The day was challenging.  Volunteering at my shift when I wanted to be at the directors meeting and learning the incredibly disorganized ticket system made me want to toss a computer.  I didn’t.  It was also the first really rainy day.  After my shift and a late lunch with Michael - really, he’s such a mooch.  I’m glad our paths don’t cross often.  To be his age and have no real passions in life is sad and pathetic.  I went to the panorama.  A massive panoramic painting depicting a famous battle for Polish independance in the 1800’s with Koshushko.  I had no idea the mustard was named after a famous general!  The battle was won but the war was lost, sadly.  But the painting remains in tact despite Communism and shifting borders.

My host saw the show with me and afterwards we went to the festival club for a bit.  The music sucked tonight, which made me sad.  It was so great the last time!  But I got a little more Polish history and tried two different vodka's.  Now I'm really in Poland!  Despite the fact that one of them was Czech.

Tomorrow is another full day.  I hope the weather’s better.  The Balinese spectacle is outdoors I think. 

Ldyjane left this morning.  After a nice day traipsing around Brussels yesterday, we got to the train station early so she went to book her train to Paris.  Good thing too!  She thought she’d leave around 14:00 but the only ticket available to her was at 10!  So it was an earlier morning than normal and she didn’t get to have a waffle, but she’s off safely and will be greeted by friends in Paris.  

My ducks seem to be all in a row for Poland.  Housing - check.  Directions - check.  Currency - if there’s not an ATM at the Wroclaw airport I’m slightly screwed, but those are pretty standard now.  Gift for my host - check.  Waffles.  Oh yeah.  I’ve been in Belgium, it seemed only right and polite.  So now I have a few hours to toss my toiletries in, make sure my bag’s packed, get an opinion on my bag’s weight - Jen and Chris say 10 kg = 22 lb.  So I should be golden even when my laptop’s in it.  Chop up a few veggies for travel food - not too much lest I don’t eat them all and they get confiscated - and I think that’s it.  *phew*

Sadly, it doesn’t seem like Peter Brook’s going to be there when I am.  :-(  There’s a lot of great stuff going on, but I’m also missing a lot.  Oh well.  

Yesterday, the 4 of us got to hang out!  Saw Mannekin Piss and Yannekin Piss statues in Brussesl, got serenaded by some ethnic celebration parade with a great brass band and large puppets as we ate Greek food outdoors in the massive square/market area.  Took a lovely tour of the brewery that makes Kriek.  I got a set of 10 coasters of all their beers for myself and another for a gift.  Just need to decide whether I’ll have them framed or just give them to use...  Both are appropriate.

Dinner was had in an awesome pub, Domus.  They also have their own brewery, although we didn’t tour it.  I had a HUGE salad for 3.00 euro, one of their microbrews that had honey in it, delicious!   And ldyjane got it in my head that I needed a Dame Blanche.  I usually don’t go for the vanilla ice cream and chocolate, but it’s different here.  It’s good!  And nice to share.  

Last night, I was up late while she packed and then stayed up chatting.  It was great!  I felt like we were 15 again and having a slumber party.  Talking about boys and sex and life and emotions and curiosities and opinions.  It was so wonderful.  I just want to travel with her all the time.  That’s all there is to it.  We need to figure out ways to live our lives that includes frequent traveling together.  

A morning adventure.  After last night's post, I realized that I compromise *before* I even ask for what I want.  So, I went to bed meditating on, “ask for and do what I want,” “listen to the wants of others,” “find win win situations by being true to myself.”  When I woke up, earlier than expected having not gone to bed until after 2am, I found myself ready to fall into my old habit, of wait for ldyjane to wake up, or “the other” in other circumstances.  That’s not what I wanted to do at all.  I wanted to type a bit and then head out to work on my pieces for tomorrow’s performance.  So that’s what I did.  When I left, she was still sound asleep and peaceful as the pillow.  I had a banana, double checked general directions with Chris and off I went.

What an adventure!  I had difficulty finding a nice secluded glen, so after walking a bit past offices?  Classrooms?  Research facilities? I saw down to the left near the banks of the canal a decently flat, somewhat hidden area.  Hey, I’m going to be loud, simulating sex and talking to myself.  I’m allowed some privacy as I work.  I get through the first story, both parts, clean up some of the scarf work and then decide to take a break.  “Two Lovers Entwined Like Peas In a Pod” is the longer story anyway, almost double the length of “Shepherd’s Cantata.”  Across the canal, I saw what looked to be the perfect place, flat in between lots of trees, and I didn’t see any roads.  I also didn’t see any bridges and not having a boat, I started walking.  After a hike, I finally come across a path that looks like it’ll be turning to cross the river.  I don’t know how long I wandered, I went past a stadium, soccer and baseball, found myself on the Catholic University Campus, past dorm rooms, lost the canals completely, saw a lot of nifty ducks.  But no secluded glen.  In fact, since I somehow ended up on a college campus, I was suddenly around more people instead of fewer.  I kept walking, vaguely in a circle, hoping to find what I’d seen across the water.  I did find a space, behind some more sports fields nearish the water that could have been what I’d seen.  But by this time I was getting hungry and I’d been going over lines as I walked.  How to get home?  Nothing looked familiar, but I felt like I’d been making a huge loop so I kept at it, and asked the trees to help guide me.  They were great, I made it to a main-ish street and a number 2 bus showed up!  I know the number 2, so I watched where it was going and walked in the same direction.  I wasn’t about to hop on since I knew I wasn’t that far from home.  Of course, after seeing a last turn it made onto a different main-ish street, I wanted to continue enjoying the back roads and almost got lost again.  Catholicism came to my rescue in the form of the church’s steeple that I passed at the beginning of my journey.   Went around the church until I found the street I came on, stopped in a little corner store to treat myself to a chocolate - not nearly as good as many I’ve had, I think this was a mass produced truffle, but cheap - and made it home almost 3 hours after I’d initially left.  Give or take 20 minutes since it’s not like I was really looking at the time.  

At home, I cut up some of the baquette I bought 2 days ago, smothered it in pesto, made some tea, had some salad and another piece of chocolate and sat here typing sipping my Earl Gray.

Danielle’s up and about - although not for very long.  I’m so glad I went out like I wanted to, because she’s loving a chill lazy day where maybe she’ll take a walk later.  And had I waited this morning as is the habit I’m breaking, I would have been miserable and felt like I’d wasted my morning.

There is something VERY wrong when an airline has 3.5 days of canceled flights, and other airlines are getting flights successfully out of Portland OR.  Ergo my query that I am searching, does SWA have to get their passengers on the first flight out despite what airline that is?

Anyone with information, please come forward.  I'm searching around and this is the letter I submitted to the FTA:

"To Whom It May Concern,

I am trying to find out if it is illegal for an airline to cancel your flight and then not get you on the next available flight, even if it on a different carrier.

I am one of the hundreds affected by Southwest Airline's cancellation of every flight leaving Portland OR's airport over the last three days, 12/20-22/2008.  I was in line with people who were back for their 4th day of trying to fly standby.  SWA was unable to confirm a seat for me and my traveling companion until after Christmas, the reason for our travel.

No other airline was afflicted in this extreme fashion at PDX.  Is Southwest federally mandated to make sure their passengers are on a plane?  Any plane where they might then catch a Southwest connection to their final destination? 

Thank you."

Should you be so inclined to send a letter of your own, I thank you.

I'm now off to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau and anyone of the SWA higher ups I can find online.