Last week of September 2017
David: Hello, David Beedle, travel agent, here … your trusted partner in travel arrangements from the Lehigh Valley to points west. I’m starting this as a new email thread because Jack said we should use his work email, since he never sees his personal email. So, Jack, please respond to this email as soon as you can so I know you’re getting this. You too, Trains. I haven’t seen an email from you, and I want to be sure its working. Guy, you’re on the list too, just so you can see what us Pennsylvania goofballs are up to.
Item One: Trains came by my house yesterday with a big wad of cash. $465 worth. That makes Tommy, Trains, and yours truly paid up.
Item Two: Jack and Jimmy, I need your money as soon as possible. Put your check in the mail today, or stop by my house with your cold hard cash and I’ll offer up a beer.
Item Three: I’m taking Friday afternoon off, and among the things I want to be doing is to buying the tickets from the comfort of my home. Once I pull the trigger on the tickets, that’s it! No turning back! Not even Colin Kaepernick would take a knee on this one.
It’s all happening boys!!!
Jack: David, thanks for the coordination of the trip. I may bring my tent to “rough it” in California. Guy how big is your back yard?
Jimmy: BoBo, Just back in town you will have my payment Thursday or Friday a.m.
David: 
Tommy: I guess Jimmy’s ….”that guy”. Are we still a “go”?
David: I have faith! I am quite sure I’ll have Jimmy and Jack’s $$$ in hand by Friday morning.
David: BREAKING: Just got a stack of hundreds from Jack Keefe. Paid. Almost there….
Jimmy:
And then there was one…..
David: … and Jimmy makes 5. Everyone is paid up.
Jack: Since Jimmy was the last one in does he have to sit in the back of the plane?
Friday arrives.
David text to Guy: Well, my friend, I’m about to pull the trigger and buy these plane tickets so us five goofballs can come spend the weekend in January. Last chance to back out !!!
Guy text to David: I am getting ready. 1980’s all over again
It’s a Friday late in September. David has taken the afternoon off. (This is getting weird referring to myself in the third person.) David has decided to book the trip through Expedia, but the web site is incredibly slow and pages are timing out left and right, so he decides, why not just call and talk to an actual human? People still do that, right?
And so begins a ninety minute phone call.
Early into the call, David realizes he doesn’t have some vital information. Immediately, with Expedia on speaker, David takes to email and text messaging….
David: URGENT! Gentlemen, I need to know IMMEDIATELY how exactly your name appears on your drivers license and your date of birth. (Not you, Guy.) (I’m David J. Beedle. 11/18/57.)
Tommy: Drivers license or passport card (They might be different.) My drivers license is THOMAS GILBERT (no middle initial) I don’t have my passport card with me, uh-oh. My date of birth is 07/25/1954. Yeh do the math … that’s how old I am …. Almost as old as Dick.
Jack: John C. Keefe, Jr. 10/22/1956
Silence from Jimmy and Trains. The guy from Expedia will happily remain on hold as David texts Jimmy and Trains. In fact, Expedia guy says he’ll wait all day. What does he care? He’s probably watching YouTube videos while he waits.
David text to Jimmy and Trains: I need to know how your name appears on your drivers license and your date of birth RIGHT AWAY! 🙂
Jimmy calls David, gives him his info (James Warren Galley, Jr., January something or another fifty-whatever years ago). But Jimmy doesn’t know Trains’s info. Trains is sleeping. Trains works nights and sleeps during the afternoon. Jimmy calls Trains. No answer. David calls Trains. No answer. Meanwhile, an email from Jack:
Jack: David, maybe we should used our special code names?
Jack, that’s no help.
Fifteen minutes has passed. Expedia guy is still on hold somewhere in a call center in India, probably checking his Twitter Feed. He may even be a Russian Twitter Troll for all we know. Only thing for certain is that he’s going to stay on the phone with David for AS LONG AS IT TAKES. Expedia Employee of the Month, for sure.
David calls Trains again, and—voila!—he answers. We’re in. He’s Robert McClure Jr., and he was born in 1847. Had no idea Bobby was that old.
Now were moving forward. Expedia guy gives David the flight info and David says “Go!” and Expedia guy asks for David’s credit card and David pulls out his Marriott Rewards card and Expedia guy says thanks it’ll be just a minute.
Five minutes pass.
Still there, Expedia guy?
Still here, David.
Sometimes it takes this long, says Expedia guy.
Then David gets a text….
Marriott Chase Credit Card Text: FREE MSG: Chase Fraud-we DECLINED $2428.00 at AMERICAN AIRLI AA WNXLON for card ending 6808 on 09/29. Was it you? If YES text 1, NO text 2
David text: 1
Marriott Chase Credit Card Text: FREE MSG: Chase-Thank you. Your card can’t be used until we speak with you. Call to turn it on or order a new one. 800-454-9078 or the number on your card.
Yay.
David tells his close friend, Expedia guy, he needs to put him on hold. “No problem,” Expedia guy replies, “did you forget I said AS LONG AS IT TAKES?” David puts Expedia guy on hold and calls Marriott guy. Marriott guy is not quite as friendly as Expedia guy, but he gets things moving on approving the credit card charge. It will takes another five minutes, Marriott guy says, can you please hold. David says, “I can hold if you can hold,” and Marriott guys says he can … and for the next what-turns-out-to-be ten minutes David switches back and forth between Expedia and Marriott guys hoping everyone is still on the call and still holding.
They are.
Finally, Marriott guy says we’re all good, but David won’t let him off the phone until Expedia guy says the charge goes through. Marriott guy says, yes, he’ll hold. David figures this must be current call-center etiquette, and suddenly gets a warm feeling knowing that HE is the person putting call center people on hold.
Okay, I’ve told enough of this buying-the-plane-tickets story. Suffice it to say after one-and-a-half hours on the phone, David sent an email….
David: SUCCESS! Tickets purchased. More later. I need a nap.
Guy: Good job. Remember take a right at west Virginia and head west young men.
David (a few days later): Gentlemen, we’re all set and it’s a done deal. We are actually going. I had to make some hard executive decisions as your Travel Agent. I am ready and willing to take the heat you will undoubtedly throw my way.
First, the tickets were more expensive. We’ll all need to kick in $40 more. I’ve got it covered for now. As long as I get your share before January 11th that’s fine. The other thing is that the flight itinerary has changed slightly. The flight home gets into Newark around 8PM. So it sucks getting home late on Sunday night, but it was unavoidable. Hopefully, you’ll take pity upon me, because in the end this is all going be pretty cool.
Tommy: No apologizes, you’re doing great. Maybe American will have bigger seats? Check’s in the mail. Wow a reply from Guy, it was even sorta witty, kind of.
Jimmy: Pucker up Tommy….. bend over David!!!!! Maaaaaah!
Time passes.
David: Okay, I want to have an East Coast Pre-California dinner at my house. Us and our families. Before Thanksgiving, preferably on a Saturday night. Maybe November 4th? Plenty of time to clear your schedules….
Tommy: Not wanting to seem wishy washy, I’ll have to say I’m definitely not sure if I will make this. TKG out.
Jimmy: Hey Boys, I’m witt Thomas on this…weekends are tough.
David: Okay. I’m going to keep that date open anyway. On another note … I highly recommend we all make the Monday after we arrive home from California (Jan 15th) an “easy” day for ourselves. I’ve already had two emails from the airline that have pushed our arrival time in Newark on Sunday night later than the original time of 8PM. We’ll be getting home very late. Oh, the joys of air travel! … 87 Days and counting….
Tommy: Jan 15 State Holiday …. I’m good. 😊
Jack: David, I am good for dinner. I had a scout event earlier in the day but it will be over in time for this.
Trains: Just my wife and I are coming. I want to know if the other candy asses are coming?
David: Nope. Just us candy-asses. Beedles, Keefes, McClures. See you Saturday!
November 4 2017
David text: California trip planning! Tommy and Jimmy are candy asses (according to Trains). 68 days and counting!
Guy text: Don’t plan too much. Your just flying in to enjoy the sun and beach.
Jimmy text: Narley dude! David, where’s my ticket!
David text: Trains has already packed his thong. And honestly, California trip planning = telling old hockey house stories.
Jimmy text: If he wears a thong on the plane he is not sitting by me!
Tommy (a few days later): Any meeting notes I should know about from Saturday’s Get-Together? Any changes, additions, deletions?
David: No, we just hung out and talked. I really would love for the five of us to all get together once before we go, just for fun and a little bit of “planning” (if you even want to call it that), but I’m doubtful I can make it happen once the Christmas season is upon us.
Tommy: I think it would probably be a good idea. Just to get everybody on the same page for getting to the airports and once in the airport. So, I guess for me, just set another date…. that Jimmey can make and I will push to come in. I’m good with not doing nothing. …….. All I want to do is talk stupid and relax with my friends.
David: “All I want to do is get away and talk stupid and relax with my friends.” You just said the magic words.
Part 4: Once in a Lifetime