T. Rob where are you???

Has anyone heard from T.Rob? Just wondering how he is doing. Last I heard he was boarding a plane. Friends, Esther

Hi Esther, Thanks for thinking of me! You would not believe the last few days. Friday was the worst. Here's my work blog entry from Friday, posted while on the plane: -------------------------------- What am I doing sitting on a plane? This morning I had a dentist appointment so I booked an evening flight. On the way home from the dentist, I had a blowout on the Interstate. Not your run of the mill flat, but actual explosive decompression which nearly wrecked me and another car. But we both survived without a scratch and I got the car stopped. Now it's time to change the tire and I have the mini tire iron. This is not normally a problem but today I could not get enough torque to pop the lug nuts. Hmmm...no T-Bar, no breaker bar either. (You'd think I, of all people would, have a T-Bar, right?) After struggling for half an hour, I finally hit on the idea of opening the car door so I could hang on to the frame and I actually stand on the tire iron. This does the trick and I get the tire off but I'm definitely going to need a shower before I fly and I will have burmed off most of my work day by the time I get home. I drive immediately to a nearby tire store and buy a replacement. While I'm waiting for the tire to be mounted, I decide to use the facilities during which time my pants zipper gets caught on a loose thread and jams. No mater what I try I can't get it to budge, except further open. After exhausting all other options I saunter out into the waiting room with barn door wide open and request a pair of pliers. With the extra leverage, I'm able to free the zipper and regain both pants function and dignity. Well, maybe the boat has sailed on the dignity, at least here in the waiting room. When I arrive home and check my email I find that I am definitely being deployed today but nobody seems to know who my contact will be at the client office. A few emails and phone calls later the only thing I have confirmed is that I'm flying out. Someone will email me with the client contact info later. This does not bode well. On the way to the airport traffic is at a standstill due to what I eventually find out is a wreck. Tractor-trailer fell over but driver looks unhurt. I usually leave myself an hour for the 25 minute drive and I manage to burn up all my safety margin. Whle I'm in the security line I get a call from my wife who has found my blood pressure pills. Whoops! No time to have her bring them so I board the plane. I'll have to figure something out in New York. That brings up to the present moment. After we were boarded, there was an announcement that the airport in New York is backed up due to high winds. We now have a 2-hour wait on the tarmac before we can take off and there is a restless toddler across the aisle from me, plus at least two more already screaming in the back. How else could this day possibly go wrong? The hotel won't have a room for me, perhaps? I get mugged? Given that we are in a plane and flying into high winds, I don't even want to think how that might go bad. If I don't make another entry by midnight tonight, send out a search party. -------------------------------- Well, I made it to New York OK but the next day I found out that the guy I was supposed to work with had a family emergency, had flown back to India and my contract was canceled. So I boarded a plane and came home. I missed my support group meeting Tuesday night by one hour. If I hadn't had to wait for luggage, I probably could have made at least half of the meeting. Fortunately, I got a remote work assignment and will probably be home until the week of the 21st. Then off to Orlando for a week. My wife is meeting me down there at the end of the week and we are spending Saturday at Disney's Animal Kingdom before returning home to have the surgery. So I'm around and checking in when I can but, as you can see, it's 1am as I post this and I'm overdue for beddie-bye time. I told someone an hour or two ago in a private message that I was signing off to go to bed and I feel I'm cheating on them with you now! I hope you are doing well. I will see a private message before a forum post in most cases. I almost missed this one! Nite nite! -- T.Rob

Well T. Rob.....you made my day, I am sitting here in my office laughing and I sorry you have such awful experiences but it was worth it because I needed to laugh today and that did it. I am glad that you are safe. I was worried about you because you said you were getting on a plane and that's the last I heard from you so I got worried. You know us crazy Italians? Well, only two days and I will be in surgery. I will be here for you during the waiting period and when your big day comes. I am a nervous wreck but I am excited at the same time. If you want to call me, I will be at Parkview Community Hospital and the phone number is (951) 688-2211. My surgery is scheduled for 9:30 am. Thank you so much for being an angel! Love ya, Esther

I know this wasn't for me but I have to tell you what a HORIBAL day that sounds like. I have had days like those and at the end all you can do it laugh. I'll tell you a quick version of a long long story. peple involved (hubby, 6 month old son, father in law on oxigon, dog and I) My hubby and I were moving from AZ to Oregon the weekend before 4th of july 2005. My father in law drove down to hall a traller for us and we packed everything full to the brim in his truch, trailler & our car. We left 1/2 our stuff behind. We get 200 miles and our car breaks down, so we find a place that can look at our car and they say its the fuel filter so 3 hours later we are back on the road and STILL in Arizona..we get about another 100 miles and we are just about to enter NV and the car starts acting up again..so we can't believe it and pull in find a place and they look at the car. They said they can't fix anything or even look at the car until the morning..so we are held up a night in ARIZONA! The morning comes and they call saying its a big problem and that they wont be able to fix it until the following Tuesday after 4th of July (this is a Friday). we are like no way..were not going to just sit here. So we find a uhaul place and rent a driving truck with a car tow thingy. OMG we were driving a entry uhaul and we left 1/2 our stuff back at home! Fine we start driving we start going up the hills in NV we get into Vegas and stop to get gas..I jump out to pay and notice radiator fluid pouring out all over the ground..I say no gas we need to call..so they say we will send someone out but its busy so be ready to wait hours. Well we have our dog with us and there is no where to take her. I tie her up under a tree with water and don't forget the baby. Can't sit outside with her. We kept checking on her and we could see her right from where we were sitting..she was fine..well finally after 3 hours someone comes and is working on the uhaul. Gets it fixed and we go to get gas I jump out to get our dog and she is GONE...her leash, water dish everything..We then notice that its still leaking from the radiator so they say we have to get a new one..my hubby and I are both really upset about our dog..we are running around seeing if someone knows what happened....they told us someone came and took her...so we leave and go get a new uhaul..we go back to where our dog was taken and leave flyer's..and off we go again. We are driving about another 300 miles and I look back just in time to watch the trailer tire blow out OMG I jump out of the uhaul and about run off the cliff..I couldn't believe it..so then we call uhaul again..12 hours later in the heat of the day with a 6 month old baby the guy comes to fix the tired..in the mean time we get a call someone says "I have your dod" nothing else..I was so excited and then she hung up on me..long story short we finally get to OR and my hubby and brother in law drive back to las vegas the next day to get our dog! I know how you must have felt at the time..I still look back at that hellish trip and think what was I thinking LOL..I hope you got a laugh out of this and know in 2 years you'll be laughing with me.. Ok that was really off topic and I"m sorry I wrote so much..Your time will fly by! Rebecca