10-24

10-24

Well, here we go.  

I had not thought ahead as far as eBay sales go, so I had about half a dozen sales go through last night (I should've ended them early, but instead, I just sent everybody an email, explaining I was leaving town, and they needed to pay within twelve hours so I could ship before I left).  All but one of them paid for their item, so I was able to ship all but one of them.  And not a minute too soon: I was outside, putting the last envelope in the box, when my cousin arrived to take me to the airport.  It was awful nice of him to volunteer to take me . . . but I didn't realize that today's his birthday.  Guess that makes it doubly nice.

I have to admit that I'm more nervous than I was at any time previously.  I feel like you do when the roller coaster is going up, up, up.  Strange.*  I bought some air sickness pills, and will take them when we board.  I was told to get to the airport three hours early (because it's an international flight), but I got checked in and through Security in less than half an hour, so now I'm just sitting here at the gate, waiting.  I've got plenty of time to blog or write (or even edit, if I wanted to put my headphones on).  I took a few minutes to delete videos off my phone (all but three--my three most interesting), and have freed up a lot of space for the trip (enough space?  Time will tell).

Right now, I've got my laptop plugged in, and my phone plugged into that.  I should have both at 100% by the time I board.  I'm supposed to fly to Amsterdam (which is ten hours), then take a bus to a plane to Stuttgart, then another hour or so flight (Jeff says he always passes out on that flight, which gives me pause), and then I have to get by bag, go out the green doors (meaning I have nothing to report at Customs), and Jeff will find me.  Then we'll take a bus back to his building.  Tomorrow afternoon, apparently.

Jeff often complains about the length of the flight, and that he is unable to sleep on planes, but I had assured him I'd have no problem.  Except that I did.  I watched a couple of TV episodes on the screen in front of me, then turned it off and closed my eyes.  But I didn't sleep, so I watched one more, then one more.  I tried it again, this time putting on relaxing piano music.  But it might as well have been Mastodon I was listening to, because I couldn't go to sleep.  I put one of those sleepmasks on (which they had provided), and it helped, but still, I only dozed lightly, opening my eyes to find that five minutes had passed and I was only on the next song.  Strange.  I looked to see what the people around me were watching--a lady was watching TOP GUN 2, two were watching that movie where the two girls are stuck on a cellphone tower, one guy was watching BLADE RUNNER 2, and one was watching what appeared to be a documentary on tame elephants in India.

As I've mentioned every day this month, I exercise each day . . . and today turned out to be the first day I didn't.  There had been a weirdo at the airport doing yoga, and the old couple next to me called him a fruitcake, but I suppose I could've asked if I could join him.  Too late now, though.

Exercise: No (23)

*I've said before that the scariest thing in my experience is calling up the girl you like on the phone (a close second is realizing you've lost the kid you were in charge of), so this is a walk in the park compared to that.