Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Voyage of discovery

Here's an admission for ya: I've never flown anywhere. And by that I don't mean in a superhero way, but rather in a "leeeeeeaving on a jet plane" kind of way.

There are several reasons for this, many of which would probably lead a therapist to have a field day with me, but the gist of it is that a) there's something in me that prefers to be in control of my chosen mode of transport, and b) I have an irrational fear of plummeting to my doom.

And bearing in mind that for the first 27 years of my life I lived quite literally at the end of one of the runways at the world's busiest airport, you'd think I'd know that planes generally go up and come down in a rather controlled and orderly fashion.

Anyway, now, at the end of a rather awesome day, I find myself in the unexpected situation where it's a distinct possibility that I might get to/have to go to New York on business (this is the bit where you imagine me being driven round in a stretched limo, standing up through the sunroof and marvelling at the bright city lights like I was a character in The Beverly Hillbillies). It's all very exciting, not least because Americaland is pretty much the only place in the world I've yearned to visit, but also because the pound-to-dollar exchange rate is incredibly favourable at the moment, and I could shop like the little bitch I am. Yay!

Just two things to do:

• Get a passport.
• Find someone who'll tranquilise me like B.A. in The A-Team; I always felt I had much in common with B.A from The A-Team.

I shall keep you updated.

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Can I moan about my knee again? No? Well tough - but feel free to skip this bit if you want. Basically, I thought my knee was well on the road to recovery, but an otherwise lovely, warm, summery run on Monday evening set me back a little bit. Well, quite a bit, actually. Because I was in *chronic* agony afterwards and through to last night, and, um, today. I ended up watching The OC last night with an icepack held against it while resting it in an elevated position. It feels a bit better today, which I'm betting is something to do with the ibuprofen gel I keep smearing over it; incidently, I inadvertantly left some on my hand and it went slightly numb - how exciting!

Anyway, that being the case, I'm going to stick to cycling for the time being because it's relatively low-impact, and it doesn't seem to hurt afterwards, and swimming because I look dreamy in Speedos. I mean because it's a good way of exercising while suffering from an injury. Ahem.

11 comments:

Miss Smuggersham said...

Dude, if a scardy cat like me can fly all the way to the UK, I think you will have no problem going to the US.

Mind you, I had valium... because my family GP knows me inside and out.

iPandah said...

Surely the thought of an iMac for a fabulous price is enough to force you on that flight and get out your travellers cheques! Or is that just me....

Tim said...

T-Bird - I think you're right. I mean, I hope you're right. Maybe I should break the 'don't drink' rule and get smashed first?

iPandah - Now you're talking. Or rather typing. Could I get that on as hand luggage? Seriously, though, if I do go I'm totally going to have to go shopping. Ooo, Macys! Ooo, Saks! Isn't that fabulous? I've just *got* to have it!

Tara said...

I sing that song (Leavin On a Jet Plane) all the time when I'm leaving for work, and yet I'm not hopping on a plane.

Flying isn't a problem for me, but I won't drive the highways and freeways. I've got this fear that my brakes will suddenly fail and I'll be the source of some huge traffic accident. Plus, I hear about accidents on those roads every morning on the radio. Not comforting.

Good luck with getting your passport! Mine is finally in the process of getting checked over and then hopefully I should get it next month.

missyandchrissy said...

i flew from London to NYC with an ear infection AND a fever and i survived...so you can do it! some sedatives will work wonders, if anything.

get on that plane and come to NYC!

Tim said...

Tara - Ah, see I'm the opposite; I'll quite happily get on a motorway, but the thought of flying pretty much petrifies me!!

Missy&Chrissy - I don't think I have much choice in the matter! It's quite possible there might be some NYC-based malarkey in the future - it'll be like Home Alone 2: Lost in New York!!

Inexplicable DeVice said...

So I guess you don't want a lift over there on the back of Broom?

Actually, I've gone wobbly at the knees too, just as I was reading your post (on your Blog, not your actual Royal Mail delivered stuff - I haven't commenced stalking yet. Still on for Monday?). Maybe it has something to do with the dreaminess in Speedos?

Tim said...

What's brooms safety record? It might be preferable…!

To be honest, you could've read my post (royal mail, not blog) today and I wouldn't really have been too bothered - it was just a phone bill and an unsolicited offer of a £15k loan. Oh, and lots of junk mail. Two for one on digestives at Co-op, don't ya know. Wouldn't a run through of my bills and junk mail make an interesting post? Hmmm…

Erm, Monday - yes, all good. It's on my calender.

Dreaminess in Speedos sounds like a wistful song title that an angst-ridden acoustic guitar player might use…

Inexplicable DeVice said...

Aside from being thwarted by the cherry tree in my garden, Broom has quite a good safety record. No entertainment system though, so listening to Dreaminess In Speedos is out.

Dinah said...

Hang on: post = mail? i guess I knew that, but between learning what "fanny" means over at IDV's (so to speak) and trying to recall what 'baps' means, I'm in over my head of Brit-speak.

Mit: Exciting! I'm going to New York in a few weeks for reasons that are both confusing and ridiculous. Your adventure will be fun, I'm sure.

Tim said...

IDV - That's OK, I'd rather be safe and bored than petrified an- ooo a movie!

I'm actually trying to think of lyrics for dreaminess in Speedos but the only rhyming couplets I can think of are Greedo (from Star Wars), Multi cheerios, and peedos.

Dinah - Yes, post and mail are the very same thing! The Post Office and the Royal Mail. It's all very exciting! Hee hee - how I laugh whenever I hear American people talk about wearing a fanny pack. Tee-hee!

Babs are, erm, boobs for ladies and chesticles for men. I'm sure there are other confusing word-based thingies, but I can't think of any at the mo'.

You're off to New York!? We should all go to New York!! I'm looking forward to finding out what the confusing and hilarious reasons for your trip are!