So, my journey back from the States...it didn't go entirely to plan, went to get dressed on Friday morning and realised I hadn't left myself out any underwear (idiot), so I had to unpack my main suitcase and re-pack it (not quite as neatly as I had managed the evening before (in-between tissue changes)), so I had to just stuff everything that wouldn't fit into my hand-luggage (more of which later) -
- popped into the office for an "any other questions" session with my trainee and then back to the hotel only to find total bedlam (I do have pictures, just not had a chance to flickr them yet), my bag was the only thing left in my room, the chairs, bed, desk, TV etc. (not just from my room) were all stacked up in the hall (the cheek, I hadn't even checked out yet)! So, down to meet my limo (which the hotel had kindly booked for me), sat in traffic/skidded our way out of town (took about 40 minutes!), then back across the Williamsburg bridge and along the highway, very much slower this time, arriving in the airport at about half three (so I could have probably left it a little later, but not much, Friday PM roads out of Manhattan aren't very funny)...
Fought my way past the hundreds of people sleeping on the floor (because of the delays and cancellations of the last few days) to the Virgin Atlantic check in area, where I couldn't locate a single member of staff (all hiding, no doubt) which began to worry me a little, so I went and found a departures screen, which was showing about 80% of flights today were cancelled (uh oh)...waited (impatiently) until my flight flicked up, and there it was, on time and not cancelled...(phew!)...however, that did leave me with time to burn, so, dragging my luggage with me I wandered around duty free (not that I could buy anything because I didn't have a boarding pass) then sat down with a drink and played Splinter Cell Essentials on my PSP, when I got bored I went back to the check in area where a few members of staff were starting to assemble, so I joined a 30 minute queue at the ticket desk (to pay for my leg room) full of desperate people just trying to get anywhere near Europe (the guy behind me in the queue had been stuck in the airport for 2 days (and he looked like it), he had his flights cancelled by his carrier three times and just wanted to get home, poor chap...) anyway, I paid my money, checked in my bag, went through the security check, got called back and had to watch the nice lady empty my wash kit (which I had stupidly stuffed into my hand luggage) into the bin (what an idiot!), oh, all apart from my razor (eh???) and a coke can sized bottle of clear liquid that smelt of propellant (hair treatment, but she wasn't to know)...anyway, I shrugged at the logic, and then went back to Splinter Cell until the time of the flight...
When I got on board, there was a large gentleman in the seat I had paid for (not again!), a nice member of the cabin crew explained that he couldn't fit in the window seat as that one had an airbag attached to the seat belt (blah blah)...so, I shrugged, and gave it a go, and actually, the leg room was fine...still a bit annoying though...more annoying still was that the flight was delayed by 30 minutes (adverse weather), the 140-odd kids from the way out were flying back with me, and the cherry on the top was that the entertainment system was broken, so instead of all playing tetris they were running around the plane throwing things and yelling (so I didn't get much sleep)...
Flyingpops picked me up at the airport right on time (in fact she was there rather early), I tried to get some sleep on Saturday, but it was a bit sporadic, Sunday I slept until midday (still working on US time), and Sunday night I didn't get to sleep until 3am, and (as I mentioned already) thankfully last night I made it all the way through...still feel like a total zombie though...Let's see how today goes...zzz...
Normal service should be resumed soon... ;)
Update - posted the pics that should have been in this entry, see here...
2 comments:
Good to have you back old pal. Perhaps it was best that I didn't go, don't think my sleep pattern would settle down for 6 months.
Good to be back mate! Really haven't eaten much since I got back either, I think my body is rebelling! ;)
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