We had planned this for months — and Dan took the opportunity to do some advanced reconnaissance. It was our trip to Alaska, mine for the very first time. We flew from Pittsburgh Airport via Minneapolis to Anchorage using Northwest on September 10, 2001.
On that flight, we struck up a fabulous conversation with a pair of Mormons, both admitting to being such bad ones, due to their love for alcohol. It was so hilarious talking with them.
I was rudely awaken by Dan the next morning. He had apparently gotten up earlier, and went online using the hotel’s Internet and hopped on IRC. His co-workers started remarking about bombing and plane crashing everywhere, so Dan turned on the TV, and banged me awake, relaying this information. My first word? “Bullshit.”
My first thought was tragically wrong.
Eventually, we were able to tear ourselves away from the TV in time to have breakfast. As we walked outside, the police started racing around with siren blaring. It turns out that some Korean airline were not quite too prompt with their relay to the tower, leading to evacuation of high-rises in the downtown area (which is not quite that high — 20-30 stories.)
When we finally flew back on the 20th (back then, the best ticket prices were found on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays), we returned to a very surreal world at the Pittsburgh Airport. The parking garage next to the airport was shut off, and a long concrete-barrier-created path led us all the way out to the front of this garage, where buses took us to our car.
Ever since, the Pittsburgh Airport opened this lot, but the route around the back of the airport was shut off for years. US Airways fell down twice to bankrupcy, and in the process withdrew from this airport on a massive scale (they used to fly approximately 500 flights, including Europe, and today they’re down to about 150 flights, all domestic, and a couple Canadian flights.) Southwest and jetBlue both moved in, with little success. Today, Pittsburgh Airport, with its splendid mall, is a shell of what it used to be — which greatly sadden me.
However, Alaska did me some good. It was such a revival of my well being enough to make myself more committed to work, moving up the rank rapidly. In the end, I took the lead on a small tool called DataStage, and mastered it so much that I was brought upon this team I am with now — traveling everywhere and helping multiple clients with their issues.
I have since then moved to Phoenix via Charlotte, bought a house, had several wonderful relationships, earns four times what I made then, and became an Uncle a third time. I have helped funded a business that is starting to take off, and helped many of my peers in the world of consulting. I have had plenty of ups and downs, yet as I think about it — I am having it very good at the moment.
Alaska is where I was reborn. Not religiously, but spiritually. For that, I am eternally grateful to the experience, and to Dan for introducing me to this experience. (Note: The picture on right is linked to the album taken by my friend of this trip. I still have my pictures somewhere back home that I need to bring online. Bear with me on this.)
