sweet

So I’ve made it to Portland. I had an exit row seat on the flight here, which was nice, but I had an aisle seat which is not that great for sleeping as much as I needed to. I asked the guy who had the window if he wanted to trade, and he said yes, and then I heard him later announcing (quite loudly, even though I was supposed to be sleeping) that he regretted his decision.

Of course, my plane sleeping setup *is* to be envied. I have an awesome Jetrest pillow that is designed to lean up against the window and cradle your head. It’s very cush.

Anyway, I did get some sleep and I had a nice chat with the middle seat guy about my trip and the world and us spoiled Americans. His wife is graduating from med school in two weeks…and she’s 54! Isn’t that awesome?

I am currently sitting in the Northwest Airlines Worldclub, which is like the Delta Crown Room only with a much better selection of snacks! I’m going to enjoy some cheddar cheese and crackers, maybe have a piece of fruit, and savor the crunchy wonder of Biscoff cookies. Man, I love those things. I’m really glad I can spend my two-hour layover in here, thanks to the cheap Crown Room Club membership I acquired as a result of Delta’s and Hilton HHonors’ decision to give me Gold Medallion status this year. Seriously, they just gave it to me even though I was a few thousand miles short of even making Silver Medallion.

I ain’t complaining.

So my next flight is to Tokyo, where I have a connection to Beijing. Guy will be in the airport there at the same time, but I don’t know if I’ll get to see him. I guess it depends on where our gates are and how much time there is. He warned me that he will probably be sleeping somewhere anyway.

Well, I’m going to enjoy my snacks and get my last fix of e-mail and the Internet while I can. My Treo 650 is a god-send in times like this. Especially when I have some time to kill and I don’t mind typing this all out on the little thumbboard. The Portland airport actually has free wireless, but I didn’t want to lug around a computer on vacation (for a change).

So for now, buh bye!