To the Sky

I would describe Saturday morning as a frantic rush of last minute odds and ends.  Copies of my identification information, credit and debit cards, as well as documents pertaining to my insurances were made.  I wrapped up the last bit of my taxes and finished the “thank you” cards for my family.   The calls were put out to my financial institutions about my itinerary and my car insurance company halted full coverage.  The bedroom I used for the last three months was organized and the last few items were put into boxes.  I need to thank my brother, Matt and his girlfriend Jenna for the accommodations.  An extra thanks to Jenna for putting up with our antics, although I don’t think you’ll fare much better when I’m gone.  So on that note, take Jenna snow tubing Matt.  I attempted to finish the laundry, but came up a bit short.  Sorry mom, but there’s about three loads left.  You’re the best.   Accomplishing all those things leaves a thought in my head, “What did I forget?”  That thought has been stuck in my head since I left. 

Debriefing took place at my parent’s house at 1400.  I ran down through the copies of my information and directions for what needed to be done.  I feel confident that they received everything they needed in case of an emergency.  We all loaded up in the Saturn and Matt and Jenna followed us in his truck.  Well, I should say that we followed them, because we weren’t going fast enough.  At the airport we grabbed a bite to eat and I continued to think to myself, “Do I have everything?”  Looked at my watch and with an hour left till my flight, and we said our goodbyes.  No tears, just hugs and smiles. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a plane.  The last time I’ve flown was in 1996, and that’s far before the significant increase in security.  So needless to say, I was a deer in headlights making my way through it.  At least for my sake, I only had to do it once.  My packs and laptop were put on the belt and I proceeded to walk through the metal detector, until I was told to remove my shoes.  Now I’m ready.  Ding, ding, ding.  What did I win?  Oops, forgot my phones.  Now that I’m through, I’ve been randomly selected for a hand check for chemicals, along with the next two people.  I heard one of the TSA employees say, “The computer selected three in a row.”  Eventually I boarded the flight to Philadelphia and the plane is just about full, except for the seat next to me.  I’ll take the extra room over someone to talk to.  No sooner did we take off and 50 minutes later we’re back on the ground.  An hour and 45 min separated my next flight, so I just listened to my iPod, and used the airports Wi-Fi.  I arrived at the gate for my next flight and waited for boarding.  Boarding was to begin at 8:15 and it was 8:25 and they hadn’t started.  I knew something was up, so I went over to the courtesy desk to ask, only to find out that the gate has been changed.  Basically, I had to run to another wing of the airport, and was the last one to board.   The woman at the gate called me by my last name before I even made it to the desk.  I’ll be double checking with the airline from now on, regardless of what’s on my ticket. 

Airline salad, mmmm

This post is being composed on my flight to San Francisco.  I wouldn’t think about trying to work on my laptop if the plane was crowded, but I guess I’m a bit lucky, and have three seats to myself.  In fact everyone on the plane has three seats to themselves and are taking advantage of the extra room.  It’s time to get a little sleep and then some more when I arrive.  

PS  Alcatraz photos to be posted soon.