Back to Normalcy

I managed to get out of North Carolina before the mini-blizzard hit.  I had wanted to try to move my flight up a bit, but everything was sold out.  In fact, when I checked in, they said that they were oversold and wondered if I would switch my flight.  I declined politely.

While they went through my bags pretty carefully (and they were pretty heavy), I did manage to get through without paying any over-weight fees.  The trick is to carry a duffel bag through security (so they don't weigh it at that point and it doesn't appear to be particularly heavy) and then to gate check it.

When we got to the gate, they were still looking for volunteers.  They even tried to convince some poor soul to cab it to Charlotte (paid for by United) and then to catch the flight to Chicago.  I probably would have at least considered it if there was a chance of making a connecting flight, but it really wasn't going to work out for me.  I was frustrated that the food options in the airport there were so limited, but once in Chicago I was able to grab a slightly more substantial dinner.

While there was some turbulence at the end of the flight, we actually got into Pearson a bit ahead of schedule and customs went super-smooth.  That was good, since it meant that I could still catch the UP Express rather than the 192 Rocket, which basically goes the wrong direction for me.  I didn't get home until a bit after 1 AM, but, as I said, I was really glad not to get snowed in.  High Point/Greensboro ended up getting about 8 inches, which is pretty crippling for them.

I slept in a bit.  My daughter was feeling a bit under the weather, so we agreed to postpone the movie one more weekend.  I ran off to work to try to get a bit caught up, though I had been able to stay on top of emails.  The main reason I left the house was that there was a free organ concert at St. Paul's on Bloor where the organist was going to play Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur, and I headed there after a couple of hours in the office.  So it did feel like picking up right where I left off before the terrible news.

I'm still extremely sad and more than a little depressed (of course I was already depressed about work), so it will be a real challenge not to overeat through the holidays.  I did make it to the gym on Monday evening, and I'll probably go Wed. evening as well, since I am skipping the work holiday party (I just have no patience for chit-chat right now).  I think it's fair to say I am feeling pretty brittle right now, but I'll probably start adjusting/coping and hopefully end up in a slightly better frame of mind by the spring.