Sky Clubs

With all the flying I do, I never thought I'd ever care to purchase a membership in any of the sky clubs.

Until Irene
Fortunately Irene turned out to be a minor inconvenience for me and most of the people I know. A postponed flight and some road detours (quite a few road detours in addition to the ones that were already in place), but that's about it.

However, Delta Airlines seemed to have taken Irene as an opportunity to take a three day weekend, because even though my Monday morning flight was cancelled and I was rescheduled on a flight the following day and bit later, Delta still couldn't get it together quickly enough to get our flight out in time for me to make my connecting flight in Minneapolis. I ended up arriving around noon, and the only flight I could take to Edmonton was at 10:00 pm. Delta gave me apologies and a $10 food voucher that I could spend at any food vendor in Minneapolis airport. Seemed kind of stingy for a 10 hour delay, so I asked them for a free day-pass to the Delta Sky Lounge.

Denied.

So, as I sat in an uncomfortable plastic molded seat next to a highly-prized electric outlet, using the for-pay wireless internet to try and get some work done, I debated where to spend my $10 food voucher.

I got two e-mails from co-workers. The first one suggested I find a nearby hotel room and work there for the day. The second one suggested I pay $50 for a day-pass in the Delta Sky Club.

I liked both ideas, but when I realized I could buy a whole year's worth of club membership for 70,000 frequent flier miles, I opted to do that. I figured I usually spend 1-2 hours each week in the Minneapolis airport, so now I'd get free internet, a clean bathroom and coffee/snacks if I wanted them. Plus, there were comfortable seats and plenty of electrical outlets.

It turned out to be a good decision, even if I only used it for the 10 hour delay. Then, as luck would have it, I got an e-mail the day I was flying home last week, announcing a brand spanking new Delta Sky Club in the Seattle aiport (where I spend about 3 hours each week). Looks like I'll get a lot of use out of this year's membership.

I'm typing this blog entry in a comfortable chair, drinking a free latte and using free internet.

Current Knitting/Spinning
I finished the final side-panel of the heirloom baby blanket and I've completed two repeats of the center section of the lace blanket. I have about 18 more to go. I'll try to get a decent photo that will show the pattern, but I don't hold out much hope until it's blocked.

I also finished the first bobbin of singles using the Optim Merino from Australia.

Clearly, I've also started the second bobbin. Given how long the first one took, I wanted to at least get something done on the second so I can get to knit something with this fiber in my lifetime.