THE BURGER KING CONNECTION
This week's question and answer for "Ask Cap'n
Meryl" has to do with ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine
Operations) http://www.fromthecockpit.com/Engine_Failure.html
Our computer troubles are finally over, at least
for now. Faulty wiring in the video card of Al
The Web Guy's main computer, the one used to
update my site, caused an overheat and the
destruction of the card, which incapacitated his
computer.
The repair guy has brought the wrong part three
times now, and Al finally gave up and went back
to Circuit City, where he had bought the
computer. They sold him a new card at a
discount, and Al will return the part on order
should it ever actually arrive, and receive a
refund when he does. I have my doubts, but in
the meantime www.fromthecockpit.com is updated
once again. Don't forget to submit your own
aviation-related questions to me at
support@fromthecockpit.com and put Question in
the subject line.
Be sure to visit the last uploads to the Photo
Gallery here, where I've added some new friends
to the Cap'n Meryl & Friends Album, and created a
new album called Microsoft Simulator Screen
Shots. There are six new additions, all with
August dates:
Cap'n Meryl & Friends
You'll find my friend and fellow pilot Jim
Hayward, a helicopter instructor for Army pilots,
some screen shots by Microsoft's John Southmayd,
a photo of my cousin Michael, whose photos appear
in the Animals & Fish album, with a reef shark,
and Melinda with husband Dave and Joe the llama.
Melinda is the daughter of my 1980 DC-10 United
Airlines flight instructor Jerry Warnke. You can
find him in the San Diego Road Trip album on page
6, or just click here:
Captain Warnke
For those of you interested in tuning in to my
telephone interview with the manufacturers of the
TrackIR, please note the following:
Date: August 29th, 2006
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (adjust for your own time zone)
Number to call: 1-620-782-2200
Access Code: 69728
Link to the Product with discount:
TrackIR
How to submit questions: Submit to me at
support@fromthecockpit.com and put TrackIR in the
subject OR you may have a chance to ask questions
during the call. If you already know you have a
question, best to do it in advance to make sure
it gets covered.
Last week I mentioned the above call would last
"30 minutes to half an hour." I just wanted to
see if you were paying attention, and apparently
some of you were. The error was corrected before
it went out onto my Blog at
www.fromthecockpit.com/Blogg. That's what
happens when you write stuff at 3:00 AM. The
conference call will last 30 minutes to an hour.
Now, on to this week's title. At the end of my
last Update you may remember this sentence:
"Next week I'll tell you about something I
consider extraordinary having to do with my
friend Myrna--something that gives me hope with
regard to the basic generosity of the human
spirit." If you missed that Update you can find
it here in the Blog See "Dancing With Pilots" August 16, 2006
Myrna is a very upbeat person. She's been
through the wringer twice now with cancer and is
still weak from surgery from this last episode of
brain cancer. She doesn't complain much, with
one exception, and that is about the deplorable
food served in both the hospital and the
convalescent facility she's in now.
She'd mentioned to me that one of the hospital
receptionists brought her a meal one day from
Burger King consisiting of a Jr. Whopper and
vanilla milk shake. Myrna, an excellent cook (I
know because she once cooked for me in her home)
raved about how good it tasted and how it was the
first time she hadn't felt absoltuely nauseated
after eating. She's lost at least 20 pounds
during this ordeal and I think everyone can
relate to cravings for certain things when one is
sick. She went on quite a bit about how
delicious it tasted to her.
So I probed a little bit, found out what she
likes and doesn't like, pickles or no pickles,
mustard or no mustard, etc., and then proceeded
to call the first of three Burger Kings I located
in the area. I asked to speak to the manager,
who referred me to a second location he said was
closer.
This manager referred me to a third one in the
area which was even closer, and I found myself
talking to a manager named Annie. It was close
to the dinner hour the day I decided to do this,
which was several days after the receptionist had
brought Myrna her hamburger.
As busy as this harried fast-food manager was,
she listened to my story and didn't hesitate.
She said something like, "I get off in half an
hour and I'll be happy to deliver it for you."
It absolutely caught me off guard because even
though I felt it would be a wonderful surprise
for Myrna, it was just too easy and I had been
expecting an argument like, "What, are you
kidding me? This is Burger King and we DON'T
deliver!"
I couldn't believe my good fortune and gave her
my credit card number over the phone, forgot to
ask for the milkshake until after the card had
gone through, and Annie simply added it with no
extra charge. She took it right to Myrna's
hospital bed and when I spoke with Myrna the next
day, she was ecstatic. She swore it was the first
time she'd kept anything down in days, first
decent night's sleep she'd had, and on and on.
It's as if she were stranded on a desert island
and all she could think about was what she'd have
as soon as she was rescued.
A few days later, after having spent weeks in the
hospital, she transferred to a conveslescent
facility pretty much next door, and I hoped she'd
report to me the food was better. Unfortunatley,
she told me it was as bad or worse.
So I once again picked up the phone and called
the same Burger King again. This time the
manager on duty was Trudy, and to my surprise, as
soon as I started to explain my story she said,
"Oh, is this Meryl? Did you want another
delivery? I'll take off a little early and I'll
be happy to take it over for you."
I almost fell off my chair. Annie, the first
manager, had told Trudy, another manager, all
about it and they said they were both happy to do
it. It's so un-typical in this day and age I
just stopped suddenly and said, "Trudy, let me
ask you--WHY are you and Annie so willing to go
out of your way like this?"
And she said, "Because life is short and we
should do what we can to help each other, and
Annie feels the same way."
After that, I sent a package to both managers at
Burger King with a signed set of my books for
each of them, plus a little something extra.
Trudy called me from her home with her husband on
the line to thank me for the package, but it's I
who am truly grateful to her and Annie for
helping me out. Not only that, but they're each
going to deliver another meal or two each to
Myrna while she's still laid up, but Myrna
doesn't know it yet and has no Internet access
for the moment.
It's such a small thing, but in Myrna's place if
I had to choose between getting flowers or a
hamburger, I'd take the hamburger (with cheese,
of course) every time.
But you know me.
Meryl" has to do with ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine
Operations) http://www.fromthecockpit.com/Engine_Failure.html
Our computer troubles are finally over, at least
for now. Faulty wiring in the video card of Al
The Web Guy's main computer, the one used to
update my site, caused an overheat and the
destruction of the card, which incapacitated his
computer.
The repair guy has brought the wrong part three
times now, and Al finally gave up and went back
to Circuit City, where he had bought the
computer. They sold him a new card at a
discount, and Al will return the part on order
should it ever actually arrive, and receive a
refund when he does. I have my doubts, but in
the meantime www.fromthecockpit.com is updated
once again. Don't forget to submit your own
aviation-related questions to me at
support@fromthecockpit.com and put Question in
the subject line.
Be sure to visit the last uploads to the Photo
Gallery here, where I've added some new friends
to the Cap'n Meryl & Friends Album, and created a
new album called Microsoft Simulator Screen
Shots. There are six new additions, all with
August dates:
Cap'n Meryl & Friends
You'll find my friend and fellow pilot Jim
Hayward, a helicopter instructor for Army pilots,
some screen shots by Microsoft's John Southmayd,
a photo of my cousin Michael, whose photos appear
in the Animals & Fish album, with a reef shark,
and Melinda with husband Dave and Joe the llama.
Melinda is the daughter of my 1980 DC-10 United
Airlines flight instructor Jerry Warnke. You can
find him in the San Diego Road Trip album on page
6, or just click here:
Captain Warnke
For those of you interested in tuning in to my
telephone interview with the manufacturers of the
TrackIR, please note the following:
Date: August 29th, 2006
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (adjust for your own time zone)
Number to call: 1-620-782-2200
Access Code: 69728
Link to the Product with discount:
TrackIR
How to submit questions: Submit to me at
support@fromthecockpit.com and put TrackIR in the
subject OR you may have a chance to ask questions
during the call. If you already know you have a
question, best to do it in advance to make sure
it gets covered.
Last week I mentioned the above call would last
"30 minutes to half an hour." I just wanted to
see if you were paying attention, and apparently
some of you were. The error was corrected before
it went out onto my Blog at
www.fromthecockpit.com/Blogg. That's what
happens when you write stuff at 3:00 AM. The
conference call will last 30 minutes to an hour.
Now, on to this week's title. At the end of my
last Update you may remember this sentence:
"Next week I'll tell you about something I
consider extraordinary having to do with my
friend Myrna--something that gives me hope with
regard to the basic generosity of the human
spirit." If you missed that Update you can find
it here in the Blog See "Dancing With Pilots" August 16, 2006
Myrna is a very upbeat person. She's been
through the wringer twice now with cancer and is
still weak from surgery from this last episode of
brain cancer. She doesn't complain much, with
one exception, and that is about the deplorable
food served in both the hospital and the
convalescent facility she's in now.
She'd mentioned to me that one of the hospital
receptionists brought her a meal one day from
Burger King consisiting of a Jr. Whopper and
vanilla milk shake. Myrna, an excellent cook (I
know because she once cooked for me in her home)
raved about how good it tasted and how it was the
first time she hadn't felt absoltuely nauseated
after eating. She's lost at least 20 pounds
during this ordeal and I think everyone can
relate to cravings for certain things when one is
sick. She went on quite a bit about how
delicious it tasted to her.
So I probed a little bit, found out what she
likes and doesn't like, pickles or no pickles,
mustard or no mustard, etc., and then proceeded
to call the first of three Burger Kings I located
in the area. I asked to speak to the manager,
who referred me to a second location he said was
closer.
This manager referred me to a third one in the
area which was even closer, and I found myself
talking to a manager named Annie. It was close
to the dinner hour the day I decided to do this,
which was several days after the receptionist had
brought Myrna her hamburger.
As busy as this harried fast-food manager was,
she listened to my story and didn't hesitate.
She said something like, "I get off in half an
hour and I'll be happy to deliver it for you."
It absolutely caught me off guard because even
though I felt it would be a wonderful surprise
for Myrna, it was just too easy and I had been
expecting an argument like, "What, are you
kidding me? This is Burger King and we DON'T
deliver!"
I couldn't believe my good fortune and gave her
my credit card number over the phone, forgot to
ask for the milkshake until after the card had
gone through, and Annie simply added it with no
extra charge. She took it right to Myrna's
hospital bed and when I spoke with Myrna the next
day, she was ecstatic. She swore it was the first
time she'd kept anything down in days, first
decent night's sleep she'd had, and on and on.
It's as if she were stranded on a desert island
and all she could think about was what she'd have
as soon as she was rescued.
A few days later, after having spent weeks in the
hospital, she transferred to a conveslescent
facility pretty much next door, and I hoped she'd
report to me the food was better. Unfortunatley,
she told me it was as bad or worse.
So I once again picked up the phone and called
the same Burger King again. This time the
manager on duty was Trudy, and to my surprise, as
soon as I started to explain my story she said,
"Oh, is this Meryl? Did you want another
delivery? I'll take off a little early and I'll
be happy to take it over for you."
I almost fell off my chair. Annie, the first
manager, had told Trudy, another manager, all
about it and they said they were both happy to do
it. It's so un-typical in this day and age I
just stopped suddenly and said, "Trudy, let me
ask you--WHY are you and Annie so willing to go
out of your way like this?"
And she said, "Because life is short and we
should do what we can to help each other, and
Annie feels the same way."
After that, I sent a package to both managers at
Burger King with a signed set of my books for
each of them, plus a little something extra.
Trudy called me from her home with her husband on
the line to thank me for the package, but it's I
who am truly grateful to her and Annie for
helping me out. Not only that, but they're each
going to deliver another meal or two each to
Myrna while she's still laid up, but Myrna
doesn't know it yet and has no Internet access
for the moment.
It's such a small thing, but in Myrna's place if
I had to choose between getting flowers or a
hamburger, I'd take the hamburger (with cheese,
of course) every time.
But you know me.
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