It’s *mumble* o’clock, and we’re somewhere over the Pacific ocean. The flight is not crowded at all. I have a row of seats to myself! I fully intend to stretch out over all three seats later on. I’ll figure out some way to keep my seat-belt on…

Even if I didn’t have the luxury of the extra seats, I’d be pretty comfortable. I don’t remember what the seat spacing was like on the previous trans-Pacific flight I took, but I *think* these are further apart than I remember.

I heard a wide range of accents in the boarding area, some familiar, some not. Many interesting-looking people.

I was planning to write more than this, but I’m kind of tired. I’ve figured out my watch and it is actually 10:10pm PST and I guess that’s my bedtime, although somewhere during this flight I get to add an extra five hours.

Air New Zealand in-flight food rating:
   Dinner: 9 out of 10 (Casserole, yum)
   After-dinner coffee: -1 (it’s dish-water)

I’ve just finished reading the second of three Analog Sci-Fi magazines, and set my watch to local time – which makes it 3:28 am on Monday 12 May. I’m not going to change the time on my laptop, though, and it – like me – actually feels like it is 8:28 am on Sunday.

I guess we’re about an hour out from landing. (Actually, the video display has just finished a movie and is reporting statistics, include time to arrival: 58min. Hah.)

Speaking of movies, according to the schedule in the magazine, one of them should have been “About Schmidt” which I would have made an effort not to sleep through. However, instead, I think we got others that I can’t even remember now.

I used the three pillows and rugs from all three seats in my row to make quite the most comfortable bed I’ve ever had on an aeroplane – which isn’t saying much, I know. But despite that, I ended up with a series of short naps filled with bizzare dreams. It’s also freezing.

Breakfast was, eh, 5 out of 10. I would have liked some coffee, but as you read previously, they don’t really have any on this flight.

I’m sitting against a wall in Terminal 2 in LAX. It’s 5:51pm, and my flight out across the Pacific doesn’t leave until 8:45pm, so I’ve hunted down a power point and I’m huddled down on the floor with my laptop in the lee of a trash can.

True to form, I didn’t get here without a minor upset…. but I’m getting ahead of myself.

When I woke up this morning I still hadn’t packed, although I had a good idea what clothes I wanted to take, and where the presents were going to be stored, and before breakfast I was laying everything out on the bed, figuring out how to stow it all in the most compact fashion. Even though I’ll be away for two weeks, I decided up front that I should be able to pack everything in a regular sized bag acceptable as carry-on. Even though I was planning to put it in as checked baggage for this trip, on later flights I wanted to have the choice of carry-on, if possible.

It all fit. I’m not taking a spare pair of shoes. If something happens, I’ll buy a pair in New Zealand.

During breakfast I made sure my current email files were transferred to Michiba, my laptop (on which I am writing) and ensured that my web diary software – CityDesk – was operational and ship-shape.

I was supposed to give the cats their anti-flea dose this morning but I completely forgot. I even let Kami out the front door, thus removing any possibility of getting that chore done before we had to leave.

We drove to the airport together way ahead of time, planning to have lunch together before I went through security, but there must have been an accident in the 215 tunnel because just before we go into the tunnel under the runway we were narrowed down to one lane and we sat there in a minor traffic jam, wondering if we would have time for lunch.

As it turned out, it was fine – it *was* an accident, but the delay wasn’t long and we parked at 1:00pm with plenty of time to check in, have lunch, before I had to be at the gate by 3:47.

The line at the check-in desks looked forboding but it was a quick check-in, because periodically they would call out the next urgent flight and a bunch of people would leave the queue and get in a separate, priority line.

They no longer take checked-in baggage behind the counter on a conveyor belt. Instead, you take the bags yourself over to an X-ray/Search station where, presumably, they X-ray and search your bags before sending them on their way. I guess there isn’t room for the equipment behind the check-in counters.

We had lunch at Don Alesandro’s upstairs, which was very pleasant. I had a strong craving for Nachos but we agreed that it wasn’t to be recommended. I chose something else. A Taco Ensalada,  No beans.

Eventually I had to leave Lisa behind and go through the security check and on to my gate. Wah!

Security was not crowded at all. They asked that I take my laptop out of its bag and place it in a separate grey tray, along with my jacket, shoes, keys, watch…

I walked through the metal detector feeling very naked. Everyone seems to know how ineffective this rigamarole is – I could have had ceramic knives taped to my thighs, for example – but we still do it. Oh well.

The dumb part was collecting my laptop, bag, shoes, keys, watch, jacket from the rear end of the X-ray machine and trying not to drop something as I hobbled over to a very distant chair to reassemble myself.

The flight to LAX was hot, and there was almost no airconditioning. It was also very turbulent at the beginning, and I was regretting those tacos. I didn’t throw up, but my normally cast-iron stomach was complaining.

The plane arrived at Terminal 7. I had a slip of paper from the checkout clerk that said that in order to get to my connecting flight at Terminal 2, I would need to exit the terminal to the street and take a courtesy shuttle bus to Terminal 2. Instead, I accidently took a courtesy shuttle bus to the airport Car Park (Lot C) instead. It even said “Lot C” on the destination panel, but I only saw “Courtesy Shuttle Bus”.

I was not the only person to have done this. (It seems that you’re either on the bus, or off the bus, or in my case, on the wrong bus.)

Luckily it was only a matter of changing buses at the car park depot and travelling back to the airport, a matter of only 10 minutes lost. (It filled me with confidence for the rest of the journey – Not.)

I had to go through another security check before I could get to the gates at Terminal 2, and this time they asked that I take my belt off as well!  Slippers and elastic pants next time.

Argh, I hate travelling without Lisa. I miss her terribly. Even though it is wonderfully cool in the air-conditioning of the airport terminal, the humidity in LA is killing me  – I’m sweating all over the laptop keys.

Time to stop writing – looks like they’ll be calling the flight soon.

Lisa was busy working on a WonkaTech project, so I took the opportunity to take a drive in the gorgeous Spring weather and call in to a local Wolf Camera Store and buy a new one – camera that is.

It’s a model I’ve had my eye on for a while now – a Fuji FinePix S602Z. Check it out here:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/fuji_s602z.html .

On the way back to the car I noticed our car had a flat tyre! Darn it. I drove carefully up Rancho to the closest-to-home Discount Tyres location (where we purchased the tyres, in fact) and they fixed the flat tyre for free, in that way that they do. It’s great, so long as you don’t mind waiting a little while if they’re busy.

I had my laptop with me, so I did some work in the waiting room while they worked.

Then on the way home, I got a haircut.

Friday – our usual day not commuting down the other end of the valley to WonkaTech.

Lisa had previously arranged for all our annual service visits to happen today: The TV, Exercycle, Fridge, Dryer, and Airconditioning.

They didn’t all arrive at once, but within a period of about 3 hours they had all been and given our appliances the once-over and declared them all to be in good health.

After the last one had departed, we were going to go and post some packages at the new Post Office that had just opened on Jones Blvd, a couple of blocks away from our house. We’d received a card in the mail announcing that it was opening.

We were in the car, ready to back out of the garage, when Lisa looked at the card and said, “We’re complete idiots! The small print on the card says it doesn’t actually open until next week!”

Which meant that our nearest Post Office was actually still a long way away on Tenaya Blvd, and we didn’t feel like driving all that way.

“Why the heck didn’t they send the card so that it’d arrive when the Post Office was actually open?” I griped. “Oh well, I guess they can’t predict how long it takes for things to get through the mail…”

“Dear,” replied Lisa, “They *are* the Post Office…”

Our futon mattress hasn’t seemed as comfortable as usual lately. Both Lisa and I agreed that it was enough with the stiffness and uncomfortable sleeping: it was time for a change.

After some research, Lisa suggested trying a mattress topper, something that you can strap over an underperforming mattress to make it more comfortable – rather than replacing the whole thing. One brand in particular caught our fancy: one made with isotonic foam, apparently designed for NASA G-force couches, which conforms to the body and provides even support, eliminating pressure points etc etc.

The other day it arrived, and we followed the instructions, unfolding it and laying it out on the spare bed, letting it regain its natural shape.

It felt exactly like pizza dough.

A couple of days later – this evening – we remade our bed, installing our new super-science layer over our tired, retired futon.

Result: Extreme comfort! It’s the closest I’m ever going to be to being an astronaut, anyway.

Friday Night! After a short day at work we again meet Randy at his room at the Luxor, this time to talk shop and to meet up with some more old friends from Microsoft: Yag, Beth, and a new guy, Richard.

Afterwards we all go out to dinner at Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Eating at Nobu gave me flashbacks to the movie “American Psycho”. Everyone there (except us) were physically beautiful or exotic or otherwise very interesting-looking. I was expecting to have to compare business cards and to come up wanting.

The decor was pretty cool, actually, but marred somewhat by the dim lighting and the noise! Everyone was yelling, it seemed, and there was no way to have a conversation. I couldn’t hear the waiterbot unless he was bending down to talk in my ear. I think his name was Kurt. All the waiters were sharply dressed in black slacks and black t-shirts. They were also buff and pretty.

The food, however, was rather excellent. Nobu is kind of Japanese fusion, neo-sushi or something. There were some very unique tastes and combinations, brought to the table family style in successive waves. To accompany this we had some elitist unfiltered saki which tasted like fermented milk (but in a good way).

It didn’t quite make up for the total weirdness of the (once in a lifetime, I suspect) experience. I won’t forget that dinner for a while.

The other guys in our party dredged up some vestiges of teenage-level energy and went clubbing. Lisa and I went home.

Today after work, instead of getting on I-15 and driving back up the valley to home, we drive for 5 minutes and park at the Luxor, and meet up with an old friend from Microsoft, Randy Brown.

The Microsoft Foxpro team are in Vegas this weekend for a Ship Party – they got VFP8 out the door I guess.

It was fun seeing Randy again, and for a treat we took him out for dinner to the Mandalay Bay Buffet.

The M.Bay buffet is always good value, in my opinion. We took the tram back to the Luxor and bid Randy goodnight before squeezing our tummies into the car and off towards home.

The cats were perturbed at having to wait for their dinner.