I had submitted lost item reports to Delta Air Lines, RDU Airport, and Uber, yesterday. I got a response from the lost and found at the airport saying they didn’t have my watch.
I am still waiting on Uber and Delta to get back to me. I am disappointed but I can feel myself starting to move on from the loss.
It’s odd, I still have the tan lines on my wrist in the shape of a watch. I don’t think I will buy a replacement any time soon.
I’m going to start applying to jobs again soon. I don’t think the eBay sales are going to be enough to handle the car insurance payments I have to make.
Direct Auto is charging me $2440 a year as a new driver and I can’t really afford it. They had the best rates when I first checked last year. Progressive and Allstate both wanted double that.
My father scheduled a pickup by the SeaTac Rocket Shuttle at around 10:30 this morning (PST). The drive was around 2 hours, no ferries, just bridges.
We stopped for a break at a McDonald’s restaurant and I went inside and ordered a McCrispy Sandwich. I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s for maybe 5 years. It tasted delicious.
The McCrispyI spent $6.11
At the airport, I printed my boarding pass. This time it didn’t ask me to volunteer my carry on, so that meant I couldn’t skip the line at the gate.
I did see some folks with roll-on luggage that had the volunteer tags. I don’t know how they got them. Lucky folks.
My flight being at 3:50pm, I wandered about the terminal and took photos of the planes arriving and departing.
Papa gave me his old Olympus camera. It’s the same one he had from my 2019 trip to NYC to see my uncle Rupert, come over from England.
This camera is around 7 years newer than the one I have at home. A true DSLR with 2 different lenses and a filter. It includes WiFi for wireless transfer of photos to a smartphone. Quite fancy. I am looking forward to how it performs photographing apparel for my eBay shop.
Around 2:30, I sat down and did some blogging. By chance I gave up my seat to a family of three. I made the excuse of being at the wrong gate, which was true, but after I got to the right gate, I noticed the sign was wrong.
It turned out my flight had not only changed gates but was boarding already. I had to rush a bit to get to the actual correct gate. Once there I was able to relax a bit. I was in Zone 8 at the back of the plane, so I had some time before my group got called.
The flight was okay. I listened to music and edited the blog posts to remove broken links and redundant files. I got some shots of the Rockies from the plane using the Olympus and also filmed the entire taxiing and take-off sequence on my phone.
It got dark fast since the sun was setting behind us. I played some games and kept editing until we landed. I ordered 2 coffees and got 2 Biscoff wagers. I didn’t spend any money on my return flight.
I got a bit lost after landing and mistakenly told the driver I was at terminal 1, which is what it said on the sign next to me. I was actually at terminal 2.
After some back and forth with the uber reserve driver, I got to the awaiting car. It was a quick ride home, (somebody was speeding in the rain). While I appreciated getting home fast, I think 40 in a 25 is probably not a great idea.
Mama was up late waiting for my return. It was about 1 am when I walked through the front door. Maybe 45 minutes later I realized I wasn’t wearing my watch. I’m not sure when it came off, but I’ve messaged Uber for assistance.
I had switched the shoulder I was carrying my pack over, it possible I dislodged it either in airport, when I entered the car, or while exiting the car. Although, the strap was new, so I think I would have noticed it getting tugged on.
So, one dark spot at the end of a wonderful trip to my hometown and a touching reunion with my father.
I may have some additional posts to make. I’ll have to check the photos to see what I may have missed.
The pilot let us know it’s a busy morning, their just waiting to be assigned a parking space. It shouldn’t take terribly long though.
This gives me a chance to photograph some planes on the flat and steady earth. I realized as I was shooting planes, I don’t know what my own plane looks like. It was still dark when we boarded.
DeltaTaxiing Approaching SeaTac Southwest
I am at the back of the plane, and this time, I won’t get to skip ahead. So I’ll just relax till the line peters out.
My father is waiting at the Cell Parking lot while I disembark. After I get my bag from the claim area, we can rendezvous somewhere nearby.
It looks like I’ve got just an hour and twenty minutes left in the flight. Time for another snack!
I decided to open the packet of Biscoff wafer and Ghirardelli chocolate from the earlier snack cart. I still have most of the vodka left over. It was too strong for me.
Left over snacks
I think that body of water is Warm Springs, but it’s difficult to tell from the flight map. When I zoom in I don’t see any lakes, only rivers.
The refreshments came by again and I asked for more Biscoff, I happily received two packets. I also got a second cup of the Pike Place coffee. Two creams no sugar, just right for my tummy.
Maybe the coffee is free because they didn’t ask for my card the second time. Or maybe the last call on snacks is free. I don’t know. My receipts have not arrived yet.
East of SpokaneSouth of Mount CannonBig Cedar SchoolImnaha River
Usually digital receipts are instantaneous so I am a little confused. I spent $14 on the chicken sandwich and the first round of drinks was $11 (coffee, tonic, and spirits).
I should be getting a 20% statement credit on the in-flight purchases. That’s one of the perks available with the Delta Blue card.
I should mention, since I booked the cheapest airfare with Delta Air, my flight did not qualify for earning Miles. It is a bummer that I spaced out applying my saved points to this trip. I could saved $200 on my $300 tickets.
Well we did the taxiing down the runway and then with a roar we took off. I recorded the ascent but it’s too big a file to upload on this slow in-flight wifi. The connection says 200 mbps, but the upload was crawling by.
The above video is a trimmed 30-second clip.
Leaving the GateIn-Flight InfoTaxiing Lake with cloudsSunrise skyline
The Seatback “experience” Delta offers does not include any international titles or content. I’ll be sticking to my phone for the remainder of the flight.
Unfortunately, my charging cable is in my pack, which got checked earlier at the gate. I remembered to grab my headphones but I forgot the charge cable.
Chicken Sandwich on a Croissant
For snacks, I’ll be getting the Biscoff wafers. The little screen is telling me they also have pink lemonade for breast cancer, which is the same event they were running on my last flight in 2019. I suspect it isn’t really a special but a standard offer.
I might try the Du Nord Foundation vodka and Fever-Tree tonic water. I like quinine and it says it has bitter orange in it too. Might as well get everything since I rarely travel.
Croissant Chicken Sandwich Sliced Apples, Granny Smith and something sweetGhirardelli 72% Dark Chocolate It’s like tuna salad insideStarbucks Pike Place roast coffeeBiscoff wafersDu Nord Foundation Vodka (40%)Fever-Tree Tonic Water with bitter orange
I’m not sure if my bladder could handle also ordering a cup of Starbucks Pike Place. That’s the other item on offer in the menu. I am supposed to get double stars on flight days but I’m not sure if I have it set up properly to get credit.
The drive to the terminal was pleasantly quick despite the early morning commuter traffic. Going through the airport queues took considerably longer.
I am now sitting outside Gate D1 awaiting the pre-flight boarding announcement heading to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SeaTac).
Gate D1
Apparently something I hit at the checking kiosk meant that I was volunteering to check my one free carry on bag. Because I had a white tag on my pack, I got to go to the head of the line for boarding.
So, I am now sitting at the very back of the plane in seat 31F near the bathrooms and the staff area. We still have about 20 minutes before the flight occurs.
There is background music playing in the plane. It’s like classic elevator muzak. Not my taste, but I’ve really only listened to kpop since 2009. I’m not exactly open to new experiences.
Thankfully, flight is not a new experience. I quite enjoy flying actually. Like many children, I wanted to be an astronaut. Plane rides are about as close as I can get to space.
Fat Wallet Refugee 