Stars n Moons 1/3/07

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

By Melanie Stein

Feds get extra long vacation
If you just returned from your holiday
vacation and had hoped to clean out your
overloaded box at the post office, think
again! In tribute to the late President
Gerald Ford, federal offices and the stock
market observed a National Day of
Mourning on the first business day of the new year.
While President Ford should no doubt be honored,
those of us returning home over the weekend were surprised
to find the long holiday weekend extended one
more day. Too bad I don’t work on Wall Street, where I
could have enjoyed a four-day weekend and another blissful
day of vacation. And if I were a third-grader in public
school in Delaware, I’d think the stars were aligned to
keep me home from school for one more day.
In a season in which businesses operate with abnormal
hours to accommodate the holiday hubbub, I was looking
forward to returning to a normal, post-holiday schedule.
Instead, my perishable holiday treats, about which I’ve
been daydreaming for weeks, remain on the post office
shelf for yet another day.
The nation is sad to lose a well-loved president, but perhaps
our public institutions should have waited a day to
“mourn” his passing with another day off.


Gate H12: My home away from home
After spending Christmas Eve waiting for planes and
running for connections, and New Year’s Eve holed up in
Chicago’s O’Hare airport for the equivalent of a school
day, I am thanking my lucky stars I made it to my destination
and back home again without real difficulty.
The first blizzard that hit Denver and stranded thousands
of people at the airport, in hotels, and on the roads
made me step back and reflect on my 100-meter dash
between airport terminals in
Dallas, and seven hours of
lounging in Chicago: At least I
did not have to sleep in baggage
claim or on a military cot for
two days! My vacation remained
intact as I happened to avoid
travel on United. And, perhaps even more significant to
those of us who indulged over the holidays, I did not have
to endure multiple days of fast food airport meals.
Although holiday travels were plagued with mechanical
problems, missed flights, delays and long layovers, the
recent events in Colorado seemed to lighten the mood of
my fellow travelers stalled between beginning and final
destination, but thankful to still be in transit. Sometimes
getting stuck for a few hours isn’t so bad – when you consider
the alternative.

mstein@planetjh.com

PERMALINK:
Stars n Moons 1/3/07 | Planet JH News Article: Stars & Moons

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