April 19, 2011

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As many of you know, travel is a big part of my life.  I enjoy being in new and different places, meeting knitters I have not met before and seeing those with whom I have been acquainted.  I am a happy camper once I am where I am headed, but the time between leaving my house and getting to where I am going is not so fun anymore.  This is not startling news to anyone who flies these days.  I try to take the bumps along the road in stride, but my trip to Stitches South was particularly trying. I made my reservation last fall.  I try to buy my tickets as soon as possible to get the cheap tickets, but also for peace of mind–one less detail to worry about.  I was so pleased that I got a ticket with my frequent flier miles to Stitches South in Atlanta that was in a reasonable time frame.  (I was to teach only in the morning on Sunday and reserved a departure flight around 2 pm.  I'd be home before dark!)  In February, the Sunday flight was cancelled and I was reassigned to a 7:30 PM flight.  It takes me about 1.5 hours to get to or from the airport, not counting waiting for baggage and the shuttle to the parking lot, so that all means I would now be getting home after midnight.  Oh well. Last Thursday I was to leave for the airport at 7:30AM when I got a robot call that my flight TO Atlanta was cancelled and my new flight would leave on Friday morning at 6 AM.  Panic!  My classes at Stitches were to begin at 8:30 on Friday morning.  I called the airline, explained my situation, and was rebooked on an afternoon flight  with a different carrier that day.  Whew!  I thought all was well. I drove to the airport and was told that because I had booked the flight with my United miles and not money, Delta would not honor the ticket.  United had NO open seats and I was out of luck. With Spring Break, all flights were at capacity and I was "very lucky" to have the seat at 6AM the next day.  I didn't feel lucky driving home or calling the folks at Stitches that I would miss the morning session of my class the next day.  I didn't feel lucky that I had to now get up at 3AM to drive back to the airport to catch a flight the next day. It is aggravating.  But I got there safely, and I got home safely.  For that I do feel lucky every time.  And I felt very happy and relieved that my students were so gracious and understanding that their 6 hour class was reduced to 4 .5 hours.  Travel is so wearing–and more so the older I am getting.  The 49.5 pound suitcase feels heavier. (I am pretty good at keeping it just under the limit.)  I am gratified that once I get to where I am going, it is a fun time.  But I wish there were more flights from which to choose, like the old days.  I wish the airplanes weren't so crowded. I wish for the amenities of the last decade.  Sigh. This month has been so busy.  I have been in East Stroudsburg, PA teaching for Mountain Knits and Pearls, in Hillsborough, Virginia teaching at a retreat at a winery for Aylin's Woolgatherer, in Atlanta for Stitches South, and soon, Minneapolis, MN for Yarnover. Months like this see me unpacking and repacking the day I get home.  With two to three days of turn-around time, I can't dilly dally.  I have to get laundry done, new handouts printed, the proper samples selected to go in my suitcase, bills paid, new book and DVD orders shipped out.  When I think of how it used to be when my kids were growing up, I also added grocery shopping, meal planning (and some preparation), and catching up on their lives to the list.  How did I ever manage?  Isn't it amazing how we get done what needs to be done? Yet, my email box is full because I can't seem to deal with it all.  And I struggle to get designs done, chapters or articles written.  Those are the things at the top of my Want-To-Do List, but at the bottom of my Actual-To-Do List.  I see how productive others in my profession are and I feel envious. In May, I will be home the entire month.  I am so excited.  It is a scary month of no income.  But it is a month I can devote all my waking hours to editing my second DVD (on color stranding techniques).  I am looking forward to a predictable schedule.  I might even get some exercise in!