Entries this day: AM Airport_indirectly GRrr Great_grief Homeward_bound

AM

11:00am JST Thursday 9 October 2003

I have posted pictures from our trip.

janette leaves today.

Airport indirectly

5:13pm JST Thursday 9 October 2003

Aw man.

It started off so well. 2:20ish train from Tsunashima. Four hours and ten minutes available to make a two hour trek. But. We got way lost getting to Narita airport. Not like way lost but somehow in Ueno, we got on the wrong train and are in Narita, but not near Narita airport. Fuck Japanese train stations, man. They stink.

Now we're in Narita-not-near-Narita-Airport in the chilly wind waiting 30 minutes until we a train that'll take us to Narita arrives. Bluh.

I reallllly hope janette makes her flight.

Another weird thing is that we haven't seen any ticket gates since Shibuya station. We've only paid as far as Ueno.

Oh, ps: I knew how to get to the airport if we had gotten off the Yamanote Loop the station before Ueno, but I had heard it's not a big deal to get there from Ueno, and the last time I went to Narita I noted that the station before Ueno (notice that I can't remember its name now, the main reason I missed it) was in fact the second station on the line from Ueno to Narita. My presumption was that we could therefore just get on that same line at its first station and zip to Narita no worries.

Except for the part about finding that same line in Ueno.

- - - -

Super strange also that the train needs to go from left to right to get us to the station. From the platform perspective, trains have *always* gone from right to left (circulating on the left side of the 'road')

GRrr

5:29pm JST Thursday 9 October 2003

We just now got on this backwards going train and I ripped my shorts sitting down. Gah. These are the shorts that janette painstakingly converted the broken snap into a working button and now they're ripped in the back. Stupid fuckin' grr grr grr. I don't want janette to leave and I don't want to have ripped my shorts and I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

And these aren't just a pair of my standard Utility brand cargo shorts. These are the zip-off-legs cargo pants that Wende bought me some time ago. Really light fabric that I think will be fucked up to mend neatly.

Well, if janette misses her flight, she'll have time to mend these shorts.

C'mon train, let's *go* already.

- - - -

Got off at Terminal 2, where I picked up janette. Talked my way past the screener (I'm carrying her shiznit, geatch) and went up three sets of escalators ("I think I'm going to make it." "Me too. I'm really happy about that.") to the departure area. Info counter: "wrong terminal, jack."

FUCK.

Great grief

6:24pm JST Thursday 9 October 2003

Zoom from the shuttle toward the ticketing area.

"American Airlines?"

"Over there but the gate is closed. What is your destination? Dallas?"

"Hai."

headsetphone guy behind booth. bag X-rayed, baggage can't be checked, must be carried on, but still got checked bag tags just in case.

Zoom this way. I lift both janette's bags over my head to get past the turnstiles behind janette behind the guy. White shirt black vest red tie greets us. (This is it; quick hug kiss; "bye") Guy takes her black suitcase. Black vest zooms her through security express line. Wave bye.

Guy came back. "She's gonna make it on time."

"Domoarigatogozaimas."

janette still hasn't gone past the gates. Oh, there she goes. Wave bye through the glass.

Oh they're going past me. Quick pick before they descend the escalator.

"Bye."

Bang. Then it hits. Zoom to restroom, private stall. Cry cry cry.

- - - -

Okay. I'm okay.

Good thing is that we extended our time together to the max.

Bang. More crying.

Cute girls from Sweden. Buzz off. I give not a second glance.

Starbucks hot chocolate for comfort.

Speed-train to Yokohama = 4000+ yen. I have 4000 yen. 1000 yen train to Ueno, here I come.

I predict a pissed off day at work tomorrow.

Homeward bound

6:59pm JST Thursday 9 October 2003

Leaving Airport Terminal 1 now.

9:42pm JST Thursday 9 October 2003

Home now. No errors.

2.75 hours.