![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
God bless America
Aug. 13th, 2010 02:00 amSo I am currently on a plane flying over Canada on my way to Alaska. (Writing this on my iphone to post later - love it!) The fact that I am even ON this plane is something of a miracle, but I'll get to that a little later on...
I've had an awesome trip so far, and I've only been gone for about 3 days. I flew out Sunday morning, had to be at the airport at 5am (which meant two hours of drunkard filled night buses to get there!) in order to get as high on the standby list as possible. It was well worth it though, because I ended up in first class, which was amazing. AA first class gives you a little pod of your own so you're kind of walled off from everyone, plus the seat inclines flat and the leg part comes up to make it into an actual bed! I literally just ate, and then made the bed and went to sleep. I do feel slightly that it's wasted on me because I can even sleep in coach, but man it was SO nice.
It was good that I slept because it was go go go as soon as I got there. My friend Justin (well he now goes by Colt, his middle name, but he was Justin in highschool so that's what he shall remain to me) was working a booth at Market-days, so we basically just dumped my stuff and ran down there. Market-days is a gay street festival in "Boys Town" in Chicago - food, booths, alcohol, music stages - it seemed really similar to Pride. I've never been, so it was just really good timing that it was this weekend. Justin was working the booth for a Chicago gay sports association (which sounded awesome - they have tennis singles and doubles, along with a million other teams) so I hung out there for a while and then we went to meet his friends. (There was also some time in the middle when I took the bus to his flat to change into summer clothes and got totally lost, but the less said about that the better. At least I know his area of the city better now!) Anyway I hadn't eaten since the plane, and the drinking started pretty early and just continued, so I got pretty happy quickly. It was just me and a crowd of his friends (a few I've met before) all gay boys and all loud and funny and nice. It was a good time. In the evening we ended up at the main stage watching Janis Joplin, and one of Justin's friends somehow managed to get me front row centre! IDEK, there was a lot of shoving and bitching that I mostly stayed out of. The whole night he was very concerned about my height and me not seeing anything - earlier on he actually had me on his shoulders for ages! Anyway it was awesome because she was literally right in front of me. Too bad I didn't have my camera, although I took a few with this. And then afterwards, the drummer threw his hat (a sparkly red sequinned cowboy hat) and this guy caught it and gave it to me. Of course I now having to cart it all over the US, but...maybe I can wear it to the Adam concerts or something? Except that it would totally block people's view? Maybe just hanging off my back? Heh, who knows.
--------
Ok I had to get off the plane so I never finished that. Here's a short version of the flight story.
I was supposed to fly standby but when drew tried to finish listing me on AA it told him there was an embargo on flights to anchorage for my level standby until the end of august. We panicked, started looking up flights, trying alternate routes, everything, but no dice. Finally I was just like - well I'll have to just suck it up and pay for a
new flight. Maggie rushes me to the airport; we're too late for the original AA flight so we go to the Alaska airlines counter because they have a few. The flight is $1300 (this is just roundtrip Chicago to anchorage, not even counting England or any other leg). I'm trying not to freak out, just telling the ticket counter ladies that I've got to get up there to be in a wedding, so unless they know of a cheaper flight then I just need to suck it up and buy it. Suddenly they get all sympathetic, talk amongst themselves, and then offer me one of their personal standby passes! I tried to say it was ok and they didn't have to do it, etc bit they were insistent. How amazing is that? Seriously, the sheer kindness of humanity! I wax just so incredibly grateful and touched. I have their names (although no address) so I need to figure out something for a thank you.
So that was on Tuesday and today was Thursday. I'm so glad I got here because it's been in full wedding planning mode and it's been great to help out. Somehow I got designated the computer guru. I've designed and printed labels, cd covers and wedding programs, as well as typed up a million lists. Plus we've run errands, had our dresses fitted, put together welcome kits, etc. You know how it is. Tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner and the next day is the wedding, so it's home stretch here. I can't believe it's come so soon!
Anyway I should go to bed now, I just wanted to take advantage of the hotel wi-fi and get this up. I did my 12 of 12 today, and it's a fun one, but it will probably have to wait until I get back.
Posted via Journaler.
I've had an awesome trip so far, and I've only been gone for about 3 days. I flew out Sunday morning, had to be at the airport at 5am (which meant two hours of drunkard filled night buses to get there!) in order to get as high on the standby list as possible. It was well worth it though, because I ended up in first class, which was amazing. AA first class gives you a little pod of your own so you're kind of walled off from everyone, plus the seat inclines flat and the leg part comes up to make it into an actual bed! I literally just ate, and then made the bed and went to sleep. I do feel slightly that it's wasted on me because I can even sleep in coach, but man it was SO nice.
It was good that I slept because it was go go go as soon as I got there. My friend Justin (well he now goes by Colt, his middle name, but he was Justin in highschool so that's what he shall remain to me) was working a booth at Market-days, so we basically just dumped my stuff and ran down there. Market-days is a gay street festival in "Boys Town" in Chicago - food, booths, alcohol, music stages - it seemed really similar to Pride. I've never been, so it was just really good timing that it was this weekend. Justin was working the booth for a Chicago gay sports association (which sounded awesome - they have tennis singles and doubles, along with a million other teams) so I hung out there for a while and then we went to meet his friends. (There was also some time in the middle when I took the bus to his flat to change into summer clothes and got totally lost, but the less said about that the better. At least I know his area of the city better now!) Anyway I hadn't eaten since the plane, and the drinking started pretty early and just continued, so I got pretty happy quickly. It was just me and a crowd of his friends (a few I've met before) all gay boys and all loud and funny and nice. It was a good time. In the evening we ended up at the main stage watching Janis Joplin, and one of Justin's friends somehow managed to get me front row centre! IDEK, there was a lot of shoving and bitching that I mostly stayed out of. The whole night he was very concerned about my height and me not seeing anything - earlier on he actually had me on his shoulders for ages! Anyway it was awesome because she was literally right in front of me. Too bad I didn't have my camera, although I took a few with this. And then afterwards, the drummer threw his hat (a sparkly red sequinned cowboy hat) and this guy caught it and gave it to me. Of course I now having to cart it all over the US, but...maybe I can wear it to the Adam concerts or something? Except that it would totally block people's view? Maybe just hanging off my back? Heh, who knows.
--------
Ok I had to get off the plane so I never finished that. Here's a short version of the flight story.
I was supposed to fly standby but when drew tried to finish listing me on AA it told him there was an embargo on flights to anchorage for my level standby until the end of august. We panicked, started looking up flights, trying alternate routes, everything, but no dice. Finally I was just like - well I'll have to just suck it up and pay for a
new flight. Maggie rushes me to the airport; we're too late for the original AA flight so we go to the Alaska airlines counter because they have a few. The flight is $1300 (this is just roundtrip Chicago to anchorage, not even counting England or any other leg). I'm trying not to freak out, just telling the ticket counter ladies that I've got to get up there to be in a wedding, so unless they know of a cheaper flight then I just need to suck it up and buy it. Suddenly they get all sympathetic, talk amongst themselves, and then offer me one of their personal standby passes! I tried to say it was ok and they didn't have to do it, etc bit they were insistent. How amazing is that? Seriously, the sheer kindness of humanity! I wax just so incredibly grateful and touched. I have their names (although no address) so I need to figure out something for a thank you.
So that was on Tuesday and today was Thursday. I'm so glad I got here because it's been in full wedding planning mode and it's been great to help out. Somehow I got designated the computer guru. I've designed and printed labels, cd covers and wedding programs, as well as typed up a million lists. Plus we've run errands, had our dresses fitted, put together welcome kits, etc. You know how it is. Tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner and the next day is the wedding, so it's home stretch here. I can't believe it's come so soon!
Anyway I should go to bed now, I just wanted to take advantage of the hotel wi-fi and get this up. I did my 12 of 12 today, and it's a fun one, but it will probably have to wait until I get back.
Posted via Journaler.
