Here we are again..

Sat in an airport, tapping away on a laptop and waiting for a flight. I seem to recall doing this a lot over the last year and a half, though this should be the last time for the next half-year. This time, I’m in Edinburgh airport with a choice of three extortinately-priced wireless signals, so you’re waiting until I get settled in Chamonix before you have a chance to read this!

Getting through security was fun. Despite my best efforts involving a set of bathroom scales and a double-hernia, it turned out that my baggage weighed 23kg and therefore I was asked to “remove some things” from it. The question of what to actually do with those things wasn’t made clear. As my laptop bag was full of… well… laptop, I couldn’t physically fit anything else in it. My daybag was packed inside my hold baggage, so that came out and I ended up stuffing a book and all my underwear in it.

I strapped the two smaller bags together, re-weighed my knicker-less hold bag and it came in at 19.7kg. I have 3kg of pants and socks with me. Good grief. Luggage deposited and boarding pass in hand, I walked upstairs where I was stopped before the security gate by a chap telling me I could only take one piece of hand baggage through security.

Great.

Only he turned out to be really nice and argue my case with the two equally nice (and incredibly lovely, beautiful, friendly and helpful) ladies at the checking desk. Not that I’m being nice to them simply as they let me bend the rules, oh no. Their argument was that, with my laptop and hard drive removed, my day bag would fit into my laptop bag were it not for the rigid support strips on the back.

As soon as I heard one ask the other “how nice are we feeling today?” I knew I’d be OK. As ever, the rule in an airport – be polite, friendly, and not afraid to beg. These people can treat you with deserved contempt if you’re a prat, but they can also bend the rules slightly if you’re a nice person who’s just having a bad day.

Once through the x-rays machines, I resisted the temptation to pick up a Nintendo DS (£85 – genuinely cheaper than anywhere else) and instead just parked my bum and drapped the old laptop out.

Well, my gate’s just been called now, so off I hop. Next stop, Geneva.

*** later ***

I am now ensconced in a hotel lounge in Chamonix on wireless which I have access to 24/7. Sadly, no wireless in my dinky little apartment even though the McD’s I’m above has free WiFi, so I have to walk a whole 3 minutes to the office to get online. But seeing as I have a key, this isn’t going to be a problem!

The flight was more or less on time, and Vlad drove me to the resort from Geneva airport. I’ve spent the afternoon being supplied with door codes, keys, a phone and meeting people. They’re a friendly bunch and good company – I’m really looking forward to working with them!

My apartment, as I said, is dinky but OK. I need to ask them to put some proper curtains up as I want to use the double sofa bed in the lounge rather than the bunks in the hallways. The curtains at the moment are flimsy net ones that just don’t stop the light – or give any privacy at all! I might also ask if they (or I) can put a proper shower fitting in. The one in my (nice) bathroom just dangles from the bathroom tap and I like to stand right under a shower when possible!

The weather is crisp, but not quite snowy as yet. It’s lovely outside, though I seem to be the only one walking around in a t-shirt…

9 thoughts on “Here we are again..

  1. If for you the right side is the wrong one … you are not logical at all 😛

    You are defenitly a better snowboarder than me, but one day you will finish to go down …

  2. lol, seeing how you wore your Newcastle shirt for the week we were in Andorra – including while walking in a Blizzard, I’m sure they’ll get used to you just being in a t-shirt all the time 🙂
    Soooooooooooooooooooooo incredibly jealous, esp as work is real slow here.

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