Roadie Blog: 2004-07-25

Photos, Photos, Photos...

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Click above to see all my Japan photos.

Spend my last few yen in the airport shops. Board the flight, a 777, got lucky and got a window seat. Take off from Osaka Kansai Airport, which is a man-made island. Pretty cool. Have video in the headrest in front of me, and 9 channels to choose from. Of course, I have seen most of the movies showing. Oh well, start reading a John Grisham novel I borrowed from our FOH engineer. Good book, but a fast read, I'll be done with it a third of the way into the flight.

Dinner is served. Pork Cutlets with Curry. The entire plane smells like curry. My wife would die, she hates the smell or thought of curry. Sorry Paige. The cutlets look more like McNuggets. Not bad though. I can't wait to get home and fire up the grill. No more Asian food for awhile. Paige will be overjoyed!!

Can't sleep too well. Manage a few hours after I plow through the Grisham novel. Seems like they serve food on flight every ten minutes. There is also a screaming baby one row up from me. I try to keep my headphones on and the tunes blasting.

Finally arrive in Chicago. Wait for my bags, they both arrive safely. Score. Clear customs without incident. I have to recheck my bag to RDU, this process is a mess, they basically have people in a hallway manually checking bags and putting them on the belt. I leave my bags with a gentleman and take off for the train ride to the domestic terminal. Hope my bags make it.

Get on the train to domestic terminal, still don't know my gate number. I have to go through security again. On the other side I finally find out my gate is in the C terminal. OK, now a nice long walk. Grab a Chai Tea at Starbucks, and wait the 1.5 hours for my connection to RDU. More time to write to my Blog, this time posting wirelessly from my phone/pda.

While I'm waiting, Mr. Self Important Yuppie Twit talks business loudly on his cell phone so all can hear. Don't these people understand that no one wants to hear about their latest deal while we're waiting. Board plane, find my seat, Mr Yuppie Twit is behind me and stays on the phone till the flight attendant makes him shut it off. Flight leaves 30min late, I don't notice as I pass out once I hit the seat. As soon as we're airborne, I lean my seat ALL the way back, to give Mr. Twit some inconvenience.

Sleep most of the flight, land in Raleigh late. Bags are late, Paige has to circle. All my bags make it though. Head home for a little over a week off. Stay tuned as I upload all my Japan pictures to a separate site.

Osaka - The Final Day

Up at 7am on the dot. Lobby call is 2pm for our 6pm flight. Go to McD's
for breakfast, then off to shop in the arcades for the last time. Buy a
few more gifts, run out of yen, stop at a small guitar shop on the way
back to the hotel (buy nothing honey). Drop off stuff at the room, head
out to the City Mall next door to the hotel, didn't make it there last
time. Buy a few more things with my credit card. Then, back to the room
for a shower and lobby call.

Get on the bus at 2pm, one hour drive to the airport. Fall asleep, of
course. Arrive at the airport, check-in. The airline gives me 110000
yen for losing my luggage on the way here. Great, now I have $110 to
spend at the airport. I change $100 into US. Keep around $10 to spend
in the airport. Arrive at the gate, open computer and boom wireless!!
So I'm uploading this to the blog before my flight. Cool.