September 14, 2011

I have to admit something:  I'm a thief.  However, I think the reason underlying my thieving is particularly compelling.  Since the beginning of the semester, I've been keeping an eye out for the reemergence of Einstein's Pumpkin Shmear on Bagel Wednesdays.  When it appears, fall has officially arrived and the time has come for pumpkin ice cream, lattes, pie, and anything else pumpkin related.  Pumpkin Shmear, however, takes the cake for the best pumpkin concoction of the season, combining two of my favorite flavors:  cream cheese and pumpkin.  Whoever created the combination is a genius.  So, when I walked into the office this morning and spied the deliciously dark orange shmear, I couldn't quite help myself.  After allowing a few people to delight in its deliciousness, I absconded with the shmear and secreted it away in my office.  I suppose I could have stopped by Einstein on my way home this evening, but I simply couldn't muster the patience.  Thank you Einstein, for creating this Pumpkin Shmear.  I am forever in your, and the rest of the Journal's, debt.  

September 13, 2011

In late May, I took a trip to Washington, D.C.  While the trip itself was fantastic, the return leg was quite stressful.  A mysteriously canceled flight to Chicago at the last minute, with zero options to get me to Austin by evening, required me to fly D.C.-Cleveland-Houston.  From Houston, I rented a car and drove to Austin.  As I'm still a "youngin" in the eyes of car rental companies, I was charged an astronomical amount for a car rental lasting just under three hours.  This, I decided, could not stand.  As my substitute flight was on Continental, I began with them.  Although they were unable to reimburse me, as my original booking was with United, they did give me a $100 flight voucher for my troubles.  Next, I got in touch with United.  After three months of attempting to provide sufficient evidence of the charges, and their investigation for the canceled flight to Chicago, I was given full reimbursement for the cost of the rental, plus a $150 flight voucher.  I would usually just accept an unexpected expense like this and write it off as an "it happens" situation, but I'm glad I pursued this.  United left its customers in the lurch after notifying them of a canceled flight less than two hours before take-off.  I hope I'm not the only one from the flight who was able to get United to set things right.