In which Monday's child is totally sleep-deprived, and hates airports.

Monday, Annimol left early, and I had a few hours to myself before I had to head to the airport. I thought I'd try to sleep in, but that totally didn't happen. Instead, I took myself out for breakfast to a wee bistro I'd been eyeing during the Summit. (There was coffee in a real mug! Not a paper take-out cup!) I was wearing my SS09 T-shirt, and while I was waiting for my food, a woman (I think she was the owner) came over and asked me about it. She had just read something in the morning paper, and thought the whole thing was pretty cool. When I said I hadn't seen the paper, she went outside and bought one for me. I read it over breakfast, squee-d a bit more (and, if I'm honest, got a little teary over my eggs and bacon.)

I needed a bit of cheering up, so I gave myself permission to do something I'd been putting off up to now (mostly because I wasn't sure I'd have room in my suitcase!) I went to Powells.


It was everything I'd expected, and more. Very, very cool! I was very restrained. I walked out with only 3 books, one for Mr.Q. And I found proof that he & I should never visit Portland together. From where I took the bookstore shot above, if I turned around 180 degrees, I saw this:


Trouble, indeed!

By this point, I was fading again, and it was close enough to check-out time that I headed back to the hotel, got my suitcase, and got on the train to the airport.

I didn't know this until Monday morning, but apparently United Airlines handles Air Canada travellers at PDX. United sucks. They suck big, smelly, goat testicles. On a good day. Trying to check in was so incredibly frustrating, especially in contrast to the Summit. (I'm sure the exhaustion didn't help, either!)

Happily for both of us, I think, GlennaC was in line a ways behind me...so I got to book-end my trip with a new friend who makes a pretty fantastic airport buddy. There was time to have a last lunch together, before getting on our respective flights...


And now...I'm less bitter about being home than I'd expected I'd be. Though I'm incessantly stalking new posts on the SS09 Rav group. And I seem to have put my name on mailing lists for a half-dozen fibre fests and retreats next year....I think (and Mr.Q, bless him, has the good sense to agree!) that I may have to do a knitting-related trip once a year. Connect with my peeps, learn some new tricks. Gather with the tribe. Geek out. And make pretty things with pretty string.