Thursday, June 15, 2000

• I drive down from Berkeley to Sunnyvale, arriving home just before noon and ready to dash to airport. No sign of my father until 12:20 -- a bit tight, but for once not my fault!
• 12:43 p.m. My dad drops me off at the San Jose airport just "in time" to catch my 12:55 flight to NYC.
• 12:44 p.m. Ready to rush to the gate for my e-check-in, I discover that my flight has been canceled, apparently in anticipation of thunderstorms in NYC that night (which of course never materialized).
• 1:10 p.m. I am told that I can't get to NYC that night, but a flight to Boston is leaving at 1:15. I hurry to the gate, secure my seat and spend the next five minutes leaving messages warning my Boston friends of my imminent arrival.
• 10:00 p.m. Logan airport, Boston. I ascertain that American Airlines will fly me to NY any time the next day, most likely on Delta Shuttle, which leaves every hour. After a few more phone calls, I make my way to Quincy to stay with Lauri and Chris. The plan is to get to NYC by about 3 to meet up with Tien, get ready for the wedding, head into Manhattan and back out again on the special restaurant ferry.
• 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. Sporadic planning continues -- I'm in Boston, so I might as well meet up with as many Boston friends as possible! I finally get to sleep.

Friday, June 16, 2000

• Fri 11:00 I make my way back toward Boston, still planning the day's meetings. I meet Philip at the South Station T platform, and he and I meet Mira at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square at noon. I proceed to hold court at ABP: just as Philip leaves, Jonathan arrives; Pav and Meeta show up a bit after 2. By now I've decided to catch the 3:30 flight to NY...plenty of time.
• 2:30 I leave Harvard Square. I take the wrong Green Line connection at Park Street and have to turn around at Boylston. It's been a long time.
• 3:10 I arrive at the airport -- or rather, the airport terminal. Waiting for the shuttle bus. Waiting in traffic to get to the terminal. Pass up Terminal A where my flight is because I need to get to Terminal B.
• 3:25 I get to Terminal B and get officially put on the 4:30 Delta Shuttle.
• 3:35 Back on the shuttle. Back to the T stop. Back to Terminal A.
• 3:50 At the Delta Shuttle terminal. First stroke of good luck: I get put on 4:15 shuttle. Make last call to Tien: new plan is for her to get ready at home, me to change on the plane, she to pick me up at La Guardia and us to make it to the wedding early. :)
• 4:15 Plane doesn't yet take off.
• 4:30 Plane still doesn't take off.
• 4:45 Plane still doesn't take off. We learn that practice for the airshow in honor of President Clinton is preventing our take-off.
• 5:00 Plane takes off.
• 5:45 Airplane bathroom doubles as my dressing room for wedding. I start doing my make-up as we descend. (I defer difficult eye job for more stable ground.)
• 6:00 Dash out looking for poor Tien, who I figure has been circling for half an hour by now. Her cellphone is busy.
• 6:20 Finally get through. "Tien, where are you?"
  "I'm parking at Terminal B."
  "Delta Shuttle! Delta Shuttle! Terminal A."
  "Oh. OK, I'll find it."
  
• 6:30 After more busy signals, I get through again. "Tien, where are you?"
  "I had to turn around, but now I'm stuck in traffic. I'm painting my nails!"
  "Well, I'm doing my eyes. Should I just take a cab?"
  "No, I'll be there soon."
  "Soon like in 20 minutes or soon like in 10 minutes? The wedding starts at 7..."
  "Should be 10 minutes."
  
• 6:40 Busy signal. Painstaking job on mascara.
• 6:45 "Tien, where are you?"
  "I'm almost at the Terminal A exit. I should be there any minute."
  Lipliner. Lipstick.
  
• 6:50 "Tien, where are you?"
  "OK, I'm at Terminal A. United....US Air..."
  "No!! It's DELTA SHUTTLE. All by itself. Big brown buildling!!!"
  Find my hairbrush.
  
• 6:55 "Tien, where are you?"
  "Oh, Delta Shuttle. I see a big brown building and some taxis."
  "Don't get off the phone. Follow the taxis. OK, they should be on your right. OK, see a big blue roof that says 'Delta Shuttle'?"
  "Yeah, Delta Shuttle!"
  
• 7:00 I jump in Tien's car, ready to roll. She starts looking at the map, mumbling something about the Bronx and the City Island. I grab the map and, surmising that Long Island City isn't anywhere near the Bronx, gesticulate wildly at the map as I order Tien to start the car and tear toward the highway. I verbally exhort her into the correct turning lane and onto the correct highway, all the while half-dressed as I finish getting ready for wedding. Changing pantyhose in the passenger's seat is a bit of a challenge. Which necklace?
• 7:25 Thankfully, wedding invitation directions are very clear, and the place turns out to be pretty close to the airport. We screech up to the restaurant, make use of free valet parking and scoot ourselves up to the private dining hall.
• 7:30 Hey, there are still a few people milling in the hall! Hey, isn't that a priest? Hey, it looks like it hasn't quite started!!! Hey, the room's full of expectant guests, and the only two empty seats are those on either side of Dave Pinto -- saved for us! "Pardon me, excuse me, pardon me."
• 7:35 We take our seats. Music begins. Wedding party starts to enter. We made it! And we sure haven't learned any lessons!