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So a while back Lil Sis suggested that, since our parents are definitely getting older (late 70's) and we are so scattered (Denver, Key West, UK), we should all get together at some point. That some point ended up being January. Lil Sis had the hardest road, living in England, so once we coordinated schedules, she booked her flight from the UK, then I booked my flight from Key West, and since my older sister (The Witch) lives in Denver (two hour cheapo flight to Phoenix), she was able to book her flight whenever.
Well, today was the day, and I had been looking forward to it for quite some time. Monday, Lil Sis landed in the desert. Yesterday (Tuesday), before The Witch or I had even gotten on an airplane, both of my sisters were driving me fucking insane!
Amusing side note: being the Patron Saint of Procrastination, every trip I take, I wind up doing laundry the night before and packing feverishly at the last minute, often to the detriment of my sleep. Well, NOT THIS TIME. Last THURSDAY, I did a shitload of laundry, and since it was all done, I actually packed my main suitcase....six days before my flight. Yeah, even I was impressed. Last night, all I had to do was pack my carry-on, and this morning all I had left was to finish the carry-on (charger for cell phone and Kindle, etc.) and pack my toiletries. So easy it was pathetic. I even had extra time to read Gravekeeper's weekly post AND respond to it.
Hell, since I was being so uncharacteristically organized, I continued the trend by dropping the Jestermobile off with my mechanic so that he could address a couple minor issues while I am gone. My friend Popcorn picked me up at the mechanic's, we did lunch at a local pool bar (nothing says vacation like drinking beer and looking at girls in bikinis), and then he dropped me at the airport.
I spent the majority of the short flight from Key West to Phoenix talking to the older lady next to me, who was a Northeastern judge who loved beer. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company...one of the better conversationalists I've been stuck with on a plane! I even gave her some tips on some beers she might enjoy. She had just finished a Key West vacation, and was flying back home to work and to the snow. She did point out what she found to be the two most amusing aspects of her job: they can't start without her, and everyone stands when she walks into the room. I agreed that that was pretty freakin' cool.
The Miami airport was....well, the Miami airport. Overpriced beer and food of decent but not great quality. But having over 2 hours to kill, what else was I going to do but eat and drink and enjoy my Kindle?
For the first time in years, I had a non-stop flight from Florida to Phoenix, and that flight was not nearly as entertaining as my first one. One good thing, though, was that the seat between my window seat and the lady in the aisle seat stayed unoccupied on a busy full flight, so she and I had more room to stretch out. But the people on that flight were not nearly as friendly as on my first one...actually a bit rude. First time in my life that I've sneezed on an airplane (twice) and had no one say anything, such as "bless you" or "gezundheit," etc. Very odd.
Amusingly, almost none of my friends or family got the joke when I sent them a text that read, "So my flight to Miami crashed, but with my extraordinary athletic skills, I did a cartwheel and double backflip away from the wreckage and everything is good." I thought that the mental image of me doing a backflip away from the flaming wreckage would be so over the top that the joke would be obvious to everyone.
Clearly I overestimated my loved ones, as well as the ability for text messages to convey sarcasm and humor.
Landed in Phoenix, got my checked bag with no problem, my best friend Neets picked me up, and immediately drove me to one of my favorite places, a Tempe brewpub. Quaffed 2.5 of their flagship beers (she would only order a second one for herself if I agreed to split it with her), had some great food (real Mexican food, oh how I missed you!), bought a t-shirt, bought a six-pack to bring home for her, her husband, and myself, and off we went, to join Golf Boy (her hubs, my buddy) for a few cold ones.
And after much catching up, Neets and Golf Boy are snoozing in their room (GB has to work at the crack of hell), and I am still up on the computer. Jeg lag? What's that? Here it's 1:23, which means it's 3:23 my time....a time I am often still up at!
Plans tomorrow are pretty light: see my six year old Angel niece off to school, convince Neets that we really should do a four mile jog, do breakfast with Neets at a place we've seen on the Food Network, get an old-fashioned straight razor shave (which I can't seem to get in Key West), later in the day meet up with GB and the Angel for late lunch/early dinner, and beyond that be a basic free agent for the day. (Most of my plans with the family are for the weekend.)
Now, some questions remain:
Will I be able to deal with both of my sisters without them driving me to the point of duct-taping their mouths shut?
Will The Witch and I be able to execute our plan of collaborating on a dinner for the family without physically injuring one another, despite being in a small kitchen with sharp knives for an extended time together?
Will Mom and Stepdad survive the three of us all at once, or will they say "screw this" and sneak away in the middle of the night to drive to Montana?
Will the three of us make it through a Sunday of football playoffs and beer at a sports bar none of us have ever been to without killiing each other or driving the staff completely bonkers?
Will I manage to not kill Neets' older daughter Bug, who at 18 is a bigger diva than Whitney Houston?
Who DID put the bop in the bop whop a loo bop a whop sham boom?
And what are the odds that I get pulled over by a cop and, under Arizona's new and controversial immigration laws, get deported back to Florida?
And will my liver have a prayer of returning to Key West with me in any semblance of one piece?
(The answer to the last one is an emphatic "NO.")
Well, today was the day, and I had been looking forward to it for quite some time. Monday, Lil Sis landed in the desert. Yesterday (Tuesday), before The Witch or I had even gotten on an airplane, both of my sisters were driving me fucking insane!
Amusing side note: being the Patron Saint of Procrastination, every trip I take, I wind up doing laundry the night before and packing feverishly at the last minute, often to the detriment of my sleep. Well, NOT THIS TIME. Last THURSDAY, I did a shitload of laundry, and since it was all done, I actually packed my main suitcase....six days before my flight. Yeah, even I was impressed. Last night, all I had to do was pack my carry-on, and this morning all I had left was to finish the carry-on (charger for cell phone and Kindle, etc.) and pack my toiletries. So easy it was pathetic. I even had extra time to read Gravekeeper's weekly post AND respond to it.
Hell, since I was being so uncharacteristically organized, I continued the trend by dropping the Jestermobile off with my mechanic so that he could address a couple minor issues while I am gone. My friend Popcorn picked me up at the mechanic's, we did lunch at a local pool bar (nothing says vacation like drinking beer and looking at girls in bikinis), and then he dropped me at the airport.
I spent the majority of the short flight from Key West to Phoenix talking to the older lady next to me, who was a Northeastern judge who loved beer. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company...one of the better conversationalists I've been stuck with on a plane! I even gave her some tips on some beers she might enjoy. She had just finished a Key West vacation, and was flying back home to work and to the snow. She did point out what she found to be the two most amusing aspects of her job: they can't start without her, and everyone stands when she walks into the room. I agreed that that was pretty freakin' cool.
The Miami airport was....well, the Miami airport. Overpriced beer and food of decent but not great quality. But having over 2 hours to kill, what else was I going to do but eat and drink and enjoy my Kindle?
For the first time in years, I had a non-stop flight from Florida to Phoenix, and that flight was not nearly as entertaining as my first one. One good thing, though, was that the seat between my window seat and the lady in the aisle seat stayed unoccupied on a busy full flight, so she and I had more room to stretch out. But the people on that flight were not nearly as friendly as on my first one...actually a bit rude. First time in my life that I've sneezed on an airplane (twice) and had no one say anything, such as "bless you" or "gezundheit," etc. Very odd.
Amusingly, almost none of my friends or family got the joke when I sent them a text that read, "So my flight to Miami crashed, but with my extraordinary athletic skills, I did a cartwheel and double backflip away from the wreckage and everything is good." I thought that the mental image of me doing a backflip away from the flaming wreckage would be so over the top that the joke would be obvious to everyone.
Clearly I overestimated my loved ones, as well as the ability for text messages to convey sarcasm and humor.
Landed in Phoenix, got my checked bag with no problem, my best friend Neets picked me up, and immediately drove me to one of my favorite places, a Tempe brewpub. Quaffed 2.5 of their flagship beers (she would only order a second one for herself if I agreed to split it with her), had some great food (real Mexican food, oh how I missed you!), bought a t-shirt, bought a six-pack to bring home for her, her husband, and myself, and off we went, to join Golf Boy (her hubs, my buddy) for a few cold ones.
And after much catching up, Neets and Golf Boy are snoozing in their room (GB has to work at the crack of hell), and I am still up on the computer. Jeg lag? What's that? Here it's 1:23, which means it's 3:23 my time....a time I am often still up at!
Plans tomorrow are pretty light: see my six year old Angel niece off to school, convince Neets that we really should do a four mile jog, do breakfast with Neets at a place we've seen on the Food Network, get an old-fashioned straight razor shave (which I can't seem to get in Key West), later in the day meet up with GB and the Angel for late lunch/early dinner, and beyond that be a basic free agent for the day. (Most of my plans with the family are for the weekend.)
Now, some questions remain:
Will I be able to deal with both of my sisters without them driving me to the point of duct-taping their mouths shut?
Will The Witch and I be able to execute our plan of collaborating on a dinner for the family without physically injuring one another, despite being in a small kitchen with sharp knives for an extended time together?
Will Mom and Stepdad survive the three of us all at once, or will they say "screw this" and sneak away in the middle of the night to drive to Montana?
Will the three of us make it through a Sunday of football playoffs and beer at a sports bar none of us have ever been to without killiing each other or driving the staff completely bonkers?
Will I manage to not kill Neets' older daughter Bug, who at 18 is a bigger diva than Whitney Houston?
Who DID put the bop in the bop whop a loo bop a whop sham boom?
And what are the odds that I get pulled over by a cop and, under Arizona's new and controversial immigration laws, get deported back to Florida?
And will my liver have a prayer of returning to Key West with me in any semblance of one piece?
(The answer to the last one is an emphatic "NO.")
No idea about any of these questions.
Think about it is she worth it?
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