Feeling Fuzzy

Rule #1 about getting over jet-lag is that you DO NOT take a nap during the day that you arrive at your destination. You're supposed to stay up until the normal bedtime to make sure your body is exposed to daylight and to help your internal clock to be reset. Despite this, we had about a four hour nap yesterday. We tried to stay busy by returning the rental car, going to the grocery store, and starting to unpack, but we were dead tired and soon succumbed to the enticement of our moldy bedroom. When we finally were able to drag ourselves back out of bed, it was 4:30 and dark outside. Oops... so much for being exposed to ample daylight.

To make up for it, we stayed up until about 10:00 by finishing unpacking, writing a few e-mails, making a couple of phone calls and watching one of our long-waiting lovefilm DVDs, "Dawn of the Dead" (the 2004 remake). I took two Excedrin PMs before bed to make sure I slept through the night without waking up every couple of hours. They worked, but apparently I didn't need to do that because Kristen slept through the night just like I did.

Despite having slept for 11 hours, we feel pretty fuzzy today. Sort of like you feel when you have the flu (minus all of the pain, fever, and congestion). Today we will be very firm on the "No Nap" rule. It is New Year's Eve today, of course, and to be "cool" (or at least feel like you have a life), you're supposed to "do something". Everyone always asks, "What are you doing for New Year's?" I was thinking we would get a cheap bottle of champagne and go watch fireworks somewhere, but, to be honest, I don't think we'll make it until midnight. If we had gotten home on the 29th, as per our original itinerary stated, we might not be so tired today (which brings the narrative neatly up to what happened during our return from Oregon).

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Our flight from Portland on the 28th left at 6:20am, so J-Mom (the saint that she is)took us to the airport at 3:45am to get there by 4:30 for international check-in. We checked in very quickly and without complications. The agent was VERY nice and even rounded down by one pound the weight of one of our bags to fit in under the 70 lbs regulation (gotta love Continental's customer service). Then we took our luggage to the TSA checkpoint to be x-rayed. Three bags went through without molestation, but one of our big suitcases was opened up so they could check the beer bottles. We got through security with no trouble apart from the usual removal of belt, shoes, jacket, etc.

We arrived in Houston at about 12:00 noon, local time, and started killing time of the 3 hour plus lay-over. Sequestered in the waiting area of one of the unused gates, we nursed ourselves with Starbucks products, had lunch, read magazines, people-watched, and so on. About an hour and a half before the scheduled boarding time, Kristen just happened to be walking by our gate and heard an announcement. The flight was oversold, so they were looking for volunteers to fly the next day in exchange for a $500 flight voucher per person, free night's stay at a hotel, and $60 worth of meal vouchers ($10 per person for the three "meal times" we would encounter during our delay). She quickly came back to our spot at the other gate and told me about it, so we rushed over to talk to our gate agent. The vouchers are valid for one year for any Continental (or partner) flight. We just had to stay the night in Houston at the Wyndham Hotel, then take a two-leg flight the next day, via Newark. Our checked bags would stay at the airport, so we would only need to check in and go through security the next morning. Very enticing, but not an easy decision to make. We told her we would think about it and get back to her.

Though we were reluctant to extend our travel time by an entire day, we had a hard time thinking of a reason why we could turn down $1000. There was nothing pressing we needed to get back for and, really, what's the harm in staying in Houston for a night with all expenses paid. So, we went for it. The overseas leg was from Newark at 6:40pm on the 29th and there were two flights from Houston to Newark to choose from. The later one only left an hour between connections. The flight that we had just opted out of was already delayed by 30 minutes, so we decided to go with the earlier flight to Newark despite having another 3-hour lay-over. We also made sure to have our seats booked ahead of time: emergency row, dammit!

After getting all of that organized, we caught the shuttle to the airport Wyndham Hotel with our vouchers in hand. We assumed it would be some low-end hotel, clean but no frills. The Wyndham was not only a "nice", newish hotel, but they put us in a suite... with TWO TVs even! We had dinner in the hotel restaurant which actually wasn't too bad, so we spent two of our three $20 meal vouchers on that meal. Since we had opted for the earlier flight from Houston, we had one meal voucher too many. So... a nice dinner, a comfy king-size bed, and trashy American TV... we were well-rested for the next day's travel. Much more than we were for our flight from Portland.

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The 30th... We checked out of the hotel at 8:30am and took the shuttle back to the airport. This time the check-in didn't go as smoothly. We tried the "e-Check-IN" and there was some problem with my passport scanning in. The machine was treating me as though I needed a visa to travel to the UK. An agent ended up checking us in manually. Then when we went through security, they told me my ticket was flagged for "special security security screening", denoted by SSSS printed on it. Why I was selected, I have no idea. We were diverted to a security blockade at an entirely different part of the terminal which we had to walk through a parking garage to get to which made me wonder if I actually would get a body cavity search. To my relief, they only made me take off my shoes and belt and then submit to being questioned, groped, scanned, and having my carry-ons examined while Kristen waited patiently on the other side of the blockade. It took all of my resolve to stop myself from making several jokes about how thorough they were being with me.

On the way to our gate we joked about the scenario that every flight would be oversold and how we could then have so many vouchers that we wouldn't be able to use them within a year. This turned out to not be much of a joke because 10 minutes before boarding they made another announcement offering $300 per person and meal vouchers to take a flight the next day, but preferably someone who did not have a connection in Newark. That saved us from weighing that option too seriously.

BUT, when we got to Newark and had waited at our gate for a couple of hours, they made yet another announcement that the flight was oversold. They must do this a lot during the holidays because I heard the same thing for several other flights at the terminal. This time they were offering the $500 vouchers (because it was for an international flight) and a night's stay in Newark. We were REALLY tempted, but decided against it because we were would rather get home than to add another 24 hours to our journey and have to wear the same clothes yet again. But maybe we should have anyway. After all, that's $2000 of vouchers! Then again, we're pretty relieved to be home.

We landed in Gatwick at 6:40am yesterday and got through immigration and customs without any problems. Our other big suitcase had been opened by TSA in the US, again to check the beer bottles. One of the bottles had been taped over with their security tape and there were two notices placed in the suitcase; one stating that the bag had been searched and another stating that they had removed a "flammable item" from the bag. I KNEW the bag felt lighter! They stole my bottle of Techron (a fuel additive from Chevron that you can buy in sealed bottle form)! I had planned a couple of months ago to buy that and bring it back here for the BMW, but now some TSA is probably putting it in his own gas-tank! Argh! On the bright side, everything else that we packed made it over.

It is cheaper to rent a car than to park your own car in long-term parking or take a train, coach, or shuttle from the airport to Norwich, so that's what we did. For 37.99 pounds, 11.39 pounds worth of petrol, and 2.5 hours of driving time, we were back in Norwich with ease. OK, maybe not that easy. It's not a real treat to drive for nearly 3 hours after being up for almost 24 hours (not counting the travel on the 28th), but still something we will repeat should we ever have to fly into Gatwick again.

Whew! This is a long blog entry! I better go. Kristen is dangerously close to taking a nap on the couch right now. I need to make sure she stays awake!

-RP-