Lane's Ramblings

How do you write about 2 crazy weeks in the US in just a few paragraphs? Well, here's one way:

The whole reason for this trip was to go snowbo... I mean for Hober and Julie's wedding in Colorado. Of course I knew about this wedding before I was sent to Australia so it was a 'condition of assignment' that I needed to return to the US in March. In reality my bosses are pretty cool and would have let me go regardless. So I boarded that enormous plane out of Melbourne on the 10th of March, through LA, and down into Detroit for a 2 week work trip / holiday, which would bring me to Detroit, CO, and Boston.

Most of the readers of this blog were there so I can just fill this in with little stories and a good outline. Detroit was the first stop, my company decided to bring me in to the office to hang out for a bit before my week-long holiday - they were paying for the trip so why not? I landed in Detroit and I'm sure it was cold, I had to drive on the right side of the road and the left side of the car and I'm sure I hit the windshield wipers instead of the directional a few times and drove in the middle of the lane because I didn't know where the sides of the car were. After check-in and finding out what life is like without a cell phone some people were nice enough to meet up with me at Stan's in AH and it wasn't difficult to revert back to Michigan life.

The next day was running in the Corktown Race in Detroit - this is the St Patrick's Day race that I've done a few times before. It's really a great race to jog in - I wouldn't run it. And with that I got to run with Dina and talk to her while we ran through the streets of Detroit. Our time was pretty good and then we both fought through the crowd to get our free beer - I got mine first and when Dina saw that I had one in each hand she turned around to leave until I said, "No, Dina, these are mine, you have to get your own." I seem to remember one of those being spilled so I guess kharma beat me on that one too. A bunch more people showed up for the longest parade that you will never see - we just hang out off to the side and never see any of the parade but it's good time to be down there anyway.

The rest of the week was a bit of the same, meeting up with friends each day to catch up, it felt as if I've been gone for years and not months but it's easy to fall back into the groove with this group. We've been together since college and even when we try we can't get rid of each other and actually that makes us realize even more that we don't want to. This is my second time away from my MI friends (first was when I lived in Boston) and I'm sure it won't be my last but they're certainly a group that I don't want to lose - if I could, I'd move the all down here with me (that would be sweet).

Oh, let's tell the story about getting to the airport - I have a problem with being late for stuff but missing this flight was not an option so I packed up and left early. I walked up to the front desk of the hotel and no one was there.. strange.. they did leave a number to call though, which I did (at this point I was thinking of just leaving), and it seems that I had terribly inconvenienced the lady that had to come out front to check me out. This was also the longest check out ever - what does she need to do? "Yes, he left." Next was gas for the rental car, which took time, and the Detroit airport is just far enough to inconvenience everyone and make it impossible to make it on time for a 6:30 flight. I was driving and driving and driving and it seemed that I was never going to get there. Finally, I get there but need to turn in my rental car - I pulled into the lot at 5:40 (for a 6:30 flight) and there was a line of people and a bus just sitting right there but they had to go through the check out and print my receipt and ask questions and.. "I gave you your stinking car, let me leave." Now I had to contend with the bus and I was thinking that there's no way that I'm not going to make it because I have to go to the "other" terminal and I know that they're not going to go to that one first - but the nicest lady ever announces that we are going to the "other" terminal first. Hell yeah. That doesn't change the fact that I am freaking late and have a snowboard bag and a suitcase that I need to check in (can you fit a snowboard in the overhead compartment?) and now I have some dude asking me where I'm going - it's 6am, I'm going to miss my flight, and I don't remember Dunkin Donuts being open so I am not in the mood. I get out of there as fast as I can to check my bags and I think this terminal is mainly for people that have never seen an airport before because people are just wandering around with no direction. But I jump through line, fly through security, and walk right onto the plane. Yikes.

And the wedding - it was a great wedding. Of course, Hober knows how to throw a party and that he did. We won't get into that part of the trip too much but congratulations etc etc.

Alright, as stated in a previous post, I'm sick and I'm starting to have a sneezing fit so I'm going to bed. But at least I got through some of it like I said I would. To be continued...