At the time of writing, I'm sitting in the Orlando International Airport, killing time in the lobby of Terminal B, because my flight leaves in an hour and 45 minutes. I'm probably going to get some lunch before I head out to my specific terminal.
I feel naked without my phone in my pocket. Every so often I'll do a possessions check--you know, pat my pockets and make sure I have every little thing. And when I don't feel my phone or my keys, I have a small heart attack before remembering that 1) my phone is in the very capable hands of my little sister, and 2) my keys are in my backpack because I don't need them right now. I wish I had it; I'd much rather kill time by texting my friends than writing up this post in Notepad to upload later, because there are no unsecured wifi networks in this lobby.
Where to begin? Once Galen and I actually found a [swear word] parking space, we began the long and arduous journey to the check-in counter. I headed to Lufthansa's counter where, to my dismay, there was nobody; I asked an employee and she said the desk didn't open until 5. Cue the first minor hiccup of the day. I checked my itinerary again, and it turns out the first flight (Orlando to Charlotte) is operated by US Airways, so I was able to check in at their counter (all the way at the other [swear word] end of the building). As we approached the US Airways counter, I saw a massive line and my heart sank...and then I felt better as we moved past it, because those people were checking in on different airlines. There was almost no line at the US Airways counter, and I was able to check my big suitcase all the way through to St. Petersburg. I got my three boarding passes, thanked the lady, and started the inexorable march toward THE SECURITY CHECKPOINT.
Mom, you'll be glad to know I made it through security without incident. I picked a line that didn't send me through the backscatter machine (those are the X-ray machines that I find to be an incredible breach of privacy, so here's hoping I'll remain so lucky), I wasn't scowling the entire time, and everything progressed very smoothly. The line was a bit long, but I wasn't waiting more than about 15 minutes and I was through and collecting my belongings again in all of two minutes.
Apparently, though, the Orlando International Airport believes that chewing gum is Public Enemy No. 1, because there isn't a stick of it to be found in the entire airport. I must have circled the counter of the airport convenience store three times looking for gum, and finding nothing but mints and candy. Well, okay then. I got some Altoids, hopefully those will help.
I've still got a good hour and a half or so to kill before my flight boards, but I've parked myself in a relatively comfortable chair in front of the Arrival/Departure boards. Waiting on US Airways Flight 1722, departing 1:50 PM EST, January 31, 2012.
QUICK STATUS:
Headcold: Still sniffly, occasional sneezing. Doing OK overall.
Excite-O-Meter: 3/10. Maybe it's because I haven't left yet, but I'm mostly missing my friends and family at the moment. I'm excited, but it's kind of on an abstract level right now, if that makes sense (it doesn't).
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