Monday, November 26, 2007

Gaming it at the Philly airport

Everything about our vacation was perfect. Truly. Down to the super super cute Cuban American electrical engineer anddidIsaycute? guy sitting next to me on the flight from Cancun to Philly.

Jen was busy studying Macedonian. You've never seen a human work through Macedonian flash cards like that. I was leaving her to study, trying to focus on my book. I don't tend to chat with people I don't know on planes. But somehow around beverage cart time we started chatting and he just made me giggle.

Honestly. I never, ever sit next to the cute guy. And this one? Was so smart, so articulate, so funny, so lovely. And alas, so much younger than me. But honestly, he was like all cute guys you'd ever hope to sit next to while seated anywhere in your life rolled into one.

He made the flight really, really fun. So fun that I even gave him one of my Emergency Snickers. You don't give a Snickers to just any stranger on the plane.

He was talking about learning English, and how for the longest time he confused "congested" with "constipated." So he'd very casually say, if he was sniffly and someone asked, that he was a little constipated.

We laughed so hard. If we could've scooped him up and brought him home with us, we would've.

He even participated in our race in the airport game. Betty and I have been doing this for years. One of you picks a moving walkway or an escalator. And the other walks next to the walkway or takes the stairs next to the elevator. And you race.

Now, the walkway/escalator person of course has an advantage. Unless they get stuck behind someone.

Jen very sneakily sprinted on the walkway to win on our way down to Cancun.

And the cute, cute guy turned out to have no compunctions about leaping over people to get past them on the walk way. He won!

He accompanied us all through customs and on our way to baggage collection. He even got our bags for us. We parted in the "Take this corridor if you're staying in Philly." and "Prepare yourselves for the seven circles and various bolgia that you are about to encounter, including security, where they will practically strip-search you because the rivets in your jeans beep." In one of the early levels, you practically trip over Dante on his own little journey.

And now, now we are trying to game it. Which flight is more likely to get us home? The 9:20 flight, which is the delayed delayment of our, oh, 6:30 flight? Or the 8:55 flight, which has firmly arrived and is visible in solid mass on the tarmac, but has no crew?

Because our bags, they are on the 9:20 AKA 6:30. And so, assuming we are on the earlier one and both flights arrive, we will have to wait for them at BWI. But if the 9:20 is canceled, they will deliver them to us. And we'll sleep in our own beds tonight.

In other words, on which flight are we likely to be least fucked getting home?

6 comments:

  1. Sadly, it's been my experience, that whichever one you pick will be the wrong one. I think it's a TSA rule or something. And if you do manage to pick the right flight, your bags will undoubtedly be sent to Siberia. By freight. In the care of rabid maniacal dogs. With no return postage. Or address. Again, it's in the rules somewhere. Don't you read the fine print? Good thing you got the cute guy while you could!

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  2. Ohh, Sarah, it's 1:45 am and I just got home. With bags, but still, a little piece of hell.

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  3. In other words, on which flight are we likely to be least fucked getting home?

    I had a naughty comment to make, but then remembered that Betty reads this blog, so I'll keep it to myself.

    Glad you got home safely with your bags!

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  4. I'm so jealous of your "I got to sit next to a perfect guy" story. This never happens to me. I sit next to the mean lady who is large and takes up half of my seat. Sigh.

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  5. DCup - Ha! I know you; I know where your mind is.

    nicoleantoinette - I always get seated next to weird overeager men or snorty people or super-boring chit-chatters so and I have flown a lot. I feel like you should get to sit next to the cute guy once in your life.

    Rich - Thanks!

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