Saturday, December 23, 2006

It's fun staying at the Gingers for Christmas! I like it. Yesterday the M and I went to Food Lion. (Roar.) I like their lion logo with the sticky-out tongue. It's very warm today (in the 60s) but it's been kind of rainy. We definitely picked the right day to fly. I helped my M wrap some Christmas presents, and it was real fun. She doesn't share my extreme fondess for wrapping presents, apparently, so she was happy for the help.

[edit, 5:00: got interrupted writing this, so I never finished! too bad! more later. I had a cucumber sandwich for lunch (yesterday).]

Posted at 10:21:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

I'm here in North Carolina at the Gs! It's swell! They were there waiting to greet us at the airport, even though we hadn't called them yet to come pick us up. (I called from New Jersey with an updated E.T.A., and it was quite accurate. They arrived at the same time we were landing!) I'm typing this on their computer, but remote-controlling mine. On the flight here, I wrote three postcards detailing the entire trip, then realized I didn't want to mail them and lose what I wrote, so I'm typing them in for ALB first. (Then poor MUD will get repeats.)

Here they are, including bits that will make no sense (because what's ALB without bits that make no sense?).

[Postcard #1:]

I'm writing this postcard while on our flight to North Carolina. Check out the small and neat writing! = proof it's a smooooth ride. We've been flying about 40 minutes so far (seemed like nothing!) and we just went over the Hudson river. It was skinny on my side and fat on Dean's side, just like the map. // Just crossed over into New Jersey! // 1 hr, 5 min. -- we just passed our first waypoint, the Sparta VOR, and turned so now we're flying southwest inside of west, and our groundspeed picked up from 90 to 120 knots [~140 mph] because we have less of a headwind. The viz today is great!! // We're on our 3rd leg now, flying right over Trenton, NJ... !! Wow! Momentus occasion! I just had to break out the new map! The "Washington" one. We've never been outside the region covered by the "New York" sectional before. // Wow! Dean says we crossed over into PA for two seconds (I didn't wave--sorry). We're flying by Philadelphia, but I can't see it. It's cloudy/hazy off in that direction (to the right, off my wing). Hi, Shad Store! I can see the river, but not past it. Wait! Retraction! I can just barely make out the tall Philly buildings, right now!! It's 12:45. We took off about 11:00. To be continued on card #2!

[Postcard #2:]

Flight of the Tango, Postcard No. 2! We stopped for food and fuel in Millville, NJ. It was great! Very efficient full-serve gas (a truck drives right up to your plane & fills you up), nice, big, easy to see runway, and excellent little restaurant. I got a B.L.T. [Grandmother Whaples' special] panini (squishy bacon, just as I like it). Right now we're flying over Delaware Bay. When we reach the other side, we'll be in Maryland. I can see Cape May, NJ (where David went windsurfing!) off Dean's wing. !! We just heard the Airforce on the emergency channel notifying a plane that they'd violated ADIZ [Air Defense Identification Zone] around Maryland Airport! BAD! (Now we just officially entered DE!) It's so flat around here, not like CT. // Woo hoo!! We're in Maryland! Just crossed the line. MD is sunnier than DE--there are rays shining down on it through the clouds. That's 'cause it's my home state! Ocean City is right off Dean's wing now. I can see the tall buildings. It's suddenly warm. I just turned off the heat and took off my sweater. We're flying by Chincoteague Bay, where the wild horses swim to Assateague Island. [Not sure I got that exactly right, but close. They swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island.] (Continued on postcard #3.)

[Postcard #3:]

Part Three! Just crossed into Virginia. It's exactly 3:00. The good ol' Chesapeake Bay is off my wing. It's BIG. We're going to turn more westward and fly over it when we reach our next waypoint, Cape Charles VOR. (I like following along on the map and dialing up our nav., comm., and GPS settings!) // We just tuned in the AWOS (automated weather observation system) in Franklin, VA and the conditions announcer dude had a southern accent. I liked how he said "nine." // It's almost 4:00 now but time is passing so quickly. I'm not bored at all. This section of VA is a big flat nothing. Farmland and trees, brown for the winter. My headset is starting to weigh on the tops of my ears, just a little. // North Carolina! We just crossed over. Only half an hour to G-ville! It's about 4:20. This leg is zzz so we're listening to Christmas music. // We were able to fly at 8,500 ft for the whole trip up 'til now. Now we're descending to 6,500 because the cloud ceiling is lower (7,000) over Franklin County, NC (Louisburg's airport). E.T.A. 20 minutes! // We're here! Nice new looking runway--smooth & black w/new white paint. Big & easy to see, w/lots of clear land around it. Good airport! The lineman has a HUGE accent. It was a GREAT trip.

Posted at 11:00:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

In today's mail: a Christmas card from Rachel (we read each other's blog) and zero cards for Dean! I was all ready to crow about being ahead, but Dean got a card at work from the Pilot Guy, so we are tied again. Ruffum scruffum!! Dean said getting a card from Rachel was EVIL, though, so at least I got some satisfaction out of it. I didn't ask her; she e-mailed me and volunteered! I did give her our address, though. :-)

I was ahead, for one day, earlier this week. I got a card from Karl and Dean got zilch. But then he got one more card than I did the following day to make up for it. Well, we'll know the real story when we get back from North Carolina. I'm sure all my readers (all 10 of them) are waiting for the final results with bated breath.

And it looks like we're definitely flying to N.C. (new home of the Gingers, that is) tomorrow, so this may be auf Wiedersehen 'til after Christmas. Unless I'm able to post from there. Who knows? I sure don't.

Posted at 8:04:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.

Got rid of all my cards!! I had two left, but we might have to leave tomorrow for North Carolina (we were originally planning for Saturday, but the weather/clouds for Saturday look lousy) so I decided I'd better do both today. It was harrowing! My blue velvet chair was free, so I sat there, but Jogger Guy was in the other one and I didn't want him to see me... I was thinking of leaving it sitting right on the bar, where people pick up their drinks (the b.v.c. has an excellent view of the bar, as a bonus), but I couldn't work up the nerve. I kept eyeing it but not doing it. There was also this big wacky family in the corner (at the table I sit at with Dean), with three generations of Starbucks fans (I know, because the middle generation guy told me, after asking me if I'd like to rent his kid), and they kept looking at me and trying to talk to me and stuff, so it was very dangerous. Finally Jogger Guy left, so I decided to just make my break and put one in the blue velvet chair and figure out what to do with the other one while I brought back my empty cup.

Meanwhile, the DRY GUY came into the store!!! Remember the Dry Guy?? Good old Patrick? My original favorite Rocky Hill barista?? He hasn't worked in the store for quite a while (and I still miss him) and I haven't seen him in ages, but he, along with Marshmallow Guy, was the one who originally helped me put the correct amount of money on the cards last year. I couldn't believe the FATE, of being there when the Dry Guy came in! So (after watching Marshmallow Guy greet his old pal, and leave because his shift was over), I left my first card in the chair and put my empty cup away, then said Hi to the Dry Guy, telling him I missed him and asking how he was doing and all that stuff. (He now lives about an hour away, and was at Rocky because his car broke down around here yesterday, so he was dealing with that... And he's still a barista, because he said if I ever came to Stratford he'd make my drink.)

We were standing near the bar chatting when the wacky middle generation guy of the family FOUND my plant (aaagh!! I mean, it's great that he found it, but I didn't want the finder to know who left it!) and came up to me with it, asking me if I'd forgotten it!! I told him I hadn't. He clearly noticed it the second I vacated the chair, since he was paying way too much attention to me. And it is red, of course. I sort of ignored him like I didn't know what he was talking about (or wanted him to drop the subject immediately), and continued talking to Patrick, and he went away and the whole family started looking at the plant, opened it up and read it, etc. I'm almost positive he knew I was responsible, though.

After that I didn't know how I was going to get rid of the last card without drawing too much Wacky Family attention to myself (I definitely couldn't leave it on the bar), so I walked aimlessly toward the back, at a loss for an inconspicuous spot, but then I knew. I'd ask the Dry Guy. So I tapped him on the shoulder (he was at the table over in the front corner of the store, behind the door area) and asked him, "Could you do me a favor?" I briefly explained (he didn't remember at first, but then immediately understood) and told him how I'd just hidden one in the chair, and that guy found it (a look of delight and realization crossed his face) but I had one more card to hide and I didn't think I'd be able to do it tomorrow since we're probably leaving then. (I had told him about going to N.C. while we were talking earlier.) I asked him if he could hide it for me--anywhere where he thought a customer would find it and be surprised. He agreed with pleasure, and I thanked him, and left!

End of story. Eeek.

I am busy packing.

Posted at 3:39:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.

Forgot to post yesterday! I did a plant, but I don't have a picture (no plant pictures this year, pretty much). I put it in the sugar compartment of the sweeteners holder at the "condiments" station where you go to add sugar, cream, cinnamon, chocolate powder, and stuff like that to your coffee. The compartment was the exact width of the little felt card holder, so it fit perfectly. Then I sat down at a nearby table (the one near the back that Dean and I sit at together sometimes) to see who'd find it while pretending to read the newspaper. Only, no one did find it, at first. It was right there, in plain sight, but no one noticed it! Very weird how people can not see things that are right in front of them, even bright red things that say "Pick me up!" on them. A bunch of customers came and went. This one lady was at the condiments stand for about five minutes, making extremely elaborate alterations to her beverage (she added about a thousand packets of something, but I guess it wasn't sugar), but she never saw it.

Then, the store manager found it!! She was making her rounds, checking for things that needed cleaning up, and she of course immediately recognized that it wasn't supposed to be there, quickly picked it up with a quizzical look, and headed for the back room with it. I didn't say anything, because part of my "rules" for the plant is that I'm not supposed to interfere with/influence what happens once I leave it. But, as she passed me, she stopped, and asked (quietly), "Did you put this there?" I admitted I had, and that it was supposed to be for a random customer to find and be surprised. We were very hush-hush. She said, "That's so cute!" and "I wonder why no one's found it yet??" I said, "I don't know!" And she asked me if I usually see people find them; I told her it usually takes a while, and I'm not there anymore by the time they do, but I saw someone find it in the blue velvet chair. Then she went over and put it back in the exact spot I'd left it. :-)

I was done with my drink, so I started to leave, but I wanted to transfer some money from one card to another first. There was a long line just then, so while I waited in it, I kept one eye (inconspicuously) on the condiments stand. The store manager was behind the cash register, and she was watching, too. While I was in line, two unrelated customers found it together. I didn't see them actually in the act of finding it, but I saw them holding it and looking at it together, discussing it. It was a man and a woman. I think the woman kept it; maybe the man told her to. When it was my turn in line, the store manager did my card transfer for me, and didn't say anything about the plant. She could tell it was supposed to be a secret.

(I am running out of ideas for hiding spots!!)

Posted at 1:57:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Isn't this a great notice to receive in my mailbox, wrapped around returned Christmas cards? Except, well, not. The weird (and good) thing is, it was wrapped around only two of my cards. The rest all managed to be mailable just fine, apparently. (I hope so, at least.) I'll have to try re-mailing the returned cards somewhere else.

Today Susie and I met up at Starbucks (intentionally) and had a nice time sitting in the blue velvet chairs and catching up (and, as a result, I was spared a White Van Encounter). Alex was a very popular little boy with the SBUX patrons and baristas. (He's extremely cute, so that's no surprise.) When I was paying for my drink, the Marshmallow Guy told me a barista found my plant the other day, and that he made her put it back. The Marshmallow Guy is the best. :-)

Posted at 10:09:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.

I'm such an insomniac lately (I'm not sure if I got any sleep last night; I was definitely wide awake until after 6-ish), and I've lost my appetite, which is not like me at all. I think it's because I'm afraid of eating the wrong thing and getting all wired. But maybe not eating enough is making me more susceptible to wiredness. Although I really have no idea what causes wiredness. Oh well. Maybe I need to find a new food that seems more palatable. I kind of like milk. (Also bizarre, because I hardly ever drink milk.)

Posted at 11:08:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.

Really tired. I guess that's good, since it's 3AM. Dean and I did a plant today, but I didn't take a photo since it was in the blue velvet chair again (however, we did not get to see the finder, although we watched for one while imbibing our drinks). We had to slither out afterwards because this guy who was sitting at our usual table looked like he noticed the plant, and I didn't want him to come over and ask us if we forgot it. Harrowing!

We flew to Parlin (in New Hampshire) Saturday evening for dinner, and it was nice. There was a little snow on the ground there (just in a few piles, like it had snowed and most of it had melted). Dean threw a snowball at me. :-)

I only have four Christmas cards left to write. And I wrapped two people's presents. Love LOVE wrapping presents.

Posted at 3:12:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.