Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Fantasy Lover]

Speaking about airlines, did you hear about United Airlines and American Airlines? Makes me glad I live in Europe.

[Pseudonym]

Yup, I saw. I was in two minds whether than kind of thing happens everywhere, but then surely it would be reported on if that were the case. The whole thing with the doctor was pretty shocking. 

[Van Buren Supernova]

The idea of long haul flights though (I'd love to go to New Zealand, but London to Auckland is 23 hours) absolutely horrifies me. That would definitely need a stop over!

There is not?

Don't they normally transit somewhere like Japan, Hongkong, Singapore or Indonesia?

I had taken 18 hours bus and eventhough we had multiple stops it was challenging, and overnight bus chair is much more comfortable than most airlines.

 

 

Yup, I saw. I was in two minds whether than kind of thing happens everywhere, but then surely it would be reported on if that were the case. The whole thing with the doctor was pretty shocking.

 

I had been overbooked before but the airline's solution was to bump us to business class, which I welcomed of course. It's probably my only ever opportunity to try one .

Another time I had same seat number with another passenger, luckily they had spare seat somewhere (or someone cancelled).

I always try to do online check-in now ever since the service is available to be more sure. Always despise overbooking strategy for hotels and flights. We are just another number to them, but the trip could mean a lot of things to us.

[Pseudonym]

Yea I think they do normally stop somewhere. 

 

I can't believe that many people miss their flights that overbooking is that common a strategy. Crazy. 

[Pseudonym]

What's the logic of putting a Starbucks in a gym? You walk in, the smell hits you, and it's so tempting to say f**k the exercise and get a donut instead. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I can't believe that many people miss their flights that overbooking is that common a strategy.

 

Airlines have been overbooking their flights for decades.  I don't think it's so much that people miss their flights, as that passengers will also overbook -- make reservations that they intend to use only if [whatever] -- and then fail to cancel.  Or only cancel at the last minute, so that the airline doesn't have enough time to accept new reservations.  The airline can't afford to fly with too many empty seats.  The alternative to overbooking would be to raise the fares.

 

As for what to do when a flight is overfilled, I believe the airline in question has said they will change their policy, so that any employees who want to catch a ride will now have to show up at least an hour ahead of time.  So at least they won't be letting paying passengers get on board, only to insist they get back off.  That's the main reason this particular case turned physical -- usually it's all hashed out in the terminal, and they simply don't let some people ON the plane.

[Pseudonym]

Gah, don't you hate it when you wake up in the middle of the night, and have so many thoughts and worries circling through your head you can't get back to sleep. It's 4am, and instead of sleeping I'm thinking about the fact I accidentally hurt someone today, and that my parents have been MIA for a week. Most likely it's all fine. The girl will be fine, my parents are fine, but my brain... Won't. Switch. Off. 

[Arcadia]

Oh yes, been there, done that. Alas, I have the opposite problem now ... can't stay awake when I need to! Possibly because my sleep's so often disrupted at night....

 

I'm trying to think what worked for me. If this is an ongoing problem, there's simple relaxation techniques you can try; one that worked for me was to pretend I was lying on a beach on a perfect day, imagining I was slowly being covered with soft, warm sand. You start with your neck and slowly cover yourself down to the toes. After a few weeks of this I'd fall asleep before the sand even reached my elbows.

 

That's more of a long term thing, though ... if you're being kept up every once in a blue moon, then just getting up and sitting by yourself in a chair in a quiet room for awhile can help. So can slowly walking around for a few minutes. But one of the worst things you can do, of course, is turn on an electronic gadget......

[Pseudonym]

I'm not on an electronic gadget... honest. ;)

 

It doesn't happen to me too often luckily, I normally sleep like the dead; I feel like I've blinked and an entire night has gone by - my record is a 15 hour 'blink.' I'll give the sand idea a go though, maybe I'll actually get back to sleep before my alarm goes off.

[Arcadia]

Good luck!

[Van Buren Supernova]

..... I was lying on a beach on a perfect day, imagining I was slowly being covered with soft, warm sand. You start with your neck and slowly cover yourself down to the toes. After a few weeks of this I'd fall asleep before the sand even reached my elbows.

 

Holy carbonara..! You call that advice? I call that remote brainwashing murder attempt..!

That is high tide and you need to get yourself to higher ground. Tsk..tsk..!

 

 

I make up stories to help me sleep. Continuous story, every night. It works well and I have been using that forever. Sometimes when the story is on exciting point, it takes me longer to fall asleep, but eventually I would. If not, I tend to get up and ugh, do housework. Nobody says I make smart choice. :P But face it, I don't have shoe elves. (wait... can we talk about shoes now since they are mentioned?)

[Fantasy Lover]

Arcadia is not going to like that.

[Pseudonym]

Is that true? Were... were you trying to kill me? :o

[Van Buren Supernova]

Owww... you sweet summer child. Didn't we talk about it during discussion with dispatch?

 

You don't ask her that way, you track back to where she is, holding something subtly threatening and whisper politely.."were you trying to kill me?"..

[Pseudonym]

Subtly threatening? A rubber chicken?

[Arcadia]

 

..... I was lying on a beach on a perfect day, imagining I was slowly being covered with soft, warm sand. You start with your neck and slowly cover yourself down to the toes. After a few weeks of this I'd fall asleep before the sand even reached my elbows.

 

Holy carbonara..! You call that advice? I call that remote brainwashing murder attempt..!

That is high tide and you need to get yourself to higher ground. Tsk..tsk..!

 

 

I make up stories to help me sleep. Continuous story, every night. It works well and I have been using that forever. Sometimes when the story is on exciting point, it takes me longer to fall asleep, but eventually I would. If not, I tend to get up and ugh, do housework. Nobody says I make smart choice. :P But face it, I don't have shoe elves. (wait... can we talk about shoes now since they are mentioned?)

 

No.

 

Is that true? Were... were you trying to kill me? :o

 

Depends. Did it work?

 

Subtly threatening? A rubber chicken?

 

Oh, god, no, anything but the rubber chicken! You cruel thing, you!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh! 

[Pseudonym]

No, though I did nearly drown by going in the gif thread. 

[Arcadia]

I'm avoiding it for now for that very reason.

 

But what I really meant was ... did you get back to sleep? Or just lie there fretting over how stupid my suggestion was? :D

[Pseudonym]

No, come join us!

 

Oh right. Yea, got back to sleep about 5, so not too bad I suppose. My folks finally got in contact this morning, so they haven't been eaten by hillbillies, and I'll check the girl who's wrist I hurt this evening if I see her. Hopefully won't get any new weird worries popping up tonight!

[Van Buren Supernova]

Subtly threatening? A rubber chicken?

I was thinking of left shoe, but you go for the kill with that one. Rubber chicken..nasty!

 

Rubber chicken.. brrr *shudder like hyena at the mention of Mufasa* (general knowledge yes :p?)

 

 

I don't have rant today, but for some reason I feel monstrous. Not really in good mood, mixtures of big and small problems.

 

Back then when I feel this way I used to purposely walk on the questionable street hoping that someone would try to be funny so I could punch them. Yah, I was an idiot. Young and stupid. No didn't punch anyone. For some reason they behaved when I was in furious template while ordinary day I needed to hold on my defense devices and turn off my ears. Those suckers were quite intuitive eh or maybe my vibe was way too unattractive! :D I wonder if it's better if I carry rubber chicken..

[J.P.]

When I was in furious mood, dogs changed to the other side of the street.

[Pseudonym]

Can't say I'm thrilled today either - my brother has sodded off to Florida for two weeks, despite the fact that the business is only staffed by the two of us and we are currently hugely behind. And he hasn't done some of the things I needed him to do before going. *sigh*

[Carol the Dabbler]

Is his trip a vacation or business?

[Pseudonym]

Vacation. 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

While vacations are good and important to take, it is always important to help your business not get too much behind by doing what you can before leaving so that others aren't brought to a virtual (or literal) stand still because they can't accomplish their tasks due to your unfinished tasks.