Off to Burma - The start

Happy Saint Patrick's day !

Sitting in the boarding area at SeaTac waiting for the plane. It is delayed by half an hour and I think I have enough for my luggage to transfer from the SEA-NRT to the NRT-BKK airplanes in Tokyo. If not me 3 days worth of clothes in my carry on luggage should work as my luggage travels on it's own vacation. Regardless it will work out.

I picked up a rental car at home. I had requested a small economy model. I got a mini van. To my exes it was a maxi van. It was huge. Nine or ten people huge. Of course the weather did not co-operate worth a poop. It rained hard all the way to Seattle. Not quite the normal heavy mist we are so used to here in the Pacific Northwest. Big drops and a lot of them. The mist kicked up from the semis on the road gave me more than a few "Just keep the wheel centered and hope for the best" times. Until after the longest 10 seconds on record the wipers would catch up with the spray. Of course driving a large strange vehicle had nothing to do with my white knuckles.

I made it to my friend's home all safe and sound. He graciously offered to take me out to dinner. That was really unexpected and appreciated. I had anticipated f taking him out to dinner. Whatta guy ! We went to a big glass restaurant at the south end of Lake Union. The view was wasted on the day. With the overcast and the rain the view was flat and nothing was moving on the water. A little disappointing. Chris ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. In my summer I go with a friend who has a boat out to hunt for crabs. For me it is more time on the water with friends than the crabs, but the crabs do certainly factor into the scheme of things. I was floored at when I floored at the menu and saw what I get for free from Puget Sound to be for sale at the restaurant got $60. I can see mark-up for the view and paying someone to throw the sea bug into the boiling water but that was just "Highway robbery" as my grandmother would say. I guess a sandwich at Subway is in no way reflective of the cost of eating out now days.

The meal was very good and the service was so attentive it was embarrassing.

I dropped Chris back home and he made me a small goodie bag for the trip and was back on the road after dark. I was bitching about the drive down in the daylight, it had nothing on the bitching I did on those 20 last miles to the airport. But me and the bus made it safely and I was happy to dump the darned thing off at the rental return.

The room at the Radisson was exactly as expected. Fast check in, clean, too hot room, with a multitude of pillows on the bed. I watched tv for a little before lights out and really, really missed my DVR at home. You know they make you watch commercials ? You know that is you miss a line of dialogue that you can't skip back and hear it again ? It was sooo weird.

Morning came and so far things have gone smoothly. I hope I can beg/pay my way into a seat with more leg room. Obviously that will be a different post. So for now time to close and start chanting for more leg room.

Ommm......