2008 HK Trip Diary Entry Day 1

**I'm not doing much of a spell check here due to traveling and not being settled at home where I have hours upon sleepless hours in which to putter around fucking with my entries, so don't be so harsh of your judgement any grammatical or spelling errors. I'm doing all this on the fly and writing as I go. Enjoy**

Wednesday January 2, 2008 – Reagan National – 2:15 pm

A woman pushed her daughter in a pink stroller, who was snoozing easily while she clutched a hand cart behind her. Her pouting son trudged behind her looking disgruntled while her husband brought up the rear, his suit hanging off one shoulder, his face wreathed in a strange pucker. The woman was alert keeping her eyes on everything about her.

An old man with a cane and a white prayer hat with brown embellishments hobbled across my line of vision looking at this and that, his mouth pinched tight his cane gleaming.

There is a man sitting off to my right across the aisle speaking unusually loud into his cell phone while rummaging through a Wilson Leathers bag paper bag.

The hobbling man is back, he goes from one kiosk to another and back again looking at nothing, doing nothing, just wandering.

A woman sits one table away from me, in the line of my vision. Her head is resting on her upraised arm as she stares at her laptop but she doesn’t seem at all focused. She’s keeping busy like I am.

A young girl probably in her 20’s rushes by with coffee gripped in one hand but I’m not sure where she thinks she’s going since all the flights are presently delayed in the terminal. She’s probably going to go fight with someone about getting onto a plane which will just make the ‘someone’ she is going to fight with pissy which in turn will just mess things up for the rest of us.

I never had much opportunity in my life to sit and watch humanity stroll by in an airport. Someone once told me it’s the best thing one can do, a way to silently observe the world. I’ve come to realize that this is very true.

There goes a guy whose hair is either still wet from the shower he took earlier today or he dumped about 100 gallons of grease on it and there is a group of students just having feasted at MickyD’s and is now ‘on the move’. They are looking around checking out the scene all wearing hats, it’s the strangest thing. Actually, it’s even stranger since they aren’t all students. That much is clear. They look like a rag tag family.

The young lady at the Einstein Bros Bagels is working at a steady clip providing sugary goodness for those who are willing to pay the rip-off prices. I considered for half a second in purchasing myself a drink but figure it’s free on the airplane, I could stand to wait. Though I will have to take my Dramamine soon so the fight just may be worthless at best.

Oooohh, very cute military guy in fatigues goes striding by chewing gum like a cow in pasture chewing cud. It’s sort of a turn off. He’s standing at MickyD’s as well. Makes me wonder if there isn’t some sort of rule in the ‘military man’ handbook that says ‘thou shalt not infest thy body with crap, especially from McDonalds’. Um…of course who can resist processed meats when one hears the call? I don’t care who you are but if you need a nasty thinned out burger, you need a nasty thinned out burger, no compromise.

A father and daughter walk by. They were next to me at the ticketing counter. She’s traveling alone I believe and they have allowed him to walk her all the way to the gate. I think that humanity is still alive and well and glimmers in such small concessions. Okay, the man directly in front of me is adjusting his pants. Gross. He’s wearing a track outfit and has just shoved his hands down the back and pulled it away and tucked in his t-shirt, all done directly in front of my face. That’s just wrong.

The man next to me, his ringer is too loud and the person he’s talking with is ‘John’. And he says ‘John’s’ name is excessively. Maybe his boss? His loan officer? His tax consultant? His ‘partner’? The possibilities are endless.

Gate 22A-B has just finished loading. The poor girl at the counter closed the door and leaned back on it with a heavy sigh. Even tough I am no where near her, I can tell that she’s sighing heavily, I can see it from way over here. All you need to do is look and learn and you’ll see. I think I’m not bad at observing.

A girl is wearing a white and pink knitted cap, a pair of white flip flops, a maroon hoodie and grey sweats that has the word ‘PINK’ stenciled across her ass. Exactly where is she going? To some softer warmer climate or does she just not know how to dress appropriately for weather?

I’m distracted. This young woman sits in front of me, rather pretty, eyes down, eating a sandwich. Her beauty is not what’s distracting, it’s the way she eats her sandwich. She chews with her mouth open. It’s very unattractive and a bit off putting I think but she seems to consider each bite even as she takes it.

There’s a kiosk in front of me named ‘Duty Free Americas’. It holds a whole host of liquor. Hmm…ok not even I can see myself past tippling at 2:49 pm. Not that I haven’t been known to indulge during lunch but I refuse to get shnookered at the airport. It’s too damn pathetic. I’ll do so when I meet up with my colleague. *grins*

A sigh escapes me. I can see the Monument way in the distance. Makes me miss home already. I realized last night suddenly that this is the first time in my existence where I will be traveling to unknown origins and not have anyone there that I know who isn’t apart of my family waiting. Sure my colleagues are gong, which is of great comfort actually but it’s not the super same thing is it? Okay, I’m packing up and heading off to the terminal.

7:10 PM – JFK Airport British Business Class Lounge

1st leg completed, second to be started in a couple of hours. I’m sitting cross legged on a small blue damask arm chair in the lounge after having stuffed my face with cute little crust-less finger sandmiches (yummy). I’m now thinking about a brownie that I may want to get to know ‘intimately’. Wifi is working, life is good. I feel the remnants of the cold still fogging me out hence why I’m avoiding anything alcoholic and I feel a bit dopey. Oh, I met a seriously nice paki dude on the plane who sat next to me all the way from DC. Cute but young and totally adorable. He’s on his way to Islamabad, Pakistan to bring his widowed mother to the states. His sister is expecting and they want her to be here for the birth. TOO CUTE!

He was a total gentleman, sorta thuggy but so sweet and we totally hit it off. We yammered all the way to JFK and even to the terminal until he had to get off at terminal 4 and I proceeded on to terminal 7. I keep forgetting his name but I remember his last name…Ibrahim. Shahib I think. He’s going to shoot me for not remembering. And he asked me to email him so I’m going to try to remember what his email is and drop him a line. Sweet kid of 27.

Um…I spent 1 whole hour doing Facebook stuff. Then I wandered around looking for munchables coming up with a small pack of Orio’s and a little square of brownie. I feel sick having wolfed down the sweet goodness so am sipping water to equalize my over-stimulated taste buds. Le sigh.

*looks around* A woman with dark glasses is sitting in the lounge. She is very loud. She’s wearing a lavender valor jogging suit and is robust. She asked the woman who was sitting next to her, wayyyyyyy across the aisle from where I’m sitting in the lounge whether she is American or not. She wasn’t. The loud lady proceeded to tell the other one that she needed change for a 20 because she was being pushed around in a wheel chair and had no change and thought that tipping the guys 20 for pushing her around was a bit too much. My super cheap side totally agrees. The other woman was kind enough to offer in finding change and now everything is quiet again.

FT and I are sitting about a mile apart on our respective computers working. Okay he’s actually entering his time which he neglected to do and was due today while I’m putzing around trying to work but not really getting anything accomplished since I feel as if I’m still running a temperature. My toes are cold also L

We were supposed to get upgraded to 1st class but the guys downstairs said there is no indication on our tickets requesting for such a thing to happen. However aside from what people may think of New Yorkers in general, the ones I spoke to at the ticketing booth told me they would do everything in their power to resolve the issue and get us an upgraded seat. Problem: There is only one 1st class seat available. I was ready to throw down w/FT for the seat but he assured me that it was okay if I took it since he’s already gone 1st before on just such a flight and he wouldn’t mind Business class. What’s wrong w/me moaning and groaning over Business class anyhow? I mean jeez, I would be otherwise traveling economy. I need to shut up and appreciate every little morsel I’m getting.

The manager of Cathay, true to his word, did some investigational digging, hunted us down in the lounge and informed us that he still couldn’t find the ‘code’ but that if at the end of the night someone putzes out of the flight, he’ll upgrade accordingly. How nice of him! It makes no never mind now. I’m happy…I’m appreciative damn it.

9:19PM JFK

FT and I went for a walk using a smoke break as an excuse to go strolling around the terminal. I have to remember to give him 14 bucks for some ear bud extenders.

90% of my family and friends has thus far called me to check up on me, in particular my mother. She just admitted that she cried when I was leaving the house. Cute isn’t it? To be loved this much is amazing. 35-years old and traveling alone for the first time in my existence. Not really but again, it’s the first time I’m totally independent. I told FT about how my mother grilled me regarding him and what kind of person is he and is he a gentleman. FT’s reaction was to laugh. He thought it was fairly cool that I have that sort of love and concern surrounding me. I have to agree with him.

I’m really getting to hate this damask. It’s ugly and I believe there is a moose and a stegosaurus and maybe a dog on it. Why did they pick such a hideous fabric? I think my mind is wandering. Ugh.