OK, I missed the flights to come home. But, it is not a big deal to miss domestic flights. So, I just calmly went to the checking counter at the Charlotte airport to ask rescheduling. The Continental Airlines kindly rescheduled my flights between Charlotte and Portland and told me that I needed to reschedule with the Alaska Airlines (from Portland to the hippie town) myself. As I was told, I called the Alaska Airlines to make sure if my original flight boarding pass is valid. See, my brain was confused that time already. I saw my new boarding passes with the Continental Airlines and thought that I would arrive in Portland around 5:30 pm. The customer service asked me what time I would arrive in Portland. Seeing my boarding pass, I said 5:30. Then, the customer service said, of course, that my original boarding pass was still valid because my flight was scheduled to leave Portland 7:30ish. 5:30, which made me confused, was actually the time of boarding for the flight from Houston to Portland. Bomber!
I was calm in the flight between Charlotte and Houston. And I was still calm in the beginning of the flight from Houston to Portland. But, suddenly, I realized, watching my watch, "Wait a minute. It's 8 already, which means 6 in the West Coast! Damn, I cannot make it!" For the rest of the flight, I was in a panic status. And, when the flight finally arrived in Portland 8:30ish local time, I called my friend who was supposed to pick me up at the airport of the hippie town around 8:15 by saying, "Don't come and get me. I missed the flights and I've just arrived in Portland!"
In the Portland airport, I rushed to the Alaska Airlines concourse to reschedule my flight. The ground staff of the Alaska Airlines was nice (much nicer than other airlines ground staff) and willingly rescheduled my flight. But the funniest thing was, they put me in a flight to Seattle first and another flight from Seattle to the hippie town to finally get me in the hippie town today. It is ridiculous because the hippie town is 40-minute south of Portland. You know, Seattle is 40-minute north of Portland. Actually before the ground staff gave me this itinerary, he told me it was ridiculous, but there's no other ways to get in the hippie town in this day. Otherwise, I would have waited until tomorrow. Jeez, I never understand airline tricks.
Anyway, with the help of the Alaska ground staff, I finally arrived in the hippie town around midnight. And DS and her boyfriend came to get me. Phew, I'm home.
