8:05pm – SFO
To save a bit of $$ I booked myself on a two leg flight back to Minnesota. I’m at the SFO airport right now, sitting at the Alaska Airlines gate, waiting to board flight #1 to Seattle.
From Seattle I’ll catch a flight a little after midnight for Minneapolis. I should arrive around 6:30 in the morning, so I’ll be taking a cab home to St. Paul so Gerry doesn’t have to get up early.
And I’ll creep home, drag my sorry bags up on to the front porch, look at the kitchen to see how it’s going, and then fall into bed. I love bed. I haven’t slept well on this trip – I don’t think I had one full night of uninterrupted sleep – so I’m looking forward to my own bed.
Today was a long day, but quite a wonderful day. Sandi Rosner did a bang up job of organizing and facilitating my two days of classes – bringing in a full house on both days (and during TKGA in Oakland!) of 28 – 30 folks for each class. Large classes are rough, but fun, and these were a BLAST.
The students were engaged and enterprising. I know they think I yelled at them a lot for talking, but I actually had to remind them MUCH less than I normally do (but don’t tell them!) Between classes today I took my sandwich and sat by the pool, knitting and listening to a book on tape. THIS is what I need to do between all my classes!
After class I rushed back to San Fran, dropped off the rental car in record time and took the LOOONG tram ride to the gate. I got to sit in the front. I felt like I was 4 – I loved it! I splurged last night online and upgraded myself for $40 to first class, and it was WELL worth it. I had two free G&T’s, so now I REALLY feel like I’m ready for pre-Kindergarden nap time!
My frame of reference for driving is the NY area – it’s where I lived for so long, and distances in Minnesota haven’t sunk in yet – so I make these little photoshop maps of areas so I have an idea of how they stack up against the terrain with which I’m most familiar.
12:10am – SEATAC
Now it’s 12:10 am, Pacific Time, and I’m at the SeaTac airport waiting for my 12:55 flight. I logged onto the airline website when I couldn’t sleep last night and grabbed one of the newly released exit row seats, so I should be less cramped than I usually am. I’ll have to stow EVERYTHING in the overhead, but that’s no great tragedy for a flight when I’ll be asleep.
And I need my sleep. The trek over here rivaled Gatwick for milage covered between gates (TWO trams were involved…) I am tired, baby.
6:35am – MSP
And then home…
I took a cab from the airport back to our house – Gerry was up, he was waiting for me after he’d been awakened by a loud car a half hour earlier. He looks good – better than when I left – and seems to be getting stronger every day. This will be a long walk – almost as long as walking through the Gatwick airport.
At least we don’t have to make a plane.
Tomorrow Elaine returns to Long Island – she’s eager to be home, and I well understand that feeling! We’re ready to be a family of 4 again, too – ready to settle into some kind of new normalcy.
The kitchen is almost finished – there are still some things that need to be hooked up, stuff to be finished – Monday is going to be a BIG day for our contractor. I’ve ordered a new battery charger for my camera, so when it arrives I’ll be able to post some photos of how good it’s looking!
Gerry’s making a list of things that are bothering him to go over with our contractor.
Gerry’s welcome to handle that aspect of it, I’m just glad that he’s here to MAKE that list!