The travel Gods hate me
My 8AM flight was cancelled. Now I'm on a 7AM flight that connects through DC. I just got on the airplane to find that my seat, 15A, does not exist due to unexpected plane downsize.
There's a seat for me thank goodness... We'll see about the next one!
Airplane! Wheeeeeeeeee!
Scheduled: 3:00PM flight to Chicago
1:00: Get in cab to airport
1:25: Arrive at airport
1:30: 3:00 flight cancelled
1:35: Rebooked on 7:55PM flight; standing by for 2:00 flight
2:00: 2:00 flight delayed to 3:15
2:55: Fail to get on 2PM flight; start queueing for 4:30 flight standby
3:15: Still queueing (note there's only one person in front of me in this line)
3:35: Assured that that there is no way I will ever in a million years get on the 4:30 flight; rebooked on a 5:00 flight to DC on another airline, which then has a 7:40 connection to Chicago
3:45: Endure eye-rolling from check-in person because original airline sent tons of Chicago people over to them
3:50: Stopped at security: randomly selected for full search
4:15: 5:00 flight delayed to 5:55; still enough time to make the connection
5:15: 5:00 flight delayed to 6:35; talk to desk agent: no more flights tonight
5:45: Cab home during rush hour traffic
6:40: Get home
Tomorrow morning: 8:00AM flight. I'm glad I get to go to Chicago for the weekend, but jeeeeez do I hate flying sometimes.
Update (as I'm writing this): oh sweet Jesus now I'm getting a text that says my connecting flight was delayed to 9:20PM. So I would've made it after all.
I HATE YOU AIRLINES!
Update 7:12: No! 8:50!
Update 7:13: No! 8:20! - either way, still would've made it
Not coming home
Well, actually I probably will, but I certainly don't want to.
Costa Rica has been lovely. LOVELY! It's been the perfect beachy, sit on your lounge chair all day, catch up on books you've been meaning to read, drink pina coladas, go for refreshing swims when it gets to hot to just sit out sort of holiday. The beaches are beautiful, the weather is hot and mostly sunny, and the ocean is warm.
Of course, the trip has not been perfect (though, honestly, it's been close) - our hotel didn't have record of our reservation when we checked in. Oops! Their bad! They did find us a room thank goodness. And we have both proved completely useless at the application of sunblock and have absolutely ridiculous streaky sunburns in unlikely places. Also: my hair is a frizzy mess, but I'm not very bothered by that because of the awesomeness that lead to the frizz.
The biggest, saddest thing that's happened has been my cold. Which I fought for a week before we left, and which kept getting worse and worse and worse until finally, yesterday, my nose would NOT stop running and I went through ALL of the pocket packs of Kleenex I brought with me. Note to self and anyone else reading this: if you're getting sick before a vacation, take some sick days off to get better before your vacation. So what if you're about to take vacation days? YOU'RE SICK. GET BETTER! Anyway, this all means that I have not been able to dive at all on this trip, as you really can't dive with a headcold and you can't dive on Sudafed. Boo.
This morning we went snorkeling, though, so that's something. I think we're going to do a sunset cruise tomorrow, too, possibly with more snorkeling. On Friday, we're going into the rainforest, where we'll do a canopy tour. And then on Saturday, it's home again.
Best get my pina coladas in now...
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Unsurprising
In other news: Today will be spent in the most soul-destroying manner I can think of. Finding a bathing suit.
Why? Because a week from tomorrow, I'm hopping on a plane to... Costa Rica! Yes, we ended up deciding to go anyway. We will be staying right on the beach and doing all sorts of fun beachy things and probably a canopy tour, too. Cannot wait.
In the interim, though, bathing suit. *groan*
Crushed
Last year, Jamie and I were meant to go to Costa Rica. We were set to leave on April 25 at 11:45AM (arriving at 6:34PM) and and return on April 30 at 6:10PM. We had to cancel. Jamie had to work.
Merrill Lynch reimbursed us for the travel expenses we couldn't get refunded, but we still had to miss out on Costa Rica. I was somewhat heartened by the fact that when I went to cancel my ticket, I was told that I actually could reuse the credit for other tickets. I thought: okay, so in the next year, this will happen.
When we decided to get divorced and it became clear that we would not be going to Costa Rica together, I started peeking around, looking for someone to go with. My cousin, Emily, and I finally decided that this was going to be our trip, and she checked that she could get time off of work - which she could - and today I finally made the call to Continental Airlines...
... only to find that they will not let Emo use the ticket at all. It's James or nothing.
I'm so disappointed. We were going to do it in February, between our birthdays (my 30th!) and it was going to be this big fun treat. I haven't been diving in AGES and we were going to do that, too. And the sun. And the beach. And mmmm.
Eugh. :(
London
is fabulous. As always. A little grey, a little overcast, a little rainy, but very Londony.
Gareth is a wonderful host and has obliged me in many ways. We've been to Borough Market twice - the big question is always: what to get for lunch? Borough is a wonderful outdoor market under the rather vast railroad tracks at London Bridge station. It is full of fabulous artisan foods and butchers and specialty suppliers and such. A lot of the stalls cook and sell their food as well. Brindisa, for example, a spanish shop (with a restaurant on the corner) does such good chorizo in a bun with sweet pepper, rocket and a drizzle of olive oil that there is ALWAYS a line 30 people long at lunchtime when the market is open.
Yesterday, I saw Matt and we enjoyed a cocktail at the place I took the picture that is his blog banner before making a pilgramage to the Apple store. Little did we know, yesterday was the launch of the iPhone in the UK - the store didn't open until 6:02 (why 02??) and when we were finally allowed to enter (there was a queue), it was to the applause of a dozen Apple store employees. Surreal.
I am lucky in a couple of ways: My fave independent handbag brand (Kimchi) doesn't seem to be carried by anyone anymore... perhaps they're out of business? My fave German shoes (Trippen) are not in my size/style at the store that carries them here. $$$ in pocket = good. Especially with this exchange rate.
Tomorrow, I'm on a Eurostar to Paris for a day with Lisa. Cannot wait. It will undoubtedly be fabulous and delicious. Paris, and all.
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Travel Plans
November 7, 7:10PM (arriving November 8, 7:00AM)
New York (JFK) -> London (LHR)
BA174
November 17, 4:00PM
London (LHR) -> New York (JFK)
BA115
November 21, 5:10PM
LGA -> DEN
UA409
Thanksgiving is in Denver, then I'll be driving back to Chicago with my parents sometime over that weekend and will be working from 'home' in Chicago the week after that, so I can go to my friend's 40th bday party on Friday. Then:
December 1, 1:00PM
ORD -> LGA
UA682
I will be sleeping in my own bed (in my new apartment) only 10 nights in November. :> World traveler!
Off to Michigan!
I am off to the UP (to hang with all the yoopers) and I shall be gone until Sunday night. For once, I am actually leaving my computer at home, though I am armed with my camera, so be prepared for photos. :)
Until then, here is a surreal cartoon for you all:
Bathtime at Clerkenwell
Music, rescheduling et al.
I went to a concert this Thursday. I haven't done that in years. I sometimes have a hard time with concerts. With big ones, the venues are usually accoustically unbalanced, depending on where you're sitting. I inevitably end up sitting somewhere where the vocals sound just slightly out from the band, and I sit around shifting uncomfortably in my seat, making faces and being miserable. And making everyone around me miserable.
This may have something to do with the bands I've seen, I acknowledge that. My first concert was at age 16 or so: REM. Michael Stipe was standing up on stage, reading the lyrics off of sheets of paper. I have more energy getting out of bed in the morning. He was off-key and disappointing. That was a negative enough experience that I didn't race back to Ticketmaster.
However, I have also been to some excellent concerts. My favorite? Probably Bonnie Raitt at Lilith Fair. Crazy, right? I don't own a song of hers. But she was amazing live. I'm probably forgetting some other live concert that I loved, but the point is there haven't been many.
Thursday night? Amazing. Best concert I've ever been to. John Vanderslice, whom I've loved for four or five years, and who is sort of obscure. Gant emailed me saying he was going to be in town. I was pleasantly surprised, as he tends to be off most people's radars.
The opening act was St. Vincent (Annie Clark) and, honestly, John was amazing, but she was amazing. I may have been so floored because we had earlier decided that we didn't really want to see the opening act. That would've been a huge mistake. She's fantastically melodic, has an awesome voice, a multi-instrumentalist, and is very musically interesting. Her LP comes out soon. Get it. If you want a track, get in touch, and I'll arrange a taster.
John was great, too, of course - really great. Tons of energy, tons of great songs, old and new. And it was all in this tiny venue (The Mercury Lounge). It felt like there were only about a hundred people, but according to the site it holds 300. So it was probably somewhere between those numbers. However, we stood right up close to the stage and there was great energy.
Awesome.
In other news, we're starting to schedule some travel, so a word or two about that.
Beth May 4-6 : DC, staying with Scott & Jody. No social plans have been made yet. If you have ideas about that, let me know. :)
James May 4-? : I don't know when he comes home, but he'll be in India
Sometime in July : James India, Beth London for a week-long jewelry course + visiting
Sometime in... August? Maybe? : A big trip
Those aren't very detailed but that's the long and short of it right now. :)
Now to enjoy this kickass weather!
Ah well
My extra-curricular to-do list just got a lot lighter.
Costa Rica has been cancelled. Things are too busy with work.
Alas!
