Prologue

First and foremost: I could not undertake this adventure without the generous cooperation of the most awesome D. Lucky for me, there is no charge for awesomeness--or attractiveness.

My part of the adventure began on Wed. I had a fun morning with F and D: I finally got to see F's swim class, and then we bought her roses. 11 roses, one for each night I'm away. We set up two vases in her room: one full, one empty. Each night, she'll move one stem from vase A to vase B to count the days of my absence. After that, we headed down to the Children's Museum, where I got to see the new Peep's World exhibit.

I got to the airport plenty early (I always do, because I am loser), and was able to snag a cheap upgrade to first class. I'd read mixed reviews of Alaska's fc service, but I figured that it would be worth it for the seat alone. 5.5 hours is a long time to sit, sit, sit, sit; and I do not like it, not one little bit, when jammed into a regular seat.

The service turned out to be awesome. Not-horrid food (the bread pudding with fresh berries was actually yummy) and plenty of wine and whisky. And, yes, the roomy seat was so, so worth it.

To entertain myself, I tried out one of their "digi-players," but it didn't have anything I wanted to see, so I oscillated between my print edition of Persuasion, and Kindle books, NYT crosswords, games, and taking photos on (with) my iphone. (For the record, my phone was at about 60% battery after the flight--better than I had expected.) Austen is such a delight after my many months in the desert that is Pickwick.

Of course I also found myself comparing and contrasting this experience with the last time I did this. Lesson A: a direct flight in fc is far superior to a multi-stop Southwest journey. (Duh, you say.) It's good to know I've learned something in 10 years. Lesson B: flying over land you have yet to drive across is more daunting than the reverse. I didn't fly over our exact driving route, but still, all that flat stuff in the middle looks extra long when you know you have to cross it again more slowly.

(What is it with people who never look out the windows of airplanes? How can you not spend a good portion of the time with your face pressed the plexiglass? The earth is so interesting.)

I was the second or third person off the plane, and so in less than 5 mins of landing, I was in H's hands, being whisked to her home. We stopped by the truck rental place on the way to peer into cabs, trying to determine if any of the trucks actually have mp3 jacks. That is the burning question for the next couple of days.

Now, I am sitting at H's computer, composing this over-detailed post as my way of "helping" her pack. If she can't use her computer, then... Aren't I a swell pal?

ETA: Damn! She outfoxed me. She has her laptop, too.