Touchdown
Ah home sweet home..though I am reminded of Tom Hank’s line in The Money Pit where he says “home crap home”. I really hate flying with a passion now I just don’t like being locked up in an aluminium tube at 35,000 feet stuck next to strangers and without a kitchen or the possibility of hosting an impromptu cocktail party. What makes it worse is that once you are up there you really can’t opt out and I have never been able to sleep on a plane no matter how long the trip…well there was that one time but that was in First Class and I had access to valium 10s. That being said ,and while I will admit my overnight flight back to Trinidad was no picnic, I find the service on Caribbean Airlines to be quite excellent. On both the up and down segments the flight boarded and left early. The staff were efficient and it was really about as pleasant as could have been expected. Even check-in was pleasant in both directions.
I was completely surprised when one of the FAs came up and asked me if I was Vernon and indicated that I had also flown up with the same crew. After that, as I sat there awaiting catastrophic wing failure ( Oh yes, I watched the NGC “Seconds from Disaster” marathon) or disastrous turbulence as i once did flying from MIA to CCS, the level of attention I was given was startling. I really was impressed with Caribbean Airlines.
After getting through Customs and Immigration fairly quickly Peter met me and drove me to work where I picked up my gate-opener and the company vehicle and headed home. I made a valiant effort at unpacking but my eyes were crossing at that point so I went for a quick nap at 8am which ended at 2pm. Then a quick trip to HiLo for no reason other than to remind myself I was truly back home followed by mad cleaning spree. It is amazing how much dust accumulates in a place after only a week or so. As much as I hate dusting I take some comfort in thinking it is the remnants of long dead enemies as I Endust everything in sight. Also, as much as I have dreaded it I finally tidied up my closet and organized my clothes when i looked at them earlier I suddenly began to fear that Omar’s approach to organizing clothes was contagious. At least I was able to see my floor.
In catching up news other than the two Peters and Robin I also called Iggy to assure her that i had obtained the duty free Stoli Citrus so we could carry out our artful plan to collapse into a small heap after some libations and giggling a lot. I finally heard from Omar who is still enjoying his turtle-fest and is now, I am told, blacker than Othello. I can’t wait to see the new melanin charged version of him. Things at the office also sounded normal and Heidi has started booking a slew of interviews already. I am a bit puzzled about the blind cricket player since the only thing that comes to mind is “Ouch!”. Stevie also sounded in good spirits when i spoke to him even though he was off work because his sister is in town. He must have an awful lot of sisters as he always seems to be off for that reason.
I will be off to the grind tomorrow and happily so. I suppose I will also hear that the repairs on the Mondeo will cost the equivalent of a kidney transplant..ah well. At least I can walk outside without shivering and see blue skies or at least the promise of blue skies.
I am tired now although it is still early but it is wonderful being surrounded by my stuff and the occasional bits of stuff that aren’t mine but that remind me of friends who grace me with their company. It’s good being back on my little crazy island.
From tomorrow I will return to musings about things in general I suspect and do fewer of these daily summary narratives…a lot more freedom with those.
