the strongly worded email i just sent to Southwest Airlines

This was my second travel experience with Southwest Airlines, and I am certain it will be my last.

I left straight from work on Thursday to make it to the airport for my flight at 8:20PM. I had previously scheduled a car service to take me to that airport (at a cost of $38). I had received a text message that said my flight was delayed until 9PM, but because I had already scheduled the car, I decided to go ahead and be early for boarding. When I got to the airport I checked the departures board and as expected it indicated a delayed flight. I checked in and left my checked bag with security and over the course of the next 2 hours I received 3 additional text messages alerting me that my flight was now delayed until 9:50PM, the 9:30PM, then 11:50PM. Finally I received a text message that said that my flight was cancelled.

My complaint is that after waiting in line until 11PM to speak to an agent about rescheduling my flight I was told that the first available flight to Chicago was not until Sunday. The wedding I was supposed to attend was on Saturday, so the option presented was not acceptable. I asked if Southwest would provide me with a seat on a competitor's flight, and was told no. The only offer for recompensation made was to provide hotel vouchers until I could be put on a flight. Clearly as a New York resident, I don't need to wait in a hotel for a new flight.

My weekend was already ruined, and after all was said and done, I had spend more than $90 on transportation to and from the airport and on dinner (that I would not have otherwise needed). My expectation was that Southwest would provide me a way to honor the ticket that I had purchased and get me to Chicago. Failing this, due to weather or mechanical problems (there was never an excuse given for the cancellation) it would be my expectation that Southwest would recompensate me for my expenses and I would have been delighted if a future travel credit had been offered to make up for my lost time, and for ruining my weekend.

Basically Southwest failed to honor the ticket I had purchased, and then left me stranded at the airport. That is the story I am left with and unless something changes, that will be the last story I have to tell people about my experience. Southwest claims that the service they provide is "not like the other guys," and as far as I can tell that is true, because with the "other guys" I would have made it to Chicago without too much trouble.

for kylie

via

toops scoops nyt AGAIN

Nyt reviews The Pruitt-Loge Myth



Get with the Times Times!

jic you missed it.

a match made in the bowels of hell

Michele Bachmann has a last-minute TV ad up in Iowa in which she compares herself to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who will play in his first career playoff game this weekend, despite the fact he only completed six passes last week and was unquestionably the worst quarterback over the last month of the regular season. The ad mentions none of that, choosing instead to note that Bachmann and Tebow both have "no baggage" and that "like Tebow, she keeps fighting and she just keeps winning votes." (via) 

no compromise! no flip-flops!

in the end, it looks like that ad didn't work. i'm predicting the same fate for tim teabag in the NFL caucuses.

this could be you...

well, by now i'm sure you've all gotten your booze cruise tickets. i mean, what kind of idiot would've waited this long, right?!

a note for the idiots (which, i'm told includes joel and john):
the early bird discount period has just lapsed, and we have now entered the lazy bird period. from now until july 12, tickets will be $60. if you wait any longer than that, you're gonna be up to your elbows in booze cruise expenses, because the full price is $70. please don't embearass yourself.

what's more, is that i have it on very good authority that this year's cruise is on the brink of selling out! picture this: you're alone, on a dock, waving sadly as your drunk friends, pointing and laughing, set sail on a wild sea voyage, leaving you in a puddle of your own mess sadness, wondering how things got so bad. with each passing hour, the possibility that this could happen to you increases exponentially. don't let it.

finally, i've got insider information regarding some of this year's raffle items, and while i can't reveal too many details, i will say this:

two words: richard meier. 

i'll wait, while you let your imagination run wild.

just get your tickets, ok? this is getting ridiculous.

november 2010 fail compilation

my favorite is at 1:23 AHHHHhhhhPLOP
and 4:53

worldcupH8!

OK WE TIED. shew! never been so happy with a tie. now goooooo england!

DOUBLE UPDATE!!!! WE JUST SCORED AGAIN IN THE 83RD MINUTE!!! TIE!!!!!! we're gonna be ok!!

UPDATE!!!! LANDON DONOVAN JUST SCORED ABOUT 2.3 SECONDS INTO THE SECOND HALF!!!!!! 1-2! we can do this!

USA is down 0-2 to slovenia at the half.

;(

oil spill FAIL

according to the internet, BP's about to admit that they're never going to be able to stop the oil spill, and we should all just start getting used to it.

;(

enjoy the stuffed animal channing show

via

ykwgmg: prosperity

A healthy democracy requires vigorous debate, and in spirited opposition to the KOCH Industries Inc. funded grassroots organization, Americans For Prosperity, I would like to found the Americans for Failure, Euthanasia and Forced Abortions, or AFEFA.

Some people might think AFEFA is un-American. But hell, what isn't un-American these days? War protesting hippies are un-American, gun toting rednecks with swastika signs at town hall meetings are un-American, it's all a wash. I contend that AFEFA is perhaps the most ultra-American organization to ever grace God's green earth, because we espouse the belief that America is better than prosperity.

Ask yourself, what's the big deal with prosperity anyway? The more you have, the more you stand to lose. That's why we demand failure. Failure is easy, it can be quick, and once you hit bottom, you always know where you stand. Fact: every prosperous civilization in the history of the world has eventually failed and been replaced by a successor. It's time we break the cycle of prosperity and failure, with enduring failure. Why delay the inevitable? Let's let China take up the futile pursuit of success, because we're better than that.

Still not convinced? Consider Jesus. By modern standards, the man would be considered a complete and total failure. What do you think his FICO score would be? He might have been able to turn water into wine, but I doubt he could turn a 300 into plastic. The point is, the son of God is intended to be our supreme example, the one to show us the way to eternal life, and yet there's no way in hell he could swing a mortgage. According to his bank ledger, one would be lead to believe that bankruptcy is next to Godliness. Given this is a Christian nation shouldn't we be giving failure the chance it deserves? I think so.

;(