Without much thought I bought a large supply of Coke Zero and Bud today. As I was making trips hauling it up to my apartment I thought, "Wait, will I drink all of this before I leave next Wednesday?" The answer is probably yes.
Since I always need something to fuel my pre-flight anxiety I have two for this trip: First I will be flying on a new plane. Exciting, right? A new plane on a 15 hour flight. Let's just hope they didn't miss any kinks when they tested it out. Etihad supposedly has world-class service so I am looking forward to the flight.
Etihad customer service (pre-flight) blows. The whole reason I spend $270 on a credit card with them was to get the miles and freebies that come with it. The main freebie I wanted was an extra 40 pounds of luggage. Now I'm told that's not available for the flights to US and Canada. (Never mind that at every point I said, "I'm doing this for the extra luggage to Chicago... I'm doing this for the extra luggage to Chicago." Only after card paid for and ticket paid for am I told, "So, sorry, you don't qualify."
I have 60 pounds of stuff to take back to the US for a friend who moved back to Illinois. I'll suck it and pay the fees because this friend - Imad - is the same guy who counseled me during salary negotations this spring. It's safe to say I would be $350 less per month for the next three years if it were for Imad insisting I demand an even higher salary. Assuming I stay for three more years his advise saved me $12,000. I think I can handle some baggage fees to get the rest of his stuff home.
I haven't given any thought of what to pack because I don't have much of anything *to* pack. I can bring you real cinnamon toothpicks from a cinnamon tree... but they sound better than their bitter taste.
Yeah, I don't have much to bring home beyond a weary traveler grateful to see his dog.
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