New Orleans through Ima's Facebook/Keeping up Appearances

Looks very nice. Beautiful family selfies.

Now stay tuned for our real observations of the city, as told through Shayna's photos and my sarcastic tactics of verbal and written aggression. I have to upload the photos from Shayna's camera, but hopefully it'll come tomorrow. Ta-ta! Kisses! Cliche other sign off things! 

Communication/Lack there of in the Texas Airport

We are currently on the road to Memphis, Tennessee, after a…fascinating time in New Orleans. It was an interesting city, I suppose. I’ve been there once before for my JCHS Senior trip. We mostly did service work around the area, and didn’t quite get a taste of what the New Orleans night culture had to offer. (Spoiler: it’s alcohol and strip clubs)

            So much to update on from the past two days; I promise I will try and get to it all. Our flight from Houston to New Orleans, after three hour-long delays, was in fact canceled. We considered driving all night to get to New Orleans (AKA out of Texas…), but we ended up just staying the night at a nearby hotel.

            Marci/my mom would like me to include a bit about the lack of communication between the staff at the airport. To start off, as I mentioned in my previous post, the flight attendant giving us the announcements about our delays was disturbingly vague. Looking back, she may have been telling the truth when she said “the maintenance crew isn’t telling us much” or something to that effect. The updates we did hear about the status of our flight were few and unhelpful, but this was only the beginning of our understanding of the communication in this airport.

            Here is just a smattering of the information that somehow got lost in translation (in Texas too, arguably the most right wing American state in America. It’s not even like we were in Lima, Peru or something. That’s a good story. But I digress.)

Suitcase Route: We were told they would bring our suitcases to the hotel, no matter how we got there. We decided we would drive, which had been established as a viable option for the suitcase to hotel route. Upon arriving at the airport desk the next morning, the rather snippy security worker denied our request. And in case you were wondering, no, explaining that the other airport staff had assured us of the suitcase route and this should be a simple logistical procedure changed nothing. No matter how many different ways we described it. 

Rental Car: There was a large problem with the rental car. I think it was assigned for the wrong airport in Texas and then they were trying to charge us a ton extra or something...I wasn't paying attention, but I made 25% (about 45 minutes) of a hat in the time it took to sort it out! (Yes, I measure my time in knitting stitches. Rent measures in love. I measure in hats and rounds and yarn balls and oh my god I think I have a crafting problem)

The shuttle to our hotel: We were told that the shuttle would be there waiting for us immediately to bring us to the hotel, where we would be spending the night awaiting our departure the following morning. Don’t get food with your food vouchers, they said. You won’t have any time, they said. We waited, outside, in the cold (note, this is our first experience in the winter air so far this trip), for 45 minutes (until 12:30 am), with at least three people, including my dad, calling the hotel shuttle to make sure they knew we were waiting. They didn’t, both times. And those phone calls (my dad and another stranded passenger) were spaced apart by about 15 minutes. So, to clarify: the airport called (allegedly), alerted them we would be waiting. The shuttle didn’t come. We wait for 20 minutes and then my dad calls. The shuttle says they were unaware of our waiting and will leave immediately. 15 minutes after that, another woman calls that same number, who tell her that they will have not left yet and will now go pick us up since they now have just learned we are all standing waiting in the cold. We finally got to the small hotel with a low ceiling at one am, finally ending our forever lengthening night.

Food Vouchers: We were given food vouchers worth at least $60. Aforementioned, we were told that we couldn’t get food then because we would miss the shuttle. Yeah, uh huh, okay. You saw how that went. The next morning, we inquired about using them. We had been told the night before that there were restaurants all over the airport and we could use these vouchers anywhere. When we asked the aforementioned snippy security worker about where we could get food for breakfast, she said there were no restaurants outside of security. We explained to her that we were driving out, so we couldn’t get into security. It’s okay; just get a courtesy pass from the service desk, she said. When my mom and sister went to go get this “courtesies pass” to go through all the hassle of security again just to get a freaking sandwich, they were told that this so-called “courtesy pass” was not a thing. And since there’s no food outside security…is that a Chili’s? Indeed it is! So, despite this security woman’s claims, there was restaurant outside security. (On a separate note, the BBQ chicken salad had bacon in it. A fact I learned after eating it. The food wasn’t great, but the mislabeling didn’t make anything better).

So that’s all for this post about the poor communication. I KNOW I AM BEHIND. I WILL TRY TO CATCH UP. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SHUT OFF CAPS LOCK. BIDDING GOOD NIGHT TO ALL my readers out there. Oh hey, look, I DID IT!

REBECCA/RIVI <3 <3 <3

Awaiting our flight from Houston to New Orleans

I suppose this is my first "official" blog post now that we have actually departed the Bay Area and are headed off to the South. We are currently in Houston, Texas...home of conservative stereotypes and the holiday armadillo (bonus points if you got the reference. 0 points if you googled it that doesn't count). 

I'm not a fan of Texas, and I don't really know why. I've been here maybe twice, but it has such an image I guess I just kind of assume it is the anti-Pitzer of states. So I wasn't in a particularly bubbly mood when we arrived, behind schedule, after a 4+ hour plane ride, ten minutes before our plane was scheduled to take off, tired, cranky, and very hungry. Well that's a run-on sentence if I've ever seen one...

Let's break down that disgrace to my grammatical career. I already described why I'm not ecstatic about Texas or its airports. (On a side note, we are waiting in George Bush Airport in Houston, Texas. I feel like I just stepped into a Republican fairytale.) 

We were behind schedule + arrived here ten minutes before our plane was scheduled to take off. Honestly though, I currently have no sense of time whatsoever. It's a nice feeling, in a way, a little off-putting, but nice. I have no work, no commitments, no classes, nothing. It's the same feeling I had at Camp Pitzer (I think I'm going to write a nice blog post/article about Camp Pitzer; the experience really changed my college experience and probably my life.) Basically, that means that I'm not constantly checking my phone for the time and I feel free. Well, maybe not free, but unbound? Does that make sense? Not tied down to the construct of time. Wow, I sound metaphysical and philosophical and mixed up. Anyways, all I was aware of in terms of time was 1) Dad was pushing us to pack up and telling us that we might miss our connection and 2) I was hungry. My only sense of time is that I know the time intervals that I need to eat at and I had most definitely missed one. 

Once we arrive at the gate, we learn that our 9:10 pm flight has been delayed to 9:30 pm. That's okay. Might have been nice to hear that from the flight attendant we asked about this flight before we raced across half the airport to the gate. But you know, no biggie. 

It has since been delayed to 10 pm indefinitely, which is why I am writing this post now. We have received limited information about the delay. The updates have been that it is in fact delayed until 10 pm, it is because of "maintenance issues" and they "apologize for the lack of information so far" (which they then follow with hanging up the loud speaker, leaving us passengers to look around worriedly.) Basically, they said "There is a problem with the plane. It is delayed for half an hour or longer. We're not telling you anything else as we are being incredibly vague. Okay bye."

So now we wait.

(The lighting here is really weird. It's like pink or something. I think that it's supposed to be in the holiday spirit. Either way, it's super annoying and is currently giving me a sense of creepy dream-like horror)

Okay, I'm going to write something beautiful that is not mostly a rant about Texas. Seriously though Texas, come on. I see you and I respect you as a state (in general. We won't go into detail here) but please-- keep the restaurants open later, get your flights out on time, and stop with the eerie red lighting. I feel like the stuffed bear behind the closed store window is about to come out and kill me. 

Well, hopefully my next post will be lighter. (Haha, that's a pun. Because light...okay I need to get out of here...) Will write more later, bye for now!

Rebecca/Rivi

P.S. We were just updated that it will be an 11 pm departure; I doubt that will be the last update. So I have more time to enjoy the creepy lighting...yay....

The Amtrak Adventure

Dearest readers,

Earlier this week, I made the decision to take the Coastal Starlight Amtrak train to Emeryville instead of the traditional plane trip from Ontario to Oakland. It was an interesting decision; it’s something I have wanted to try since I chose to go to school in Southern California/close to home, and I figured it would give me a good lot of time to knit and write. Well, it is 9:10 pm and I have been on this train for exactly eleven hours. (Update: Now it is 10:16 pm and I still have another half hour to go). Here is the list of the things I have learned today, in no particular order:

1. I will never be as productive as I set out to be. Period.

2. Amtrak, against its advertising and/or my beliefs, does not have free or paid Wi-Fi on board, or at least not on this trip.

3. Beyond that, quite a bit of the time on the train was spent without cell phone service. And of course that time would be the time I was trying to text my parents the beautiful views and text Shayna about the awesome TV show I just watched.  

4. I can download content from the cloud (or something to that effect), even without Internet.

5. I downloaded a lot of free pilot TV episodes a few months ago. A lot of very random sitcoms that ended up being pretty entertaining. And one odd animated sitcom that I didn’t quite understand but still managed to watch all four of the season premieres. Because really, what did I have better to do? Don’t answer that.

6. A to Z, with Christina Milioti, is a romantic sitcom that is too adorable for me to handle. On that note—

7. Squealing over a television show on a public train is not socially acceptable. People will stare and you will stare back at them awkwardly, put your oversized headphones back on, and finish up the scene that is freakishly unrealistic and oh so sweet.

8. Walking up and down narrow aisles while apologizing every 14 seconds for bumping someone with my purse should not qualify as “the ability to wander around whenever you want”.

9. Getting delayed for half an hour for some kind of “routine track check” is not fun, but at hour ten, I really didn’t have the strength to get irritated anymore.

10.  That “half hour routine check” will naturally lead to an hour and a half delay getting into Emeryville.

11.  Sitting for an extended period of time will make your butt ache, no matter how comfortable the oversized seats initially seem.

12. I am really, really good at not finishing knitting projects.

13. I also excel at getting bored with said knitting projects and starting new ones.

14. I then continue on to give up on knitting and start crocheting.

15. I will then decide that I really wasn’t in the mood for crafting anyways, leading to the fifteen minute clean up.

16. The elderly man assigned to the seat next to me will not thrilled to find me mid-yarn cleanup as he attempts to shuffle into his seat.

17. Lots of very adorable youngsters ride the Amtrak train. However, their mothers and/or guardians will give you a suspicious look when you try to say hi to them.

18. I can make many abnormally funny faces for my selfie album.

19. Phone storage can fill up very fast with too many selfies.

20. When in doubt, delete selfies, not music. An hour later I will regret deleting the music because I am too lazy to pull out my computer and sync it again.

21. The “don’t take candy from strangers” goes the other way too. Offering a middle-aged man some mini peanut butter cups will enable him to pester you about “where are you headed to?” and “What are your life goals and aspirations?” and “are we allowed to smoke electronic cigarettes in here?” Decide to move seats, because it seems easier than telling him to shut up.

22. Apparently, the crew section seats are actually only for Crew Members. And they will kick you out of them, even if you are just quietly typing this blog post on your laptop.

23. Amtrak food is overpriced and disgusting. Well, it is okay tasting, but for $15.95 I do not expect lukewarm microwave lasagna. And not even the good kind, from like, Trader Joe’s or something. Oh no—this was the gross “a little better than weight watchers but definitely worse than your average frozen meal” kind of lasagna.

24. It’s probably best to avoid the meat dinner dishes. Luckily, I made that assumption and didn’t have to wonder about learning it the hard way.

25. Time can fly when you’re bored too, making you feel twice as unproductive because it wasn’t like I was even enjoying myself while I was being lazy.

26. In desperate times, my yarn purse can manage as a halfway decent pillow.

27. I really should’ve brought a pillow.

28. The Writer’s Market 2015 is a very lengthy read, and, as it is a nonfiction listing of book publishers, not actually that useful for leisure reading.

29. As much as there are beautiful view of the ocean and meadows, there are also a good lot of industrial buildings and graffiti. It all starts to blur together after about hour five.

30. “Rent”, the movie, is on Marc Dollinger’s iTunes account, which apparently I cannot access without Internet or maybe ever.

31. A Ramen noodle cup and a pre-packaged Starbucks Frappacino should not be the best lunch the café has to offer. I really just wanted a tuna salad sandwich. Was that too much to ask Amtrak lounge café? WAS IT?

32. “Amtrak is always late.” This is apparently common knowledge that I learned, ironically, too late.

The train finally arrived in Emeryville at 11 pm; over two hours behind schedule. Dad pointed out that for the time it took me to get to Emeryville, I could’ve gone to LAX and ended up in London. Now rethinking my winter break plans…London sounds very nice this time of year.

So that was my Amtrak adventure. Perhaps some of these tips might help one of you readers. It was definitely an adventure. That being said, I doubt I’m traveling on Amtrak anytime soon.

We leave for New Orleans on Sunday. Get excited—it’s going to be a fun few weeks of reading!

Later,

Rebecca/Rivi <3 

Welcome to my Winter Break Blog!

Hello fellow Earthlings! (Wow, I haven't seen the term 'Earthling' since fourth grade...bringing it back #hipster) Welcome to my winter break 2014/2015 blog! This blog will be documenting the Dollinger family travels through the American South, with Shayna Dollinger hopefully contributing some amazing photos. 

In addition to documenting our adventures through the states, I also want to use this blog to present some of my accomplishments for this winter vacation. I am planning on being very productive this break-- it will be the first winter break in a very long time where I will have absolutely no required work. College system can be relaxing sometimes. But not during finals week, which I am entering right now. Ha. ha. ha.

Why am I doing a blog, you may ask? Many reasons, the main one being I want to brag to all of you lonesomes out there how awesome our trip is, so you may live vicariously through out mediocre excursions. Just kidding. Mostly.

I'm doing this blog to practice and improve my writing skills, especially for article writing and online blogging. It also will showcase my knitting/crocheting projects,create a place for me to share my thoughts on life and love and everything in between, to post random fun facts that Shayna has grown tired of hearing, to exhibit parts of my current novel (yes, you read that right), to celebrate life, etc. The list goes on. 

 









I do hope you'll follow along on the blog. It may seem unorganized at times, but I want to have a place to write, to share, and to express myself freely. I invite you readers to comment and start conversations about the adventures or the novel sections or the opinion pieces I post. Let me know, either through Facebook, twitter, email, whatever, what you would most like to see on this blog. Bye for now, will write again soon! 

Love, 
Rebecca "Rivi" Dollinger

Formal Apology for Last Summer's Blog/Lack there of

Hello all! It is I, Rebecca Dollinger, writer extraordinaire. Follow through blogger, not so much. I would like to formally apologize here for not finishing this past summer's blog. (Dollingerstoureurope.blogspot.com) I know how amazing and hilarious it was, but hark, I could not maintain that level of awesomeness with the subsequent lack of internet connection.

Now, you may be thinking- for shame, Rebecca! How do I know you won't just ditch out on this one? I understand how you fans depend of me. I get it. It's not easy to be this awesome..But do not shame me for that.  (hint, hint, Shayna, hint, hint)

(I like using gifs in my posts, as you can tell. However, they are difficult to pull together and upload so I may be using fewer or none in this coming blog)

And now onwards and upwards, to this coming blog- stay tuned!!