corner, and were joined by the soldiers. Staff Sgt Diaz told me that they hardly ever get to talk to Americans, and definitely hardly ever get to just spend time with Kosovars in a social setting, so they just loved this picnic and the welcome they got. Some of our students are cadets in the Kosovo military, and they crowded around the soldiers talking shop. They even asked for (and got) a spin around the parking lot in one of the Hummers. A good time was had by all--and since this platoon had done a tour in Iraq--Staff Sgt Diaz had been in the fight at Fallujah--I am glad they got some light, pleasant duty. They deserve it.
We finally packed up about 3 p.m. and headed back to Pristina. Stopped at a nice restaurant called "The Planet" en route, where we had something to drink and the undergrads tried to persuade me to come back for an entire 10-week quarter.
By the time we arrived at the school, it was 5:30 and I was really beat. I took a quick shower, napped a bit, and then called my mom and kids for Mother's Day. I got to talk to all of them, which was a real treat. Son and his friend Nick sent me a "We love you!" message that got me all verklempt.
I finally crashed about 9:30, and fell asleep even through the raucous music and shouting going on outside from the students' soccer contest.
Today is (another) holiday so I didn't go anywhere, but tomorrow I'd like to walk downtown to the Ethnographic museum and take some pictures of the mosque across the street. We'll see. I have to check the weather--it POURED during class, so hard that I couldn't talk over it, thanks to the tin roof on the building. I don't think I want to walk over a mile through rain.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Lavon to the rescue
While I wait for my prescription to arrive from the US (last tracking info has it on the truck for delivery), my student Lavon had his pharmacist wife find the exact meds I need. So last night he gave me enough for 10 days. Hurrah!
Today my students present their first team projects, and that gives me some time off. I'm going to walk downtown in a bit to the Christian bookstore I saw on Sunday, and poke around in there. Don't know if the rest of the faculty has anything planned for this weekend, so I will probably also pick up some food just in case they don't--the cafeteria isn't open on Saturday and Sunday.
We had a few minutes of rain yesterday afternoon but today it's bright and sunny again. Great day for a walk!
Today my students present their first team projects, and that gives me some time off. I'm going to walk downtown in a bit to the Christian bookstore I saw on Sunday, and poke around in there. Don't know if the rest of the faculty has anything planned for this weekend, so I will probably also pick up some food just in case they don't--the cafeteria isn't open on Saturday and Sunday.
We had a few minutes of rain yesterday afternoon but today it's bright and sunny again. Great day for a walk!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Two days down, seven to go
Class days, that is.
Today we got moved to a different classroom because the original room was double-booked and the new room turned out to be double-booked too! Space is an issue here, which is a good thing. The students are noisy and happy and I hear lots of excited chatting and laughter all day. Lots of young people in this city, that is for sure.
My class is going okay so far. They are a good group. Tomorrow they get their first team project, and the last half of class is team break-out time--yay! No lecture!
There's a glitch on getting my meds. Spouse has been trying valiantly to get them to me, so now we are attempting to 1) have them sent through my Uni, and 2) get them filled here. What a royal pain in the butt.
Nothing much new to report, since all I've done is work. Tomorrow I may go for a walk into town again. We'll see. The weather has been beautiful--sunny and cool. I hope it stays that way.
Today we got moved to a different classroom because the original room was double-booked and the new room turned out to be double-booked too! Space is an issue here, which is a good thing. The students are noisy and happy and I hear lots of excited chatting and laughter all day. Lots of young people in this city, that is for sure.
My class is going okay so far. They are a good group. Tomorrow they get their first team project, and the last half of class is team break-out time--yay! No lecture!
There's a glitch on getting my meds. Spouse has been trying valiantly to get them to me, so now we are attempting to 1) have them sent through my Uni, and 2) get them filled here. What a royal pain in the butt.
Nothing much new to report, since all I've done is work. Tomorrow I may go for a walk into town again. We'll see. The weather has been beautiful--sunny and cool. I hope it stays that way.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Sunny Sunday in Kosovo
Well, I got to Pristina with no problem, except that the school forgot to pick me up from the airport. They had just dropped my boss off and were supposed to 1) get the faculty cell phone from him, and 2) wait for me.
They forgot both.
I waited about a half hour, and then went back inside to find someone who could call for me. Fortunately, I got through to Peter, the academic affairs director, and he sent the driver back. Unfortunately, the roads between here and the airport are all torn up (construction is going on all over the place here) so it takes three times longer to get anywhere. So, 90 minutes after my flight landed, I was finally in the van and on my way to the school.
Peter said we were all going to dinner at 7, so I quickly washed my hair and ironed a pair of pants. Chris, the uni president, showed up at my door while I was still in my rumpled travel clothes with my hair all wet (combed, but wet) to apologize for the mixup. I got a small scare when my hairdryer suddenly stopped working, but I got it going again, dried my hair, and off we went to Antonella's restaurant. Antonella is an Italian lady who has traveled to a lot of Balkan countries and opened restaurants there. We had fabulous bruschetta and I got rigatoni carbonara, with chocolate mousse for dessert. Oh, yum.
Then this morning I found that I'd grabbed the wrong medicine and left my thyroid pills at home. Plus, since it's Sunday and a holiday weekend, I don't have the network key for the school's WiFi, so I couldn't get online last night or this morning (there's a low-power unsecured connection but it was too low to transmit anything) and I'd have to wait until Monday to get online and ask someone at home to send me the meds. But, when I got back from a walk downtown, I said a quick prayer, fired up the computer --and the connection opened up, I got the message through to my mom, and even talked to her on Gmail. Hurrah!
Last July when I was here I went to an open market on Sunday and saw a beautiful stovetop samovar. I didn't buy it, because I had no Euros. Today, I walked down to the market in search of that little stand--and it wasn't there anymore. Sadness. I did pick up what I think is milk (they also sell a milk "drink" whatever that is!), oil, and butter (Now I can make popcorn!), and a couple boxes of tea bags.
There's a carnival swing across the street now, and they play music ALL DAY. It gets rather loud at times, which is a bit annoying. The muezzin woke me up around 5 a.m. but I was still tired so I went back to sleep. The bed is harder than I remember, ha ha.
Speaking of popcorn, I think I shall make some and watch The Music Man on my computer.
They forgot both.
I waited about a half hour, and then went back inside to find someone who could call for me. Fortunately, I got through to Peter, the academic affairs director, and he sent the driver back. Unfortunately, the roads between here and the airport are all torn up (construction is going on all over the place here) so it takes three times longer to get anywhere. So, 90 minutes after my flight landed, I was finally in the van and on my way to the school.
Peter said we were all going to dinner at 7, so I quickly washed my hair and ironed a pair of pants. Chris, the uni president, showed up at my door while I was still in my rumpled travel clothes with my hair all wet (combed, but wet) to apologize for the mixup. I got a small scare when my hairdryer suddenly stopped working, but I got it going again, dried my hair, and off we went to Antonella's restaurant. Antonella is an Italian lady who has traveled to a lot of Balkan countries and opened restaurants there. We had fabulous bruschetta and I got rigatoni carbonara, with chocolate mousse for dessert. Oh, yum.
Then this morning I found that I'd grabbed the wrong medicine and left my thyroid pills at home. Plus, since it's Sunday and a holiday weekend, I don't have the network key for the school's WiFi, so I couldn't get online last night or this morning (there's a low-power unsecured connection but it was too low to transmit anything) and I'd have to wait until Monday to get online and ask someone at home to send me the meds. But, when I got back from a walk downtown, I said a quick prayer, fired up the computer --and the connection opened up, I got the message through to my mom, and even talked to her on Gmail. Hurrah!
Last July when I was here I went to an open market on Sunday and saw a beautiful stovetop samovar. I didn't buy it, because I had no Euros. Today, I walked down to the market in search of that little stand--and it wasn't there anymore. Sadness. I did pick up what I think is milk (they also sell a milk "drink" whatever that is!), oil, and butter (Now I can make popcorn!), and a couple boxes of tea bags.
There's a carnival swing across the street now, and they play music ALL DAY. It gets rather loud at times, which is a bit annoying. The muezzin woke me up around 5 a.m. but I was still tired so I went back to sleep. The bed is harder than I remember, ha ha.
Speaking of popcorn, I think I shall make some and watch The Music Man on my computer.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Hello from Vienna
The trip started out with a delay; the DC flight from UniTown was 15 minutes late, but the gate attendant assured us we would get to Dulles at the scheduled time. A lady sitting next to me at the gate was trying to get on standby, heading for Sacramento. The next flight she could take wasn’t until 5 p.m., another three hour wait in the UniTown airport. Unfortunately for her, the flight was full.
We were actually about 20 minutes late, considering that we had to wait to collect our carryon bags, and then get to the correct terminal. At least this time I didn’t have to sprint to my gate, though!
The Austrian Air jet to Vienna was also late. First we were delayed half an hour, then an additional 15 minutes, and we didn’t leave until almost 7 p.m. I had to get my boarding pass at the gate, and didn’t initially look at the seat assignment because I was anxious to get something to eat—I hadn’t had anything since breakfast. When I looked at the ticket, I realized they’d given me a middle seat instead of the aisle seat I’d requested. So, on Spouse’s urging, I went over to ask for a change of seat. The agent muttered about the flight being full, but gave me a new seat assignment—an aisle seat, 9 rows closer to the front of the plane than my original seat.
I met an Indian lady who works for the World Bank while waiting for the plane to be ready. She had been in DC for the IMF meetings and was headed back to Delhi. I thought the flight to Pristina was bad—she’s got a 24 hour journey.
The seat was in the middle section of seats, and right near both the galley and the restrooms—but best of all, the two people who should have been next to me didn’t show up. That meant I could stretch out over the middle seat (another lady saw the empty spots and grabbed the other aisle seat) and had a luxurious flight with plenty of room to move around.
Dinner was a cucumber salad with a shrimp on top (ew), a warm roll with butter, grilled chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and ratatouille. YUM. For dessert, a small piece of cheesecake with strawberry sauce. We’d gotten a free bottle of water as we boarded, but I didn’t need to open it because they came through with beverage service three times after dinner. The man across the aisle from me spilled something on himself and yelled “S***!” really loud. A guy in the seat in front of the spiller turned around and caught my eye, and we grinned at each other.
They showed “The Duchess” (a completely depressing movie) and another one with Kirsten Dunst that I didn’t bother staying awake for. I grabbed my complimentary red pillow and green blanket with red trim, took off my sneakers, and stretched out for a nice nap. Around 7 a.m. Vienna time we got breakfast—strawberry yogurt, ham, assorted cheeses, and another roll. Lots of tea.
Right now I am in the Vienna airport, with its rotten WiFi (at least at the Starbucks where I am sitting). Another ewww moment—I went to the restroom and washed my face and hands, and passed by the mens’ room which was completely open. As in, when you leave the ladies’ restroom the first thing you see are the guys standing at the urinals. Gross.
My flight to Pristina doesn’t board until almost 1 p.m. and it’s only 9:50 a.m. right now. I guess I’ll go window shopping. This airport is FULL of shops. I don’t intend to buy anything, because I will be back here in two weeks, plus I don’t want to go through all my money the very first day. I have to check out the Mostly Mozart shop, though.
We were actually about 20 minutes late, considering that we had to wait to collect our carryon bags, and then get to the correct terminal. At least this time I didn’t have to sprint to my gate, though!
The Austrian Air jet to Vienna was also late. First we were delayed half an hour, then an additional 15 minutes, and we didn’t leave until almost 7 p.m. I had to get my boarding pass at the gate, and didn’t initially look at the seat assignment because I was anxious to get something to eat—I hadn’t had anything since breakfast. When I looked at the ticket, I realized they’d given me a middle seat instead of the aisle seat I’d requested. So, on Spouse’s urging, I went over to ask for a change of seat. The agent muttered about the flight being full, but gave me a new seat assignment—an aisle seat, 9 rows closer to the front of the plane than my original seat.
I met an Indian lady who works for the World Bank while waiting for the plane to be ready. She had been in DC for the IMF meetings and was headed back to Delhi. I thought the flight to Pristina was bad—she’s got a 24 hour journey.
The seat was in the middle section of seats, and right near both the galley and the restrooms—but best of all, the two people who should have been next to me didn’t show up. That meant I could stretch out over the middle seat (another lady saw the empty spots and grabbed the other aisle seat) and had a luxurious flight with plenty of room to move around.
Dinner was a cucumber salad with a shrimp on top (ew), a warm roll with butter, grilled chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and ratatouille. YUM. For dessert, a small piece of cheesecake with strawberry sauce. We’d gotten a free bottle of water as we boarded, but I didn’t need to open it because they came through with beverage service three times after dinner. The man across the aisle from me spilled something on himself and yelled “S***!” really loud. A guy in the seat in front of the spiller turned around and caught my eye, and we grinned at each other.
They showed “The Duchess” (a completely depressing movie) and another one with Kirsten Dunst that I didn’t bother staying awake for. I grabbed my complimentary red pillow and green blanket with red trim, took off my sneakers, and stretched out for a nice nap. Around 7 a.m. Vienna time we got breakfast—strawberry yogurt, ham, assorted cheeses, and another roll. Lots of tea.
Right now I am in the Vienna airport, with its rotten WiFi (at least at the Starbucks where I am sitting). Another ewww moment—I went to the restroom and washed my face and hands, and passed by the mens’ room which was completely open. As in, when you leave the ladies’ restroom the first thing you see are the guys standing at the urinals. Gross.
My flight to Pristina doesn’t board until almost 1 p.m. and it’s only 9:50 a.m. right now. I guess I’ll go window shopping. This airport is FULL of shops. I don’t intend to buy anything, because I will be back here in two weeks, plus I don’t want to go through all my money the very first day. I have to check out the Mostly Mozart shop, though.
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