Summer 2014 - Day 10

It was an early morning for me today - getting up at 6:50. I did get some photos of Bunny and of K's amazing Cabinet of Owls.

I packed up all of my things and headed out of the house to cross the lawns to 98th to get to my car. The construction people were out finishing the curbs. While walking, I thought about what it might have been like to ask the construction people to drive me to my car, and how there might have been such a fuss made of it that it would have been faster for me to walk. Alas, I will never know, because I chose to walk. After getting to the corner, I was finally able to roll my suitcase and get into my car and began driving to the airport.

I also tried to find a decent radio station, but as a riff in Future War once mentioned, it isn't very easy in Minneapolis. I got gas and a nasty cappuccino (which I later tossed) at a Clark's station, and was on the highway. My Google Maps instructions took me to Terminal 1, and I knew I was taking a risk, given how far Terminal 2 was from Terminal 1, but I figured that it would be okay. I returned the rental car and got on the tram, then realized that not only was I at the wrong terminal, I didn't need to take the tram either. Soon enough, I was in the Light Rail Station, very sad to be leaving Minnesota.

I got to the right terminal after 8am for my 9am flight, checked in, and then went through a very short security line. I chatted with people while getting coffee, drank my coffee, then sat down to wait for boarding. Boarding started and I stood in line and talked some more about Minnesota Nice. Then I was on the plane, reading Facebook and prepping blog pages to read after I turned the connection off. We began to taxi.

Then we took off for our first destination, Chicago, and I snapped a photo just before we ascended into the clouds.

Goodbye, Minnesota.

I actually like flights with stops on them.They give me a chance to get up and reconnect to the internet to see what people are up to and post some comments. The flight to Houston had even fewer people than the one to Chicago - where I believe that no one sat in the middle seat in my row. On the way to Houston, I had the row on my side to myself. I had earplugs in, which was good because I could tune out the Dog Saga. Some people had a dog with them and didn't keep it in the case, or their case was too small - I didn't care that much, but the flight attendants must have talked to them like 70 times about it.

The landing was terrible - it was as close to me pulling out the air sickness bag as I want to get, and I wonder if the earplugs had an impact. I got off the plane and made a beeline for a water fountain - well a slow beeline. Then I walked slowly, not using moving sidewalks, out to ground transportation. My taxi driver was surprisingly talkative, telling me about how long he waited at the airport to get a passenger and how he was sick the day before from something he ate. I guess he assumed that I was friendly, because he also swore a few times and talked a little like we were old friends. He was right about me, and I enjoyed the ride. He even went to 49 and took the Fannin exit and dropped me off at the right door. 

When I got to my apartment, it was hot and stuffy, so I turned on the air and went to get my mail. I checked for a package, hoping that the 5-piece Feistaware set in Plum that I asked my mom about for my birthday a month earlier would arrive, but instead, I just got the package I sent on Tuesday, which I had forgotten. On one hand, I was sad because my mom wasn't going to send me purple dishes (the last color I need for my whole set, along with lavender, which they don't have), but, on the other, I did get the package I'd sent myself, so I felt pretty smart, in spite of myself.

At last, I was home, sort of. Bruno was still at the vet, but my own bed was quite nice.