grounded

Well, I think there is something about taking a flight to catch a boat that just doesn't quite work for me. Circa 2003 or 4, family cruise to Alaska departing from Vancouver. I'm grounded by the blackout back east. Yes, the very one that brought citizens of New York together, sharing bbq and icecream before they turned to spoils shut down the entire airline system based in Toronto, including the one that controlled my flight out of SFO. After hours in the lonely corridor that connects abandoned Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 with one hand cradling the too short pay phone handle to one ear, and a cell phone to the other, at least I was able to meet up with the cruise in Ketchikan. The next day.

Today, not so lucky. First, after hours of sitting bored, passing time staring out the window, since the early afternoon, before a 10:30 departure, the message comes through at 4:30 that the IAD to STT leg has been cancelled and quite possibly they've already booked me on another flight. Fat chance. Can they really cancel flights that far in advance?I look up the weather report, partially sunny skys, low 30s for sunday, what the f***? Suddenly all those happy posts on Facebook about winter whiteouts back east...not so happy. They can't get me to STT until Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest. Not only that, but my SFO to STT flight set to depart 10:30 PM (the very one I was whittling away hours to board), has been delayed until 02:30 AM. Panic mode sets in. What the fuck am I supposed to do. Do I fly out to IAD only to arrive 4 hours later than I expected and camp out in the DC areas until Tuesday while the boat sails forth?

Hunched over the laptop, ear to the phone...trying to look on the brighter side of things. Two and half hours later...I have an extra week to workout before donning the bikini, I have an extra week to read through the bareboat cruising texts, I can go eat noodles tonight because again, I won't be wearing a swimsuit tomorrow. Stay positive...And I can sail into the new year.