Not-So-Grand Finale ...

... but not horrific either. Just, well, typical? Ordinary, yet annoying? Par for the course? Mind numbingly long?

Well, whatever it was ... I am done.

Término

Avslutte

Fini

My last forty hour day has come and gone.

Got in the taxi, early Thursday morning. The Qantas web site crashed, of course, when I tried to book online ... I wouldn't expect anything less these days from my Vengeful Travel Gods. As I looked out the windows on that now familiar drive to the airport - I felt ... nothing. Don't really know what that means - it was just what it was.

Checked in, got an aisle seat, filled out the paperwork to go through security, went through security and then on to the gate - to begin my 'waiting in an airport'. On my list of favorite things - this was way down there ... but it has dropped considerably in the last year and a half. From the lounge I could see downtown Brisbane out the window and felt a few pangs of sadness then. I felt better about that.

After a second security check (for flights going to the US this is required) I boarded the plane. Made my final call to Gary letting him know that I was on the plane - and that I would e-mail him from LA since he would be in bed. This seemed rather discouraging since we had left together - him to head in to work for the day - me to the airport, and the next time I could communicate with him it would be in the middle of his night.

The plane was full, so no laying down - still typical with my Vengeful Travel Gods lurking about. There was a family spread out in the two rows ahead of me. A baby and a toddler were part of the pack. This is unusual for being way back in the back of the plane. They generally take up all three rows that look like a bulkhead (have a wall in front of the seats). since they have fold down cribs attached to the wall. This didn't worry me, just noted it as unusual ...

... until the toddler started tossing things. He was a thrower - books, toys, magazines, what ever he could get his hands on - and with a backward swing with his arm straight into the air it generally came over the seat ... and onto my lap, my head, the impossible to reach foot space ... this gets pretty old within the first hour ... I don't play fetch or being a target well at all.

He calmed down for a bit in the middle, but then woke up and decided to jump up and down in the chair, which was better than getting hit in the face with a hard object, but twice almost came over into my lap. This made me a little wary - since if I got my hands on the little thrower I might have strangled him (or his parents ...).

Sat my watch to LA time: five something Wednesday afternoon. Sighing, I looked at the face of my watch and realized that the hour hand would have to circumnavigate the entire thing: back to five again and then some (we were scheduled to land at seven). That long before I would be free of this lovely 'home away from home' of mine. I have discovered that in a year and a half this has become a little easier - I haven't had the urge to run screaming up and down the aisles - but still so very, very long. There is nothing you can do to change the fact that you are sitting in a chair for fourteen consecutive hours.

I decided to do the math. In the last year and a half I have been the air, just the 'in the air' part of my adventures:

SEVENTEEN DAYS.


Seriously.


THREE AND A HALF PERCENT of my life for May 2009 - September 2010.

Sitting in a chair at 37,000 feet trying not to look at my watch.




At my two o'clock in the afternoon Brisbane time, I watched the sun set:

I know, incredibly crappy photo - but it was beautiful ...

In the last three times I have flown, my entertainment system was broken. Yeah, I wouldn't consider anything less from my Vengeful Travel Gods. This is a frightening situation for me - I don't sleep and no movies / TV series would elongate each minute into something completely intolerable and unacceptable. They find me an alternate seat - somewhere I can go and watch movies, yet keeping my stuff in my original chair. I am assuming that this is not happening to hoards of people (apparently every traveller does not come complete with a set of Vengeful Travel Gods) or the one of the few seats that were unoccupied would undoubtedly go to someone much luckier than me ...

I was lead to my 'viewing seat' and noticed that it was one of the bulkhead seats. There were two adults without children sitting there - complete with the unused fold away cribs. I was wondering why my little tosser wasn't up there with his family. Often after getting nailed with something I wondered if I could convince the other two adults up there to move back and relocate the younger part of the family. Actually - just move the toddler - apparently parental supervision was not a requirement ... I am sure the two adults there wouldn't mind - especially since they weren't the ones getting nailed - it was the people behind him that might have a few problems with the arrangement.

We landed on time - and I went through the steps to get to the 'waiting in an airport' portion one last time. Man, I hate LAX. I decided that only the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris was worse - from ambiance to just getting around it is one nasty, butt ugly airport. I won't be missing it any time soon.

Got on the plane and noticed the headrest entertainment systems and sighed. I caught a break and the person behind me didn't even use it! It was heavenly! It made my entire three hour flight bearable. I finished my air travel in a good mood.

At the airport - my wonderful, wonderful friend picked me up. She is a saint. She watched my dog, took Jessie for outings every week - AND picks me up at the airport. I feel very loved . Until gaining my two best friends here after moving back from Norway - I don't think I ever had a close friend. Surely no one that I would ask to watch my dog, entertain Jessie or even pick me up at the airport. I is so wonderful after a lifetime full of acquaintances to have two gems of friends now - I am very blessed.

My friend had taken the dog home before picking me up and I walked in on one happy, ecstatic puppy. I meant to take her to the groomer when I got home from Australia the first time (July) but it didn't work out. She is one shaggy dog! Monday is going to be a 'Charlie' day.

Ryan has been the epitome of responsibility this summer - his move, setting up his apartment, starting a new year in college in a different town ... BUT I asked him to water my plants. This was something I failed to do before leaving knowing they had not been watered in over a month since I had been out of town. I am pretty sure he forgot - I have some very dead plants, but surprisingly I have many more (including all three trees) that look just fine. OK, maybe a wee bit limp ... but they will pull through. Apparently I am an overwater'er if they can survive for two months sans agua.

Here I only have one dead, limp puppy - the rest (all real) are going to pull through:

After getting home, I was tired, but not that tired - sometimes I am exhausted when I arrive. I was bored, though and didn't want to do any of the many things I need to do - so opted for bed anyway. It was five o'clock in the afternoon.

I woke up again (less the couple of trips to the little girls room) when Gary called me the next morning at 9:00am! Obviously I have no idea when I am tired - I was rather surprised that I could sleep so long. Seems I have beat that jet lag thing right off the bat ...

Headed to the doctors today:

Since I had to turn around and head back to Australia, I missed my doctors appointment and ran out of my meds a couple of weeks ago. I discovered that I am not a happy camper morphine-less. So good to get the drs appointment out of the way. I also never got over my infection and added some more ailments to my ever growing list - all which apparently needed its own prescription.

During Gary's call at midnight his time and another call when he woke up - we have had a long overdue conversation:

GARY'S MOVING HOME!!!

For real!!!!

He sent an e-mail off to the powers that be that he was staying too long if he stayed until the end of October, basically having finished what he moved over there to do and is coming home early. OK, I guess it is all relative since he was supposed to be home in April ...

BUT, he has the movers scheduled for October 15th and he is planning on flying home the next week!!!

So my days in Brisbane are over. Right now sitting in 100 degree temperatures and about 100 percent humidity I have discovered very quickly that I will miss the weather in Brisbane. Give me a few months and I am sure my list of 'missing Brisbane' will include much more than the apartment and weather.

But until then, I am just happy to be home ...