I haven’t really been in this state before. First off, I LOVE the 70 MPH speed limits through dangerous mountain passes. I just hate the fact that I have a fricken ford focus and can barely make it up hill.

West Virginia has more KMarts than I’ve seen in the past 3 years. Apparently in 20 years the chain will let WV know it sucks and Target is better.

Other than that, everyone here I’ve seen has been very nice and has a full set of teeth.

After a couple trips on Airtran I’m back on legacy carriers this week. Airtran is good for people watching and does have a nice $49 upgrade, but for those of us in normal economy it is very uncomfortable. My knee was digging into the guy in front of me the whole flight and I’m not that tall. I also made the mistake of booking a seat next to the engine so I had no view either.

Airtran is copying US Airways and now has an Atlanta Falcons plane. I saw the Pittsburgh Steelers plan today, but I did not get a picture.

My flight this afternoon was oversold and they were seeking 3 volunteers to take a flight 4 hours later. Normally I do not take bumps because the exchange is worthless, but this time it was on Airtran and they were offering 2 r/t tickets to anywhere they fly. It was quite tempting and if the flight they were offering wasn’t 4 hours later I might have, but sometimes I just want to get to my destination.

I’m not sure how useful their bump vouchers are. On many airlines when they do the free* r/t ticket it’s very limited so the odds of using it limit its true value. United will give flight credit if asked. This is usually better b/c then you can book your own flight and even use it internationally. With this option the odds of getting a free trip are lower, but there are more options.

I just never get a good opportunity to bump. Either I want to get to my destination or I just don’t feel like waiting around that airport any longer.

Next year.

Details here

I was booking a hotel room for this week in a hurry and didn’t pay attention to the fact that I booked a smoking room. I didn’t really notice it until I got up to the room and didn’t see the typical no-smoking symbol. Of course this happens to me when I’m feeling like crap anyway and I just wanted to sleep.

I’ve been staying at too many Marriotts recently. They have all gone smoke free, but I guess since the Hiltons are partiers and not Mormons they haven’t detoxed their hotels.