11 hours to wheels-up!

Daylight is starting to creep in through the windows and I've been up since shortly after 5 am local time. I've probably spent more time packing for this trip yesterday evening than for any several trips before, combined. I'm about as ready as I'm going to be. Interestingly enough, some of the things I was sure I would take I'm leaving behind, such as my felt hat, but I figure a beanie packs better and will work just as well (and probably better if the wind off the karakum in November is anything like that in June).

I just have to make sure I don't do something silly like forget my passport at home.

The plan for the day is to LIRR my way to Jamaica, then take a cab to JFK. I suspect I've underestimated the distance from the station to the terminal, but this hybrid plan has got to be less expensive than taking a cab to the airport from out here on the Island.

I feel I am in definite "trip anticipation" mode. My mind is racing, primarily to figure out if I've done everything necessary to assure a successful assignment. I'm kicking around the idea of going down to the Staples in Glen Cove and picking up a pair of those TSA-enabled luggage locks (and a latte at Starbucks), but... we'll see. I'm also wondering whether I'll get any reactions from fellow passengers if they catch me reading a French review grammar on a nonstop flight from New York to Moscow, but I suppose now my mind is wandering.

I would imagine my next post will be from Moscow.

Cheers...

Faulty imagination...

It turns out my next post is from the Business Elite lounge at the Delta terminal at JFK, and not from Moscow as I expected. (I cashed in some frequent flyer miles to upgrade my seat to business class, whose accommodations give one the opportunity to stretch out and sleep on the long trip over.)

Getting to the airport was a lot easier (and cheaper) than I expected. The LIRR trip cost $4.00 and it turns out (as pointed out by LJ friend tamaraland in her comments to this morning's post) there is a shuttle called AirTrain that runs from Jamaica to the JFK terminals (another sawbuck).

My cell phone had been working fairly well when I used it outside my parents' house, until last night. I lost my connection to Galina twice in succession, whereupon I decided to call a third time using the landline.

Well, you know that business about the third time being the charm? It works in reverse, too. I opened the door into the house and almost walked smack into my mom, who had been going a little crazy once she realized that this was the eve of my departure and was hobbling around the house looking for me. We sat down in the kitchen and had a long talk, the content of which could be summarized in about three sentences.

My dad took me to the train station this morning and we sat around for about half an hour, waiting for the train to arrive. The old ticket window in the waiting room looks to be fairly permanently shut; everyone is expected to get their tickets from the vending machine outside or from the conductor (albeit in the latter case, there's a fee of $3.00 to consider).

One interesting item I spotted while examining the inside of the waiting room was a sign warning customers that the waiting room is open only until 2 pm, at which time an alarm sounds, a light flashes, and you have 5 minutes to quit the premises, else a siren is blown and the cops are called.

Far out.

Once at Jamaica, the AirTrain to JFK is right next door and my wait was about 3 minutes, but I think I was lucky. The Delta terminal was the third stop and the check-in went smoothly. Downstream of TSA, I note that duty-free is as expensive as ever (whatever you save by not paying tax, etc. is made up for by them having to charge appropriately to pay rent) and that stupid stamp machine (featured in a post about a previous trip from here) is still in place (it sells U.S. postage to people going overseas, although there is no mail drop).

Here's a shocker: Doug M., with whom I will be working during the campaign, just sat down outside the cube in which this computer is located (recall I am going over a couple of days early). I should probably go out and say hi.

Cheers...