Adventures in Air Travel

I believe that each time I get on a plane that my luggage will be delayed, lost or destroyed (or all of the above).

I believe that a blizzard, freezing rain, hurricane winds, a power outage, a malfunctioning video screen, ice on the plane, snow on the tarmac, an abandoned suitcase, an ash cloud, a frozen propeller, damage due to impact with a pick-up truck, a non-starting engine, or a bird will hamper my flight plans.

I believe all of this because in the last 3 years all of those events have occurred. Yep. Every single one of them. Today one of my old favorites which I haven't experienced in a long time thwarted my itinerary: marine fog. Oh marine fog, why do you choose to not burn off the mornings I want in, and roll in early on the days that I want out?

So we landed in another town and had to take a bus the rest of the way. I wasn't too fussed about it all since I had ample battery power on all my distraction devices and an orange.  But Holy Butter-Icing Batman was the heavily tattooed gent in the tracksuit ever hopping up and down about a cake that he had carried on board.

He actually was swearing at the agent on the tarmac about the fact that there was no refrigerator on the bus. Apparently he was going to have a very effing angry client. Like it was her fault.

[Insert chain smoking and pacing here.]

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Anyway, the bonus was running into a long-lost housemate, B.B, from 10 years ago at the Vancouver airport, then discovering that she and her husband (boyfriend when I last saw them) were coming here as well for a fishing holiday. They also had an 8 week bambino in tow. She was very cute and well behaved, just how I like bambinos. The last time I saw B.B. I was in nursing school and WOW have I changed since then. It was a pretty dark time in my life to be honest. I hope that she was able to see how much of a 180 degree spin things have taken since then.

When they asked what I was up to I just said, "I am in medical school in Ireland, just home working for the summer". Which is the most direct answer I have ever given about my state of affairs--I usually dance around things by saying, "yeah, I am working for the summer...no I am not living in BC anymore...no I am living in Ireland....yeah I am there living not visiting...oh, yes I am a student....er well actually I am in medical school....yeah...it's pretty good..." etc.

Then I felt weird about how I said what I was doing. Did it sound showy? Or braggy? That is why I hate throwing out the MD school thing like that. But then I sound cagey and evasive. Falsely humble or something.

Ah well, I am working on tactful directness.

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It was a wonderful few days with K.B. We just relaxed and cooked, drank wine and talked, walked. A great break in the middle of my contract. I am feeling good heading back to work tomorrow. My soul has been watered. It is exactly 4 weeks from today until I am in Ireland again!

My excitement is certainly growing. Mostly because I cannot WAIT to see Tobie who I've had in my clutches for only a week since May 17th. It has been really tough being apart for most of the summer. He's off to Ireland in 4 days, doing a course in Spain for a couple of weeks, and then setting up our "Nest" in Ireland for my arrival. I am also looking forward to seeing my good friends who are in Ireland and various North American locations (yes you too George!) It's strange being so tightly compacted in a ball of stress with a core group of people and then being tossed apart for the summer.

Off to the store to get stocked up for the next round of 'Living in the Hospital, 2010'.