The day started off successfully. I arrived at the airport on time, 5:40 am. Too early. Check-in and security were quick and easy. A slight delay on the boarding call worried me, but the plane was nearly empty so we were all packed in tight ready to go, on time, at 7:10 am for the 4 hour flight to Calgary.
At that moment, I felt so much tension to take-off, to be on my way.
And instead we sat at the gate for an hour and a half while Air Canada mechanics ironically struggled and failed to get the de-icing machine to work. It was positively absurd that the plane had ice on it to begin with, since this is Houston. But it became comical when a company with Canada in its name couldn't fix the machine. Basically, we had to wait for mother nature to thaw us out. We pulled away from the gate at 8:40.
I only had an hour between my flights, so after 45 minutes, my worry surrendered into the resigned feeling that I would miss my connection and I was now at the mercy of the universe, or at least the airport system. In a way this was a relief. I could settle into the rhythm of traveling. Stop worrying. Stop trying to plan everything and just go with the flow.
Upon my arrival in Calgary, I had a lively Air Canada agent who rebooked me on a flight to Vancouver and then a 15-hour flight to Sydney and finally a jump over to Auckland. And he gave me a voucher for lunch and told me to request a voucher for dinner Vancouver (because my flight to Sydney doesn't leave until 11:30 pm). Such a pleasant guy. Typically Canadian I think.
Which brings me to the final dity of the day. I leave Vancouver 11:30 pm on Feb 6 and I arrive Sydney 10:40 am Feb 8. I completely skip Feb 7. Or should I say what i do experience of it will be 'up in the air'.
It seems weird to consciously register that a whole calendar day will be completely skipped over. But of course, time is relative so it's not like I actually lose a day of my life. But how would you properly say that? I lose a recorded day of my life?
Anyway, a mind numbingly long day of waiting and strange events I would not have foreseen in my wildest plans.
Until Saturday...
