The Thrill Has Quelled

Bad weather in New York has caused incalculable damage to my itinerary this evening. NYC is where my plane was this afternoon. My Buffalo plane that was supposed to take me to NYC, not sit there like a lame duck. So -- my 1:11 pm turned into a 3:15 departure, which turned into a 4:40 departure. Which turned into a 7:45 departure. By this time, my 5:40pm from JFK to London was definitely lost. The helpful guy at the Aer Lingus reservation desk announced that he could do nothing for me over the phone, except tell me to go to the check-in counter and log a "missed connection" at JFK. A missed connection! (And don't think that there was no fee -- he reminded me of a $125 "policy" because I purchased tickets for the vacation and for business travel separately.) Ugh.

So, I have now been rescheduled to leave at 8:40am to JFK tomorrow, since I'll either be sleeping in the JFK airport tonight or the Buffalo Marriott. Tough choice. The guy behind the Jet Blue counter was terrific, though. His eyes had severe pity in them. I could almost see my running black eyeliner, which was now more charcoal and smudged underneath my lids -- it was reflected in his face. "This girl needs help." So...he wrote me a letter of recommendation (for lack of better vocabulary) so that the next airline can watch me cry and waive the $125 policy. Hopefully.

Realistic? Possible? Yes. Probable? Maybe. (ha. Maybe. Probable. Could I be any more definitive of the term "probable"? No.) So, I'm spending the night here in Buffalo. For the moment, I'm camped out in the lobby. One of my colleagues here will probably entertain me, since I probably look like I've been hit by a bus. Surprisingly, I feel less like that, and more like the guy who gets struck by a brilliant idea and then strikes out because someone in upper management said his idea stinks. Oh. Sorry. Shouldn't have said that. I'm really NOT trying to funnel my corporation bitterness anywhere...TOO public, that is.

In the meantime, I meant that my anticipation for this trip has temporarily been disabled. I'm on autopilot until I finally get to London. Like the guy who got his great idea canned, my expectations have been dashed. I'm not in the middle of my dream vacation yet. When I land on overseas soil, then, it will seem real. For now, it is just travel. With no destination yet.