March 3, 2008
Hi!
Sorry I didn't get this done last night. I think I
collapsed once we were finally home.
LA was great, as usual--and if anyone wants good
corned beef, I know where to send you.
Yesterday was fairly awful--not as totally awful as
the time they made us take Air France from Chicago to
Paris to London when we knew we had already missed the
London-Moscow connection, but depressing enough. Had
to get up at 4, to get the shuttle at 4:45. All the
other idiots taking the shuttle were late (guy had to
go into the hotel, call the room, eventually they came
down, etc.), so nervous traveller was getting
irritated. Check-in was ok, we got on the plane, then
had a delay because of ground conditions in Denver.
Landed in Denver in a sleet storm. Apparently the
luggage sat outside the whole time, since everything
in the checked bag was soaked when I got home. Long
delay waiting for plane to go to d-ville, then an hour
line-up for de-icing, finally arrived in d-ville in
the middle of a sleet/rain mix, temps falling steadily
as I left the airport. Went straight to the kennel to
pick up the monsters, and we all returned looking like
drowned rats. But at least the streets had not yet
turned to ice.
Today we have sun, wind chill of 12, etc. The boys
greeted the day by tipping over the water bucket in
the kitchen, so my floor is wet, they drowned the tote
bag of stuff I had ready to go to class tomorrow, etc.
But the real question to contemplate is future travel
with checked bags. The regular carry-on was just the
usual aggravation. But this time my bags were checked
every time, and TSA is going a little nutty. They
were so determined to disconnect the battery in my
cheap alarm clock that they broke the clock in the
process. It was not worth much, but when a person
needs an alarm clock . . . . On the way back they
took the top off a little container of hand cream and
put the parts back in separately, so that created an
interesting little mess.
Are we on a list because of the Russian visas? Or do
they do this to everybody?
Maybe we should all take the battery out before we
leave home? But what did I have in the hand cream?
One of those Cold War micro-dots? If so, I should
have had it on a contact lens.
OK, enough. time to put all the towels from the
kitchen floor in the laundry, go to pick up the mail,
etc.
Have a better day than we are!