#10272014

...and I feel like I ought to do a special post thanking Delta for the completely random upgrade.  I may never travel first class again because there's no way I could swing it on my budget, but it was such an unexpected, pleasant surprise.  I had an awful debacle with them coming to Dublin last time, but I have literally never experienced luxury like this on an airplane before.  I have no idea what made them decide to do it, but it was awesome, and definitely a very cool experience!  It set the tone for the whole trip, I hope, and definitely got me started in a very special way!

(and I did not take pictures of the food not because I didn't want to stand out, but because it was honestly so delicious and pretty that I'd remember I meant to take a photo halfway through the plate, hahaha)

Well!  Almost a year to the day from my first trip to London!  I find it amazing to remember how nauseated and nervous I was, and I suppose it kind of makes sense--that trip changed so much about me, about who I am and who I thought I was and what I thought I might be capable of.  This time last year, my mother had just died, and it feels melodramatic to sat that part of me did, too.  That doesn't make it not true.

I feel like London brought some of that part of me back, or maybe replaced it with something newer and braver.  That trip, and the one three months later, taught or reminded me that I could take care of me, that I would.  That the world is a big, scary place but that trying it without a safety net could be terrifying and exhilarating and so, so rewarding when you land on your feet.

The thing about this trip is that, like last year's, it couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time.  What a horrible thing to say!  But I'll admit the timing hurt--recently unemployed, I found most employers were leery of hiring someone who planned to leave the country for two weeks so soon after employment.  I deferred opportunities because I'm stubborn and given the choice between stupid and boring, I'll usually choose stupid every time.

Thank god for that.

This trip started off on a rocky foot: we were two hours late out of Atlanta because of a tech issue, and my ticket originally appeared not to be a through ticket to Dublin due to a long layover in New York to see a friend.  It turns out that these are things that can be easily fixed; in Atlanta I managed to check in to the connection, and thanks to a helpful desk agent, I got my bag checked through so I wouldn't have to carry my bag through New York.

New York--what can I say?  I got in to see Central Park, despite the delay.  The leaves haven't quite turned yet, but that doesn't matter at all because she was there--the angel Bethesda.  I'll spare you the sentimental claptrap about Angels in America and how very much that play means to me, but I'll admit to getting teary at seeing her there, and that I got to share that moment with a very dear friend--that I got to have it because of that dear friend--is unspeakably lovely to me.  And she gifted me with the most gorgeous green shawl and I her with a goldfish tie and a copy of Angels.  What an incredibly lovely detour.