Getting really exciting now...

Well, it's about one hour and twenty minutes until I jump in my pickup and make my way to the O'hare Airport. I've gotten my bag packed with the various essentials such as socks, shirts, slacks, boxer shorts, jeans, t-shirts and the like. I went over to CVS this morning and picked up some deoderant, a card and some wrapping paper. While I was doing my laundry and waiting for it to dry I wrapped up my gift for captain18 and cursed my inability to find something suitable for spoothbrush, so I guess they'll just have to accept my romise to get them something from the registry once they're back from their honeymoon.

I also stopped over at the Fruitful Yield to pick up a few essentials for my trip, namely a couple of Advantage bars for snacking on during the flight and over the weekend, and a box of Morning Start bars so that I don't succumb to the temptation of breakfast buffets while I'm at the hotel (or at a restaurant, or whatever we plan to do for breakfast).

While I was writing this entry daf666 called me looking for the number to frostyw's cell phone. It seems Daf's flight doesn't suck nearly as bad as mine and he arrived in Philadelphia almost an hour early. How do I get that lucky with my flights, I wonder?

Speaking of flights, some of you may or may not be interested to see if mine are on time, late or whatever. So if you do care I'm including the information here:

I am flying on American Airlines. My flight from Chicago to Philadelphia is flight number 730, which departs ORD at 7:36 PM (Central) and is scheduled to arrive at PHL at 10:41 PM (Eastern). My return flight on Sunday is number 1613, which departs PHL at 6:30 AM (Eastern) and arrives at ORD at 7:31 AM (Central).

While I've been packing, doing laundry and wrapping the gift I dropped in one of my recent DVD acquisitions, "12 Monkeys." I had no idea this was a Terry Gilliam film, but after watching 20 minutes or so of the flick I'm sure that I would have figured it out on my own if it hadn't been so prominently featured in the credits. Let's face it -- lots of TV screens, ducting and magnifying lenses. A lot of the sets are very bleak and feature peeling paint and dingy colors -- very much like "Brazil," in my mind. Even more amusing to me is that Brad Pitt co-stars in this film alongside the heavy-hitting Bruce Willis. If I remember right "12 Monkeys" was released in 1995 or 1996, well before "Fight Club," which gave us another Brad Pitt character: Tyler Durden.

I challenge anybody to watch Fight Club, then to watch 12 Monkeys and tell me that 12 Monkeys wasn't the birth of that Tyler role. In fact I triple-dog dare you.

Almost time to go now, all I need to do is locate my GPS and I'll be ready to roll.

Can you feel it getting down to the wire?

update from the sidekick at terminal L4

So in taking 294 from the apartment to O'hare I thought I was being smart. Unfortunately I chose... Poorly. Fourty-five minutes to go 13 miles! That's a "Hulk Smash" situation if every there was one.

At 4:30 as I was sitting in line at the 294 on-ramp I got a phone call from my dad. I was a bit surprised at this, but I figured it was something important if he was calling me on the day of my flight. Sure enough when I asked him what was up he gave me some rather important news: my Expedition has passed a number of important milestones: it starts, runs fine and has been driven. My dad was immensely smug about it, and well he should be since he did almost all of the work himself! He says the engine purrs like a kitten, that the linkage on the transmission is perfect and that at 55 mph the overdrive has the engine turning in a whopping 1,500 RPM. That's really respectable for a V8 with a 4 speed automatic. Maybe my fears about this thing getting three gallons per mile are a little overexaggerated....

I got a phone call from Doug, one of the other groomsmen, whom I am meeting at PHL. His connecting flight from Atlanta is suffering weather delays, so he is going to be arriving at least one hour late, possibly even later. The way things look now we won't be rolling in to New Jersey until 1:30 AM at the earliest.

I have a couple of my Atkins bars with me, and I expect I'll be gnawing on them and reading "The Journey Of Self-Discovery" while waiting for Doug to show up at the Budget counter. I am really glad right now that I brought a book with.

More as I am able....

I'm a lot like you

++ungood;

It is currently 1856, and according to my boarding pass we are supposed to begin boarding the plane at 1906. There's just one problem.

Our plane isn't here yet. There's a big empty space on the tarmac next to my jetway. The agents haven't made any announcement that our flight is late, so there's only one logical conclusion that I can make: It's obvious to me that American has licensed the technology used in Wonder Woman's jet and used it to retrofit our Boeing. Thus we are flying on the first invisible 737 in history.

Arrived alive!

Our jet finally showed up around 1920, and they made quick work of unloading the passengers and getting restocked. The boarding process was pretty rapid and we pushed back from the gaye at 1954. By 2004 Central we were taking off.

We landed at Philadelphia International at 2232 Eastern. It took us about 8 minutes to taxi to our gate but we made pretty good time. Interestingly enough American has a policy that allows you to turn on your cellphones as soon as you've landed and started taxing, which is how I am writing this update in almost real-time.

I'm in row 27, the very back row of the plane. Its a good thing I am not in a hurry to get off the plane because this flight was booxed solid, and everyone wants to get off before I do. They just announced that I can pick up my checked luggage from carosel 3. I'm currently debating if I should get my luggage and then find my rental counter or if I should go there and get my keys first before trying to hunt down my baggage. The problem with having professional-grade luggage (Samsonite) is that it looks like the luggage that everyone else has, so I probably should go to the baggage claim first and make sure that nobody walks away with my clothing.....

Once I get those affairs in order I need to see if Doug's flight is going to arrive sometime this century, or what. The last time I spoke to him the outlook sounded pretty bleak. Good thing for him I'm a patient man, or he'd be out a ride, and nothing sucks more than being marooned in an airport. Well, maybe Electrolux sucks more, but i've never owned one so I can't say for certain.

Leaving, on a jet plane

Speak of the devil and he shall appear...

So as I was writing the last entry I got a call from area code 404. I work with a couple campuses in the great state of Georgia so I knew it was Doug calling from Atlanta Airport.

&8$!^]$(!!! He got bumped from his flight by THREE PEOPLE. So now he won't be arriving here at Philadelphia until 0115 at the earliest. Jesus wept.

Am I ever glad I brought a book.

I will do as the voice commands me!

There is an overhead PA here in the Budget lot that has a looping tape playing announcements. I can't help but think of Orwell's "1984" as I listen to this woman drone on over and over.

I will be sure to note the mileage and gas tank reading on the rental folder.

When returning the car, I will be sure I have removed all my belongings.

I will remember to leave the keys in the car when I return the vehicle.

Thank you for renting from Budget Rent-a-car.