Leaving Los Angeles for Britain

Oct. 1

So I've never been out of the USA before, and this being my first time ever to exercise my passport and not knowing what to expect, I arrived at the LAX international terminal several hours early. I had a bike, two suitcases, a box, a heavy purse and an even heavier laptop case. 

I knew that one piece of luggage would go for free but the others not so much but what can you do when you've just uprooted your whole life and you need those pieces left to all arrive at your new destination at the same time?  You pay the piper whatever the piper asks because your new life is beginning. 

My dear friend Jeanette who hosted me last night as well as drove me to the airport and helped me to wrangle the considerable luggage inside. Of course the bike had to go into the freight section. I told the British Airways attendant that it was my first ever overseas flight and he wrote a number on my ticket. Jeanette asked if there was any way I could get bumped up in class and he said it would be his last day on the job - which turned out not to be true because he did indeed bump me up in class, at least to business class, and I went on the upper deck of the plane. I got a seat in row 80, and that was by the upper emergency doors. I had a private entertainment screen (maybe everyone did). At least everyone on the upper deck did. 

Chicken curry or tomato pasta were the hot menu. Served piping hot two hours into the flight which would have been 23:48.  On the tray included curry with long grain rice and something akin to refried beans, a dinner roll, salad, very small Hershey bar, lemon cake and water. Tasty. I didn't get a proper supper before the flight took off because the line at Panda Express was obscenely long. Coffee was served separately. One thing I will miss for certain from the USA is International Delight Hazelnut Creamer. Perhaps I can find a good hazelnut creamer there. 

Yes, two hours in the flight and I tried to watch HOTEL BUDAPEST but found it dull. Perhaps it would have gone better had I not been writing some Sherlock fanfiction at the same time. Oh yes, I do that. 

Oct 2

Crossing the midnight hour on Day 2 of my life. Lots of turbulance. 

Maleficent is a slightly more interesting movie. I've been running my IPhone for about Three hours and am down to 44%. The app that I downloaded for writing seems to be doing well. 

Not quite half way through the flight and I got to use the bathroom in a plane forward the first time. Well, I don't think I could have held it for 10 hrs. 

I definitely can't watch 3 more movies to fill the time so I will go back to Sherlock writing for a bit. I have to wrap up the Anthea thread.

One good thing is that I am testing the Jackery Giant recharger as other s supposed to recharge 4-5 times. I'm workineRly done with the first recharge and it's working great. I'll get a similar one from the Newton Bike Shop except that theirs is solar powered, something I need for the road. 

Nearly 3:00 AM - been on the plane for five hous, so half way through the journey. I can just begin to see the first Rays of sunlight. Of course, I haven't changed my clock over. Not even sure where we are but we are probably over the Atlantic now. The window at the emergency door is very small so it's hard to tell anything. Flying into the rising sun, however, will quickly reveal where we are. We're supposed to fly over Southern Ireland but I'm on the wrong did of the plane for that. Actually, I am in the middle of the plane although on an aisle seat. 

And here's where things suddenly went horribly wrong...