u/skywalkerbeth

I went through the process of requesting a refund from Air France.

I said the magic words of EU 261 in my communication communications with them

They responded very quickly, and allegedly everything has been approved and processed.

However, the money has not shown up on my credit card.

And when I use my booking reference and name on the tracking link they sent me it says it can't find anything

Now Air France is sending me survey request asking how they did.

Any advice, please? Thanks

Apart from the same author, which is obvious of course.

He's so descriptive and his writing will sometimes go back to the 10K feet view to give some great perspective.

This is more of a place rather than Hotel question (although Hotel Recs would be lovely too)

Thinking of a first time visit in October, just me.

I don't think I'm gonna have a car. Mainly because of the hassle and expense.

It sounds like the island is small enough that if I pick one base and if I want to go to other places, I could just get a cab from the hotel. I imagine if I wanted to have a hiking outing there might be hiking outfitters who would pick you up and take you back?

Is Palma the best place to stay hands-down for a first time?

I'm not someone who sits out in the sun, but I do love to sightsee and hike. And of course, good food.

Thank you

I have just (day four) started a short gig, covering for a guy who is out for a month with his family. Hourly billing, 40 hour a week cap. That was stressed to me verbally and in writing 40 hour cap.

I'm already seeing some boundary/management issues with the hiring manager.

She sends emails (and expects responses) at times when she should not expect me to be hovering over emails because I am not on the payroll (which frankly even then is rude, but somewhat more understandable).

It is the implicit expectation that she's going to get an answer pretty quickly.

She sent both a teams text and an email after 7 PM asking if I could work late THAT night and she'd approve my hours. Hello, why would you think I am watching my emails? Did you really think I was gonna see that at 7:30?

Friday (my first day) she sent an urgent request 15 minutes before I logged off and her assistant could have dealt with it but didn't want to, and so she sent it to me and I had to tell them I was logging off at 5PM and I'd finish it on Monday. It was an administrative issue, not a legal issue and her admin wanted to leave.

There is more, but you get the gist.

It's a very short gig - end date four weeks away - how would you handle?

I am reading the Emily Wilson translation of the Odyssey.

In the introductory notes, she introduces each of the main types of characters and dissects them a little bit to give you an understanding of their roles.

Apparently, Calypso says to Odyssey

"do you really want to go back to that home you love so much?"

And it instantly reminded me of the scene in the movie Munich when they were in the safe house. Avner is talking to another person who is staying in the safe house who is Palestinian.

What he said to him was very similar to the quote above. Not precisely the same, but a similar vein. It instantly made me think of the movie.

I wonder if the movie Munich is its own sort of Odyssey

In theory I like fiction. Especially historical fiction such as anything related to World War I or World War II history.

But I repeatedly am drawn to non-fiction. Repeatedly.

Recent books have included

London falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

Erebus by Michael Palin

Nazi billionaires by David de Jong

Weimar under the palms (about the creation of Hollywood by German exiles)

Giving up is unforgivable by Joyce White Vance

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Which genre do you prefer? And if you seem to prefer a genre, do you still gravitate towards other ones? What kind of book are you most likely to pick up?

I got rid of my TV service and I only get streaming.

Where do you think is a good idea to see Tour de France on screen in a bar locally?

For example, you think you're fine on level ground, but then you get on escalator and you spend the ride trying to stay balanced. You don't actually tip over or anything, but you just have that vague feeling that you might.

Or you look at an escalator with all your luggage and think " you know what I think I'm gonna take the elevator."

Or, you are putting on a pair of pants and your toe briefly gets caught at the bottom of the pants and it almost knocks you over.

I got a tip about eating cherries before bedtime.

I ate 8 fresh cherries just before taking my progesterone.

I don't know if it was the power of suggestion, but it knocked me out. I slept eight hours and I was very groggy when I woke up.

Does anyone eat cherries to help you sleep?

Y'all are not kidding about this over the hill business.

I left my hotel shortly after 6AM this morning (HMB Lodge, very nice)

SO MUCH FOG!!

And windy roads... and 35 came out of nowhere and my GPS didn't alert me in time.

I'm ending my road trip by flying home from SFO.

I got a little enthusiastic in wine country and had to buy a whole extra suitcase.

My two checked bags are heavy, and I have a carry-on and personal item. Very unwieldy.

I gotta drop the car before leaving.

Is short-term parking convenient enough to the domestic terminal that I could park the rental car drop off the two heavy checked bags with the airline

and then go return the car and just have my carryon items (which will be fairly light because I'm gonna put everything in the checked bag to buffer the wine).

And if I do it this way, how much extra time would you bake in? I'm staying in half Moon Bay and my flight's at 9:30 AM. If I arrived at short term parking at 6:30 AM, would that give me enough time?

I have tomorrow only in HMB. End of my coastal road trip from SBA to SFO, flying home to DCA on Tuesday AM.

I had a few late afternoon hours in HMB to wander Main Street and the Ritz path.

Likely will have coffee at Cafe Society (which seems like an option for reading) tomorrow AM.

Where do you go curl up with a book? Dawn Patrol fire pits sounds appealing too.

Thanks

It got great reviews on booking sites and the photos look lovely.

I realize that it's an old building, but there's no excuse for gray towels and old yellowed linens. I'm assuming they are clean - just old.

I got in after six so I am stuck with this night, but I am thinking that I'm gonna try to find another place for the next two nights.

On a previous stay in PG, I stayed at a different converted Victorian home which was very lovely. I expected a similar experience from this hotel especially looking at the photos and the reviews.

I'm disappointed.

For example, I changed my major in college during my senior year to French. I had to go whole extra year because of that.

I never got a job using my major, but I've had a lifelong love and appreciation for the French language, people, culture, and France itself. I've been drawn to visiting there.

There's a good possibility that had not learned it when I was young I wouldn't be so drawn to it today.

Other examples might include did you play an instrument when you were younger? What hobbies did you have when you were younger? What were you drawn to when you were in school?

And if so, was it a more or less conscious decision or did it just happen or a little of both?

I have been pruning my Facebook account for the past three years. There are so many people I haven't seen in decades. I've unfriended most of them.

Not for any bad reason - just that I haven't seen them in that long and wasn't actually all that close to them in the first place: A short, shared time together and then we've all moved on. On top of it I was a transplant into my high school so it really was a short period of time. Some friends from grade school I keep up with better than friends from high school.

Given how long ago high school or college was and neither party has made any effort to keep up beyond Facebook, I don't feel too bad.

Although I do have one male friend who keeps up with EVERY-ONE and he seems a little judgey that I've let some go. (He also likes to share their news, some of it intimate, and it made me realize that these now-strangers may know as much about me as I know about them - from him)

I interviewed with a company who was seeking to have cover for an employee who is taking six months of parental leave. They want someone with my skill set to replace that person for those six months and six months only. Barring the new parent deciding not to come back to work - there's an end date.

I asked them if the person they hire would be considered a 1099, which makes sense to me. There's a finite end date.

The recruiter told me that no, the person will come in as a W-2, but they're gonna draft the contract such that it ends in six months. I didn't think W-2s would have a contract. I would expect that from a 1099.

I asked them if that would be considered a layoff with a severance agreement. They didn't think so (but I asked this of the recruiter not the hiring manager).

I also wonder if the reason they don't want a contract is because they are expecting it to be more than 40 hours a week and don't want to pay literally hourly.

How would you approach this? Would you demand to be a 1099 that is paid l by the hour with a minimum of 40 hours paid under contract?

In other words if I'm not busy during a certain week I still get paid 40 hours. But if I am super busy such as the end of either of these quarters coming up, I would get paid hourly.

Have you ever heard of getting hired as a W-2 that has a built-in finite end date?

Good morning

How much do you pay for a good (salon) quality haircut - and a highlight with low lights?

I have short hair. I don't know if that makes a difference with pricing or not.

Thanks

While avoiding 95. Maybe just maybe I could handle being on a bus, depending on the schedule/price.

I was southbound on 95 yesterday and came across the aftermath of that truly horrific accident - barely 20 minutes after it happened.

It happened in the northbound lane, but it really backed up traffic southbound and when I drove by it, I thought oh my God there's no way someone survived that crash.

And then I drove back yesterday late afternoon, and there were a couple MORE accidents on 95 northbound. Those were just fender benders but Jesus what a mess.

At any rate, I don't think I wanna do that drive again, especially not Richmond and back in one day.

Which means the next time I do it I'm gonna have to do either a bus, yuck, or Amtrak.

Any recommendations? Is it better to buy the Amtrak tickets well in advance or can you walk up and not get fleeced?

It's crazy to me that it's only a 100 mile stretch of highway and yet it is fraught with so much danger, ridiculous drivers, and the length of time. I drove back last night and it took a bit over 2 1/2 hours. 6 PM departure from Richmond.

Has anyone come to the realization that there's many things you don't care about anymore? Or not as much?

And I'm not talking about depression or lack of energy. I'm talking about a big old shoulder shrug.

Things that you used to think were important - if you're the only one making the effort - just don't bother. Shoulder shrug.

Just me?