Well, I have returned from the Land of Cheese, and I am fully intact. The family is doing well, and I had a great time hanging out with my brother and his family. It sucks they live so far away, it means I don’t get to see them a great deal. It was a great to spend time with them.
The return trip was interesting, so I will briefly summarize it for your enjoyment.
First, my brother delivered me to the airport at the appointed time, and my flight was undelayed according to the big board, so I sent him on his way. Now, Northwest Airlines sucks giant donkey penis, but at least things were running smoothly at the airport. Electronic check-in and security took about 10 minutes, and then I was in the terminal. After a quick bite to eat, it was off to my gate, and a surprising ontime boarding.
Let me use the word surprising again, because I make a point of checking the weather, and I noticed the big mean weather system between Minneapolis and Boston. I would have expected a delay, but apparently things were being rerouted, because we boarded and pulled away from the gate on-time.
I should have gone with my first instincts, because we were diverted off to the side of some distant runway where we sat for a few hours till we finally were able to get an alternate routing and take off. I ended up getting home early this morning, tired but otherwise intact.
Note to travelers! You should be sure to add a link to FlightAware.com, a website that gives you a real-time picture of flight operations across the country. The information is far more accurate then what is provided by the folks from the airline, so I have come to trust it to provide a clear picture of how long I will be delayed. Check it out.
Further note, I hate it when I get sat on a plane next to a person whose size is so great their folds intrude into my personal space. I spent the whole flight leaning out into the aisle and there was no way I was able to get any sleep. This keeps happening to me, and I don’t like it. Why couldn’t I have been seated next to the attractive young woman two rows back? Why?
Anyway, I am back in town now, and I am way behind on work. Time to dig in!
