Day 1045: National Macaroon Day

This is the most hilarious ‘How to make a Macaroon’ video on YouTube.

Day 1044: My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it Day

Day 1043: End of the Middle Ages Day

From ‘Almanac of Miscellaneous Merriment’

May 29, 1453 is considered by many historians to be the end of the Middle Ages, (and therefore the Beginning of the Renaissance), and because of this, some people decided it would be good to celebrate the End of the Middle Ages, and some even call it a good day to give gifts. 

On this day the city of Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire after being under siege for almost two months. So, why is this specific turning point significant? Because of the fall of Constantinople, the Byzantine (Greek) scholars migrated away from Constantinople which had been their political center. This scattering encouraged studies of Greek culture outside of theByzantine Empire and began a revival of learning based on classical Greek sources, which began the Renaissance. 

So, how do we celebrate the end of the Middle Ages? Well, one of my favorite ways to celebrate is with food. I found quite a few recipes here, and here, and here. I would probably try to think of more ways to celebrate, but my lunch break is over, so I should get back to work in the next few minutes. 

So, in which ever way you celebrate, even if you just read a bit about the Fall of Constantinople, have a wonderful End of the Middle Ages Day.

Day 1042: CBS Upfronts

CBS is probably the gutsiest network out there.  10 years ago, with the help of ‘CSI’ and ‘Survivor’ they completely changed the direction of their programing, for the better… and now… they believe in their line-up so much that their not afraid to replace actors and only launch 6 new shows this season, (half as many as any other network).

MONDAYS (Legen…dary)

8 pm: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ is BACK!!!!   This was my favorite sitcom of 2005 and every year it’s on the bubble for cancelation.  I can’t even begin to tell you have excited I am that the show will continue!

8:30pm: ‘2 Broke Girls’… from the writers of ‘Sex and the City’… but doesn’t sound as legendary.

9pm: ‘Two and a Half Men’… wow.  I’m speechless.  I seriously hate this show… and I’m not a huge Aston Kutcher fan (but he was good in ‘That 70s Show’).  But for some reason I can’t wait to see the reboot of this show.  Call it a morbid fascination… but it should be interesting.

9:30pm: ‘Mike and Molly’, I haven’t seen this show, but I want to.

10pm: ‘Hawaii Five-O’, again, I haven’t seen this one yet.  I have it in my queue and I’m really excited about it.

TUESDAYS (Strong)

8pm: ‘NCIS’… I’ll be watching ‘Glee’ on FOX.

9pm: ‘NCIS: LA’… Sure, I’ll watch, I need something to fill the time until ‘Parenthood’ on NBC.

10pm: ‘Unforgettable’, described as ‘The Mentalist’ with a hot girl… and with CBS’s knack for reinventing the same show, I figure it will do well…

WEDNESDAYS (Another strong night)

8pm: ‘Survivor’… HURRAY!

9pm: ‘Criminal Minds’

10pm: ‘CSI’

THURSDAYS (Sounds Good!)

8pm: ‘The Big Bang Theory’, my OTHER favorite sitcom is BACK!

8:30pm: ‘How to Be a Gentleman’, Starring Kevin Dillian (Entourage) and Dave Folly (News Radio and The Kids in the Hall) I WILL be watching!

9pm: ‘Person of Interest’!!!!!!!!  This is JJ Abrams new show.  CBS claims that this show has tested higher with audiences than any other CBS show in the last 15 years… and it’s JJ Abrams.  It should be awesome!

10pm: ‘The Metalist’

FRIDAYS (Skippable)

8pm: ‘A Gifted Man’, a review described this show as a ‘schlockfest’. 

9pm: ‘CSI: NY’

10pm: ‘Blue Bloods’… this is actually a pretty good show and has zero competition… unless you like ‘20/20’ and ‘Dateline’.

SATURDAYS (Huh?)

CBS is the ONLY network to air a real show on Saturday… ‘Rules of Engagement’ will air Saturdays at 8pm… but don’t count on it staying there.  I call this an on deck show.  As soon as one of their new sitcoms underperforms, you’ll see ‘Rules of Engagement’ being called back up to the big leagues.

SUNDAYS (Rock solid)

8pm: ‘The Amazing Race’, AWESOME!

9pm: ‘The Good Wife’

10pm: ‘CSI: Miami’

Day 1041: FOX Upfronts

MONDAYS (Power House Alternative to Reality Shows)

8pm: ‘Terra Nova’, a sci-fi epic.

9pm: ‘House’, eight seasons and still VERY strong.

TUESDAYS (Another Solid Night)

8pm: ‘Glee’

9pm: ‘The New Girl’ staring Zooey Deschanel!!!!!!

9:30pm: ‘Raising Hope’… I haven’t seen it, but I hear it’s good.

WEDNESDAYS (Yawn)

8pm: ‘The X Factor’… umm… this is a singing competition with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul as judges… wait a minute… isn’t this… wait.  Huh?

9:30: ‘I Hate My Teenage Daughter’, good cast… but shows is this timeslot never do well.   Back in the early days of ‘American Idol’ they used to squeeze in a 9:30 sitcom before FOX switches to local news, but there was always a huge rates drop and affiliates would go berserk.  So, every time the sitcom was canceled and ‘American Idol’ was expanded to two-hours.  Expect that to happen here.

THURSDAYS (Classic FOX)

8pm: ‘The X Factor, Results Show’… by the way… if you haven’t figured it out, in January ‘American Idol’ will take over ‘The X Factor’ timeslot… because… well… sing competitions are awesome?

9pm: ‘Bones’

FRIDAYS (AWESOME!)

8pm: ‘Kitchen Nightmares’… too bad I’ll be watching ‘Chuck’ on NBC.

9pm: ‘FRINGE’!!!!!!!  Sorry ‘Grimm’… I’m a JJ Abrams loyalist!

SUNDAYS (Animated)

8 – 10pm:  FOX’s normal Sunday night animation block.  They have a new show premiering called ‘Allen Gregory’… I know nothing about it.

Day 1040: The ABC Upfronts

Once upon a time ABC was a juggernaut for inventive new shows… however, based on early reporting from critics, who attended the ABC Upfronts, not one of their 11 new shows sparked ‘LOST’ or ‘Modern Family’ level excitement.

MONDAYS (Solid)

8 – 10pm: ‘Dancing with the Stars’, still a rating giant and will probably cause NBC executives to weep openly.

10 – 11pm: ‘Castle’, hands down, the BEST crime show on television.  There is NO way ‘The Playboy Club’ will steal viewers from the fourth season of this fantastic show!

TUESDAYS (Shaky)

8 – 9pm Comedy Block: The early reviews for Tim Allen’s ‘Last Man Standing’ and ‘Man Up’ are NOT good and their timeslot REALLY confuses me.  Based on reviews, these two shows seem focus on male demographics… however, they are being used to lead into the ‘Dancing with the Stars, Results Show’.  The choice doesn’t make any sense to me.

9 – 10pm: ‘Dancing with the Stars, Results Show’

10 – 11pm: ‘Body of Proof’, I haven’t seen this show, but I love Dana Delany and I’m glad to see her show renewed… although I’ll probably watch ‘Parenthood’ on NBC instead.

WEDNESDAYS (Not very exciting)

8 – 10pm Comedy Block: Joining ‘The Middle’ and ‘Modern Family’ are two new sitcoms that I’m not overly excited about called ‘Suburgatory’ and ‘Happy Endings’.  The critics seem to think their worth checking out for a few episodes though… so I’ll probably give them a chance.

10 – 11pm: ‘Revenge’, okay… so… one review begins with, “I'm not entirely convinced that Emily Van Camp can really act, or pull off devious, but she's sure as hell going to try.”  And then it tries to explain the shows rather bizarre premise.  So… I’m hoping CBS will be showing something interesting because I’m certainly not going to watch ‘Law & Order: SVU’

THURSDAYS (Solid Girl Night)

The line-up really speaks for itself.

8 – 9pm: ‘Charlie’s Angles’ reboot.

9 – 10pm: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

10 – 11pm: ‘Private Practice’

FRIDAYS (Craptastic Reality)

8 – 9pm: ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’… is this show really still on?

9 – 10pm: ‘Shark Tank’

SUNDAYS (Very Interesting)

8 – 9pm: ‘Once Upon a Time’, great cast, but it’s a full blow fantasy show… on a Sunday night.  Not sure how long it will stay there, but I’m going to give it a shot.

9 – 10pm: ‘Desperate Housewives’… still going!

10 – 11pm: ‘Pan Am’, remember yesterday when I said every network wants their own version of ‘Mad Men’?  Well, this is ABC’s version and it is a LOT more promising than NBC’s… but still not REAL promising. 

Day 1039: The NBC Upfronts

So… over my last R&R, I found out a close friend has been secretly reading my blog.  I never knew until we went out one night and he said, “Hey, I really appeared your story about trying to get your internet hooked up in Pakistan.” 

Me: “Oh yeah?  Thanks… wait a minute.  Where… have you?...”

Him:  “Yeah… I read the blog… I skip all the stuff about movies, but I like to keep tabs on you.”

Well… you know who you are, I’ll see you in a couple months and you can go ahead and skip this post.

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In case you don’t know, the “Upfronts” are when a television networks present their line-up of shows for the next season to advertisers and the media.  Most importantly, this is their first opportunity to get advertisers excited about their NEW shows and sell LOTS of advertizing time up-front… hence the name… “Upfronts.”

Anyway, NBC, the network poster-child for poor decision…

(That’s right I still haven’t forgiven you for firing Conan… and the fact that you’ve canceled BOTH shows my good friend Jennifer Ferrin starred in, ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘The Cape’, isn’t really helping my forgiving nature!)

… is the first to step up to the plate and announce their Upfronts… and honestly, I have mixed feelings about it… but they do have some new shows that excite me.

MONDAYS (Not Thrilled… except for ‘Smash’)

8 – 10pm:  I am not excited about this at all.  NBC will be rolling out, not one, but TWO two-hour singing competitions in this time slot.  Starting this fall, the will be airing ‘The Sing-Off’ and in the January, they will launch ‘The Voice’.  What, with FOX’s addition of ‘The X-Factor’ this season, there will now be FOUR, that’s right, FOUR bloated singing competitions on the air in one season.

10 – 11pm (Fall): ‘The Playboy Club’… Umm… so… with the success of ‘Mad Men’ every network and their mother want a show like ‘Mad Men’… and ‘The Playboy Club’ is NBC’s attempt to reinvent the wheel.  I bet this show gets canceled with a vengeance!  This is a tough time-slot for NBC shows and I just don’t see ‘The Playboy Club’ appealing to the folks who just finished watching a singing competition.

10 – 11pm (January): ‘Smash’, a musical-drama, produced by Steven Spielberg and staring ‘American Idol’ runner-up Katherine McPhee, described as ‘Glee’ for grown-ups.  I think this is a PERFECT pairing with ‘The Voice’ and could be a hit… IF, and only if ‘The Voice’ is able to maintain viewers.

TUESDAYS (Mixed Emotions)

8 – 10pm: So… Serena and I actually like ‘The Biggest Loser’, however we’ve grown tired of the epically long seasons of two-hour episodes.  It’s just too much.

10 – 11pm: ‘Parenthood’, great cast, great show.  I’m glad it’s back for a third season!

WEDNESDAY  

I am not excited about NBC Mondays AT ALL.  They are rolling out, not one, but from 8 – 10pm:  In the fall it will be

WEDNESDAYS (Showing Promise)

8 – 9pm Comedy Block:  Serena and I LOVE Christina Applegate and were thurally disappointed when ABC cancelled ‘Samantha Who’ a few years ago.  So I am excited to see her back with ‘Up All Night’ and equally excited about Hank Azaria’s ‘Free Agents’.

9 – 10pm: ‘Harry’s Law’, I haven’t seen this show yet, but I hear good things.

10 – 11pm: ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’... … Well, seriously… I think this franchise has run its course.

THURSDAYS (Thumbs Up)

8 – 10pm Comedy Block:  Only one new show in this block and it’s my other prediction for early cancelation.  It’s called ‘Whitney’ and the early reviews are not strong.  The only hope for this show is its 9:30pm timeslot, right after ‘The Office’.  As it stands now, ‘Whitney’ is uncontested in its time slot, so unless CBS announces a 9:30pm sitcom on Thursdays, there will be nothing to watch until 10pm.

10 – 11pm: ‘Prime Suspect’.  This is the new NBC show that I’m MOST excited about.  If it’s anything like the British version starring Helen Mirren, it should be REALLY good!

FRIDAYS (AWESOME)

8 – 9pm: The final season of ‘Chuck’!!!!   Every year I am always concerned about ‘Chuck’, one of my favorite shows currently on the air.  I am really excited that NBC has given this show a chance to go out in style.

9 – 10pm: ‘Grimm’, I’m not sure if I’m 100% behind this show.  The premise is kind of strange… however this is the perfect time slot for it… if it’s going to appeal to anyone; it will be the folks who watch ‘Chuck’.

Day 1038: Super Don’t Worry?

Has anyone heard of the board game “Super Don’t Worry?”… as opposed to normal “Don’t Worry”, which I assume also exists, but have never seen before.

During my R&R, the house we rented in Greece had a ton of board games… and one of the games that drew Grayson’s attention was called “Super Don’t Worry”.  All the pieces were there expect the directions.

So, because of the name, Grayson decided it was the Greek version of “Sorry!”, his favorite American board game… and completely made up similar rules on the fly even though the game board and pieces were nothing like “Sorry!”.

It was pretty darn funny… and out of curiosity, I decided to find the game in hopes of figuring out the real rules… however I can’t find anything about it online.  It’s as if the game doesn’t exist at all.

I have no really hopes of finding it, but I thought I would just throw it out there.

Day 1037: Politics, a Love/Hate Relationship

Although I purposefully avoid the topic of ‘politics’ on this blog, don’t be fooled; I am a very politically minded person and I can’t get enough of the stuff…

In real life (as opposed to blog life) I enjoy discussing politics with people of all backgrounds.  And I REALLY like looking at issues from all perspectives in a very methodical, unemotional, and detached manner.  I personally think it’s easier to understand an issue when you turn off your emotions, turn off the talking points of others, and just research facts.

As a result, I have found that I am less interested in individual issues and more interested in political strategy as a whole.  It’s all a big game and it fascinates me. 

How big of a game do I think it is?

Well, back in 2008, I created a Political Primaries Fantasy League, where every player had to pick a Republican and Democratic candidate for each state… and players earned points equal to the percentage of votes the candidates they picked earned in those states.  (You didn’t have to pick the same candidate for all states; you could pick whoever you wanted for each individual state.) 

Now, some of you are probably drooling with boredom already, but I have to admit.  This fantasy league ended up being a lot of fun and it really forced players to research candidates from both parties AND understand what was important to different states… it forced player to step out of their comfort zone a little bit. 

In addition, the game really got us talking about strategy.  There were a lot of heavy hitters from both parties that lost their footing early in the primary process… which begged the question, “What did they do wrong?”

So, yeah… I have a pretty bizarre love affair with political strategy.  Coupled with my background in Theatre, I sometimes wonder if I would have been better suited as a campaign manager.

Sure, I have some platform issues that I personally find important, but for the most part I am pretty middle of the road, flexible, and I have a very eclectic voting record… but that certainly has its draw backs as well.

When you are sitting in the middle you tend to forget how passionate many people can be about “their” side.  And, even during simple conversations that passion can lead to a lot of very negative unnecessary mudslinging and very derogatory comments about the people they don’t agree with… and most of it has very little to do with fact and everything to do with personal nastiness.  

Sure, I enjoy poking fun at politicians when they say or do something silly… but I just don’t see how being nasty is productive or how it benefits ANY part of our country political dialogue.

Anyway, when a conversation gets to that dark place, folks put their defenses up and it’s pretty much impossible to say anything that isn’t taken personal… and well… the ability to have a logical conversation disappears.  
  
And that’s what I hate about politics.

Day 1036: Oh, that Grayson!

Grayson just cracks me up.  He is always very interested in how my day is and I just love how he asks.

Grayson: “Dad, can I ask you a question?”

Me: “Sure buddy.”

Grayson: “Dad… Dad… I want to ask you… Dad, how was your day at work?”

Me: “It was pretty good.”

Grayson: “That’s good Dad, I’m glad you had a good day in Pakistan.”

Now, sometimes Grayson doesn’t ask me how work was, sometimes he just asks, “Dad, how was your day in Pakistan.”

And my stock answer has become: “HOT!”

Day 1035: Hot Weather Training

So… while I think the only drawback to going to Suriname is the horrible internet speeds… Serena is pretty apprehensive about the heat.  Which I find kind of funny since she lived in Mombasa, on the coast of Kenya, for two and a half year… but I’m pretty sure she’s having horrific frizzy hair flashbacks.

Anyway, it’s pretty much 90 degrees Fahrenheit year around in Surianme… with 100% humidity.  So yeah… it’s going to be hot… and since spring is now coming to a close, the Schutz family has begun the longest summer of our lives… it should last until late 2014.

Honestly, though.  I’m looking forward to cooling off.  It’s only mid-May, but the daily highs in Islamabad are consistently hitting over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, (Tomorrow’s expected high is 108 degrees!)

And when you compare that to Suriname’s current highs, which are dancing around the high 80s to low 90s… Suriname is sounding pretty awesome right about now. 

Now, listen.  When you’re talking about temperate like 90 and 108, it’s pretty easy to dismiss it by saying, “Hot is hot,” but an 18 to 20 degree difference, like in the case of Islamabad and Suriname, is pretty darn significant.  Just imagine we’re talking about 50 vs. 70 degrees and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  That’s the difference between jackets and t-shirts.  And in the case of Islamabad and Suriname, it’s the difference between nudist colony and death by heat stroke. 

It’s HOT!  Dang hot!

Day 1034: Help with Satellite Internet... in Suriname

I am in desperate need of help and guidance.

There is no such thing as a perfect location and I have recently discovered a significant drawback for my next assignment in Paramaribo, Suriname: Internet is slow AND cost prohibitive.

The best (Platinum) DSL internet package in Suriname runs at a speed of .5 Mbsp, which is pretty much dial-up and folks already there say it’s impossible to upload pictures… So, SchutzHappens is pretty much going to be dead in the water at these speeds.

Plus, this extremely slow speed comes at a price: $150 per month!!!!!

Yeah, NO THANK YOU!

So!  I’ve started researching alternatives in the form of Satellite Internet providers (HughsNet, WildBlue, Skyway, and Starband).

Now, the thing to keep in mind is that DishNetwork and DirectTV are both available in Suriname, so, in theory, I should also be able to use one of these Satellite Internet providers, especially Skyway or Starband because they use the EchoStar Satellites (Dish Network) to deliver their service.

Anyway, I would love to speak to someone who has had experience using one of these providers in the Caribbean, Central American, or Northern South America… or any someone who has advice on an alternative I haven’t looked into yet.

Please email me at SchutzHappens@gmail.com

THANKS!

Day 1033: Top 15 Albums of 2003

Blink 182 – Blink 182 (Pop Punk)

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Dave Matthews – Some Devil (Rock)

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Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism (Indie Rock)

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Dido – Life for Rent (Trip Hop)

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Evenescence – Fallen (Rock)

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Everclear – Slow Motion Daydream (Alternative Rock)

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Jem – It All Starts Here (Trip Hop)

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Linkin Park – Meteora (Alternative Rock)

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Michael Buble – Michael Buble (Big Band)

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Muse – Absolution (Alternative Rock)

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Sarah McLachlan – Afterglow (Adult Contemporary)

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Snow Patrol – Final Straw (Alternative Rock)

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The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (Indie Rock)

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The White Stripes – Elephant (Rock)

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Train – My Private Nation (Roots Rock)

Day 1032: FTD Flowers is a Scam!

As Mother’s Day approached Serena and I thought it would be nice to send flowers to our moms.  We haven’t been around for Mother’s Day for quite a few years now and wanted to do something a little more special than just a skype call.

So, Serena started looking at FTD Flowers (www.ftd.com)... Which is VERY expensive and their cheapest set was like $25, plus delivery.  And if you’ve ever had flowers delivered you’ll know that delivery fees are not cheap… it was pretty much the same price as the bouquet!

Anyway, Serena remembered something!  “A few months ago I sent flowers to my Grandma for her birthday and as a ‘thank you’ FTD emailed me a coupon for 15% off my next purchase!”

Me:  “Sweet!  Let’s do it!”

Serena pulled up her account, found the email, clicked on the special link provide to claim her deal, and then Serena said, “What the heck?  This can’t be right.”

Me:  (Looking over her shoulder) “What is it?”

Serena: “Look at the prices.”

Serena had pulled up the same $25.00 bouquet of flowers… but now, the base price was $30.00 with a huge red ‘X’ through it and in large red writing it said, “ONLY $25.00!!!”

I couldn’t believe it.  Serena even pulled the two windows up next to each other… I really wish I had screen shots to show you.  But trust me.  FTD’s ‘special’ 15% off was totally a scam.  And I am sure many other companies are doing it too. 

Personally, I think lying to customers in an attempt to secure our loyalties is unconscionable.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that.  SchutzHappens DOES NOT endorse FTD.com.

Day 1031: Business Class, You Have Forsaken Me!

Okay, so… as I mentioned the other day I am determined to fly business class back to Belgrade when I finally leave Islamabad.  And get this; most of my friends have been getting business class upgrades for as little as $125 to $150 for their one way trips home at the end of their tours.

So, I’m like, “HECK YEAH!” and head down to the Travel Office to find out how much a business class upgrade to Belgrade with run me.

I could totally swing $150 as a gift to myself for a tour well done… and I’m sure Serena wouldn’t bat an eye at the expense either.

Well… the Travel Office informed me the upgrade would cost $1,717.45.

Yeah… I… I just don’t… understand.

I. Will. Not. Cry.

Day 1030: Grayson Is a Lucky Boy, Indeed

While I was home on my R and R Grayson said the funniest thing while playing with me in the back yard.

So, we were in our backyard throwing around this gigantic Frisbee… the kind made of fabric with Styrofoam around the edges.  It’s designed to float more than it is anything else and Grayson and I were having a great time.

Now, one issue we have when playing in the back yard is the fence.  It’s a ‘Sandlot’ style fence.  Do you remember the movie ‘The Sandlot’?  Where the boys play baseball is a vacant lot next to this enormous fence… and whenever they hit a ball over the fence it is lost forever?  Well, that’s the kind of fence we have in Belgrade.

Well… Grayson and I are always careful about not getting too close to the fence when we play (although we have lost a couple of things over the edge… including a sandal… which I am still confused about…) anyway, on the day in question Grayson threw the Frisbee wild… it went high into the air and over the fence…

Grayson: “OH NO!”

Me: “Oh man!  There it goes!”

And then… it stopped.  The Frisbee stopped and just hung in the air for a second (a light wind had blow through the yard and stopped the momentum of the Frisbee… it just hung there floated on the other side of the fence.

Grayson and I held our breaths with no hope of ever seeing the Frisbee again… waiting for the wind to subside and drop the Frisbee into the pit of despair… but it didn’t it just hung in the air.  It give you an idea, Grayson and I had time to look at each other and exchange a “What in the world is going on glance” AND return our gaze to the Frisbee without it moving.

Then… just as all hope was lost, the wind didn’t die down… it picked up… and a huge gust of wind came through blowing the Frisbee straight up into the air and as it began to fall back down, it floated back over the fence, into our yard, and into my hands.

Grayson and I were just took a stood there looking at each other…  at the fence… the Frisbee… and each other again.  Then we both busted out laughing and Grayson said, “I can’t believe it!  The Frisbee came back!  I just can’t believe it!  I’m such a lucky boy!  I have a mommy, a daddy, a baby brother, and a helpful wind.  I am just so lucky!”

Day 1029: The Myth of Business Class

So… you might think with all of my travels that I’ve been enjoying the fruits of Business Class. Well, my confession might shock you. I’ve NEVER flown Business… EVER! I’ve only rocked economy.


On second thought, this confession probably isn’t to shocking… I’ve probably already told you this OR you just assumed it because I’m so cheap. (FYI: American Diplomats have to fund their own Business Class Upgrades when on official travel).


Anyway, although I haven’t flown Business Class I have racked up quite a few SkyMiles and I’ve only used them once to buy a ticket from Washington, DC to Charleston, SC… which barely put a dent in them.


So, the point of my story is that on my resent trip from Belgrade to Islamabad I was intent on breaking my economy streak… and from what I’ve heard; if there are open Business Class seats at the time of boarding its pretty easy to use your SkyMiles for upgrades… I had just never tired it… but, that is what I aimed to do!


My flight from Belgrade to Rome is way too short to care, only an hour and a half, so the upgrade would have been a waste of points, so I opted to wait until I got to Rome. And when I got to Rome, I was greeted by one of the friendliest and most helpful ticket/gate agents I have ever met… so I took his word when he told me the flight was full and there was no chance of an upgrade.


However… five and a half hours later, in Doha, things got pretty strange. Again, I had a very helpful gate agent who took my frequent flyer number and added me to the waitlist for upgrades. He told me I was at the top of the list and he seemed hopeful for my upgrade… but when it came time to board nothing happened.


When boarding began and it was my turn to present my ticket (to a different ticket agent) I said, “I’m on the waitlist for a Business Class upgrade.”


Ticket Taker: “Oh sir, this is a full flight, I don’t think there will be an upgrade available.”


Me: “Really? It’s full?”


Ticket Taker: “Yes, it is nearly full.”


Me: (Joking), “Nearly full isn’t full. There could still be a chance!”


The ticket taker laughed, “Yes sir, it is possible.”


And finally, when I was boarding I informed the stewardess greeting us that I was on the business class upgrade waitlist. She asked me to take my assigned seat and they would see if there was any space after boarding.


Nothing happened and me, being a roll with the punches kind of guy made an assumption, “There must not be any space in Business Class.”


And I wish my assumption was correct.


I was sitting at the very front of the economy section… not the bulkhead, but the second row. And about halfway through the flight the two stewardesses working the Business Class section opened the separation curtains and lowered a wall panel (I don’t know why) giving me an unobstructed view of the ENTIRE Business Class Section.


There was ONE person there.


And trust me here, I am not exaggerating. Yes, I do exaggerate from time to time, but not now… there was ONLY one person sitting in business class.


And there I was… in economy… fighting for foot space… heartbroken… dreaming of business class.


I think the time for relying on fate is over… Come July (and the end of my tour) I think I’ve earned my upgrade… and I’m might just have to pay for it.

Day 1028: Worst Part of My 19 Hours of Travel (Doha to Islamabad)

So yesterday… I may have been unfair picking on my Rome to Doha seat mates… at least after what happened from Doha to Islamabad.

When THE cardinal sin of flying is breached, worrying about people reclining their seats and opening their windows seem trivial.

When I fly I normally keep a bag at my feet.  I like to have my stuff close and I can’t stand having to get up to fish things out of the overhead bins.

However, since I had been flying all day and the Doha to Islamabad leg was only going to be 3.5 hours I decided to stow my bag overhead so I could have some extra leg room and relax.

Well… ummm… so I almost always request aisle seats because of my legs (I’m just shy of 6 foot)… but for some reason I had been given a middle seat for the last leg of my trip… smack dab in the middle of the wonder twins... who seemed to like the foot space in front of my seat more than their own.

Now, the first thing I should point out is that none of us had placed a bag underneath the seat in front of us, so there was plenty of foot space for all… so I am still kind of confused as to why they kept using mine. 

Secondly, out of the three of us… I was the tallest.

And yes, at one point they both had their feet in MY space. 

Now seriously, the problem is that they were tired.  They were curling up in their seats cattycorner (rather than straight ahead) and as they relaxed their feet would slowly drift under the seat in front of mine.  At least that’s what happened with the guy to my right.  Once he realized what he had done, he moved his legs and it didn’t happen again.

The guy to my left, however, just couldn’t take the hint and was oblivious to my non-verbal cues (kicks). 

Sure, he would move his feet… but it wouldn’t be long before they were back in my space.

Finally, almost halfway into the flight I thought he had himself under control… at least until I stretched and came into contact with BOTH of his feet… and he didn’t make any attempt to move them… so I turned to him and said, “Hey, I love playing footsy as much as the next guy, but this is my third flight today and I’m just not interested.  So, you’re going to need to straighten out so your feet are in front of your seat not mine.”

Yeah… I can be a jerk when I’m tired.  But seriously.  On an airplane, all you have is your seat and your foot space… it must be defended!  

Day 1027: Worst Part of My 19 Hours of Travel (Rome to Doha)

The people I had to sit next to… and behind.

Now… I know I’m going to sound petty here, but I sat next to folks with some of the most annoying in-flight habits… they drove me nuts!  And in my travels I’ve sat next to a lot of different people… some chatty, some smelly, some inconsiderate… but this time around I really scored the dream team.

From Rome to Doha (5.5 hours) I sat behind a guy who liked to recline, which doesn’t really bother me (normally)… but this guy would give me zero warning and drop his seat back with all of his weight, so fast that it would scared me.  Like someone was throwing a brick at my face that magically stopped inches from my nose. 

Although this only happened a couple times during our flight, it really peeved me when he launched back and actually hit my knees one of the times.  My legs had been crossed and he came straight down on top of them, “Ow!  Can you please give me a little warning in the future?”  He didn’t turn… he didn’t respond… he didn’t give me the universal blank stare that says, “I don’t speak your language, but I am sorry.”  He simple lifted his seat up for a second and then launched back again.  I wanted to slap him… but I didn’t.

Next to me was a very quite young woman who seemed perfectly normal until she started looking out the window compulsively.  Now, again… looking out the window is something people do on planes, so I am not complaining.  Sure, every time she opened her window, the glare of the light made ‘The Green Hornet’ unwatchable… but I was less annoyed by her compulsion then you might think.  Sure it was annoying at first… but then I found it funny.   Just about every 15 minutes (yes, I timed her) she would open her window and look out… only for about 30 to 60 seconds… and then close it again.  Honestly, we were up so high there was nothing to see, but she just kept doing it.  Open, Close, Open, Close.

I couldn’t help but imagine her internal monologue: “Good, we are still flying.”  “Is that cloud following us?”  “I shouldn’t have watched ‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’ before going on this flight.”

Day 1026: Best Part of My 19 Hours of Travel

The BEST part of my three flights has to be the layover in Doha.  Now, if you’ve flown through Doha before, you’re probably saying to yourself, “What’s so special about Doha… the airport feels like a bus depot.”

Well, this is true.  The Doha airport is a very small, bus station feeling kind of place.  BUT, it has some AMAZING food!  And frankly, food will ALWAYS trump décor. 

Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve raved about the food in the Doha airport and it certainly won’t be the last… But you have to be careful… if you ever end up in Doha, you don’t want to end up eating at the wrong place.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the Doha airport has two floors and they have a food court on each level.  I’ve never been to the food court on the first floor, so I don’t know what they have there, but if it’s anything like the upstairs food court it’s nothing to write home about… unless you really want to dine at an A&W or some other random fast food restaurant you’ve never heard of.

That said, take my advice and avoid the “food courts”. 

On the second floor, on the opposite end of the terminal from the food court you’ll find a cafeteria.  There isn’t really a sign and it’s around a corner, so you won’t actually see it right-a-way.  However, it is sandwiched between the Masque, Children’s play area, and Gate 16… so, if you follow the signs to one of those three, you’ll find the cafeteria I’m recommending.

And there you’ll find the best samosas, curries, and stews… and Mountain Dew.

Let me know if you ever check it out.

Day 1025: Back in the Saddle Again!

Well, I’m back in good-old Pakistan for my last 10 week sprint to the finish and apparently a lot has happened over here in the last three week.

Note to self: “In the future, I should probably read a newspaper while on R&R.” 

Lol, just kidding.

Anyway, despite all the worrying my friends and family have been doing over the last week or so, my trip back to Islamabad went incredible smooth… well, as smooth as three flights and 19 hours of travel can be.  

Compared to my routing last time (Belgrade-Istanbul-Abu Dhabi-Islamabad), which took MUCH longer on an incredibly uncomfortable airline, this trip was a dream come true!

This time around I was so intent on avoiding the airlines I used last time that I actually flew to Rome first, where I hooked up with Qatar Airways (a MUCH better airline) and flew to Doha and then Islamabad. 

The only disconcerting thing about my travels was the temperate of Islamabad when I arrived at 3:15am.  It was 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside. 

It’s going to be a REALLY hot 10 weeks.