Hockey tickets sold out

Last year I attended the Yale-Dartmouth hockey game, and this year I won't. Tickets are sold out, because Yale's hockey team is #1! Or it was, recently; maybe it still is. I don't really keep up with such things.

Snatching tickets was on my Outlook Calendar every day this week, but I never made it over there, due to a combination of busy-ness and treachery. An ice storm this week made the city not such a pleasure to walk around in. Fortunately, as students we have access to a free shuttle system, both a regular one on a route and a point-to-point service. On my way downtown last night, I was able to take the regular shuttle with no sweat. Coming back was harder, though, because I was returning after regular hours and therefore needed to rely on the point-to-point service.

In theory, this service is great, but in practice, it rarely is. Just about everyone I know has some sort of bizarre or hilarious shuttle fiasco story. Last night's mishap revealed some pretty fundamental operational issues. Observe!

11:48 p.m. -- I call for a shuttle. They said Bus #82 will be there at a little after midnight.

A little after midnight -- I get the phone call that Bus #82 is approaching, so I head down a couple flights of stairs. On my way down, I get another call that Bus #82 waited for me and didn't see me, and drove away.

A few seconds later -- I call the shuttle back and explain what happened. They tell me a different vehicle, Car #16, will be there at about 12:20.

12:20 -- No car.

12:30 -- I call back, and they tell me that there had been an error, and someone else's name (and phone number) was put in for the request instead of me. I ask for a car, and they say Car #16 will be there at 12:40).

12:30 to 12:45 -- No car, but I do see a bus and two other shuttle cars pass by; they don't stop, because I'm not on their list.

12:45 -- I call back to check on the status, and they tell me Car #16 will be there at 1.

1:05 -- I call a freaking cab, which I should have done in the first place. But right after I do, Car #16 shows up, so I cancel the cab.

The kicker in all of this is that I indeed have a car, and so theoretically shouldn't need to deal with any of this nonsense. But my car is buried beneath enough ice and snow that I haven't been motivated to deal with it. But this Monday the high is 41; I'm not sure if that's enough to melt some of this crap, but here's hoping!