A decent cuppa
Apr. 22nd, 2005 11:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skyringI'm sitting down to my first decent mug of tea in 18 days. Yes I'm home, after a week without a Thursday in it and a 14 hour flight without a P in it. And a jumbo without my yellow Bookcrossing bag in it.
The kids were there to welcome me at the airport, and my face just lit up when I saw them. Not that it hasn't been fun meeting and greeting people from around the world, but it's good to see the ones I love best of all.
Let's see. I arrived in LAX at pretty much the same gate where I was to depart in a couple of hours. Terminal 4, not Tom Bradley. Just like last time, except it wasn't twelve frigging hous of listening to that wanker tell me to maintain visual contact with my possessions. Two hours was bad enough. No wifi, but I was able to get a seat with power and do some writing. Even Starbucks didn't have a hotspot.
The flight down wasn't along the coast, as I should have realised if I'd looked at a map of the banana-bent state of California, but you could see bits and pieces where the San Andreas Fault had been. And presumably still is. And then it got increasingly grey and murky. Oddly enough, over LA it cleared up, and I could see that enormous grid from the sky. Fascinating.
We boarded our Qantas 747 and the middle seat in our row of three was vacant - a blessing! I introduced myself to the chap in the aisle seat, who has made the trip thirty or forty times. He looked the part, with a portable seat cushion, noise-cancelling headphones, baggy cargo pants to put heavy carry on bits into. All sorts of tricks.
I got some decent sleep. Those folding headrest things are really good for long flights. Watched three movies, though I kept on dozing off during The Aviator. I mean, fair suck, it was about midnight LA time before they turned on the entertainment.
A grey dawn in Sydney. Immigration and Customs were easy, though somehow my passport still has that little green tag in it - there just wasn't an opportunity to have it removed in SF or LA, so I'll have to contact the US embassy here and see what they want me to do with it. Baggage carousel and my big black bag was quick enough, but no yellow BX tote bag. I can't imagine that any thief in his right mind would walk off with it - it was mostly books and labels anyway -so it's probably been mislaid somewhere and hopefully will turn up soon.
But the waiting and the whinging took up a bit of my time, so I had very little to make my final flight home. Getting worried when boarding time arrived and I was still stuck in the transfer shuttle waiting for the back end of a jumbo to clear the roadway. But it all got sorted out and I collapsed into my seat with a sigh of relief. Full of people making the flight to Canberra on business. Goodness knows what they thought of a fellow in very casual dress smelling of a day without a shave or shower and popping the occasional gum bubble. Must have thought the homeless were being given rides.
And here I am. Kids attacked the sweets/candy/lollies with gusto and I made myself a cuppa.
And made a blog entry. What a nerd!
The kids were there to welcome me at the airport, and my face just lit up when I saw them. Not that it hasn't been fun meeting and greeting people from around the world, but it's good to see the ones I love best of all.
Let's see. I arrived in LAX at pretty much the same gate where I was to depart in a couple of hours. Terminal 4, not Tom Bradley. Just like last time, except it wasn't twelve frigging hous of listening to that wanker tell me to maintain visual contact with my possessions. Two hours was bad enough. No wifi, but I was able to get a seat with power and do some writing. Even Starbucks didn't have a hotspot.
The flight down wasn't along the coast, as I should have realised if I'd looked at a map of the banana-bent state of California, but you could see bits and pieces where the San Andreas Fault had been. And presumably still is. And then it got increasingly grey and murky. Oddly enough, over LA it cleared up, and I could see that enormous grid from the sky. Fascinating.
We boarded our Qantas 747 and the middle seat in our row of three was vacant - a blessing! I introduced myself to the chap in the aisle seat, who has made the trip thirty or forty times. He looked the part, with a portable seat cushion, noise-cancelling headphones, baggy cargo pants to put heavy carry on bits into. All sorts of tricks.
I got some decent sleep. Those folding headrest things are really good for long flights. Watched three movies, though I kept on dozing off during The Aviator. I mean, fair suck, it was about midnight LA time before they turned on the entertainment.
A grey dawn in Sydney. Immigration and Customs were easy, though somehow my passport still has that little green tag in it - there just wasn't an opportunity to have it removed in SF or LA, so I'll have to contact the US embassy here and see what they want me to do with it. Baggage carousel and my big black bag was quick enough, but no yellow BX tote bag. I can't imagine that any thief in his right mind would walk off with it - it was mostly books and labels anyway -so it's probably been mislaid somewhere and hopefully will turn up soon.
But the waiting and the whinging took up a bit of my time, so I had very little to make my final flight home. Getting worried when boarding time arrived and I was still stuck in the transfer shuttle waiting for the back end of a jumbo to clear the roadway. But it all got sorted out and I collapsed into my seat with a sigh of relief. Full of people making the flight to Canberra on business. Goodness knows what they thought of a fellow in very casual dress smelling of a day without a shave or shower and popping the occasional gum bubble. Must have thought the homeless were being given rides.
And here I am. Kids attacked the sweets/candy/lollies with gusto and I made myself a cuppa.
And made a blog entry. What a nerd!
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no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 01:56 am (UTC)As for the bag, at least it waited until the home leg to vanish. If you had lost it earlier, it would have seriously messed up your trip! Hopefully, it will catch up with you.
Get some rest. I'm looking forward to reading all about your adventures.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 02:33 am (UTC)Laughed at your comment about the constant announcements to watch your bags. :-)
By the way, you almost described how I travel (noise-cancelling Bose headset, "Fom" beck pillow, etc.) I've been meaning to try out cargo pants on my next trip--I haven't to this point because all the zippers and buckles and snaps seem like they would set off the magnetometers--as it is I have to empty out all my pockets, strip off my belt, etc. to make it through.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 07:09 am (UTC)Vickie
no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 07:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 09:20 am (UTC)Nice to read you're back home,
no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 12:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 01:58 pm (UTC)WR on a beautiful early morning in Tijeras NM, wearing her
I'm blogging this" t-shirt (and a wooly jumper)
no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 07:15 pm (UTC)Dearest Raven, your pluck astounds me. I looked down at that vast amount of desert and plains, mesas and mountains and imagined you Easy Riding your way across it all. I shall be following your progress with anxious eyes.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-22 07:26 pm (UTC)We in Canberra are considering a bid for the 2006 convention, to be held in September when Canberra's winter loses its bite. (Though we anticipate stiff competition from Melbourne) The 2006 Dunedin convention will be at Easter.
It would be wonderful if you could come to any of these!
Glad to hear that
Date: 2005-04-22 07:57 pm (UTC)It was wonderful meeting you.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-23 12:42 am (UTC)* hug * I'll be fine. I'm not without fear - to be frank, I've been about as scared as I've ever been in my life, at times - but I get there. :-)
no subject
Date: 2005-04-23 12:43 am (UTC)