Regime Change

Started: 2006-08-10 18:51:12

Submitted: 2006-08-10 20:13:04

Visibility: World-readable

Just when I have the whole airport song and dance figured out (and I have a backpack with a spiffy TSA pouch that makes taking my notebook out at the screening portal that much easier), they go and change the whole regime on me. (Ok, I've known exactly what to do for entirely too long.) My bedroom clock radio is set to a local NPR affiliate, so my alarm typically wakes me up immediately before the half-hourly news broadcast. This morning I heard that two dozen people had been arrested in the UK, US travelers could no longer carry liquids on board planes, and UK travelers could no longer carry anything on board. It was all a bit shocking, since Kiesa and I are visiting London in five weeks.

So, obviously, I'm rather glad I'm not flying to London today. (Especially since I think BA's flight to Heathrow was canceled today, and that's the flight I'm planning on being on.) I'm really not sure what I would do if I couldn't carry anything on the plane; only recently did I figure out how to sleep on airplanes, and it involves a bit of hardware: a tiny pillow, and a mask to block the light. The in-flight entertainment system had better be quite comprehensive.

I'm going to be very disappointed if this doesn't get any better in five weeks.

(This portion of this changelog was originally going to be posted under the title "Wild Goose Chase" and would have been posted yesterday... but once you read it you'll see why I didn't have any time to post it yesterday.)

Yesterday evening, after deciding to abandon work, I went shopping for my family's fall birthdays. My birthday is almost a month away, and the remaining birthdays occur over the following months, but my mother decided we should celebrate birthdays this weekend, when I fly to Oklahoma! It'll be one of three times this year my entire immediate family is together in one place, after Willy returned home from his summer in Austria, before Bethany heads to MIT at the end of August. (I initially floated the idea to head out last weekend, immediately after Willy returned. Bethany was absent to visit her boyfriend after his return from a summer internship in China. In retrospect, that proved to be a good idea.

So I left work at 1700 and wandered up and down Pearl Street in search of birthday gifts. After three stores on the mall, and one off the mall (none of which will be identified, since it's likely that members of my family will read this before I arrive), I declared victory at 1830. Kiesa was still at work babysitting an upgrade. I called her and had her call the Himalayas Restaurant for takeout. I left Boulder, drove into Longmont, walked into the restaurant, and (when queried) announced that I had takeout to pick up. The guy disappeared into the back, returned, and asked what number I called. I called Kiesa, asked whether she called the Boulder restaurant or the Longmont restaurant. She admitted that she had, in fact, called the Boulder restaurant. (I would have recognized the exchange as a Boulder number.) I sighed, and headed back into Boulder.

The Boulder version of the restaurant was two blocks from my office. I parked in the same lot I left an hour prior (which my employer pays for) and picked up supper. I headed home (again) and finally arrived around 2015. Kiesa was still at work; she didn't end up arriving until 2130. I didn't wait for her; I was starving and I ate.

So yesterday evening I visited Boulder. Twice. At least the food was good.