technology eludes me

i think i'm a creature of habit.  i don't like to try new things, though i do admit that once i master a new thing, it becomes my new "old thing" and then i'm perfectly fine with it.  but first times for anything generally make me uneasy.

so today i decided i was going to try to check in online for my flight tomorrow.  now keep in mind that i booked this itinerary on ONE reservation (ie. i booked for both of us) because i have status and al does not.  therefore if we book on the same reservation (ie. the person with status books it) - then both of us get the benefits of a free checked bag, the premier security line, etc. 

the other benefit that i was vying for was that with status (as low as my silver status is on the totem pole) - you are eligible for free upgrades when they're available.  given that our return flight from costa rica has an ENTIRELY EMPTY business class as of today, it seemed like our chances were pretty good - and according to the upgrade policy, it's supposed to be available to the premier member and the companian traveling on the same reservation.

ok so this morning i decide to try and check in for this flight online - using my phone, no less.   i managed to check myself in, but there was a problem with alan since his passport info wasn't in there.  fine.  i figured it would check me in and we would check him in later.

little did i know that it would then proceed to SPLIT our reservation, giving me a new confirmation number, and suddenly taking all premier benefits off of his reservation.  now united, like all other business, is going cheap and trying to get you to deal with customer service through the computer.  no, alex, i do not want to ask you questions.  i want to talk to a real person.

unfortunately, their customer service center, while manned by living humans, is not much better.  no, i don't understand what you're saying with your heavy indian accent.  no, i don't believe you when the help you offer me is the best you can do.  no, your supervisor whose accent is slightly better but still from a developing country somewhere, is not particularly helpful either.

so whoever designed the system failed to make a way to recombine reservations after the computer decides to split them.  additionally, al's check in STILL failed, so we still have to go super early to sort this all out.

someone is going to hear about this.  fortunately the first leg of our trip is in business class, so we can check in in the biz class station.  which usually has nicer and more helpful reps because they actually need to retain your business.  that being said, i'm peeved beyond measure because not only did i spend my morning on the phone and online trying to sort this out - at this point, we're STILL not checked in, and with the split, it looks like i might get upgraded on our flight back and he will not. 

yes, these are first world problems - but it just doesn't make sense to me that the system is designed to not have a manual override.

i'm never checking in online again.

ideas that sound good in theory

when we went to thailand a couple years ago, i was perusing tripadvisor and came across the #1 thing to do:  ziplining.  not just any old ziplining though, treetopasia's ecopark and 26 station ziplining and second day of obstacle adventure course ruined me for all future trips. 

i read the testimonials, saw the pictures and videos, and i was totally sold.  until we got there and i realized ... i'm afraid of heights, falling, moving fast, and risk in general.  unfortunately i didn't figure that out until i was standing on a platform (with no railings), holding onto my bunjee, and staring down 50 meters (yes, meters, not feet) at a jungle below me. 

and the guide grins at me and says "one way ticket!" 

such is the interesting thing about asia ... they didn't build in a contingency plan for when people want to chicken out.  you basically only have one way to go back to where you started and that's to zip away.

needless to say, i spent a lot of time hugging trees on that tour.  alan spent a lot of time laughing at me hugging trees. 

but about halfway through, i started to really enjoy it.  it was every bit as amazing as the advertisements ... once i got over the fact that i didn't really enjoy the specifics of it and the fact that i might die. 

so that brings me to my next adventure ... iceland.  i'm not entirely sure what possessed me to go ahead and book this trip, but everyone says it's amazing, so despite the fact that it will undoubtably be cold ... that's where we're going in march.

so again, i did some research and came up with this excursion that looks cool in theory:  snorkeling between the american and eurasian continents. 

ok, really, i just want this picture and i want it to be of me and alan. 

so i realize that iceland is cold.  and water is cold.  hence dunking of bodies into water in iceland will probably be cold.  and that i don't like deep waters, nor swimming anywhere where my feet can't touch the bottom.  (though apparently the water is so clear that despite being really deep, i'll still be able to SEE the bottom). 

i think i'm going to severely regret this the half hour leading up to the tour at maybe the first 5 minutes.  but after that, i think it could be awesome. 

i think i'm weird like that.  for how much i overthink all the decisions in my life...ultimately i think i decide based on my gut.  which is ironic because my gut really doesn't like anything risky and kind of likes sitting on the couch. 

or maybe i don't know my gut very well at all.  but it said go snorkel in iceland, so i guess we'll find out how that goes ...
 

insomnia

after 2 sleepless nights (sunday waiting for alan to get home while he was hanging with ki till the wee hours of the morning, and monday when his cpap leaked and the sound of air mixed with snoring kept me up all night) - my tuesday full of meetings and tutoring till almost 11pm resulted in some pretty bad headaches.  like the kind that pounds when you move too quickly and feels like you're having a stroke.

marriage is a daily reminder that you're not a very nice person.  granted, i married the nicest guy in the whole world, so i'm clearly the "mean" one (as told to me repeatedly by dave, my hand therapist).  but that fact aside, i realize how impatient i am, and how hard it is to pause and think about how i want to say things before i say them.

especially on lack of sleep.

al always offers to sleep on the couch because he feels guilty that my quality of sleep is so low, but i never really like kicking him out.  sometimes he tricks me and leaves while i'm sleeping, but he never wakes up first to make it back before i wake up.

yesterday i'd just about had it though, and i asked him if he could sleep on the couch for one night because i desperately needed a good night's rest.  the left side of my brain just wouldn't stop pounding. 

ever since the summer, i've been waking up at 7am, and i thought it was just because i'm a light sleeper and i get up when the sun comes up. 

but this morning i woke up at 8:45am ...

i don't want to believe it, but i'm starting to think that i really can't sleep deeply unless i'm by myself.  i thought i was just a light sleeper, but when i think back to when i was single, i slept fine.  i didn't necessarily sleep for very many hours, but my head hit the pillow and i woke up the next morning without interruptions, pretty much every day.  and when i go on business trips ... barring jetlag, i usually sleep just fine. 

the scientist in me wants to devise some sort of experiment to isolate which variable is the culprit ... is it sound?  light?  movement?  heat?  lack of heat because he steals the blankets? 

there has to be a solution ... but i'm kind of stumped.

puppy

i really want a puppy.  after spending time with my parents and their incredibly lovable dogs, i have to admit that there's something about waking up in the morning and having these furry things waiting at your door, and so happy to see you.  like, falling over each other, jumping up and down happy to see you.  they say that people with dogs are generally less stressed - and i have a lot of stress. 

that being said, the activation energy to go out and get a dog is rather high.  when i think about how small our apt is, how little free time we have, and how little grass there is in the city, it's hard to justify getting a dog.  it's yet another set of bills, another mouth to feed, and another thing to worry about.  something to get a sitter for when we're on vacation.  i mean, if we wanted that sort of responsibility, we should just go and have a kid.  well, that's more work, more expensive, more stressful, but in the end longer-lasting and more fulfilling, i suppose.

the other downside is ... dogs don't live that long.  10 years?  15 at best?  that's a long time to get attached to something that's going to leave you heartbroken.  i'm not sure if i can handle it.  plus given that we will probably have kids in the next 5 years or so, i don't want to create a lady and the tramp situation where the dog gets kicked to the curb. 

but they're just so darn cute ... well, at least this gives some motivation to go visit my parents more often.