Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Ballad of the Garment Bag....

The Garment Bag and Hat have been found! There was never any doubt that they WOULD be, I went after them, and I am not accustomed to failure, and when a Personal Assistant gets, let's call it "Mad", you really don't want to be in the way. Do as you are told. It will go much better for you.

I went down to the airport in Minneapolis, having got a tip from a supervisor at Northwest that one could get much further in person than on the phone. There in the deepest depths of the airport at a small dark counter I met with two agents, one from Northwest and one from Delta. (the merger so far, apparently)

It went a little something like this...

ME: I have a Wee Problem and one hears from Sources that YOU are the only people with real Power, the one's who Make Things Happen, and hold the Wisdom of the Ancients and the Airlines in your hands....

NW Agent: Northwest or Delta?

ME: Delta. Dodged that bullet didn't you? Well listen in, it won't be dull. This is a drama of Epic proportions! Being played out on Twitter as we speak!

NW Agent: What's Twitter?

DEL Agent: I know about Twitter. How many Followers? (Head in hands)

ME: Half a million! Poised like Raptors on the Ramparts in Readiness for my signal, ready to swoop down upon you!

DEL Agent: WIll they Smite me?

ME: Yes, if you fail. You will die a horrible death at their hands. But look at it this way, if you find the thing, you will be a hero and live on remembered and in glory for all of your days!

DEL Agent: Not sure I can handle that kind of fame.

ME: No worries, I'll hook you up with your own agent. Now, about this Bag and Hat....

And so we got to work. This involved a lot of first figuring out where the plane flew (Only between Chicago and NY apparently) then some Agent to Agent cell phone calls, some debating on possible scenarios, and finally some Secret Knowledge that I have promised never to reveal, on pain of death and some return Smiting. We didn't FIND the Bag and Hat, but we did have a Plan.

I went home with the Plan in Place.

It was nearly Midnight when I rang two of my Darkest Minions, one in Chicago and one in New York, and gave them specific instructions. (ok, so I had a LOT of e-mail to catch up on, and they maybe weren't Dark Minions but Maure who helps out in Chicago and AFP's amazing Assistant, Beth)

Got it in one. Maure found the Bag and Hat at the Chicago Airport. They had been taken off the plane at some point and left at the gate, and the calls yesterday, followed by Maure showing up in person, had got someone down there thinking.

The point of this, and I do THINK I have one, and the secret of the success, was simply this: Show up in person. And then BE the one person in a hundred who makes them laugh, who asks for their help, who thanks them, offers to bring them coffee and appreciates what they are doing. (And they DO have power. Of a sort. At least where Bags are concerned) 99 out 100 people, and trust me when tell you I saw this for three hours yesterday, are going to whine, bitch, moan and threaten. And get no where.

I got the Bag back. And the Hat.

And for a while there, all concerned had a great time doing it.

Love and Airlines,
Lorraine

227 Comments:

1 – 200 of 227 Newer› Newest»
At 17:43 Blogger Phiala said...

Of COURSE you did, while making everyone involved as happy as possible.

I have been home for 40 minutes, and Nick has not noticed the new hair. Now starting a betting pool...

At 17:47 Blogger elfgirl said...

On behalf of my dear mum, a former baggage agent for the long-since-dead Eastern Airlines, thank you for being witty and polite. You're absolutely correct that most people aren't, given the same situation.

Plus, SUCCESS! The mystical power of PAs is once again proven. \O/

At 17:49 Anonymous Jen T said...

There was never any doubt in my mind!

am only slightly disappointed that there was no smiting...I love a good smite!

At 17:54 Blogger vampi said...

glad this ended with smiles, could have used a bit more smiting, but smiles works too.

At 17:54 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Your strength and wisdom know no end. You know, people working in big organizations are probably so used to being told "You can't do that. Someone else does that." that it must have been a shot in the arm to have you telling them "I know you can do this."

Back to minutes...

At 17:57 Blogger Siri said...

I think it was the twitter threat.


Twitter makes me afraid.


Very Afraid

At 17:59 Blogger mistressmousey said...

How's the saying go? Catching more flies with sugar? Something?

:) Yay!

At 18:04 Blogger Ticia said...

::waves madly::
ticky box

(a girl's gotta have SOME fun)

At 18:05 Blogger lomara said...

Looks like you and Maure had the right plan in place. The words 'please', and 'hank you', and being polite and cheerful really goes a long long way. Even if you're really upset, and you've been horribly wronged, sometimes just politeness can get you 100 steps closer to getting them to right their wrong. congrats on winning this battle :) And perhaps for making a few new airline friends in the process. They could come in handy again down the road :)

At 18:17 Blogger Kitty Cat said...

i still use your guideline of saying oops fluffy is in the microwave when i get the cranky customer service person...
you so clever, or as they say in Boston "wicked smaht"!!

meanwhile Neverwear.net is still knocked out by Boss' Twitter Army. wah!

At 18:18 Blogger Jess said...

Victory! Hooray! \o/

Phiala, your new hair rocks.

At 18:24 Blogger Lexocat said...

Nicely done!

Did the delta agent really use the word "smite"? If so, I may have to ease up on delta just the slightest bit.

The agent-to-agent cell phone calls, combined with scenario comparisons, also sound like something amusing to overhear.

Again, nicely done.

And Phiala, the hair is wonderful. Has Nick noticed YET?

At 18:24 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Power! Victory!
And all with politeness.
Team Gaiman does it again.

At 18:27 Blogger DataGoddess said...

They could tell you have Awesome Powers, and were pleased to do your bidding.

And after working retail manglement back in the old days when I was in college, I'm a huge fan of polite and knowing what you want. I can't tell you the number of people I dealt with who, when I asked them "Okay, what can I do to fix this issue" had no answer at all, they were just too busy being mad.

At 18:30 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Awesome. Thanks for the tips.

Speaking of airports, it seems as though suddenly the headlines - and fillers - and editorials - about the Air France crash are leaping out at me from the pages of the newspapers (we get three!), seeing as I haven't been on a plane in eleven years.

At 18:30 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Of course, you don't hear about the thousands of planes that land safely every day ....

At 18:31 Anonymous Anonymous said...

so who's going to play you in the lifetime movie????


Seriously though navigating the dark halls of beauracracy, especially when it's in the midst of financial issues can be harrowing at the very least. GO YOU.

At 18:35 Blogger Chantrelle said...

The rockstar comes through again. Hope the tiara is being donned today.

I worked at a bank through college. People would get mad at me when they bounced checks. Like i withdrew the money from their account. It would take them down a few pegs when I'd asked if they'd balanced their checkbook lately. The answer was always no.

Sugar, not vinegar...yup. that's the one.

I can't wait to go to my dad's cabin next week. I will be offline for a few days (mon night - thurs night) because there is no internet, cell, or electricity. But propane lights and stove and fridge. All the amenities I need to recover my brain including grandparents to take ben out on excursions while i read in a hammock.

counting down the days.

At 18:36 Blogger Xjaeva said...

I like this post. Everyone likes to be appreciated.

At 18:37 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Robyn, that sounds really lovely!

At 18:43 Blogger Siri said...

Failing to tick box
causes withdrawl symptoms
I'll feel better now.

At 18:43 Blogger Siri said...

TICIA!!!

POKE!!!

At 18:44 Blogger Chantrelle said...

Lovely and very needed. Hubby got back from Dublin which is great but he's so buried with work that he doesn't have the time or energy to take ben out of my hair (sometimes literally). Decompression time.

Then i get back and fly to the inlaws and then up to Fiendom come....june will rock starting very soon.

At 18:47 Blogger Siri said...

Emily, don't worry. The protection of the Fiends shall surround us all on this trip - there's nothing we can't manage.

Phi - love the hair, too. And the blue of the eyes did pop.

OSS - any better today? We're still pulling for you.

At 18:58 Blogger Erin Underwood said...

There has got to be some Personal Assistant Award for that feat! Oh, I know! The Golden Keyboard!

I nominate Q for Best PA in a Luggage Crisis Event. I'm sure you'll win the Golden Keyboard Award!

Siri, Twitter frightens me too. What if the Twitt'o'sphere turns against us?!!

Phiala, men are silly that way. Heh!

At 19:15 Blogger Pockafwye said...

And thus the smiting was averted. Huzzah!

At 19:18 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Wow, so many new people.
*waves madly at you all*

At 19:29 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Damn, I was waiting for the call to go and Smite the Evil Airline Agents...

Thanx, I laughed a lot!

At 19:44 Blogger Beez said...

All Hail! Once again the Power Of Q prevails.

Maure said for her it was the power of her glinty red lipstick.

I've seen it, so I'm a believer.

At 19:58 Blogger Kate said...

Dark Minions, Smiting and Secret Knowledge, woah. Can... Can you get them for us wholesale?

Couldn't resist.

Is there another crate of mangoes headed your way? 'Cause it sounds like there should be. Or is this just "all in a day's work"?

At 20:02 Blogger Ani said...

Yeehah for your awesome powers, Q! And hi's to all the new fiendish folks turning up here!

At 20:35 Blogger One Sock Short said...

I have just sent the evil minutes off to my fellow committee intern. Who has yet to send me his half, so I'm not the only one behind on this ;-)

One albatross down...

I will now celebrate by watching the School House Rock DVD that just arrived from Netflix. "It was a hairy bear..."

At 20:52 Blogger Siri said...

Good on you for rewarding success.

At 21:15 Blogger Fluffy said...

Woohoo! Crisis managed! With style, of course.

We had teh BLTs for dinner tonight. Mmmm. Only problem: house smells like bacon and kosher-eating offspring due home tonight (she lurves the bacon and tries hard to resist.) And it's too hot to open the windows... almost 90F at 9 pm. Maybe for a few minutes, just to be a nice mom...

Anyhow, I agree with the nice thing. I, too, worked in banks and got yelled at many times by people who had bounced checks. The worst part was when I had to help them balance their accounts.

I bet Nick won't notice hair until you give up and draw his attn to it. That's how my more testosterone filled half is. "Your hair is 6 inches shorter? Oh!"

Aaargh. Martini with dinner. Must sober up. GTG. Will read 'Deathwish' by Rob(yn) Thurman.

At 21:21 Blogger Lucien Desar said...

Nice story :) and great moral!

At 21:22 Blogger Craig Steffen said...

First of all, Lorraine, congratulations and props and kudos for finding Boss's bag. This story and your story a couple of months ago about how to deal with airlines are important stories for us all and I suspect will come in handy sometime.

And the point is well taken, by both Lorriane and the airline people here, that you can catch more flies with honey etc., and that opening with a sunny disposition and a pleasant attitude is the best way of opening. And of course, you're right.

However, I'd like to make the counterpoint that sometimes, the reason that you're having to talk to the only people in the building that can actually do something for you is because the last seven airline employees crapped on you because apparently you're idiot for being on a flight that got weather delayed and thus are impinging on their work time.

I won't tell the whole story of my last flight, a horrific transfer through Philadelphia on US air, but the relevant points are:
- 300 or so passengers
- 4 hour weather/traffic delay
- airline employees completely surprised by this many people needing transfer processing
- airline employees yelling at passengers in the wrong line (both were unmarked)
- two agents doing transfers (they were terrific)
- four to six other airline employees sitting around watching
- not a single, solitary person anywhere who took the initiave to organize the lines or announce anything to anyone

So yes, when approaching an airline agent, it's helpful for the passenger to be cheery and upbeat and helpful. But after several people wearing that same uniform have treated you like dirt or worse, it's hard to muster the cheeriness to deal with that airline person in a fresh, optimistic manner.

At 21:30 Blogger Maure said...

I had such a fun time playing my little role in this game! I credit my unstoppably sirenic red lipstick and Lorraine's measured coaching the night before for the win. The service rep on my end was extremely competent and efficient too, which was no small help. I love putting on the Girl Friday hat.

At 21:33 Blogger MaryHerself said...

About this hat...I thought Boss blogged that he really didn't suit hats and after Terry Pratchett took one off him and made him promise to never wear one again, he didn't. Much. Or does he? - I seem to remember seeing him in one in a random photo somewhere and it was quite fetching. Have I dreamt this weird Pratchett Hat Banishment scenario?

At 21:55 Blogger Na said...

brava!

At 22:01 Blogger notasecretagent said...

I am in awe of your getting-stuff powers. If only I had a teacher like you, I'd never feel at the mercy of Airport People.

At 22:10 Blogger Na said...

i meant brava! brava! brava! to Q, Maure and Beth. FTW!

then blogger gremlins took my comment as tribute.

At 22:12 Blogger ariandalen said...

Mary, I don't know about the Pratchett Scenario, but Boss was photographed wearing a hat when he was in China last year, and on horseback.

YES! Not that we ever doubted you would find a way to recover Boss' bag and hat, Ms. Fabulous. It's just nice to know that it has happened sooner rather than later. Who needs mere minions when you have Fiends! The multiplier for calling on other PAs to help is awesome, too. :)

Phiala, did Nick notice your lovely hair before drifting off to sleep?

At 22:20 Anonymous kali_licious said...

You go Q! Bag and hat retrieved in record time.:) I love that you invoked the wrath of Twitter..LOL.

And Phiala, such cute hair! It does bring out the eyes. Now if only Nick would NOTICE.

At 22:30 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I actually have more mangoes just now than even I can eat. No. Not kidding. I have a LOT right now. And I am loving it.

Kind of all in a day's work, OF COURSE you work miracles , if you don't yr in the wrong job.

This one was cool tho.

Exception to In Person Rule: If your flight is cancelled due to weather, or any reason, DO NOT stand in the Crazed line. Go to the coffee shop, or even better, pub, and CALL and they can re-book you on the phone twice as fast. And the person will not be dealing with 300 irate people.

Maure rocks. And would make a GREAT PA. I adore her.

Mistress, I like your hair, tho I never saw the old hair.

Boss wears one hat and looks great in it. A gift from his girfriend, which was why it made me so happy to get it back.

At 22:31 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

And Hellos to all you new folk, be welcome here, very welcome. And my thanks for your comments!

At 22:32 Blogger AletaMay said...

Well Done!

Well Told!

I've had a long day and must to bed.

At 22:33 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Oh, the Bengals are using thier new Scream Porches! Magic is a new boy, he LOVES hopping in and out the window, and looking into the kitchen!

He's much more a part of things now!

Blog with pics tomorrow if there is time.

Dr Wicked comes.

At 22:34 Blogger Fluffy said...

Dr. Wicked this way comes...

At 22:35 Blogger AletaMay said...

Oh yay for Magic getting out and about a bit! Wonderful news!

At 22:37 Blogger Chantrelle said...

Oh Goddess of Young Children, thank you for giving me the strength to not kill my kid for another day (and no i wouldn't actually kill or hurt my child!). Thank you for having him want to snuggle in bed even after I took away all his bedtime stories for various offenses, spitting being the primary one.

Boss should post a pic of this new hat look!

15 days until I"m in Mpls!!

Now, wine, tv, book, sleep. In that order hopefully.

At 22:40 Blogger Chantrelle said...

Oh and awesome bengal news! Go magic, you have an awesome human (at least mostly we suspect) mommy.

At 22:44 Blogger ariandalen said...

New FIENDS!!!

Welcome elfgirl, lomara, karmalingoist3, Xjaeva, Pockafwye, kingdokk, Desar, and delightfully mediocre! More Fiends means more buckled jackets being worn. We have many on hand, so find one for yourself and personalize it. :)

::sniff::
::SNIFF SNIFF::
AaaaaAAaaaaaahhhhhhh!
The SPICE is flowing!


MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At 22:47 Blogger Siri said...

Sweet Fods and all the saints in china - 15 days? I'd better get that laundry done this weekend, hadn't I?

At 22:47 Blogger Unknown said...

Yes, I agree! A great attitude will get you anywhere!

I've missed flights and had a new one issued at no charge by having a good attitude at the ticket counter.

Glad your perseverance paid off. :)

At 22:52 Blogger Karen B. said...

Yes, yes, we knew that you'd resolve it all (with or without Minions). And kudos to employees who can point you in the direction of the people who can get stuff done.

Rats! For a few minutes, I was thinking that the Hat would turn out to be a bonus gift from the fairies . . oh, okay, I didn't think that one all the way through.

Also, loving the Screamed Porch setup for kitties. So glad that even Magic is taking advantage of it.

At 22:53 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Fluffy, you DO make me laugh. Can't wait to meet you...

Magic is SO happy, he trilled! Which is a weird Bengal noise that sounds kind of like a bird.He will let other people look at him now! Not in the room mind you, but from outside or in the kitchen.

I hung his porch with fake flowers and vines so he has plenty of cover, and put cedar stumps out, he sits on them. I am getting him an entire TREE to climb in.

I can't wait to show you pics!

Can you tell how happy I am?

AND the Spooky House is CLEAN. Not sure there IS any greater joy.

At 22:56 Blogger ariandalen said...

::bouncy bouncy BOUNCE bounce::

Hi, Anastasia! Welcome to the wonderful world of Fiendom! Look around and you'll find a nice jacket with lots of buckles just for you that you can personalize with the supplies found on the table in the corner. :)

::SSSNNNIIIFFFFFF::
SPICY!


MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At 23:00 Blogger Fluffy said...

Trying to figure out a to-do list for Fiendom come:

1. lose 20 lbs.
2. get fabulous pedicure
3. find out what the weather is
4. polish those credit cards to a high gloss
5. do laundry
6. get spouse birthday present because it's on the 28th
7. quintuple-bag that quart of vanilla extract

More later. Might ramble a bit tonight - DD's plane now expected at 1 am. Aaargh.

At 23:03 Blogger Fluffy said...

Thanks!

Can't wait to see pics of the scream porches with magic in them. And Magic in them.

And here's to a clean house! What a good feeling after a long day at work.

And all these new peeps! What fun!

At 23:05 Blogger ariandalen said...

Oh, Happy Night!
Magic comes out to play
And trills his joy!

Oh, Happy Night!
A Bag of Tricks, missing,
Is found, plus Hat!

Oh, Happy Night!
The Spiciness just keeps
Flowing and flowing!

At 23:20 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

KarenB, are you so very sure AFP is not Fey? I know she is magic.....

It is all about attitude. And I would know about the while Bees with Honey thing....

The Scream Porches are so cool, I may move out there with bed and computer, living the jungle life....

I need more hanging plants. No couches, just a rug and pillows in my jungle!

At 23:51 Blogger Fluffy said...

My kitties tend to vocalize with their mouths closed - very sweet trills and chirps. Binky is brilling all over and killing the heck out of some colorful mousies. I think she batted the last one under the TV cabinet. Time to dig them out...

Watching me dig their mice out from under furniture thrills the daylights out of them. It's their favorite spectator sport.

At 00:05 Blogger Karen B. said...

I once lived a summer in a house with a screened-in porch. Sitting in the Out without bugs was the best, for eating breakfast, having dinner, reading, petting cats or dog -- pretty much any time. Too bright too early for me to sleep out there, though.

At 00:26 Blogger spacedlaw said...

You devious woman!
Well done.

Am so happy that Magic is having a great time with the porch. He must feel safer having more space to retreat into in case he is attacked (poor insecure kitty). All the jumping around will do him good.
I want to see pictures!
(and I want to come and take some! I was looking at Venus and Mim's pictures I took last year and they were so cute. Mim such a tiny vivacious thing!)

At 00:30 Blogger Meg said...

haha! when in doubt threaten them with your boss' twitter minions. :D i know i'd be afraid.

i've found that politeness does seem to work better in these situations than throwing a fit. glad you found the bag and hat.

At 00:39 Blogger ariandalen said...

Hi, Meg! Glad you could join us Fiends in following our Queen Empress! Nice white jackets with lots of buckles are readily available, just pick one that suits you, then personalize away! :)

::Sniff::
Definitely
SPICY!




MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At 00:47 Blogger HellZiggy said...

Hooray for Darkest Minions & not having to Smite!

So, as a new fiend here, now that I'm graduated and can have my blog-reading life back, what is this Fiendom Come y'all are talking about? Obviously people want to come to Minneapolis, because we're super awesome and stuff, but what's the special event you're all coming out for?

~The Sharon Who Doesn't Keep Bees

At 01:20 Blogger CarolAnn said...

**Standing Ovation**

I'm glad Magic is liking his porch. That is so cool. Looking forward to pictures.

My youngest child graduated from high school yesterday and my brother's youngest graduated today. I'm happy yet sad, and hearing about Magic being happy helps me.

At 01:30 Blogger Werefrog said...

So this is Jen T.... I have posted a few times, back when I saw your purple hair for the first time, and recently again regarding the curious incident of the wandering garment bag! I made a blogger account to facilitate fiendish bonding!

At 01:52 Blogger Tamlyn Leigh said...

airline magic :) I always love how a lil kindness gets you a long way.

And do take the pictures, I would love to see Bengals afoot on Screamed Porches.

Now that sounds like a title for an obscure song ;)

At 03:03 Blogger Marjorie said...

Q, I love the dialogue, especially the smiting and the offer of an agent to help the Delta rep. with the unexpected fame!

So happy that you have once again worked miracles!

And the news of Magic bouncing in and out of his sreamed porch is fantastic!

Guess what - in exactly 2 week from (checks watch) NOW I dhall be hyperventilating in a queue for security at Heathrow Airport, en route for Fienddom Come. Do you think I should buy a suitcase at some point? I'm not 100% sure that my itty bitty carryon will suffice for 2 weeks of fiendish fun.

I must start making lists. (nodding seriously) Yup. Can't go only holiday without a good list.

mine is not as good as Fluffys, but so far goes:

* become tall, skinny & devastatingly beutiful & witty
* give key of house to nice lady who is going to cat-sit
* Passport & tickets and piece of paper saying I am probably not a terrorist and you should definitely let me into your country provided I promise not to break it or reclaim it as a colony of the crown.
* give key of house to nice lady who is going to cat-sit
* remember books and stamps for other fiends
*maybe some clothes and a toothbrush.
* absolutely do not forget to give key of house to nice ladyu who is cat-sitting, and perform pre-emptive penance in relation to abandoning cat to mercies of stranger who will assuredly starve him and subject him to all sorts of indignities, like always happened when I am cruel enough to leave him with only tons of food and a replacement minion for company.

(PS - Emily, I am convinved that just after a 'plane is lost is absolutely the safest time to fly!)

At 03:03 Blogger Marjorie said...

Aaarghh. I type half a novel and forget to fill the box of ticks.*sigh*

At 03:17 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Just booked my ticket!
Can't quite believe this is happening yet.

Cesare is (internally) grumbling about me abandoning him but he knows he will be better at home with the cats than dragged into this. I suppose I shall have to do some type of penance as well (but just trying to keep that smile off my face is going to be a real challenge).

Flying on an Airbus 330 too! I bet all airline companies are scrambling frantically right now to check their speed control systems...

At 03:54 Blogger Marjorie said...

So glad you're able to come, Nathalie! When will you arrive, and how long shall you stay? (enquiring minds want to know..)

HellZiggy - the special event is that lots of us will be in the same place at the same time;-) (w/e of 26-28th June) And getting to see Our Queen Empress ROCK in person, at Charlies, on (I believe) Fri & Sat nights

At 04:01 Blogger spacedlaw said...

A few days (less than a week) because I really had to fight to get those days off.

At 05:40 Blogger Phiala said...

Thank you all for saying nice things about my brave new hair! Nick did notice, only took him about 5 more minutes. I could see him missing 6 inches completely, Fluffy, but this was rather obvious.

Q, since you missed them: old hair.

At 05:43 Blogger Phiala said...

And Nathalie, you're coming too - hooray!

At 06:22 Blogger Dan Guy said...

That must be some hat. ^_^

At 06:37 Anonymous Anonymous said...

A great tale all round with a great ending! I have the same philosphy when I need to GET THINGS DONE and it works a treat.

I do love the powere of Twitter, must remember that one!

At 06:40 Blogger spacedlaw said...

It's Alan Moore's famous Wizard of Britain hat.

At 07:14 Blogger Craig Steffen said...

Hey Lorraine,

Thanks for your throwback about my whine about standing in airline lines.

When you posted your advice for dealing with airlines a couple of months ago, I thought back to that trip in December standing in the 2-HOUR-LINE-OF-DOOM.

I'd always noticed when a flight got cancelled at the gate, that executive successful-looking types never stood in those lines. I later noticed that whenever a "your flight is cancelled please proceed to X for rebooking" those sorts of people would scatter. I had assumed they were calling their travel agent/personal assistant/secretary to take care of it. Your "airline customer service howto" post revealed they were probably just calling the airline separately, which is advice that I will take very careful notice of in the future.

Since the end of that particular transaction was to end up at a hotel overnight, I don't know that in that particular case it would have helped, but that is advice that I will keep close at hand (along with the airline's phone number) in the future.

Thank you for your wisdom and insight.

At 07:24 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lorraine,

I am in awe of you. And maybe even in a bit of a crush - you are short of divine. When I am a Famous Writer, will you consult with me and my Devoteds? I'll need every bit of your Sage Advice.

i cannot eat a mango now without thinking of you.

Deepest Admiration,
Paula

At 08:15 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Wait! What! Nathalie, you're coming?! Yippee!

This gathering is going to make up for a lot.

Back to albatross hunting. (No actual birds will be hurt. Just the metaphorical kind.)

At 08:39 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Gasp! Nathalie's coming? Yay!!

Quiche, when you mentioned Boss's hat, all I could think of was when he said some several years ago that he was just not a hat person ...

At 08:50 Blogger spacedlaw said...

There is AT LEAST a hat for everyone. You just have to find the right one.

At 08:51 Blogger One Sock Short said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

At 08:55 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Please ignore the snarky, in case it got e-mailed before I deleted it.

At 09:04 Blogger Marjorie said...

Amused to come across an old tweet of Boss's;

"neilhimself: Now owns a hat. Nothing good can come of this.
4:41 AM Jan 9th from web "

Clearly, he was prophesying the Saga of the Garment Bag and Hat.
(prophecies are so much easier to understand after the event, don't you think?)

I don't know whether it was the same hat. Isuspect hats may be a little like other hard drugs, you think you can just try one, but before you know it you are in a spiralling desecent of hat-dependency, and suffer withdrawal syptoms when deprived of hats..

At 09:12 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marjorie,how true.

I mean, just look at him- he was always a cat person.

Now a hat person and a dog person?

At 09:48 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Morning!

Marjorie, you may be right...

Paula, why wait till yr Famous, stick around, Grasshopper, I will teach you things!

Trying to wake. Must sort of. New Hair today.

Magic is grooving on his porch. Electric people are coming , but who can say why?

At 09:51 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Do electric people dream of android sheep?

At 09:54 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Hat dependency. That'd be me.

Good evening (morning), all.
My name is Nathalie and I am a hat addict...

At 09:56 Blogger spacedlaw said...

They must be, OSS.
Wnat to write this story (from 100 and 500 words) and send it to CrossedGenres flash fiction challenge?

At 10:19 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Picture of hat on boss's head someday?

Thank you for the advice. Bet it works well when directed at oneself, too.

Best,
Billy

At 10:43 Blogger Jess said...

Nathalie's coming! Yay yay yay! \o/

Marjorie and Fluffy are organised. My to-do list looks like this:

1. Clean the house sometime before the 26th.

2. Maybe get a haircut.

3. Call Cat Lady.

4. Throw some stuff in a bag. Remember underpants.


Hubby's list, on the other hand, looks like this:

1. Wear Dalek shirt.

2. Hope plane won't crash.


You all put us to shame.

Magic on da Scream Porch! Excellent. Yes please pictures thank you ma'am. :)

At 10:45 Blogger Jess said...

Aaaand guess who forgot to tick boxes again.

*boik*

At 10:52 Blogger Na said...

If I think about my to-do list, I get a bit panicky. Maybe should write it down, per Phiala's exellent outline. Though then I'll be afraid to look at it.

But, one major thing that would go on it, is to make sure the car gets a good check and oil change, etc. Which is happening right now. So, that would be two things checked off putative list. Hmmm.

Considering story of bag and hat retrieval, I now suspect that determination and perseverance are a form of magic.

And yay for happy Magic bengal kitty and his screamed porch!

Right. Off to help on a kids' class field trip. So, day of low accomplishment ahead. Suppose those are allowed occasionally.

At 11:13 Blogger Marjorie said...

Jess, with that list you are clearly AT LEAST as organised as me. And your Hubby is clearly more organised, as he has already planned his outfit.:-)

At 11:15 Blogger Craig Steffen said...

appropo of nothing...

I too, was never a hat person. Was never interested; except to keep my ears warm in Illinois or Minnesota winters, but that's different.

And then I went to the big Oshkosh airshow in 2004. Normally the most time I spend out of doors is mowing the lawn. At Oshkosh, I was anticipating being outside 10 hours a day for at least four days, in the sun.

So although I'm generally a member of the no-hat club, I am very definitely a member of the less-and-less-hair club, so for many days of full sun, a hat was required. I bought a nice Tilley hat, and that is my only non-freezing-temperatures hat.

At 11:25 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Um, Nathalie, I am a librarian of very little brain today. Was the CrossedGenres question directed towards me, or the fiends at large?

At 11:32 Blogger spacedlaw said...

To anyone who wants to play. And it was directly prompted by your electric people comment.

At 11:34 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Gotcha. Anyone is free to go to town with it. I'm not that creative.

At 12:39 Blogger DataGoddess said...

*sigh*

I'm getting depressed at reading all the plans for Fiendom Come, especially now that I'm seeing who all is coming. I was sighing, looking depressed, so Husbeast asked what's wrong.

So I told him, and he pointed out that if we drive, he can come with me to help with the drive and help me physically or however I need once we're there.

So I'm coming. Aleta, can you update me with the current plans??

YAY!!

I won't be contagious, and I won't cough on anyone, promise. Since we're driving, we can help with transportation (we'll be at the Holiday Inn Express).

Now to plan what to pack...

At 12:40 Blogger One Sock Short said...

(happy dance)

At 12:48 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Hooray, DG!

My To-Do list:

1. Remind myself that just because I haven't been on a plane in eleven years doesn't mean this one will go down in flames.

2. Get a pair of jeans. One ripped on its own. The other was chewed up by a feral weiner dog. The third and final pair also ripped on its own.

3. Once in MN, find a newspaper to bring back to Benjamin.

There will be more of this later. I have to run now.

At 12:48 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Ben and Jack beating the daylights out of each other ... great ....

At 12:51 Blogger spacedlaw said...

A newspaper, Emily? Why?

At 13:25 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Ben has a thing for newspapers from around the country, particularly local papers. He wants me to bring home a copy of The Minneapolis Star or whatever else I can find.

I can't think of anything to add to the To-Do list for the moment but will if anything comes to mind.

At 13:27 Blogger HellZiggy said...

Emily: You'll have to time travel to get him a Minneapolis Star! LOL. It's been the Star-Tribune for a couple decades now.
We also have the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.

~Sharon

At 13:29 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Oh.

Oops.

Okay. Thanks.

At 13:31 Blogger HellZiggy said...

And if you find David Tennant/the Doctor during the time traveling I call dibs! :)

~S

At 13:48 Blogger mistressmousey said...

Getting mad at the situation is fine. Getting mad at the people who are trying to help you through the situation... now where the heck do you think that will get you?

Also, trying not to think of to do lists, as being parent to a toddler means a scary long list of things like "remember to eat something" and "you know you want to unpack, but let's be realistic here". *sigh*

At 13:49 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Since list-making is the theme of the day, here's mine so far. Per Phiala's advice, I have broken it down into discrete steps.

FiendFest To-Do List

1. Pack clothes (that should occupy at least five minutes).
2. Decide which socks-in-progress to bring.
3. Determine that none of the socks-in-progress will do.
4. Cast on new sock.
5. Decide which non-sock knitting project to bring.
6. Determine that none of the non-sock knitting projects will do.
7. Pack yarn, pattern, and needles for Big Damn Sweater.
8. Determine that BDS too complicated to begin while socializing.
9. Unpack BDS.
10. Look at non-sock knitting projects already on needles again.
11. Pack chosen non-sock knitting project.
12. Change mind.
13. Unpack non-sock knitting project.
14. Pack newly chosen non-sock knitting project.
15. Pack spindle and roving.
16. Realize bag getting too full.
17. Unpack some clothes to make room for important stuff.

At 13:49 Blogger Unknown said...

So would a twitter smite mean they'd be smitten?

At 13:51 Blogger Marjorie said...

DG _ Hurrah - so glad you'll be able to come. Happy Dance!

Emily - is Benjamin only interested in papers the US or from places he/family have been, or is it local papes generally.

(I was reading their local paper when I was at my parent's house recently. They live out in the country. 2 of the main stories were (1) the local bishop is visiting several local churches amd (2) the fire brigade were called out to a fire in someone's tumble dyer. The fire was contained in the tumble dryer and no-one was hurt.
They also had a full page spread of lost and found cats and other pets...)

At 13:52 Blogger Jaime said...

Ten years in retail has taught me that being nice will get you almost anywhere. Funny helps too, but being nice is the key. I've had *numerous* encounters in airports that could a) have cost me a great deal of money and b) told to piss off, but because I was NICE, I got what I needed. And this is true anywhere that you need to make a complicated or difficult request.

At 13:54 Blogger DataGoddess said...

You know, OSS, we'll pass through Chicago on the way there. We could pick up your supplemental luggage.

I think I'm just bringing my sock-in-progress and my shawl-in-progress. Neither is too hard to do while chattering.

At 13:54 Blogger Bookfool said...

My world-traveling hubby would agree with you 100%. He occasionally has bags go missing. Manners will get you everywhere, as will humor. I sat amidst the whiners while he performed the magic retrieval, one time.

At 13:55 Blogger Phiala said...

DG - yay!

Knitting... I don't know what I'm packing yet, even for the trip I'm leaving for on Sunday. Spinning, yes, but knitting??? This one is a car trip, so might take a loom instead...

At 14:03 Blogger Marjorie said...

OSS, I love your list! I'm like that, but with books instead of yarn and knitting stuff ;-)

At 14:03 Blogger Marjorie said...

OSS, I love your list! I'm like that, but with books instead of yarn and knitting stuff ;-)

At 14:04 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Oh, I haven't even started the book list yet ;-)

At 14:06 Blogger Loni Edwards said...

Hi Lorraine, that was great! Glad you had success with no smiting involved :)

At 14:09 Blogger Phiala said...

I have an ebook thingie - cuts down greatly on the packing angst.

I may have the best ever lost luggage story. It really needs to be told in person, but maybe later I'll have time to write it down.

At 14:11 Anonymous c0rp_53110ut said...

Like Meemaw always said "You catch more flies with honey." Of course, she smelled funny, too - hence the flies*. Additionally you weren't after flies, you were after bags. And a hat. Nice!

*Any similarity to actual Meemaws is purely coincidental. No offense is meant.

At 14:15 Anonymous Kari Wolfe said...

Yay! :) Glad no one was hurt ;)

At 14:26 Blogger Cecily said...

Q- I tend to follow that policy in everything I do. And when I forget life reminds me. Like today when I went to get my oil changed. There was a woman there bitching and moaning at how long things were taking. And even when the nice employees offered some of their food, she just bitched about entitlement to it for having to wait so long. I often wonder if people that behave that way think that the people they are bitching at or about can then bend space and time just because they were nasty. Anyway, I made sure to smile and thank everyone. Life's just better when we're all nice to each other.

At 14:31 Blogger Unknown said...

I work in customer service. Being nice to the person assisting you makes that customer service person 100% more motivated to help you. I learned that from my dad a long time ago and it is a time tested truth.

At 14:36 Blogger Precision Grace said...

It's great that most people still respond better to love rather than hate. Woo.

Unfortunately, I've met some service staff that will absolutely not assist until you talk down to them. Quite weird, but there you go. There's nowt as queer as folk.


Can't wait for Screaming porches and new hair.

At 14:42 Blogger avandamanders said...

Dearest Lorraine,
I have come to the conclusion that you are, in fact, fabulous.

Well done.
Love and Kisses,
Manda

At 14:50 Blogger Malc said...

There may a an uber-moral here, too, related to make 'em smile: make it easy. Although putting a name tag on a hat may seem a bit over-egging, but the easier it is to notify the owner, the more likely someone will say "Rather than just put this hat and coat behind the counter, I'll pick up a phone and then put them behind the counter".

I've had airport station managers call me to return stuff... 'cos it was easy and who doesn't like a happy customer on the line?

At 14:50 Blogger Ani said...

ooh, Fluffy! You've got "lose 20 pounds in 15 days" on your list, too? So far I have failed to look more than halfheartedly for my Fit. I think I'll just not wear heavy shoes... lack of Doc Martens ought to shed a couple pounds immediately, right? ;)

Siri--do not fear the twitter, LURVE the twitter. Play silly games about garment bags with highly imaginative people!

At 14:52 Blogger EmilyLady said...

Marjorie, Ben loves local papers from anywhere. He also harbors a fascination for third political parties. It's this thing about the little things in between the extremes, I think ...

At 14:55 Blogger Ani said...

Marjorie--if you can figure out the tall & skinny part let me know, but I already think you're beautiful and witty, so I wouldn't worry about those ones, ok? ;-)

At 15:02 Blogger Ani said...

Whoah! now must think about the rest of my list and still have to reply with details to Aleta! Sorry!

Gotta go collect Kid and take him to Kung Fu! Later fiends...

At 15:14 Blogger Marjorie said...

Aw, thank you! So many smart & witty fiends...

At 15:17 Blogger vampi said...

Can i ask nicely of one of the knitters for some lessons? i've taught myself, but i think i may have taught myself wrong. my nana tried to teach me when i was little but i wasn't interested. now i'd like to learn so i have some connection with her. i think part of my problem is i fall in love with weird yarns that are difficult to knit with. can someone steer me in the right direction so i can purchase and bring the right things, or i can buy dinner and drinks, whatever is easiest.

At 15:23 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Absolutely, vampi!

I've taught three people so far, and so one has run away screaming yet.

And hey, you're helping me expand my musical tastes.

At 15:28 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Ahem, that's no one has run away screaming, I meant.

We can talk colors, etc. via e-mail, if you like.

At 15:28 Blogger clare @ the pretty walrus said...

brilliant stuff :)

At 15:34 Blogger vampi said...

i'll bring my external drive of musics and we can have some music while we knit :)

At 16:31 Blogger Fluffy said...

I can't believe how many of you are coming!! Yay!

Oooooh! I need to re-learn how to cast on. I will bring my humongous needles and some yarns. I get everything else about the basics from the interwebs, but the casting-on I can't decipher. I want to make some of those quick scarves with the flurfy yarns.

The other thing to remember about flying is that you need a frequent-flyer account, even if you don't think you'll rack up enough miles to get tickets. BECAUSE, the FF toll-free number has much more helpful people and less waiting - that's who all those executive-types are calling.

You can also get, on your cellphone, automatic updates on gate and departure/arrival information from some airlines. That kept us from waiting at the airport for the daughter last night from 9:30 pm to 2:00 am because of the bad weather in D.C. The really funny thing about this is that a pilot friend heard Dennis talk about how he uses this. He was stuck waiting for info on his departure with a plane full of people, and tried the cellphone-thingy and IT told him what the tower hadn't even conveyed yet. He couldn't believe it.

At 16:44 Blogger Fluffy said...

They send those updates via text.

Any ideas about what the Fluffies should do for dinner tonight?

What? Take-out? Brilliant!! I knew I could count on the Fiends.

At 17:11 Blogger dampscribbler said...

Can somebody link me to the original "fluffy is in the microwave" story? Whatever the context, I want to read it!

At 17:21 Blogger Marjorie said...

Fluffy, isn't it wonderful how we all psychic-ly knew your question, and you our response, before you even finished typing!

(also, am I the only one worried that pilots are getting their info from frequent flyer programmes and not, say, the air traffic control tower...?)

Oh, 'fluffy in the microwave' came from Quiche's Travel Guide part 1, which is here

At 17:23 Blogger Marjorie said...

Did that link work? It was the post on this blog for 9th March 2009, anyway.

At 17:24 Blogger Marjorie said...

link

At 17:24 Blogger Fluffy said...

Our friend the pilot said he's been on the runway at certain airports where they don't give him any info about where they are in line. They could take off in 1 minute or 60.

At 17:51 Blogger louisa said...

Drive by comment - is Fluffy still in the microwave?

Cats just got a pressie of "Legal Organic Catnip" - stoned off their tiny faces!!

No Helen update today which worries me a little, trying to remember life does go on even if it isn't posted online.

I leave with my favourite tweet of the week: "Just spoke to an agent who got food poisoning from a quail's egg at a literary awards ceremony. Most middle class mishap ever?"

At 19:18 Blogger Dragonsally said...

So, would he like a local paper posted to him from here Emily? I think its a really cool thing to be interested in.

At 19:45 Blogger Siri said...

Note to self - bring Ben a paper. Ask Pa if he has a Wessington Times Enterprise for same young man.

Toni and Nathalie? This will be heaven on earth!

OSS, are you flying or driving? Or training, for that matter.

At 19:47 Blogger Siri said...

Oh - Aleta - I did some updating on the spreadsheet.

At 19:51 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Hi Siri - I'm flying. The train cost almost as much as airfare and arrived and departed at inconvenient times. And I'm not a confident enough driver to rent a car. I'm supposed to get into MSP around 9:15 a.m., but figured I'd wait there till there are enough fiends to make up a trip.

At 21:13 Blogger Siri said...

OSS - sent you a gmail.

At 21:23 Blogger Stacey Robson said...

Hahah! THAT, Lorraine, is brilliant bag-and-hat finding skills. When I was working in a post-shop I only wish people had the decency (and intelligence) to not get mad about things. Terrifying the poor person behind the counter never helps. In fact, it makes things so much worse.

At 23:02 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Done with computers! Dr Wicked is amazing and made everything all pretty again in computer world!

And I have my hair back!

And an accidental pair of new shoes. My fav store is alas, going out of business, and there they were 35% off, Brazilian Frye's....I mean, what are you going to do? LEAVE them there????

Had to wince a little and take them home anyway.

At 00:08 Blogger vampi said...

haha accidental shoes, sounds like an album title.

At 00:40 Blogger Na said...

cor, the shoes were another way of fod telling you it wants you to be happy, and for the shoes to go to a good home where they will be taken care of.

this week is a constant crush, a whittling of my time and testing of my mental resources. argh. but. better 'n being bored, i s'pose!

what did we tell you get for take-out, Fluffy?

At 04:44 Blogger Precision Grace said...

yay for new computers and other yay things.

on a completely random note: what do I pack for a trip to SF? how warm/cold is it? Should I go shopping once there? Will I have time? How much do I bring? It's been three years since I've been on a two-week trip anywhere. I've forgotten all the protocols. Halp.

At 07:44 Blogger Beez said...

Ah yes, heavenly soles need a good home.

Hurrah for fixed computerage, hero worship for Dr. Wicked, and just unreal (in a good way) that there were 3 week left on the warranty. How often does that happen?

Ah my fiends, the bank/seller of my new place cannot seem to bestir themselves into sending the deed packet out, and no closing can be (re)scheduled without it.
I am trying to find out WHAT bank it is, and if there is a local office I will go do the live-and-in-person thing myself. I have to work my way through the protective layers or realtors first.

And they wonder why the banks are in a mess. Wish me luck.

At 08:37 Blogger Marjorie said...

good Luck, Beez. If you do have to go down to the bank, may your endevours be as successful as were those of our Queen Empress herself!

At 08:46 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Best of luck, Beez. You would think they would be anxious to finish the process as well.

Looking forward to seeing the new-new hair, Lorraine. In return, I promise to post pictures of the new glasses, when they finally arrive. It won't be as interesting as purple hair, but... baby steps...

At 08:52 Blogger Na said...

Beez, good luck good luck good luck!

At 09:28 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Morning all!

Riding this morning! It's been falling by the wayside lately, as things have been so very hectic, and I am happy today SEEMS to look good for it.

Tonight will be the Scream porches. TOOK the pics yesterday but it was near 11 by the time I got done with my day.

At 09:41 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Enjoy the riding! Looking forward to happy kitties pictures.

At 09:43 Blogger pmrussell said...

Of course name dropping Twitter didn't hurt.

At 10:30 Blogger ariandalen said...

Oh, my! Don't read for a day and look at all the new Fiends! :)
::rubbing hands together::

Hi, paula mcconnell, Postitnoter, Jaime, bookfool, Loni Edwards, c0rp_53110ut, Kari Wolfe, Corey, avandamanders, Malc, cgw@accidentally,kle, dampscribbler, and Stacy Robson! Pick up a nice white jacket and personalize it. Just remember, everyone's crazy but me and thee; and sometimes I wonder about thee. :)

::SSSSSSNNNNNNIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFF::
SSSSPPPPIIIICCCCYYYYY!!!!!!!

I love the smell of spicy brains in the morning!


MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At 10:44 Blogger ariandalen said...

Hi, pmrussell! Glad you decided to join Fiendom! Grab a white jacket, personalize it, and wear it with glee! :)

::sniff sniff::
Uh-huh.
SPICY!



MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At 10:48 Blogger Fluffy said...

Whee! 5 inches of rain so far today, and more storms are here! Yard is looking lake-ish in areas, but at least we got the critical gutter cleared so the water doesn't flood the courtyard any more. Well, as much, anyway.

I think I need a pot of tea!

At 10:56 Blogger ariandalen said...

Yay for returning to riding! Hope you have a wonderful ride, Ms. Fabulous. Did you get my box of silliness? ;)

Toni and Nathalie will be at Fiendom Come, too! W00T!! Stillwater will never be the same.

Hope, it's taken me two days to remember, but I've had very good results baking with Splenda.

Watched a beautiful lightning show last night to the south of the drive-in we were at. Even caught some of it on my phone set to camcorder. DH even caught a still photo of some of the lightning on his phone. :)

At 11:17 Blogger Jess said...

I gotcher thunders and lightnings right here. I'm gonna keep linking this a capella Toto thing until someone says Awesome:

Africa

Okay, it is Toto, but you have to admit the thunderstorm bit at the beginning is dead clever. Come on! You do. You can't help yourselves. You can't. You're all secretly groovin' in your chairs. Possibly even singing along like me.

Hurrah for repurpled hairs! And computers with total backup. And accidental shoes. All good things.

Scream like a porch! Oh yeah.

At 11:21 Blogger Phiala said...

Okay Jess, that is pretty cool. I hadn't looked because I'm kind of scared of your links. (And frankly terrified of those that Woodsman Hans comes up with!)

At 11:22 Anonymous Anonymous said...

you are fabulous! most excellent!

At 11:24 Blogger Phiala said...

Kyle, you're only saying that because Q hasn't captured you in the garret yet.

Or maybe she already has, and you're trying to get out?

At 11:40 Blogger Jess said...

Oh Phiala. Count yourself lucky that I only link the nice things. The nice and catchy things... :P

At 12:24 Blogger Erin Underwood said...

Jess, I loved the video, especially the beginning section.

Where do you find these things?

At 12:43 Blogger Chantrelle said...

SF..layer layer layer. The coldest is only 50 probably but it's been foggy in the morning and evening. Warm in the day.

being beckoned for breakfast...back soon

At 12:51 Blogger Chantrelle said...

So, that was this morning's post that never posted.

Ben said this to me this morning:
"You know all guys are really bad guys. Because to the bad guys, the good guys are bad guys because they're trying to fight them. "

We are doomed as parents. He's going to be outsmarting any day now and he's not even 5 yet.

At 12:54 Blogger ariandalen said...

That is a cool thunderstorm by Perpetual Jazzile, Jess. :)

At 13:28 Blogger Na said...

Toto? Do I have to? *ponders*

Chantrelle, yes, me thinks you are in trouble. ;) But in a good way. K's latest thing is to laugh in various would-be maniacal ways, then ask, "Did that sound evil?"

Q, hope you got that ride in and that it was much fun.

At 13:34 Blogger Na said...

Oh, awesome!!! Okay, a Toto song being sung by other folks, and the opening bit very cool. Glad I peeked. :D

At 13:52 Blogger Uisge said...

Titanic! Is opening at the Science Museum (of MN) today and I got to see the staff preview. Very very nice exhibit. Two thumbs up for fiends.

At 14:07 Blogger Uisge said...

Yay, Magic and fun hopping! Love that he can feel outside-ish and has a place to peek and spy from.

My earlier comment was eaten, wherein I agreed with the being nice and funny way of approaching cust serv people (I used to be one and would go over the river and through the woods to make good things happen for funny, nice people.)

At 14:11 Blogger vampi said...

k fiends, be careful there is a virus going around that is spamming your friends with bad links. be careful what you click. mine were coming in as direct messages copied to about 20 people at a time with bad spelling in the subject.

FYI

i have consistent bad spelling, but i'm not sending any links in direct message.

At 14:11 Blogger Uisge said...

Fluffy - Vanilla extract?

At 14:12 Blogger Fluffy said...

Oh, my. Everyone's bad. Oh. Well, good luck. I have one that gave me serious pause when she was two. I was chewing her out for doing something I had to clean/fix/whatever and was telling her I didn't appreciate the extra work because she knew better, etc., and she put her hands on her hips, looked me in the eye and said, "But what about widdle Wevelle?" Oooh, I thought. Logical thinking. Trouble ahead.

She is a debater, for sure.

At 14:13 Blogger Fluffy said...

And I really liked the thunder effects in that video! Very clever.

At 14:16 Blogger Fluffy said...

Oh, my sister-in-law gave me a quart of organic Mexican vanilla extract, and since she threatened to send more (her eldest works on cruise ships) I decided to spread the love. Anyone who brings a bottle to Fiendom Come can have some. I'm bringing a funnel.

At 14:22 Blogger Chantrelle said...

Yes, add bottle to list of fiendom come things to pack.

Oh, and make a list.

At 14:24 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Ooooo! That is the best vanilla ever (or so my mother always swore). Must add to my list -- find empty little bottle.

At 14:30 Blogger Uisge said...

Jess - thanks for the link. LOVED the thunderstorm, esp the thunder. I want to do that!

At 14:33 Blogger Uisge said...

Fluffy - Ahhhh...clear now. Very kind of you.

At 15:38 Anonymous kali_licious@yahoo.com said...

All this listmaking is making me feel guilty..I'm going to SF in 5 days and I haven't thought to start.(!)

Wish I could be at Fiendom Come too..I'll have to settle for the virtual version.

At 16:01 Blogger Precision Grace said...

Thank you Chantrelle! you are the only person to have responded to my plea and that includes my Mum who lives there!

kali_licious - you are going too?! yay What clothes are you taking?

Can't wait for the porch + hair pics

At 17:11 Blogger Ani said...

Hmmmm. A long time ago I promised to bring hats to Fiendom Come. On the list.

Oh, and I promised to do something unspeakable to Vampandora for "neener neenering" me on Twitter.

My list is not only getting longer, but stranger!

At 17:18 Blogger vampi said...

oooh what kinds of hats?

haha unspeakable things. fiendom come is sounding more and more fun every minute!

At 17:45 Blogger Chantrelle said...

ah crap, i hoped your memory was as bad as mine and you'd forgotten the neener incident.

At 17:48 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Speaking of promises, I did promise pictures of the new glasses, didn't I? I think it might have been in exchange for pictures of Lorraine's new-new hair. I herewith fulfill my part of the bargain.

I do not promise to leave these up for long though...

At 17:49 Blogger vampi said...

i like them :) i has similar ones last time. i'm not happy with this pair but i haven't been motivated to go change them yet.

At 17:55 Blogger Chantrelle said...

Ooh, like the new ones, really changes your look! They're hip and funky.

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