happy holidays!

ok. i'm home!
so are my bags. finally.

for the record, here's what happened:

flight landed late at boston. bad weather being the reason. at boston airport, i am told that i'd miss my flight if i don't "run across to the other terminal" REALLY?? run across?? in SNOW????

but well.. I had to get home, so i figure that's my problem. so i actually scampered across two terminals. completely failing to notice how pretty everything around was.
THEN, i'm told the flight has been delayed. not by 15 - 20 mins. by TWO hours!!!!

and while looking out at the snowed-in planes, i realize with a sinking feeling. "i'm gonna miss my connecting to houston!" i chk with the airline ppl if i can get on a later flight. wishing my bro would actually fly international routes so i can make the plane wait for me! i am told there's no later flight.

faced with the option of being stuck at dallas, i frantically call vin.
me: where are you??
vin: home. where are YOU?
me: can u come to dallas to pick me up???
vin: hehe. where are you right now?
me: i'm at boston airport. flight's delayed by over 2 hours. and i miss my connecting to houston. can u get to dallas by 8.30??
vin: yeah. of course. i can't dare leave you at dallas, can i? hehee.
me: ok. come on time. LEAVE now!

at dallas. i wait for my bags. no bags. so i run around the airport trying to locate a rep who can tell me where my bags are. *it's late. and it's the holiday season. so few reps at that hour*
at the counter:
me: *explained HOW i'd got there, gave them reqd info etc* could you tell me where my bags are?
her: *grinning at me like a cheshire cat. despite seeing that i wasn't in the mood to comprehend humour!* you'll have to call this number and press 7. they would be able to tell you.
me: you don't think YOU should call them? YOU lost my bags. i'm stranded here coz YOUR flights got delayed. and now you want me to call numbers and HOLD??
her: um.. ma'am, i would have. but it's a "customer" service number. they wouldn't speak to me.

i realized, she was serious about it. she looked a little warily at me, actually. too dumbfounded by her blondness... i DO call the number. the man there thought i'd like to chat. and asked me random details about my flights and my bags. finally, he gives me a "locator number" which i'm supposed to map online. except, they don't update their site.
awesome.

a day and a half later, no bags.
i call the number again.
i explain what has happened and give her the locator.. so she can check.
she: you came from london?!
me: yes?
she: and you missed your flight from dallas?
me: YES? *this is info i have JUST given her*
she: OMG!!! how did you get home from dallas at that hour???
me: huh? i asked to be picked up.
she: oh. then why did you not pick up your bags at dallas?

stunned silence.
she thinks i abandoned my precious bags at that airport????? do people DO that??? just like that? for FUN???

me: i WOULD have, if i COULD have. but thanks to your amazing service, my bags did NOT reach dallas. neither have they reached houston. YOU. need. to tell me. WHERE. they are! and, NOW.
she: yes ma'am. i'll just check.

ARGHH!!

finally, 4 hours later that day, my bags got home. after of course, i was made to give super-fab directions of how they could reach my house. yeah, i live here. but i can't give directions. i admit giving directions included resorting to the power of the internet! :D

and just for kicks, i checked their site, later in the evng. to realize that it still said : bags not located.

i've received the bags, but the site says they haven't found them. imagine the trauma this conflicting info would have had on me if i were as bright as their customer service rep(s). vin says i should sue them. for emotional distress.

but i'm just gonna say "happy holidays! feels good to be home. with my luggage!"