Leaving SF

Lots of CNBC stores in the airport all run by Asian women who look very related. And I can't identify what variety of Asian, I'd guess something SE.

No one, but no one, sells three prong plugs for grounded outlets in Italy or Chile. I wonder if two prong plugs work, ignoring the grounding. I've got one of those. G said grounding in Chile is a mug's game anyway, something of trying to dig down through meters of dry talus.

No porn and cancer scanners here yet.

I wonder what happens if you need to get your checked bags to go through Customs, but the airline lost your bags.

Gate check to Toronto is insisting on examining our travel docs to make sure you're good for Canada... And despite having checked my passport at the podium, they had to check it again at boarding. -No preboarding for families with small children. (United, operating for Air Canada. I'd hoped to actually be taking Air Canada.)

Flight soon.

Flight from SF 2

Miserable. Cramped, and not falling asleep despite blindfold, earplugs, pilllow, heaphones on classical music. All week I've had this thing where I fall asleep readily at bedtime, get 4-5 hours sleep, then get stuck awake, with at best drifting off later. B&R probably thought I was a slug, seeming to sleep in all morning. I've never slept well in planes, or anywhere outside of beds, but still.

5 hour flight, as just the first leg. Gah! Whine whine, self inflicted agony.

Oh, no free meal on this 5 hour flight. Not that I want one, just noting. Lots of drinks offered. "Coffee? It's Starbucks, and free!"

16:40, 3:40 from gate departure.

My next flight is Air Canada; I get to check in with them in Toronto. Despite having, you know, checked in.

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A situation which really confused immigration, and I got told I should have printed out an itinerary. But they let me through, after more "why are you traveling and what do you do?" questions, I found someone to give me a boarding pass -- not trivial inside the secure zone at 21:00 -- and discovered another store that doesn't have 3 prong adapters. Passed on buying a bunch of ice wine. And no, ATT prepaid doesn't work here.

Free Boingo wifi does, though! And a food court with tables! I can eat bread and camembert. Or buy Tim Horton's donuts. Hmm.

effects

I do feel rather emotionally recharged for the week in SF. Seeing friends! Talking to people! Seeing close friend for long, and other close friend I hadn't even seen last year! Seeing other people! This despite any actual group dinner, and family friend being sick, and not hearing back from the actual family. Seeing SF itself was good, and finding Dark Carnival, and all the comforting "I'm in my culture and familiar space" stuff, though the nostalgia teeters on homesickness too. So many friendly people here! (Well, there.) But I should be able to settle into Boston, right?

Seeing G&S and the kids should be great too, though I'm also a bit nervous about the 7 weeks aspect of it. It made sense at the time, but it's also a week longer than I've stayed with them before, and that was pushing my welcome.

OTOH a couple waiting to go have a kid might be different than a couple with 3 kids already. I won't be the most disruptive element in the house this time. And there's always taking some off-season vacation housing, as I'd offered to do. I might even want it myself after a while. Just no enthusiasm for it now, just want to curl up and be Epicurean, in the food and friendships sense. Not as much as a week ago, but still.