MY SUMMER VACATION.

I absolutely hated it each year when the Nuns in Catholic grade school would insist we talk or write about our summer vacation.
And the penguins would not take "No thanks, Sister "as a valid answer.

Dad drove a cab, Mom raised me and my 2 sisters, and my summer vacation Was Ocean City at best and not always. Other kids talked about Atlantic City, Florida, Shenandoah Mountains, etc. I usually made up something. Better than saying I spend the summer
riding animals at the stockyards, stealing grease packing from railroad car wheels, playing baseball all day and after dark, stealing milk and soda bottles off back porches, etc. Just what the other kids and me did in Pigtown, as my Baltimore neighborhood was called in the 50's.

Now I finally have a summer vacation to write about. I was gonna just blog, but it has lots of info you might find help. Especially if
don't intend to die at an early age. The list of Characters, besides me, includes Cops, armed robbers, Indians, etc. Along with an ample dose of history and racism.

It all started with a series of phone calls from Baltimore. Josie's half brother Joseph is age 74, part Indian ( has never shaved ) had been in a rehabilitation and nursing home for almost 2 months. Rehab was over but they were keeping Joseph there. Or at least trying to, involuntary to a degree.

Fall semester was about to start and I would have to miss the 1st week, and short notice airline tickets are expensive. But Joseph was more a father than a big brother to Josie growing up. And I do mean big. Joe is 7 foot tall. Josie's late brother Charles was 6 foot 10. School money would not get to me until Friday that week, so when Social Security check rolled in on Wednesday , most of it rolled back out to Priceline. Did get a package deal that included a car rental. Clicked the box that said I would be using a debit card not attached to a checking account.

I am a cash and carry sort of guy and let daughter max out my only credit card when son-in-law lost his job. When Avis popped up as car Agency, I called Priceline. I have dealt with Avis before, but they assured me as long as my card had a Visa logo above the word DEBIT, all would be fine. And if for some reason a clerk was confused at Avis when I picked up my car, just call Priceline back.

I have survived many disasters by looking at the worst that can happen and try to plan around that. The worst rarely happens.
I decided at worst Josie and I would stay at Joseph's house, visit him at nursing home, and sneak up to AC to gamble and see
the OCEAN !

I mean , it couldn't get worse than that could it ????????????????????????????

Was gonna resume but just got phone call from Joe at Alice Manor nursing home. He told her he is trapped in a van in Nebraska on way to Colorado. He just saw it on the news ? I took the phone and told him I mailed gourmet lollipops to him along with an Indian trinket. He asked if I mailed it to Alice manor or to his house. I minute sane, the next confused, Back and forth and back. Tragic!

Josie is who?

Quote: odiousgambit

Josie is who?

I think Josie is Buzz's wife? If I remember from the previous posts. Not sure.

I go back and forth between thinking Buzz is a real guy in his 70s or 80s or just a really good forum performance artist. I still lean toward he's a real guy. I think the Wiz and others have met him from one of the SHFL open houses at least. Not saying anything, just postulating. Some of the things Buzz writes seem....too good for a guy that age. Take that as a compliment Mr. Paff :)

Deciding this was a vacation, Friday I started to drive to Denver. We have free rooms usually at the Isle, but only Monday thru Thursday. Josie called to get a discounted weekend room before we left Grand Junction, but she played on my daughter's card last
time and we had no discount. On way thru mountains, daughter called and said we probably had free rooms at Ameristar and they had
vacancies. on hold over 30 minutes twice and when person answered, the cell lost signal. Finally got thru at Vail, and you know it , no rooms left. But if I wait till 1:30 in am , pretty sure they will have a room.

I did the math when we got to Blackhawk at 8PM. Pay $80 for room at Isle, go to bed at 10 PM . Or let Josie play slots at Ameristar
until 1:30 AM . No brainer, pay $80 for room at Isle. Late flight Saturday so hang around Blackhawk till 2 pm, tag up old friends in Denver. Head to airport 20 minutes away, 3 hours before flight. You guessed it, traffic accident at the mousetrap. Get to airport 1 hour and 10 minutes before flight. Park at close in lot. $11 a day on top of $200 dropped in Blackhawk. But " I am on VACATIOn ". No problem.

Rush to automated check in. Guess what popped up on the screen?

They have overbooked flight. Would I like $300 to cancel and fly later? WTF $600 for me and Josie to take a later flight. But I can not. Joseph expects us at the nursing home on Sunday afternoon.

What a great start to my vacation. And from here it only gets worse and worse

3:39 AM in Colorado. Just noticed there have been 33 visitors since midnight. Mr Casino Games is in another time zone.
I woke up at 3 am . Rarely happens. Usually sleep thru the night like an innocent person. LOL

So get on plane 6pm Denver Time. Due to late purchase our seats are in same row, but different sides of the aisle. Not an empty seat anywhere, so no trades. Not really. My seat is between a Mom and her young daughter. Her other daughter is 13 rows ahead. So I go there, ask 8 year old to trade places and go sit next to her Mom. I'm a sucker for kids.

When stewardess asks for meals later, I buy one for Josie , way back yonder. Stewardess returns to sag Josie refused. Too much turbulence and she does not want to use rest room later. Get into Dulles 11pm. Stop and eat at Dunkin Donuts on way to baggage
area. Get only black suitcase there. Josie wants to change to sandals. Can't find them OOPs wrong bag. LOL

Got right bag from floor area and take shuttle to Avis. Where-upon Girl at counter says no link to checking account, no car.
Why did I expect anything else at Midnight on my VACATION ???

Quote: AcesAndEights

I think Josie is Buzz's wife? If I remember from the previous posts. Not sure.

I go back and forth between thinking Buzz is a real guy in his 70s or 80s or just a really good forum performance artist. I still lean toward he's a real guy. I think the Wiz and others have met him from one of the SHFL open houses at least. Not saying anything, just postulating. Some of the things Buzz writes seem....too good for a guy that age. Take that as a compliment Mr. Paff :)

Buzz is like the Dos Equis guy, but with jokes.

Not 80 but headed there. Am 72 and a tribute to the adage " Only the good die young ".

Josie is the 18 year old cute girl in a mini skirt I honked at while she was at a bus stop many years ago.

I was 28 at the time and collecting for Julius The Lord Salisbury.

A year later we got marrieded and I switched over to the DARK SIDE AT&T

So there I was Midnight Saturday night, Dulles airport and no rental car. I waited patiently until the girl handled the other customers.
Then I asked to use the phone. She handed me the phone while saying ever-so-sweetly, " We have this trouble with Priceline all the
time" Not exactly what I wanted to hear. Called Priceline, transferred to a CSR, customer service representative. As a technician at
AT&T I worked in a call center. Usually a CSR is a bitter woman married to the company. The CSR told me to hold on, she would straighten AVIS out. Sure enough, the other phone rand and the girl told the CSR AVIS would not accept my card.

The CSR came back on line and told me AVIS will not take my card, repeating AVIS policy, word for word. Round and round we went, with CSR repeating AVIS policy 8 times " word for word " I gave up and had Priceline rent me a car for 1 day, so I could arrange something with AVIS manager in AM. They got me a car at $50 at Alamo. Had them verify the card. They sad they called and as long as card has Visa logo and DEBIT on card, it will be good.

Bribe shuttle driver to take me direct to ALAMO instead of to terminal to catch Alamo shuttle. Walk in ALAMO. Any guesses what happens next?

You got it . Guy says he can not take my card. Smoke comes out me ears but he says he will try it. It goes thru automated kiosk.
Hope he did not get it trouble as it did not charge the extra $200 to be refunded later. That's how Enterprise usesd Debit card.

2 am and en-route to hotel Priceline says is easy to find. But policeman gives wrong directions. Cab driver is from DC and has no idea. Man in convenience store gives excellent directions. But it is to Sheridan restaurant, not Sheraton hotel.
4 am and check in at hotel, ding $50 in Debit card as hold, no problem.

So I've been busy with a new job and have been missing the WoV forums very much.

Surely this can't be the end of the story buzz? Or was the moral of the story the bit about the non-checking-debit-cards and rental car agencies? I will be sure not to trust Priceline if they ever quote that policy to me.

No But I been busy Grandaughter born last week. Now 3 daughters, 11 grand daughters, and 1 grandson.

I know, I know. Just hard not to make girl babies , when the pattern is laid out there in front of you.

Quote: buzzpaff

No But I been busy Grandaughter born last week. Now 3 daughters, 11 grand daughters, and 1 grandson.

I know, I know. Just hard not to make girl babies , when the pattern is laid out there in front of you.

Ha! Never heard that one before.

Incidentally, I found the rest of your story here, in case anyone else was confused. Still catching up, only on page nine of "Recent Posts." Yikes!

Quote: AcesAndEights

I will be sure not to trust Priceline if they ever quote that policy to me.