TTFN!

A cornucopia of compadres came to say, 'ta ta for now,' and it was a long glorious HOT Sunday at the park. Friends, food, refreshments, frisbee, football (EU, both for alliteration and correctness), flapping gums, a few tears -fucking fantastic bon voyage! It was a good 12 hour 'goodby' bonanza, but I had to wake at a reasonable hour, for I of course had not packed on item for my evening flight the following day. I work better this way, under extreme pressure in that last minute, all or nothing moment. I like to think it focuses my mind on the important task at hand, but it's really just procrastination – or perhaps a Freudian move I was subconsciously making to keep me from going!?! Naaaaa, definitely procrastination and maybe a little ADHD.

My dearest mother helped me roll up my wardrobe to tetris them all in my luggage. A few more friends dropped by and helped me procrastinate a little more, and then it was time... for my mom to go get my last ThunderCloud sub for a while – a large roast beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, both cheeses, mayo and spicy mustard on wheat *triste. When she returned, with sandwich in hand, we loaded up the car with my luggage, I brought with me the following: Yoshimi, my beloved bicycle packed away in a hardshell shipping case that I scored on craigslist for one fifth of the original cost! thank you, Gran, for the bargain gene; one large duffleish suitcase full of clothes, 10 copies of my dad's album and 10 copies of the Marmalakes EP Wonder Winds; one large backpacking pack, from my Europe 07/08 adventure, also full of clothes, toiletries, and my MacMini, minus the power cord, and iPod with entire 120GB+ music library (I KNOW?! What an idiot! I still haven't gotten over that one), but luckily I loaded season 1 of Bored to Death, Glee, and full movie of Dear Reader: Wizard People by Brad Neely on my iPhone; this pack also has a small detachable backpack I filled with four books – On the Road (given to me by Michael, my ex-upstairs neighbor – fantastic cook, excellent talker, and gracious), Musicophilia and Existentialism both given to me by my mother (best bitchin' birther – Nuff said!), and Honeymoon with My Brother (given to me by Annabanana, my mom's bestie and a key player in my life) – Bananagrams (yes, I hyperlinked this because people must know the joy!), two light jackets for warmth and plane ride pillowage, The packs would be my two carry-ons. I left for the airport around 5:30, just in time for post-work Monday traffic... This would be an obstacle for anyone else, but for my mother, this was merely a challenge. One she scoffed at and threw caution right smack back in the face of that foolish blowhard, the Wind! Willikers!

The flights were completely bearable, thanks to my grandparents buying my Business class ticket with their stash of air miles. I can't thank them enough for that. I slept great in the deluxe seats with no one next to me, big hearty meals microwaved just a few seconds fewer than the Economeals, dry scorched and rubbery; and due to the free booze – three Bloody Marys Austin to LA, two champagnes and an orange juice LA to Auckland, and two Glenlivets on the rocks Auckland to Sydney. I also watched Exit through the Gift Shop, and the Best of Mr. Bean on in-flight entertainment.

TTFN