Universal Truth

No matter what country or time zone you may find yourself in, it is no fun to be awakened from a dead sleep by the sound of a fire alarm at 1:47 a.m. Nor is it amusing when the damn thing goes off again, five minutes later.

This is the truth according to Kimmah.

Make That Kim In Nashville

Oy.

I've had some adventures in travel--kids with lost passports, running through Newark to make connections with 15 kids, getting stuck in Toronto for two days due to an ice storm, kid stranded in Chicago due to same ice storm, busses having minor wrecks, students getting sick, and then the whole 7/7 thing a couple of years ago, so this latest installment in Travel With Kim is not that extreme, really, but it is irritating and frustrating beyond belief.



Instead of lunching in London this morning, I am breakfasting at the La Quinta Nashville airport eating oatmeal and toast. It's all free (damn good thing) and we'll be leaving today for London around 1.00. We have $25 worth of food vouchers to use at the airport, so we plan to stock up on whatever we can for free. Then we'll attempt to get to Dulles once again.



The problem? Not weather, not mechanical--just flat out ineptitude. Evidently, from what was announced, United had TWO first officers show up for the flight instead of one, which didn't seem like a problem initially, just a delay. Welllllll, then about fifteen minutes later, and when we were supposed to be about to take-off, they announced that the flight was CANCELLED due to a lack of ANY qualified first officer. Seriously. From two to zero, just like that.



At first, I assumed they would just fly us to Dulles on another airline or let us go via another hub, but it soon became obvious that wasn't going to happen. No other flights to D.C. on any airline and precious few to a city where we might get to London at night. So we resigned ourselves to staying another night.



After much working and manuevering, the best ticketing agent ever, Stacy, rebooked us on a flight today to Dulles and then on to London (actually on two flights that arrive twenty minutes apart). Business Class. So I'm not as irate as I might be, provided I do actually get to sit in THIS on my way there:







Sooooooo, we'll see how it goes. Hopefully next time I log on here, it will be from London.

Airport Fun

Why do we have to be at the airport three fricking hours before our flights? Why, why, why. It is the dumbest rule ever. I normally wouldn't get here that early, but since I'm responsible for other people, I figured it was good to follow the rules, however stupid they are. So now I sit here, using the non-free internet in Nashville and drinking a $2.11 bottle of Nestle water. Yes, about 3.5 times more than I would pay at home, but they hold you captive with the new security rules.

It's a total racket.

Typical

My digital camera is broken as of this morning. I tried to turn it on and the lens is totally screwed up and won't go back in. It just keeps saying reset camera. I did NOT need this today. Ugh.

Crises Averted

Iran has released the hostages. This is great news on a number of fronts; selfishly, I am most glad because that means I don't have to worry about some international incident causing me grief on my trip. BTDT and I don't want to try it while accompanied by other people's children.

Second, I've found my passport and have placed it securely in my underwear drawer until such time as I put it in my carry-on bag. I would have put it in the freezer (in case of fire) but I was afraid we'd have another ice-maker melt down. The lock box isn't a sure bet either, since knowing me I'd lose the key suddenly. So drawer it is.

Now, on to the next disaster-in-the-making. As of just a moment ago, the UK/US exchange rate is 1.97. Fuuuuuuuuuuck. That's obscene. Truly. I was distressed about 1.75 last time. Who knew that I would be tickled to see that number again. This means that I will be bringing back no souvenirs for anyone other than my children. They will be getting whatever free shit is in the hotel and maybe, maybe a cheap plastic toy in the .99p bin. I'm aghast. This is going to suck rocks. I'm thinking my plan to go see a play on the cheap is a no-go unless I can get tickets for about 20 pounds (need to find the pound symbol key, but I'm too lazy).

Damn You, Iran. Damn You.

WHY can I not plan an international trip without some drama simmering in the background or exploding in my face upon arrival? Seriously, the last overseas school trip I took was in April following 9/11. Finally, after years of building up the idea, we get another trip together, albeit with a much smaller group, and dammit, an international incident involving Britain has to come up.

Perhaps I am a travel jinx?