Journal Entry: Jet-lagged to Hell pt. 2

“Pret” had cheese and bacon stuffed croissant for £3.95. Not bad, that was plus a bottle of diet coke. My thoughts are increasingly incoherent. They finally showed the flight’s gate on the board. It still doesn’t say how delayed it is. I need a nap.

Journal Entry: The Beginning - Backpacking 2012

The following is a transcription of a journal I kept while backpacking from Rome to Paris in 2012. It is in it's entirety, except a few things have been redacted to protect privacy and/or feelings of third parties.

Backpacking from Rome, Italy to Paris, France. 

[1:06pm Texas Time]

This will be the same route (almost) that V. and I took in May 2009. V. could not come with me, so this is girl solo in Europe! I am currently at San Antonio International Airport. My flight to Dallas leaves at 3:05. I am flying on British Airways through London. Unfortunately, I am not in business class this time. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get upgraded.

Journal Entry: Life Moves Pretty Fast

Time Unknown (somewhere over the Atlantic)

Business class sure is nice. Dinner was delicious. I've been watching Ferris Beuller's Day Off. The steward had to reset the TV. I left to go to the bathroom and it went a bit wonky. Having some coffee now. It's very nice not to have the seat back jammed into your knees for the whole flight. And the truffles are delicious too!

I didn't realize how much Zen Ferris Beuller's Day Off had in it, as I was a child last time I saw the whole thing.

“Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”

Journal Entry: BA Lounge

2:07pm

I'm waiting in the British Airways lounge now. And oh my, is it sweet! There are computers for our use, and a bathroom. It's so quiet and lacks the noise and bustle of the terminal. I'm going to be spoiled rotten after this. Three plus weeks of roughing it should fix that though.

I had a scare when I first got in here. I went to write down the telephone numbers from my credit cards in case my wallet gets stolen, and I couldn't find my American Express card. It is my backup for this trip. I panicked and called Jan and she calmed me down and had the sense to ask if I'd stashed it in my money belt, since I couldn't remember when or where I'd had it last. Of course that's when I remembered it was indeed in my money belt. Crisis averted! That was the second time today I freaked out. The first time I thought I'd lost my car keys because they weren't in my carry on and I hadn't taken them out to go through the x-ray machine. Do you know they were still in my pocket! They're mostly plastic and not much metal which I guess is why they didn't set the alarm off. I don't need any more missing or lost scares today or for the rest of the trip for that matter.

So before all the excitement, I had a small dish of orange chicken at Panda Express. I was just about stuffed afterward and don't see how people can eat an entire plate of it. I suppose that goes to show how much I've cut back on my food. Hopefully I'll lose another ten pounds while I'm on this trip.

2:32pm

They have free help-yourself fountain drinks in the lounge! I'm thrilled. It fuels my diet coke addiction. I don't ever want to travel in economy again. Oh, and they have Walker's brand cookies too!

Journal Entry: Stateside still

Foreword: The following is a transcription of my journal by date from a backpacking trip I took in 2009. From May 13 to June 6 my sister and I traveled from Rome, Italy to Paris France, where she left and I continued on to England.

13 May 2009
12:30pm

I had meant to write this morning before I left Corpus but forgot. Right now I am sitting and waiting for British Airways to open their check-in. I was way too early, but that's okay. Better early than late.