Entries this day: leaving_new_hampshire packers_falls

leaving new hampshire

(transcribed from my diary)

9:26am Sunday 28 February 1999

Jen is driving me back to the airport after a wonderful wonderful week. We really bonded in a delightful loving platonic way. Stayed up this morning until 5am and got up 1 hour ago after sleeping side by side in her bed.

the gound is mostly dry - temperature about 40+ degrees - a few patches of snow sill hide in shaded areas. Beautiful countryside reminds me of West Virginia. I almost said west Texas, but here there are no cacti, and mostly the trees are birch, but few oaks.

Just took a picture of MOOSE CROSSING sign.

9:57am just parked at airport.

10:35am Sunday 28 February 1999

Big props and big hugs to Jen as we hung out talking before my flight. Saw a man pulling a wheeled luggage thing and his little 3 or 4 year old boy hugging the bag, thereby riding it as it rolled down the hall. I didn't get a picture of that, but I got one of him riding it like a horse.

12:30pm Sunday 28 February 1999

Met a woman named Grey on the plane, and we talked about our lives and the SUN end-of-Millenium predictions. She's a mom and loves LEGOs and has a full sized arcade game in her house; she's the most popular mom on the block.

I'm leaving Baltimore airport now after Grey got off. I never got off the plane at this stop, but I did switch seats up to the front six. Three of us are sharing the seats, Richard (who is reading through a rather thick pile of resumes to find a President of something at a University in Cairo (maybe president of the university; I don't know), Catherine (who is reading People magazine, and I (writing in my diary and about to take a nap)

2:20pm Sunday 28 February 1999

I game up my seat after I got on a new plane in Nashville, Tennessee. I had called Wende from the airport, confirmed the time for her to picke me up, went on a search for ice cream (unsuccessful), boarded the plane, talked to a man who lives in Brownsville for the summer (otherwise Minnesota), and then jumped out of my seat when the flight attendant said essentially, "we are overbooked and need 4 volunteers; we will offer one hundred dollars, and will get you on the next flight which will arrive in Houston at 4:45pm."

4:45 is only 50 minutes after this flight was supposed to arrive, so I volunteered and got a flight voucher for $247 (price of the flight I had just given up plus $100) and a free seat on the next flight!!!! Totally awesome! I see it as I just got paid more than $100/hour for 50 minutes of my time. Cool.

So I called Wende who said, "ROB. I am so excited for you, but don't do it again." (We have to be at church at 6pm today for a youth coffee house thing where all the parents are invited to buy tickets and eat spaghetti and watch the show)

"I won't do it again today; I promise," I said and we confirmed that she'll pick me up at 5pm.

I went on a search for ice cream and came back with frozen yogurt. Close enough.

Walking back toward the gate, I heard "Rob!"

???? Who knows me here in Nashville??

It was Kim, the SWA CSR* who told me in her cute country Dolly Parton accent "here's yore boarding pass for yore flight; I told you I'd get it for you."

"Thank you," I said with a smile, (I was very entertained by her accent) "I never once doubted you."

"Boy that sure looks good," she said, eyeing my frozen yogurt.

"Would you like a bite?"

"I'm talkin' about the whole thing."

I offered to get her one (assuming she would decline, knowing I wouldn't have time to get one anyway; it was a long walk plus I had to exit the secured area and go back through the security check-in) and she declined.

So now I am sitting by the gate for this flight that leaves in about 10 minutes.

Holy cow. I just found out that this flight was delayed from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Thank you, angels, for allowing me the $100 and free flights and frozen yogurt and and all the good wonderful stuff in my life. I love my life and all the ways it beatifully unfolds before me.

2:50pm

Oh my goodness this is even more wonderful. I got on the plane, nearly the last person on, but I got the very front seat. I'm sitting across from a sleeping man who is part of the NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association). Several members of the team are in these front 24 or 30 seats. The sleeping man across from me has lost his legs and has serious scars on his arms and face; he's lost most of the fingers on his left hand.

The team was pretty much being silly; talking and telling stories and stuff.. I joked with them when I could. Their team doesn't have an individual site, but I offered to build one for them if they ever want.

4:56pm

I was first off the plane and my luggage was perfectly waiting for me after it arrived on the previous flight. Thank you angels for a wonderful trip.

With Love
- Rob

* SWA CSR = Southwest Airlines Customer Service Representative permalink

packers falls

5am Sunday 28 February 1999

"Tonight" Jen and I went to Packers Falls, a waterfall area on the Lamprey river a few miles from her house. We literally just sat on the brilliant white snow, listening to the white noise gussshhhhhh of water falling over the rocks.

It was pretty cold, but I was wearing 2 pairs of socks, shoes, undies, shorts, two pairs of sweat pants, t-shirt, sweat shirt, knit hat, hoodie, big winter coat and gloves. We were also sitting on a blanket and coat spread onto the ground.

We went in after like 30 minutes of meditative silence; Jen had gotten cold since she was wearing only like pants, socks, shoes, sweat shirt, jacket, hat, gloves.

Got back to her house like at 4am and showed her roommmate Ray (short for Rachael) pictures from Costa Rica. She had just gotten home a few hours earlier, my first time to meet her and we talked but hadn't looked at pictures yet. Ray lived in Costa Rica for a while and showed me lots of her pictures too.

I gotta be awake in a few hours to panic pack and leave. permalink