Hi gang.
Despite the recommendations of pretty much everybody, I decided to work a half-day today. Don't ask me why - I still had a ton packing to do. So afterbaby-stitting teaching my sixth-graders for three class periods, putting in final grades for the nine-week quarter and the like, I quietly snuck out during lunch and drove home.
With Raiders of the Lost Ark playing in the background, I threw together the remainder of my crap into a battered-and-worn 25" suitcase (to check), a backcountry backpack that Melvin let me borrow (to serve as my carry-on), and my trusty Maxpedition sling-pack (my camera bag/personal item).
I'm probably going to end up forgetting something important anyway. I usually do.
I suppose having a couple beers and watching Indiana Jones during the process probably wasn't the smartest thing I could've done.
Anyway, Kris swung by with the girls around 5:15pm in order to haul my ass to the OIA. Alayna wasn't too thrilled to say goodbye to Daddy; Abby just looked confused. They dropped me off around 5:45pm at the Lufthansa (some German airline, who knows) terminal and, about ten minutes later, the first two members of my travel group - one of my students and her mother - showed up.
Unfortunately, there was some nasty multiple-car accident on one of the main roads leading up to the airport, so the remaining portion of our motley team (comprised of another one of my students and five members of his family) didn't even arrive to the airport until nearly 6:45pm... and by then the check-in line for luggage/tickets was down-right brutal.
Check in itself was pretty painless once we reached the counter, though. Running through the TSA's security gauntlet was as well (thank God). I packed about 10 lbs - practically nothing - in my checked bag, as I didn't want to risk losing anything essential and/or valuable in the journey over.
Consequently, my carry-on was packed to the brim and heavy as shit.
What are ya gonna do.
Upon boarding our plane, I was pleased to discover that I had been given a window seat, and that the seat next to me was vacant. This euphoria would prove to be short-lived, unfortunately, as minutes before taking off a gigantic Viking plopped down in the seat next to mine, armed with two liters of Bombay Sapphire gin (from the Duty-Free shop) and a horrific sunburn.
I never got his name - it was probably 'Sven' or something along those lines anyway. He was a 400 lb Finn who probably stood a solid two feet taller than me, and he quickly seized the armrest between us as well as a sound portion of the leg room. He appeared friendly enough, but his European awkwardness and gruff demeanor didn't really entice me to strike up a lengthy conversation beyond polite small talk.
(I'm not big on strangers.)
We were fortunate enough to have individual TV screens in the seats ahead of us, and they had a wide variety of new movies to choose from. I began Lincoln, which at first intrigued Sven, but he opted for a Richard Gere movie instead because, as he told me, "that Civil War you all had. . . it sounds boring."
Unlike Richard Gere.
Anyway, I was pretty exhausted, and about 45 minutes into the movie I found myself dozing off. Lincoln, as it turns out, is more of a drama than a war movie (which is what I was hoping for), and consequently was much slower than I had anticipated. I decided to switch over to Cloud Atlas instead.
This movie was far more visually-stimulating, so over the course of a few white wines (awesome) and a to-be-expected airline dinner of chicken and rice (not so awesome), I managed to watch the movie it its entirety without falling asleep (though towards the end it became a challenge.)
I don't know what time ended up falling asleep, but an inflatable neck pillow Kris picked up for me proved incredibly useful...
Despite the recommendations of pretty much everybody, I decided to work a half-day today. Don't ask me why - I still had a ton packing to do. So after
 |
| Go ahead and try and name a better movie. . . |
 |
| Slainté. |
I suppose having a couple beers and watching Indiana Jones during the process probably wasn't the smartest thing I could've done.
 |
| I pack like a badass. |
Anyway, Kris swung by with the girls around 5:15pm in order to haul my ass to the OIA. Alayna wasn't too thrilled to say goodbye to Daddy; Abby just looked confused. They dropped me off around 5:45pm at the Lufthansa (some German airline, who knows) terminal and, about ten minutes later, the first two members of my travel group - one of my students and her mother - showed up.
Unfortunately, there was some nasty multiple-car accident on one of the main roads leading up to the airport, so the remaining portion of our motley team (comprised of another one of my students and five members of his family) didn't even arrive to the airport until nearly 6:45pm... and by then the check-in line for luggage/tickets was down-right brutal.
Check in itself was pretty painless once we reached the counter, though. Running through the TSA's security gauntlet was as well (thank God). I packed about 10 lbs - practically nothing - in my checked bag, as I didn't want to risk losing anything essential and/or valuable in the journey over.
Consequently, my carry-on was packed to the brim and heavy as shit.
What are ya gonna do.
Upon boarding our plane, I was pleased to discover that I had been given a window seat, and that the seat next to me was vacant. This euphoria would prove to be short-lived, unfortunately, as minutes before taking off a gigantic Viking plopped down in the seat next to mine, armed with two liters of Bombay Sapphire gin (from the Duty-Free shop) and a horrific sunburn.I never got his name - it was probably 'Sven' or something along those lines anyway. He was a 400 lb Finn who probably stood a solid two feet taller than me, and he quickly seized the armrest between us as well as a sound portion of the leg room. He appeared friendly enough, but his European awkwardness and gruff demeanor didn't really entice me to strike up a lengthy conversation beyond polite small talk.
(I'm not big on strangers.)We were fortunate enough to have individual TV screens in the seats ahead of us, and they had a wide variety of new movies to choose from. I began Lincoln, which at first intrigued Sven, but he opted for a Richard Gere movie instead because, as he told me, "that Civil War you all had. . . it sounds boring."
 |
| I didn't catch the last 1 1/2 half of this movie, so I'm not sure how it ends. Hopefully the North wins and Lincoln stays president for years and years to come. |
Unlike Richard Gere.
Anyway, I was pretty exhausted, and about 45 minutes into the movie I found myself dozing off. Lincoln, as it turns out, is more of a drama than a war movie (which is what I was hoping for), and consequently was much slower than I had anticipated. I decided to switch over to Cloud Atlas instead.
 |
| I couldn't tell you what this movie was about. . . |
This movie was far more visually-stimulating, so over the course of a few white wines (awesome) and a to-be-expected airline dinner of chicken and rice (not so awesome), I managed to watch the movie it its entirety without falling asleep (though towards the end it became a challenge.)
I don't know what time ended up falling asleep, but an inflatable neck pillow Kris picked up for me proved incredibly useful...
- Brian
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