Now, what next...
Oct. 18th, 2003 10:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jayI'm home. patgreene had the house cleaned and a lovely dinner and cake waiting, and other means of welcome later, before I fell asleep ;-). I'm very fortunate to have someone that loves me so, and is willing to show it! (smile)
After tapas and Chocolateria San Gines Thursday night...
(an after-midnight Madrileno snack... thick hot cocoa with churros, yum ;-)
I was up Friday morning at 7am, finished packing, then braved Madrid rush hour traffic in the rain... I took the wrong freeway ring-road exit, then I was late and couldn't find a gas station, so I turned-in the rental car at 3/4 full. And I left LB's shot-glass on the register at the duty-free shop. Not a great start.
The trip home... 14 hours on airplanes. The Madrid-Newark flight was completely full... they put a 6'6" German businessman into the middle seat next to my window, and I had someone in front of me that reclined their seat back nearly into my face... I could barely open my laptop. And all of these bozos wanted to close their shades and watch mindless 3rd-run movies or old sitcoms on their at-seat entertainment systems, so it was dark and dank in the 777 cabin. (Two week-old "Larry King Live"? "Red, White and "Blonde"? Sorry, I'd rather stare out the window, or hit myself with a mallet until senseless... I suppose that "Dr. No" at least had 60's cultural value.) I don't enjoy watching TV or movies at home, let alone being forced to do so by strangers. I'd much rather look out at the clouds, or read. It was 8+ hours that was endured, not enjoyed... I hate long trips in coach.
Arriving in Newark, the plane dove down through the brown smog layer covering the NY area... must have been a significant temperature inversion there. I looked for any major fires, or buildings missing. There was no separate official/crew line at US Immigration, so my red passport wasn't much use. Although the Customs guy asked me about my agency, then waved me through without my paying duty on my three over-limit bottles of sherry, so maybe it helped a bit there.
On my Newark -SFO connection, I was upgraded... *much* more space to work. Whew. But by then I was fighting sleep (it was 2am, Madrid time) and desperately needed sunlight and activity. And they gave me an aisle seat, so I didn't control the window shade. Again, everyone else closed their shades to watch videos on their seatside screens, so the cabin was dark. I was seething and raw, but tried to not glare or take it out on the flight attendants. They can't help it if their passengers are mindless sheep... I struggled to stay awake through my 3rd weekly copy of The Economist, and wrote a long reply letter to one ofdawnd's emails. Which then was lost after two hours when the mail client crashed. Sigh. At least the aircraft power plug to the laptop works. I tried to set up a chat connection -- actually got AIM up and running, from the plane -- but no one was on. At one point, I resorted to pinching myself, and over-extending my legs such that the pain would keep me awake (a technique I use sometimes while driving, if sleepy).
Finally, we arrived six hours later at SFO, just as the sun was setting. Then home by 8pm. The kids were excited, Pat had a nice dinner and a cake waiting. And had opened the bottle of Australian wine thathopeforyou had brought back for me in March. A *much* better end to the day than the travel had been :-).
And after weeks with little contact, it was lovely to have someone to snuggle again. (grin)
So, now I'm wondering what to do next... answer calls from JL, unpack, take the kids skating? Grocery shopping? Fix the broken garage door?
patgreene had the house cleaned and a lovely dinner and cake waiting, and other means of welcome later, before I fell asleep ;-). I'm very fortunate to have someone that loves me so, and is willing to show it! (smile)After tapas and Chocolateria San Gines Thursday night...
(an after-midnight Madrileno snack... thick hot cocoa with churros, yum ;-)
I was up Friday morning at 7am, finished packing, then braved Madrid rush hour traffic in the rain... I took the wrong freeway ring-road exit, then I was late and couldn't find a gas station, so I turned-in the rental car at 3/4 full. And I left LB's shot-glass on the register at the duty-free shop. Not a great start.
The trip home... 14 hours on airplanes. The Madrid-Newark flight was completely full... they put a 6'6" German businessman into the middle seat next to my window, and I had someone in front of me that reclined their seat back nearly into my face... I could barely open my laptop. And all of these bozos wanted to close their shades and watch mindless 3rd-run movies or old sitcoms on their at-seat entertainment systems, so it was dark and dank in the 777 cabin. (Two week-old "Larry King Live"? "Red, White and "Blonde"? Sorry, I'd rather stare out the window, or hit myself with a mallet until senseless... I suppose that "Dr. No" at least had 60's cultural value.) I don't enjoy watching TV or movies at home, let alone being forced to do so by strangers. I'd much rather look out at the clouds, or read. It was 8+ hours that was endured, not enjoyed... I hate long trips in coach.
Arriving in Newark, the plane dove down through the brown smog layer covering the NY area... must have been a significant temperature inversion there. I looked for any major fires, or buildings missing. There was no separate official/crew line at US Immigration, so my red passport wasn't much use. Although the Customs guy asked me about my agency, then waved me through without my paying duty on my three over-limit bottles of sherry, so maybe it helped a bit there.
On my Newark -SFO connection, I was upgraded... *much* more space to work. Whew. But by then I was fighting sleep (it was 2am, Madrid time) and desperately needed sunlight and activity. And they gave me an aisle seat, so I didn't control the window shade. Again, everyone else closed their shades to watch videos on their seatside screens, so the cabin was dark. I was seething and raw, but tried to not glare or take it out on the flight attendants. They can't help it if their passengers are mindless sheep... I struggled to stay awake through my 3rd weekly copy of The Economist, and wrote a long reply letter to one of
dawnd's emails. Which then was lost after two hours when the mail client crashed. Sigh. At least the aircraft power plug to the laptop works. I tried to set up a chat connection -- actually got AIM up and running, from the plane -- but no one was on. At one point, I resorted to pinching myself, and over-extending my legs such that the pain would keep me awake (a technique I use sometimes while driving, if sleepy). Finally, we arrived six hours later at SFO, just as the sun was setting. Then home by 8pm. The kids were excited, Pat had a nice dinner and a cake waiting. And had opened the bottle of Australian wine that
hopeforyou had brought back for me in March. A *much* better end to the day than the travel had been :-).And after weeks with little contact, it was lovely to have someone to snuggle again. (grin)
So, now I'm wondering what to do next... answer calls from JL, unpack, take the kids skating? Grocery shopping? Fix the broken garage door?
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no subject
Date: 2003-10-18 12:06 pm (UTC)Bummer! Well, I guess you'll just have to tell me whatever it was in person.
Glad you are home safe, anyway, even if it was rather TRYING getting here.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-18 02:30 pm (UTC)Thanks, and I'm looking forward to lunch!
no subject
Date: 2003-10-18 12:15 pm (UTC)I know
And, as far as what to do next? I vote family time. (this, from a girl who sent her parents off to her brother's home this morning...)
no subject
Date: 2003-10-18 02:31 pm (UTC)I think I'll go out somewhere with
no subject
Date: 2003-10-18 03:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-19 01:01 pm (UTC)welcome home
Date: 2003-10-18 03:16 pm (UTC)Re: welcome home
Date: 2003-10-19 01:02 pm (UTC)