Home for the Holidays

I'm frantically finishing my cleaning for the cleaner, rehearsing a presentation that I'm doing tomorrow with a client and keeping an eye on the telly as one of my favourite movies, Amelie, is on. I have three more nights here, Friday I stay with my friend Patricia near London, and then I'm off for the holidays. It seems crazy that this is my third Christmas flight home for the holidays. It's becoming a part of my routine.

Weird how an international flight used to be exciting. I'd make a packing list, I'd plan ahead, I'd not be able to sleep the night before. Now I don't even think about my trip until a night or two before I leave. I can pack for two weeks abroad in about 45 minutes. I only have to plan ahead and do laundry. And at Christmas time I have to run a few errands. It's not a holiday without some meat flavoured potato chips any more.

Friends in Minnesota...many have been asking me about my holiday schedule, so I thought I'd update you here. I fly on Saturday, and will be in Iowa for the majority of my trip. I have currently planned no social gatherings. I am getting my hair cut on the 22nd at 430pm. I have put the 22nd on the calendar as a free night, but haven't made plans yet. If you'd like to join me if there is a group gathering, you should email me and Ill keep you posted.

Comments

Kireliols said…
I know what you mean about international flights becoming routine. I got so lax about flying home to Japan that sometimes I'd have people over to my folks place in Rochester the night before a flight for donuts and cops!
6:10 pm
Bramley Apple Pies! said…
I'm with you on that. I'm leaving in 2 days for Copenhagen (4th time this year) and haven't even thought about packing. Sometime tomorrow night I'll do it, if I get around to it. I just need to remember the bottle of Makers Mark for my buddy, and I'll be good.
11:38 pm
Melinda June said…
Donuts and cops...now THERE'S a good combo.

BAP..have you done the LA trip? You're a good man if you come bearing Makers Mark. That's guarantees you'll be a welcomed guest.
5:33 am
Old Lady said…
Sounds like happy times for you soon! Happy Holidays to you.
12:13 pm
Bramley Apple Pies! said…
M,

I have a deal with my relative in Malmo, Sweden. I have free lodging whenever I want, as long as I bring him a bottle of Makers Mark. It's a pretty good deal on both ends.

Yep, went to LAX and back, and ORD and back. With this trip tomorrow I'll clear 50,000 flight miles this year and for the first time be Gold Elite.

B
1:29 pm
Melinda June said…
Being there and remembering it are two different things, my dear.

I believe there were both donuts in the car AND on the roof. Thank god the ocifer was there to help figure that out.

Bubs, what is it with you guys and donuts? =)
4:15 pm
Kireliols said…
There was also a spike haired, half nude gent on the roof tossing those donuts whist I was breaking and entering...ahhhh, memories.
5:12 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ways other than Paul Blart and lipstick to combat economic depression

They say that, when the economy tanks and you can't see any way through your pile of bills and are wondering who you'll look wearing one of those barrels with shoulder straps, women buy lipstick and everyone goes to upbeat, escapist movies to take their minds off their troubles. But I'm here to tell you that any lipstick worth having is nigh 'bout $20 or more and you'll just end up regretting it, and Hollywood has not caught up with the times yet. Plus, it's Oscar season, so once you've seen Slumdog Millionaire your choices are sexy Nazis seducing children, attractive suburbanites mourning the death of their dreams, and nuns and priests talking about child abuse. (That said, I hear Gran Torino is a good diversion with a message, and if you don't hate Brad Pitt as much as I do you could probably sit through that Owen Meany movie where he ages like he's from Ork .) And while I'm as big a Kevin James fan as the next person, you can't ask him...
Read more

Planning Funerals

We've been picking out hymns and suits to wear at the visitation and crematory urns for the ashes and cemetery plots with a good view. My dad passed away at 1 PM on Father's Day. He'd been in excruciating pain, which progressed as the week went on. By Thursday night we had to up the morphine dose so that he slept all the time, but at least he wasn't writhing in pain. Metastasized bone cancer is an ugly, ugly thing. On Friday, I spent the day with him. I sat in the comfy chair in his room and read him my Managing Strategic Innovation prep work and case study. I guess I'm assuming it was the morphine that kept him sleeping, but we'll never really know. On Saturday, my mom and I played scrabble by his bed most of the day. There were some rousing plays, especially since she refused to let me play 'squab' and 'nori' because these were not familiar words to her and we didn't have an official scrabble dictionary handy. I called her a dirty cheater,...
Read more

Executive MBA 2006-07 Director's Prize

This prize is awarded to the Executive MBA student who is judged by his or her peers to have contributed most to the overall success of the programme. Awarded to: Me I'm really happy about this - I've been the stream rep between the administration and my fellow students, which is the primary reason I've won this...I've managed a lot of situations and helped sort out problems, and while it's been a bit of work it's also been quite fun. I've got all sorts of thoughts and feelings, and in about an hour I'm calling my mom to hear about Thanksgiving with my brother and to tell her the news, but the over-riding reflection I have is this. My dad would be very, very proud. This would have made his day.
Read more