I am home from the RinkUnion. After the wonderful weekend that has been described many times here, I departed from the Comfort Inn with Ticia and Don. I was also sick. Very sick. And I didn't have a pathetic little cough, despite what some may say. My throat was very sore, but I got over it and now only have a nasty cough.

The week was fun, but I won't go into that right now. I'll let Ticia and Don do that. This post is about my flight home.

I arrived at the Manchester Airport at about fifteen minutes to four o'clock on August third. My flight was scheduled to depart at 5:40 p.m. A little early, yes, but I hate flying. I'm always certain that something will go wrong, but it never does. Only, this time, EVERYTHING went wrong.

Well, not *everything*. I made it to the airport all right. I even checked in at the gate all right. But then, about 4:30 p.m. or so, it started to rain. A lot. The plane couldn't land, so it went to Portland. Ticia and Don left around 6:00 p.m. and the plane STILL hadn't landed. I waited for another two and a half hours, and FINALLY, we were on board the plane. I had already missed my connection, so I was going to be staying in Cincinnati over night. No big deal. Big adventure.

The plane pushes off from the gate, and then...we sit there for forty-five minutes, while the airlines decide which runway we can use. The one we were GOING to use, runway 17 (I remember these things), had a slight problem. Earlier in the evening, a small plane had tried to land a blew out a tire. That runway was closed, and they expected it to be closed for a while (at least an hour). So we sit and wait for forty-five minutes. FINALLY, we are up in the air, when we are struck by a bolt of lightning and the plane goes CRASHING to the earth in a big ball of fiery death. Everyone died. Except for me.

Okay, not really...we ALL made it to the Cincinnati Airport just fine. The plane was fine, too, I think. I don't really know, though, because I was too tired to ask.

Anyway, we walk clear in the heck down to the baggage claim area (have you ANY idea how HUGE the Cincinnati Airport is?? Especially when you are a little person carrying a bag that weighs twice as much as you?) This is where all the FREE stuff comes in. I got a FREE hotel room at the Drawbridge Inn, which, as I heard, was one of the nicest hotels in the area. Delta Airlines also gave me this FREE overnight bag that had a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb/brush, etc. in it. I didn't really need it, but it was FREE, so I took it. It was cool. I got to the hotel at 12:00 a.m. and fell asleep around 1:00 or so. I got up the next morning at 6:00 a.m. and then went to the airport, and here I am.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I am home after a long flight.

Mi"'Cuz I had my tray table up. And my seat back in the upright position' (repeat)"a