12:17 pm – Sunday 21st December 2003

The long haul.

Among the flights I have awaiting me, the Bozeman to Los Angeles leg is actually the easiest. Although the Sydney to Wagga flight is barely an hour, I have a 6 hour lay over before I can even get on board. That won't be for another day or two anyway, so I have plenty of time between now and then. The last few days have been nice and slow, I have been writing them up but I don't have access to my last diary entry so I may repeat some of what I've already said. Friday was a half day, I got out of bed around 10 am and spent much of the morning cleaning and doing laundry. When I did get to the lab I wasn't very productive I spent some time analyzing the data which we'd collected on Thursday, damn it looks good. I can't wait to get back and get this project rolling.

On Friday I dropped by to see Doug, he was having lunch with Tiffany and Brandon and so I sat with them. I had to give him a little present which I knew he would like. After that I went to the lab for the afternoon. Friday night was quiet, Tiffany had to pack and so she was busy and most everyone else had left. Judy came around, she'd been doing the same and was looking for a drinking partner. I was happy to assist her in disposing of her alcohol stash, since on Thursday she had given me her old television. I don't really know what to do with a TV, it gets the local stations only, and the reception is very poor, nevertheless I was grateful. So we drank a drink or two and then she headed home to finish packing around midnight and then Tiffany came over to have a break from packing. We hung out comparing the Xmas presents which we'd bought for our respective family members.
Saturday was another quiet day, everybody had either left town by that point or was packing up to do so. I went to a local office supply store to look for a power point adaptor. Although I found one, it didn't fit the charger on my laptop and so I had to return it, getting covered in mud from my bicycle in the mean time. My packing was going slowly, as long as I have my tickets and passport I'll be fine, but I still have a giant suitcase nonetheless. Tiffany had been asleep after her whirlwind of packing and a little after 6 pm she came by to pick me up. We went to Tanya's place (Tanya is out of town also) and hung out there with Brandon and ordered pizza. That was fun and a friend of Brandon's came by later and we hung out talking. Later on Tiffany drove me back over to my apartment.
This morning I woke up about 9:30 am and started making sure everything was in order. I had heard that the airport gets really busy around Xmas time and so I wanted to be there by about 11 am so that I'd get through security for my 1 pm flight. I packed and Tiffany helped out and then we drove by to get her brother. She still had to get presents for her mother and sister and then the two of them were going to drive the 6 hours back home. By that point I'll probably be sitting in another airport lounge.

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