back, again

friedreich rommel delos santos on December 9th, 2007

my body clock is still whacked up,waking up at the crack of dawn and sleeping as early as high noon. this is the part of traveling i really, really hate, jet lag. hopefully i’ll get over this before i go back to the office…

this specific travel is my most harassing one, i even don’t want to wish it upon my worst enemy. let’s start at the very morning going to the airport. we’ve been up all night packing and eating. we ordered chinese takeout for the last time that can feed a group of 6, for the 3 of us. we figured that over stuffing our stomach will keep us awake. sad to say it didn’t work and i fell asleep around 4 in the morning when i went back to my apartment to finish up. jen called around 7. i was done, that i know, so i quickly showered and met them up at jen’s. this is me, 1 big luggage that can fit 2 small person side by side, a big duffle bag, a 55cm keepall bag, 2 laptop bags and my gucci tote; that many. i’m planning to check in my big luggage and duffle bag, hand carry the keepall, laptop bag and my gucci tote. i’ve asked ’special friend’ if he could carry the other laptop bag for me, which he did. exactly 8, we went down to the waiting cabs to the airport, some 25 miles. more than half way, i called up jen if ’special friend’ did bring my laptop bag since i haven’t seen it while we were putting all the luggage in the trunk. we pulled up on i-75 to check and true enough, it’s not there. even worse, it’s my office laptop. my personal laptop is insured so i really don’t care much if it get lost, but my office laptop is something i guard with my life. i decided that i’ll go back, jen and ’special friend’ to wait for me at the airport. went back to jen’s apartment, and the laptop’s there, at the couch. so after us$95 of cab fare, i-75 morning rush and 1 hour 15 minutes of rushing around, i finally got to the airport.

i’ve always been the techno geek as well as control freak. every trip, i make sure that i check in early using the online check in service, and i get to pick my seat. though it doesn’t matter really since i have upgraded my way back to business class. just when i was but all smile, by big luggage is overstuffed by 25 pounds. i really don’t want to go to another hassle of transferring some stuff to my duffle so i’ve asked how for the excess. but the thing is, with all the money in the world, 70 lbs is the limit each luggage. me, in the center of the check in counter, open luggage, transferring stuff from 1 to another. after an embarrassing moment, i was able to check in my bags. no amount of money, not even business class will ever move that cute guy’s stance with the 70 lbs limit.

as we were making though our gate, we need to clear the security. a series of frisking, x-ray and metal detector. not to mention the quarantine booth that will puff some high pressure air, goodbye well made hair. x-ray revealed that in a dash to take off the excess 25 lbs from my other luggage, i absent mindedly transferred my toiletry bag to my vuitton hand carry. when the tsa (transport security administration) called me for the bag inspection, it sank to me that i have some liquid items there from the other luggage. i have the option to throw those away (3 perfumes, 2 shower gels and a shaving cream) but how can i depart from my trusted perfumes? so the tsa personnel escorted me to the checkin luggage and, hopefully, they haven’t sent my other luggage to the conveyor belt. but i was so wrong. still harassed from the situation, i agreed to checkin my vuitton an pay they excess baggage. i am paying them to ruin my vuitton. good thing that i have my bag’s bag (yes, these are the type of bags that have their own bags). so i wrapped mr. murakami cherry keepall and have a big fragile sticker on side. looking back, i could have separated with my freaking perfumes which makes more sense.

so after all of this, i am left with my gucci tote and my laptop which even though is much lighter and comfortable, feels bare and naked. i have worked around my wardrobe with the keepall strapped on my shoulders and my tote in one hand.