Against all odds, I've made it to Kaiserslautern. Didn't think I'd actually catch my flight to Germany, despite having given myself ample time to arrive at Dulles before I was scheduled to depart. Even after managing to leave the house early, which is beyond miraculous, I still ended up sprinting to the gate and boarding the plane minutes before the door closed. Why? Because the bus to the airport broke down on the highway and we were stranded on the side of the road for an hour. So much for the best laid plans.
Unexpected travel disruptions usually don't bother me much. I've missed plenty of connections, been snowbound in Minneapolis, and once was re-routed to Montreal because of the blackout that brought NYC to a standstill. Each time, I took things in stride and saw the delay as an adventure, a welcome respite; in this case, I sat on the bus with my jaw clenched, doing my best not to stroke out. Not only was I unsure if there would be another flight to Frankfurt later that day, but J had battled traffic driving to Frankfurt the night before and had gotten a hotel room so he could meet me at the airport at 5am. The time that J and I are able to spend together is limited as it is, so even the loss of a few hours deeply pains us both. But by the grace of God, I boarded the plane and thereafter proceeded to poke at a dinner of rubberized chicken and what looked to be some sort of strawberry swirl dessert before knocking myself out for seven hours with some Tylenol PM. On another note, apparently it *is* possible for cake to be both stale and soggy at the same time. Lufthansa really outdid itself.
It's been a rough and somewhat stressful few weeks, despite the fact that Senate hasn't been in session. Last Wednesday, I endured what was possibly the most unpleasant interview experience ever, but more on that later. I'm just happy that I made it across the Atlantic in one piece and I plan to get some serious R&R.
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