Folinazzo

Official statement from ATA website
I can’t say I am surprised. This airline should have ceased operations years ago. I never had a positive experience with ATA and the last time I flew this airline, back in 2002, I swore I’d never fly ATA again. And I didn’t. Looks like I won’t have to worry about it anymore.

I do feel sorry for the people who had vacations planned and now, suddenly, their trips have been cancelled. From what I read on the ATA website, some people may even have a difficult time getting a refund. I feel sorry for some of the employees, but definitely not the check-in agents and gate agents who worked for ATA at Midway Airport. They are some of the rudest, most ignorant creatures on the planet. I believe I never told my horrible ATA story on this blog. Maybe I should do that now in an effort to explain why I swore I’d never again fly ATA, and why I am not surprised the airline has been grounded for good.
[read on]

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Did I mention that I’m addicted to Flickr? Anyway, one of the groups I’ve joined is called “Lapsed Catholics” where members are encouraged to post pictures of Catholic churches, schools, etc., and to share stories from a Catholic upbringing. I included this picture in the pool with the following story: I was in third grade and my class was taking the Iowa tests (annual standardized tests back then). We used these spiral booklets that were issued to the school each year and were not to be written in or marked up in any way because we had to give them back when testing was over. Anyway, in the middle of one of the tests, my nose started bleeding. It bled all over the booklet. My teacher, the mean, old nun Sister Ibar, snatched the booklet off of my desk, and dragged it and me into the bathroom where she proceeded to yell at me for damaging the book, hit me with the yardstick for damaging the book, and made me clean the blood off the booklet. Never mind that my little 8-year-old nose was still bleeding all over the place… did this contribute to my parents’ decision to take me out of Our Lady of Pompeii and put me in public school the next year?

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Today is the ten year anniversary of the day that changed my life forever. No, I did not undergo a major, emergency surgery, nor did an image of the Blessed Mother appear on my grilled cheese. This particular ... [Continue reading this entry]

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I love sports. Anyone who knows me knows that. I have been in love with sports since a very young age. But within the last few years, it seems that my life has revolved completely around sports. My ... [Continue reading this entry]

Below is a story/essay I wrote for our weekly publication at work (The Friday Flash). I was once the publisher of the Flash but that responsibility was passed down to another when I received my promotion last summer. ... [Continue reading this entry]