Enroute...

Exactly a week after I was initially supposed to leave,I finally start for my third trip to the US. This time it is going to be Minneapolis. Yeah, I heard about the weather! It is strange how I spend every Fall, winter and Spring in the West and miss out on Summer! Looks like I will be missing Diwali this time as well. Third year in a row!
I spent yesterday and today mentally preparing for the trip. Which means I never left home, ordered pizza and surfed the whole day. For all the attraction that a first world country like the US provides, I have always found myself to be a reluctant tourist and a diffident sight-seer. I've always maintained that the worst part of any travel is the wait in the airport. The truth of that statement reasserted itself today. It's even worse if you have to lock up an empty house and reach the airport hours in advance. I am always early for a flight- be it domestic or international. Early as in not a close half hour or one hour early; I usually manage to reach the airport 3-4 hours in advance. It's almost as if I like being bored or something! Why do we always need to have something to rail about however great things are?
Anyway here I am, all settled down at 5 am with atleast 2 hours to go before my flight takes off, trying to stave off sleep. I did manage to catch some sleep last night, even if it was not that much. I read a little bit of the "Grave thief"(Tom Lloyd) last night and had to do a little bit of last minute packing. It was a quarter to twelev before I could crash. I had set the alarm at 2:20 so that I could have a bath before the cabbie came at 3, only to be woken up by mom and dad. They said their goodbyes and I promptly went back to sleep. The Alarm started screeching at 2:20, after which I switched on the motor and the geyser before a quick nap. I got up again at 2:30, had a bath and did a last minute check. Everything was in order. After a quick peek at my face book and my mailbox, I called the cabbie. It was 3. By the time we left the house it was 3:15. I reached BIAL at 4 and got done with the formalities by half past 4. Somewhere between all the stamping that I had to get through a guy petulantly refused to give me his Pen because he had to check in. I am pretty sure he was in the same flight as me! But, guess who checked in first? Although, you know what? I hope the Gods are not so pissed at me that they'd seat me beside that guy! Now that would be irritating. For once, it would be great if they sat me next to a pretty girl, even if it would make absolutely no difference even if I, against all probablity managed to muster enough courage to say Hello!
Anyway, I guess thats it for now.... I guess I will go bact to the Grave Thief now. Or may be pull out the House of Chains. It'd be great if I found Dust of Dreams in Heathrow. That alone would make the whole trip worthwhile. I intend to catch up with Suresh and Divey there as well! Atleast over the Phone! Lets see.... Anyhoo... Time to go..... I will post when I can... until then... cheerio!