Nibbles...
Feb. 26th, 2002 06:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpLunch with Elena S. and Natalie P. went very well, even though we were all a little cold despite our proximity to the Villa Capri's gas-fired fireplace. It is cold in Houston today, and the wind just makes it feel colder.
I managed to get the oil changed in the van before leaving for the JSC area, and did all of the things I needed to get done during my visit to Clear Lake, too. I even managed a few minutes with my old boss, catching up.
On the way home, I got a call from an east-coast client asking about my availability. Reasonably good starting Friday, I responded. The job was described as some sort of security specification for the "threat reduction" that the DoD has been working on for the past few years.
Then I got word that a west-coast outfit is looking for some Russian-to-English talent to do some nuclear stuff. I've left a message, giving them my cell phone number here in Houston.
Lee called earlier, about the time I pulled into the driveway here in Pearland after my visit to Clear Lake. She sort of backpedaled on not going to Colorado, only to say that if she went, she'd have to be back in time to do the housesitting job, which basically means she'd have to be back in about a week, which won't fly.
I countered with a suggestion that she buy a ticket on Southwest Airlines to Albuquerque, one way, after she completes her gig and then visit with us for several weeks, coming back with me at the end of April for my next NASA job. SWA has some sort of special deal going on where if you buy a ticket by Thursday night and it's at least a 7-day advance purchase, the prices are pretty low (after which, you get to factor in various take-off and landing fees, airport fees, and something described as a "September 11th airport security" fee - if I heard the announcer properly - which itself happens to be $5.00).
Pretty soon, airline ticket prices will start to resemble rent-a-car prices in the sense that what is advertised is far below what you'll actually pay once you factor in all the little "extras" that various agencies insist get tacked on. (The last time I rented a car, the $149 weekly price was subject to sales tax, a special use tax, a couple of other fees, and so on, so that 4 weeks of rental ran just about $1000. Do the arithmetic.) The extras on any possible ticket Lee would buy won't run over $20, I would imagine... but then again, the ticket price itself might not be much over $50, if I heard the ad correctly.
I was hoping that Lee and Dwayne would get here by 5 pm or so, which would have allowed us to get on the horn with the people who supply Dwayne with DSL and have them transfer it to the number at the Pearland house. As it is, I plan to get on the road early tomorrow morning, with the intent of putting in an 18-hour driving day that will get me home somewhere at a "reasonable" hour tomorrow night. (Then again, I may go decide to stop somewhere along the way... I've been changing my plans so often over the past few days, I'm almost not sure which way is up.)
The van is more-or-less packed. I need to put in a couple more boxes, but pretty much everything I'm going to take is either staged in the living room or in the van. I plan to have a good meal tonight... in a few minutes, in fact... after which I think I will turn in early.
Cheers...
I managed to get the oil changed in the van before leaving for the JSC area, and did all of the things I needed to get done during my visit to Clear Lake, too. I even managed a few minutes with my old boss, catching up.
On the way home, I got a call from an east-coast client asking about my availability. Reasonably good starting Friday, I responded. The job was described as some sort of security specification for the "threat reduction" that the DoD has been working on for the past few years.
Then I got word that a west-coast outfit is looking for some Russian-to-English talent to do some nuclear stuff. I've left a message, giving them my cell phone number here in Houston.
Lee called earlier, about the time I pulled into the driveway here in Pearland after my visit to Clear Lake. She sort of backpedaled on not going to Colorado, only to say that if she went, she'd have to be back in time to do the housesitting job, which basically means she'd have to be back in about a week, which won't fly.
I countered with a suggestion that she buy a ticket on Southwest Airlines to Albuquerque, one way, after she completes her gig and then visit with us for several weeks, coming back with me at the end of April for my next NASA job. SWA has some sort of special deal going on where if you buy a ticket by Thursday night and it's at least a 7-day advance purchase, the prices are pretty low (after which, you get to factor in various take-off and landing fees, airport fees, and something described as a "September 11th airport security" fee - if I heard the announcer properly - which itself happens to be $5.00).
Pretty soon, airline ticket prices will start to resemble rent-a-car prices in the sense that what is advertised is far below what you'll actually pay once you factor in all the little "extras" that various agencies insist get tacked on. (The last time I rented a car, the $149 weekly price was subject to sales tax, a special use tax, a couple of other fees, and so on, so that 4 weeks of rental ran just about $1000. Do the arithmetic.) The extras on any possible ticket Lee would buy won't run over $20, I would imagine... but then again, the ticket price itself might not be much over $50, if I heard the ad correctly.
I was hoping that Lee and Dwayne would get here by 5 pm or so, which would have allowed us to get on the horn with the people who supply Dwayne with DSL and have them transfer it to the number at the Pearland house. As it is, I plan to get on the road early tomorrow morning, with the intent of putting in an 18-hour driving day that will get me home somewhere at a "reasonable" hour tomorrow night. (Then again, I may go decide to stop somewhere along the way... I've been changing my plans so often over the past few days, I'm almost not sure which way is up.)
The van is more-or-less packed. I need to put in a couple more boxes, but pretty much everything I'm going to take is either staged in the living room or in the van. I plan to have a good meal tonight... in a few minutes, in fact... after which I think I will turn in early.
Cheers...
