Getting emotional

Being a person who finds tears arising in all manner of situations, I was naturally drawn to this piece by Frederick Buechner, which I found on Tim Keel's blog (unfortunately he doesn't tell us where it comes from.)

"You never know what may cause them. The sight of the Atlantic Ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you've never seen before. A pair of somebody's old shoes can do it...You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go next."

Substitute the Pacific Ocean for the Atlantic or a photograph of my now deceased mother holding one of my sleeping grandchildren as a tiny baby for the old shoes, or a sloppy movie (in fact, not it doesn't even have to be sloppy) for the piece of music (not that I never get emotional about music), and you have a picture of what might cause me to be emotional any place any time.

Pacific Blues

My wife and I are flying to Auckland today via Pacific Blue, one of Virgin Blue’s offshoots. We’d booked a flight several weeks ago when fares were particularly cheap, so we’re hoping we won’t be sitting in seats that make you keep you knees under your chin somewhere.
Pacific Blue offers a web check-in system and notified me by automatic email yesterday that I could do this. (For some odd reason you can only do it a day in advance, compared to Air NZ’s facility to book your particular seats weeks in advance.)
So I clicked on the link in the email, put in my number and then tried to find my departure city from the drop-down list. Hmm, all Australian cities, and I’m leaving from Dunedin in New Zealand.
Rang Pacific Blue. Turns out I have to be on the New Zealand web check-in section. Try again. Put the reservation number, drop down, find Dunedin, and click next. Receive message: Web Check-in is not available for itineraries containing international flight segments. Please proceed to the airport and see the Pacific Blue Guest Services Staff..
Ring Pacific Blue. Must be a temporary glitch. Try again later.
Try again later. Still a glitch.
Try again when I get home from work. Same message. Ring Pacific Blue. This operator’s explanation is that there must be an international component in my flight! I tell her I’m only going from Dunedin to Auckland. I look at the flight plan. Is it likely that the Christchurch to Auckland section is international? Seems unlikely, since Pacific Blue, as the operator ought to know, is New Zealand based, not international!
We have an impasse, I say. She doesn’t understand the word, since she’s probably sitting in the heat of Malaysia. We have reached a wall. She tells me she can’t check in for me because she doesn’t have access to that facility. That makes two of us. We don’t depart on the greatest of terms, since her willingness to help doesn’t go beyond what she’s been trained to do, apparently.
Hopefully, when we get to the airport today, the check-in staff won’t have the same difficulties!