So maybe the burned-out 70s-era station wagon, faux wood panels, was a bad omen.
At the airport things started swimmingly: good parking spot, minimal security line, jovial TSA staffers. The coffee was fresh.
Got to the Middling City airport to see that, as is de rigeur, my plane was half an hour late. It arrives.
We troop onto the plane and are informed that due to some sort of weather system in Pennsyltucky we are going to sit for an hour and there will be a handy update as to our status. 10:00 arrives and we're informed that we're going to sit another hour and a half and then we'll get another update. The pilot gets onto the PA (don't You confuse that with Pennsyltucky ref mere lines ago) to tell us that he'd let us deplane but then we might get word that we can leave any freakin' second. And we know how long it takes folks to dawdle off and on a plane.
I make some Perfect calculations:
Perhaps we'll be rolling away from the gate at 11:30.
Then let us factor in another half hour for taxiing. Then actual leaving could be more minutes.
Then one hour in the air.
Then commuting into the city which can take upwards of two hours via the A train emanating from the Far Far Rockaways.
A to the 4 at Fulton Street.
That would get me into the school's front doors at 3PM.
So, after some phone calls, deliberations, got off the plane with a few businessmen.
A woman behind me was flipping out about needing a smoke, saying that she was Ready to scratch someone's eyes out. When told SHE could NOT get off the plane she inquired as to the fine for smoking in the lav and was quieted when told it was $10K.
I got off of the plane. Called Allen who fetched me when my parents were cellphoneless and in transit moving my car from the airport to my pad.
So, here I sit in the Middling City. Just emailed JR and Anthony to say I'm here still and will be there again on Wednesday.
There are three more weeks of school and now I have the bonus worry of wondering if these air traffic grumblers will foul up all my remaining flights to and fro.
Wondering if another airport might yield better results.
All for now and over and out.

Flightless Love.