Hammertoad
Aug 27, 00, 10:30 pm
Between Mrs. 'toad (who always wanted to be a Kentucky Woman, Biff, Harley and Powder (Kentucky Wildcats at heart and the yet to be named Mini-me, it was decided that Orlando was truly a fine place to visit. But, like all visits, it must come to an end. Heretofore therefore and wherefore, the 'toads are saying farewell to The Mouse and hello to rolling hills, changing seasons and country living minutes from the city.
It all started with the normal stuff, but this is the first job I have been offered when I never did go in for a personal interview. Everything was accomplished via phone and e-mail. We have spent a bit of time in SDF, and actually have thought about relocating there for some time, so it wasn't like a brand-new place for us. Still, things never seem the same when you are 'just visiting' compared to scoping out a place to live. Here is our story.
Having dealt with all of the necessaries and formalities of the new job, it dawned on us that, perhaps, a visit would be in order; so that we could procure lodgings. Trusty laptop fired up, I first checked Travelocity to find out the lowest fares. Midway was there, as were Southwest and Delta. Alas, Midway's schedule was no good and I hate Southwest even more than DL, so DL Express it was (SW and DL have the only non-stops MCO-SDF). I was shocked and amazed to find that I could reserve exit-row seats via the DL web site. This was, it turns out, the veriest smartiest thing I could've done. The exit row on DL express is awesome! Absolutely the only way to fly on this plane.
Next up was temporary lodgings for our house-hunting visit. A loyal HHonors member, I of course checked them first. Doubletree, Seelbach (Hilton) or Hampton Inn were the choices. Since any relo savings are passed on to me, I went the cheap route and chose the Hampton Inn. Bad choice. I didn't know that there were any hotels left that still had individual outside entrances. Spoiled me, I guess. The next day, we had a 'sudden change of plans' as I had discovered that there was a Hilton Garden Inn one exit down I64. We're there. Especially since the rate was the same ($69 includes breakfast). You can't tell the difference between the SDF Garden Inn and the San Mateo. Henry Ford would be proud. Still, a very nice room complete with 2 line phone, microwave, fridge and a window that opens (only 6"). This was better. Much better. (Even though the phone ringer didn't work).
Non-travel personal related stuff follows
Having made the mistake of buying 'too quick' in the past, we decided to rent. Having had enough of gated-apartment-community living in MCO, we said no, nay, never, no nay never no more to apartment living and set our sights on rental houses. By Saturday evening, we decided that was a major mistake. At least with an apartment, you know what you will get, what you will pay and how much it will suck. The dream of our Old Kentucky Home seemed lost. Perhaps our standards were too high... but really, nothing is too good for Mrs. 'toad. And the places our friendly Realtor/property management agent showed us were perfect. If one was moving from Cabrini Green. Despair and depression set in. Mrs. 'toad spent the night crying. And if mama don't sleep; don't nobody sleep! 6AM and I'm up and at 'em; knowing in my heart of hearts that the dream house (at least for the next year) will magically appear in the Sunday Courier-Journal. Alas, all seemed hopeless yet again as I pored over the for rent adverts. Never one to give up, I made a list of 10 or 12 properties to see and began making calls around 8. Apparently it is a religious town, as not one call was answered. Yahoo! Maps to the rescue as, fortunately, several properties actually listed addresses. I plotted directions and an itinerary and informed Mrs. 'toad that she would likely need the barf bag as we would be spending the next several hours in the car. Her face showed pure joy. Well, that's what I'm calling 'that look' as to think of it otherwise would cause me to begin drinking far earlier than the 1:00PM hour allowed by Kentucky law.
And wouldn't you know, the first place we saw (today) was the last place we had to see. A magnificent, albeit smaller than hoped for, country home just minutes from the city. This is the Kentucky of our minds. We hadn't even finished pulling into the drive when Mrs. 'toad shouted 'Sold!'. Which immediately caused my heart to fail as I thought she had seen a sign saying the property was no longer available. Silly me. That was the code-word for 'don't even think about driving me around to show me anything else this is the house I want and you will make sure that I get it or your life will not be worth a plugged nickel'. Okie, dokie says I. I called the landlord from my cell and told him we were in the driveway of the property. I'll be right over, he says. Prepared to wait for awhile, we settled in. Seconds later, our new landlord walked from his house to 'ours'. The landlord, you see, is also the neighbor. This could be a good thing. After the obligatory tour, we discussed details and miscellany. Turns out, he is an ex-pilot and his wife is a FA. I'm sure we will have some great conversations over the fence!
Saying our good-byes and seeyousoons, we decided to celebrate with a decent lunch at the 5th quarter. Minutes from SDF, this is a great place to have a steak, an awesome salad bar and catch a game if one is playing. Or, you can opt for the dining room experience and catch the after-church crowd rewarding themselves.
End boring, personal stuff
Arriving at the check-in counter, we were dismayed (though not surprised) by the number of DL cancellations. On further review, we determined that our flight was not one of the affected. Dang. I had a great speech all prepared, too. No such luck as the comfy exit-row this time. I could not believe the (lack of) pitch in the seats. Truly, this is the worst I've ever experienced. Fortunately, the middle seat remained empty and I was able to sit semi-sideways. Hell on the back, but better than getting my knees smashed. Thunderboomers in MCO kept us circling for awhile - we landed 25 minutes late. Ran the gamut of FTs (do tell - why do families of 6 feel they must walk abreast?) and back to our temporary home we went.
All's well that ends, and this is the end of this report. More to follow, however, as I'll be driving to SDF this weekend and doing a couple of weekend commutes via air until our stuff can be packed & moved.
Cheers,
'toad
[This message has been edited by Hammertoad (edited 08-27-2000).]
It all started with the normal stuff, but this is the first job I have been offered when I never did go in for a personal interview. Everything was accomplished via phone and e-mail. We have spent a bit of time in SDF, and actually have thought about relocating there for some time, so it wasn't like a brand-new place for us. Still, things never seem the same when you are 'just visiting' compared to scoping out a place to live. Here is our story.
Having dealt with all of the necessaries and formalities of the new job, it dawned on us that, perhaps, a visit would be in order; so that we could procure lodgings. Trusty laptop fired up, I first checked Travelocity to find out the lowest fares. Midway was there, as were Southwest and Delta. Alas, Midway's schedule was no good and I hate Southwest even more than DL, so DL Express it was (SW and DL have the only non-stops MCO-SDF). I was shocked and amazed to find that I could reserve exit-row seats via the DL web site. This was, it turns out, the veriest smartiest thing I could've done. The exit row on DL express is awesome! Absolutely the only way to fly on this plane.
Next up was temporary lodgings for our house-hunting visit. A loyal HHonors member, I of course checked them first. Doubletree, Seelbach (Hilton) or Hampton Inn were the choices. Since any relo savings are passed on to me, I went the cheap route and chose the Hampton Inn. Bad choice. I didn't know that there were any hotels left that still had individual outside entrances. Spoiled me, I guess. The next day, we had a 'sudden change of plans' as I had discovered that there was a Hilton Garden Inn one exit down I64. We're there. Especially since the rate was the same ($69 includes breakfast). You can't tell the difference between the SDF Garden Inn and the San Mateo. Henry Ford would be proud. Still, a very nice room complete with 2 line phone, microwave, fridge and a window that opens (only 6"). This was better. Much better. (Even though the phone ringer didn't work).
Non-travel personal related stuff follows
Having made the mistake of buying 'too quick' in the past, we decided to rent. Having had enough of gated-apartment-community living in MCO, we said no, nay, never, no nay never no more to apartment living and set our sights on rental houses. By Saturday evening, we decided that was a major mistake. At least with an apartment, you know what you will get, what you will pay and how much it will suck. The dream of our Old Kentucky Home seemed lost. Perhaps our standards were too high... but really, nothing is too good for Mrs. 'toad. And the places our friendly Realtor/property management agent showed us were perfect. If one was moving from Cabrini Green. Despair and depression set in. Mrs. 'toad spent the night crying. And if mama don't sleep; don't nobody sleep! 6AM and I'm up and at 'em; knowing in my heart of hearts that the dream house (at least for the next year) will magically appear in the Sunday Courier-Journal. Alas, all seemed hopeless yet again as I pored over the for rent adverts. Never one to give up, I made a list of 10 or 12 properties to see and began making calls around 8. Apparently it is a religious town, as not one call was answered. Yahoo! Maps to the rescue as, fortunately, several properties actually listed addresses. I plotted directions and an itinerary and informed Mrs. 'toad that she would likely need the barf bag as we would be spending the next several hours in the car. Her face showed pure joy. Well, that's what I'm calling 'that look' as to think of it otherwise would cause me to begin drinking far earlier than the 1:00PM hour allowed by Kentucky law.
And wouldn't you know, the first place we saw (today) was the last place we had to see. A magnificent, albeit smaller than hoped for, country home just minutes from the city. This is the Kentucky of our minds. We hadn't even finished pulling into the drive when Mrs. 'toad shouted 'Sold!'. Which immediately caused my heart to fail as I thought she had seen a sign saying the property was no longer available. Silly me. That was the code-word for 'don't even think about driving me around to show me anything else this is the house I want and you will make sure that I get it or your life will not be worth a plugged nickel'. Okie, dokie says I. I called the landlord from my cell and told him we were in the driveway of the property. I'll be right over, he says. Prepared to wait for awhile, we settled in. Seconds later, our new landlord walked from his house to 'ours'. The landlord, you see, is also the neighbor. This could be a good thing. After the obligatory tour, we discussed details and miscellany. Turns out, he is an ex-pilot and his wife is a FA. I'm sure we will have some great conversations over the fence!
Saying our good-byes and seeyousoons, we decided to celebrate with a decent lunch at the 5th quarter. Minutes from SDF, this is a great place to have a steak, an awesome salad bar and catch a game if one is playing. Or, you can opt for the dining room experience and catch the after-church crowd rewarding themselves.
End boring, personal stuff
Arriving at the check-in counter, we were dismayed (though not surprised) by the number of DL cancellations. On further review, we determined that our flight was not one of the affected. Dang. I had a great speech all prepared, too. No such luck as the comfy exit-row this time. I could not believe the (lack of) pitch in the seats. Truly, this is the worst I've ever experienced. Fortunately, the middle seat remained empty and I was able to sit semi-sideways. Hell on the back, but better than getting my knees smashed. Thunderboomers in MCO kept us circling for awhile - we landed 25 minutes late. Ran the gamut of FTs (do tell - why do families of 6 feel they must walk abreast?) and back to our temporary home we went.
All's well that ends, and this is the end of this report. More to follow, however, as I'll be driving to SDF this weekend and doing a couple of weekend commutes via air until our stuff can be packed & moved.
Cheers,
'toad
[This message has been edited by Hammertoad (edited 08-27-2000).]