I made our reservation for Berlin today. I had to buy 27,000 miles to cover the second ticket. The cost was roughly $780.

Date: 12 MAR 04 - FRIDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 650 MD-80
Departure: PHOENIX 4:28 PM TERMINAL 3 3HR 17MIN
Arrival: CHICAGO OHARE 8:45 PM TERMINAL 3 NON-STOP
Name: BENJAMIN/PAUL M FIRST CLASS FF#: AA-XXXXXXX DINNER

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Date: 12 MAR 04 - FRIDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 98 BOEING 777
Departure: CHICAGO OHARE 10:00 PM TERMINAL 3 7HR 35MIN
Arrival: LONDON HEATHROW 11:35 AM TERMINAL 3 NON-STOP
Name: BENJAMIN/PAUL M BUSINESS FF#: AA-XXXXXXX MULTI MEALS

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Date: 13 MAR 04 - SATURDAY
Flight : BRITISH AIRWAYS 984 AIRBUS A320
Departure: LONDON HEATHROW 1:10 PM TERMINAL 1 1HR 45MIN
Arrival: BERLIN TEGEL 3:55 PM NON-STOP

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Date: 27 MAR 04 - SATURDAY
Flight : BRITISH AIRWAYS 991 AIRBUS A319
Departure: BERLIN TEGEL 10:40 AM 2HR 0MIN
Arrival: LONDON HEATHROW 11:40 AM TERMINAL 1 REF: XXXXXX NON-STOP

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Date: 27 MAR 04 - SATURDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 47 BOEING 777
Departure: LONDON HEATHROW 2:15 PM TERMINAL 3 8HR 35MIN
Arrival: CHICAGO OHARE 4:50 PM TERMINAL 5 NON-STOP
Name: BENJAMIN/PAUL M BUSINESS FF#: AA-XXXXXXX MULTI MEALS

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Date: 27 MAR 04 - SATURDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 1423 MD-80
Departure: CHICAGO OHARE 7:05 PM TERMINAL 3 3HR 52MIN
Arrival: PHOENIX 9:57 PM TERMINAL 3 NON-STOP
Name: BENJAMIN/PAUL M FIRST CLASS FF#: AA-XXXXXXX DINNER

The gas crisis appears over, we independently got gas for all 3 cars in the last 24 hours without waiting in any lines.

Here is a good place to find gas in and around Scottsdale. Scottsdale Gas Station Fuel Availability - HotLinkCity.Com

The Diamondbacks have had a crummy few days. losing 4 of their last 5. It took an eight inning, one hit, 12 K gem from Schilling to win the single game, and that one was in doubt until the last pitch.

The gasoline situation has gotten much worse. On Friday I noticed the empty light come on in my Jeep near PV Mall. I decided to stop at the next station, which was the Mobil at Tatum and Thunderbird. No gas. I figured that the Mobil a mile north of there would be out too but it wasn't so I filled up. The next morning I figured I'd better get a can of gas for the lawn mower. The Mobil was now out, the Safeway was still out, but the two stations at 64th Street and Greenway were pumping. John tried on Sunday afternoon, found nothing open, finally went out at 10:00 and waited in line to pay $1.95 for regular. This morning I passed 3 stations on the way to work and they were all out. I wrote a letter to the editor the Republic complaining about the lousy job that they have done in reporting this.

I left work at 9:30 this morning to drive to Cricket Pavilion. I was actually standing in front of the box office before 10. There was a woman there with her son, waiting to do the same deal that I was. At 10:05 she decided to knock on the window of the box office and find out why they weren't opening at 10 like they were supposed to. Someone from the cleaning crew pulled up the blind and explained that the box office that we were at was not opening at 10, that we had to go to the West box office. Grumble. Of course there was a (short) line on that side, a line that moved very slowly. At the front of the line was a young man who had no clue what he was doing. It was clearly his first day. There was a woman standing off to the side who was training him. I eventually got the two Lollapalooza I had come for. The guy never checked my ID, so John could have done this himself.

The Safeway gas station is closed. No gas. I nearly put myself through the windshield stopping for the light at Tatum and MacDonald. Reds 3, Diamondbacks 2, bottom of 7. The post-season ticket package arrived today.

New York, Detroit, Toronto all caught in a blackout. My first thought, and everybody else's, was whether it was terrorism. Apparently not, they say, but who trusts what the government says these days. I used to before they started taking our rights away and then lied to us about the reasons to go to war in Iraq. Then I checked to see if there was power in Cincinnati, which there is, so the dbax game goes on as planned. At least we have that...

So I am going to try this and see where it takes me.