The Sims

Welcome back to the road. I have landed in the original The Sims^©, New England beach house after New England beach house. American flag after American flag. Mature oak after mature oak. And it’s beautiful. Simply delightful in fact. Once I got through the rigours of American customs.

Woods Hole, Cape Cod (all above)

With just two hours to make my domestic connection, I was cutting it fine anyway. Especially if you consider that I was seated, quite literally, in the last row of the plane. Then they wanted to take me in for questioning about that time I didn’t come to the States. Then had to pick up my checked-in luggage, to put it down again 200 m further through the terminal to be scanned again. Before having to go through my own personal security again (shoe-less, which normally I would enjoy, but I had laces). I even had to break all my own rules, because I have this rather strict no-running philosophy, based on the belief that it gives the air of sophistication, Zen and maturity (to quote my sister, “I would be arrive late and composed than on time and flustered”). However, on this occasion, I was going to be very late and very flustered anyway, so I waved goodbye to composure because I could not stomach the thought of missing my flight. Composure is overrated anyway, right? Especially considering that while I do have insurance, it’s not the most comprehensive, because that was expensive… ironically. So I sprinted from the security up the escalator, past the lady taking up 9/10ths the width of the escalator and onto the train to terminal C (without my shoes). Then I raced down through Terminal C to gate 16, conveniently located at completely the other end of the building (shoes now back on, but backpack jumping up and down and up and down and up and down in the most unglamorous, unattractive way you can possibly imagine). Getting to the gate, huffing, puffing, sweat glistening, the lady, much to my great surprise, didn’t even want to see my boarding pass and just sort of causally waved me on. Which to be honest, despite being the desired outcome, was a bit of an anti-climax given the rigmarole of getting there, even for me. I think I would have appreciated at least an exasperated, 'finally' or 'you're here - we can go now' or anything actually. 

Bilbo is infinitely more glamorous than me

So, after all that I made it to Boston with time to spare. And since then, I have been enjoying the sunshine, mixing and mingling with the locals while remaining deeply disappointed that nobody even notices my accent (I would rather that there was a bit more recognition of the fact that I am NOT one of these people…). And since then, apart from a few wrong turns, a few accidental parking lots and the occasional over-enthusiastic seal-straddler at the National Marine Life Center, thus far, the trip has been without further incident. But I feel that that will most likely change next week when the adventure begins.

Until then, Happy International Donut Day.  #treatyoself