Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today

Don’t you hate it when you’re running late for your international flight? You rush home from work, recklessly throw everything into your bag knowing that you are almost definitely forgetting something important and mission through the afternoon traffic to the airport. You get there only to discover that your flight has been delayed for 2 hours. This basically means that instead of 2 hours you have 4 hours to kill at the airport:

• 17:10 – 17:20: You clear passport control in record time. Of course this only happens when you have a spare 4 hours to stand in the queue if necessary
• 17:20 – 17:40: You experiment with new lipstick colours and smell perfumes until you look like a clown and your nostrils have gone numb
• 17:40 – 17:50: You frequent Accessorise and try on all the hats. As you do this you realise that one of the important things you forgot was a hat and gloves. You resist the temptation to buy a new hat and pair of gloves.
• 17:50 – 18:10: You hang around exclusive books for a while but your browsing has a limit with both lap top bag and hand bag and coat in tow. By this time your feet, foresightfully decked in fur lined boots are VERY hot
• 18:10: Now you are bored. The metal latticed seats do not look very inviting. You chance the SAA business lounge. You luck out and get in.
• 18:10 – 18:15: You sit in the sports lounge and watch cricket for a while (stranger things have happened).
• 18:15: You think to yourself “what the hell am I doing in the sports lounge watching cricket?”
• 18:16: You decided to get back into blogging

I’m BBBBBBBAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK.

Well it must be said that all is going relatively well for now considering the last time I went to Chicago I managed to lose my travel wallet with credit card, passport, ticket and forex inside in the Heathrow airport. I found it again after 40 panic stricken minutes, thank goodness. Someone had handed it in.

BTW, for the blog name, credit must be given to the Big Blue B2 change management team.

I spoke too soon

• 18:40: Bump into digsmate Kevin in the SAA departure lounge on his way to Dubai for a horse show (or something along those lines).
• 18:40 – 19:30: Sit with Kevin and his boss for a while in the sports lounge. Why am I back here?
• 19:30: Kevin leaves and I find a comfy couch and read my book
• 19:40: I realise that my phone is no longer on my person. Knowing myself I carefully and thoroughly check my computer bag and handbag before raising the alarm bells.
• 19:45: No phone. Calmly check comfy couch and surrounds, bathroom and sports lounge
• 19:50: No phone. Raise alarm bells.
• 20:00: 50% of rather packed SAA lounge is helping me look for my phone. It is still ringing which is a good sign but none-the-less nowhere to be found.
• 20:10: Called to reception where Emirates air hostess hands me my phone. Kevin took it with him by mistake.
• 20:15: Sheepishly exit departure lounge. Think my cover of business class traveller may by this stage have been blown.