And I'm Back...

... have finished the final Harry Potter (Jay - your thoughts?) and fully caught up on my sleep.

This entry will be brief as the first episode of the Spike Television series Kill Point is airing at 9pm tonight. Stop laughing. It was filmed in Pittsburgh. For three weeks I had to do battle with camera crews who set up filming in front of and around my office building.

I want to say that the travel gods were unkind (surprise!) as my July 1, 6:10pm flight from Newark did not leave until well after midnight of July 2.

However, since the reason my flight did not take off until after midnight was because the auxiliary cabin engine, the one that runs the lights, circulates the air and allows passengers to flush the toilets, died as the plane was leaving the gate. After 45 long minutes of sitting in the dark as the pilot struggled to coax the engine back to life, the plane was towed back to the gate.

Because of the nature of modern air travel, a spare engine was not readily available and had to be flown into Newark. We were allowed off the plane and I indulged myself by buying a burger and fries from McDonald's. I wandered the halls. I loaned my pen to a fellow passenger so she could take some notes. I called J to update him on my latest travel obstacle. I wandered the halls some more. I considered calling around to nearby hotels for reservations.

Sometime after 11pm, long after the other two Continental flights to Paris took off, we were loaded back onto the plane. For once we did not have to wait an obscene length of time in line to take off. The crew served drinks, dinner and more drinks. By the time the plane landed everyone was exhausted.

And it was raining. Which it continued to do for 12 out of 14 days.

A view from my apartment window:

A neighbor's cats:


Place de la Nation: