Chicago's Day Trip (Part 2)

Well, folks... all this traveling to & from Chicago and I finally have what I have been needing all along... MY VISA!  The process was long & very trying, but it is nice to have it in my possession!  FINALLY!

I journalized my day as I went.  I just made notes on my iPod for future use, so I'll be copying those notes into here.  It's from yesterday.  I take you through my day as it occurs.  You may not want to care about this part of my journey, you may just be waiting for the "juicy" stuff when I get to Spain.  Trust me, I'm waiting for that part, too, but until then... THIS is what you get.  :)

9/19/11

"I am on my flight to Altanta right now.  Final destination: Chicago.  It makes perfect sense that I pay $450 less than any direct flight I could find from Wichita to Chicago, in order to fly south to Altanta & THEN on to Chi-town, right?  Ugh.  I'll never understand it, but oh well.  I am on my way to pick up my Visa.  I have ALL of my documentation.  According to what I am told, that is.  I am hoping that this is a much smoother endeavor than last Chicago day trip.  It's gonna be longer, but if all goes smoothly, I won't complain about the duration of my day.  I am expecting, at the point, to walk into the consulate, give them my ID & my extra documentation, & they'll give it (my Visa) to me.  Geez, I hope that's the case!!  HaHa!  If that goes smoothly, I am going to have lunch on the Navy Pier.  Until then...

Flight to Chicago from the ATL just took off.  It is 30 minutes shorter than my previous flight... Another something to ponder.  On a positive note, I should be landing almost half an hour earlier.  That'll be nice, especially if the consulate is overly busy, which I anticipate it being.  But, hopefully they are quick & this day just goes smoothly!! (Knock, knock, knockin' on wood!!).  I'll let you know how it goes, I promise.

I am currently in a taxi on my way back to the airport.  My visa is in hand!!  All this headache for a sticker in my passport... Oh well!  It'll be worth it, right?!  That's what I'm told.  :)  I'm sure it will be.  The consulate was actually super slow today.  Not sure what the deal was.  When I say "slow," I mean I was able to get in & get out within 15-20 minutes.  Impressive for their lethargic tendencies.  What I hoped would happen was actually what happened!  Bing Bing Bing!
I have had a good day of traveling so far.  It hasn't been that bad at all.  We'll see if I'm singing that same tune when I get back into Wichita & have to drive the 2 hours home.  Should arrive around 12:30 in the morning.  About 21 1/2 hours after I woke up.  Ugh.  I'm gonna try to find an earlier flight, if possible.  I'm not gonna pay a million dollars, tho.  If it's reasonable, I just may take it, tho!  I just wanna be landed in Wichita & home-bound right now...

The part I hate most about these trips... Waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  And... Well, you get the idea.  I am on stand-by for an earlier flight to Atlanta, but my arrival in Wichita will be the same regardless of when I leave here.  I strive to find things to occupy my time, unsuccessfully.  So, I continue to update my blog notes for planned entry tomorrow.  I sure wish I could sleep anywhere.  I'm getting sleepy, but probably out of boredom.  Closing this paragraph for now...

Well, I caught an earlier flight to Atlanta.  Which allowed me time to find my gate with much less stress.  Still sitting at the airport waiting to board the final flight!  Of course, the last flight I take is the one that is delayed.  Ugh!!  I've been occupying my time with varied iPod music and people watching, of course.  Always some characters at airports.  Do you think they look at me & say the same thing about me?  Oh well.  I've seen numerous soldiers, a few very large men that very well could have been athletes in their younger days (judgement made based on their plethora of bling, sports adornments, etc), and you know, just the typical interesting people you find in any crowded space.  Well, rando computer geek (no intention of negativity) just sat by me to wait for the guy to call our boarding zone... I'll close this paragraph & continue to jam to Stevie Nicks.

Mid-flight to the ICT right now.  I did not realize that they had Sirius Satellite Radio on their little armrest things.  Usually, it's crap.  80s on 8 was on fire!  A little Outfield (shout out to Laura) & Michael Jackson... Switched it to 90s to enjoy a lil Tupac.  This might make the flight go quicker!  It seems we will be arriving to Wichita earlier than scheduled (so far).  Bonus!  I hope el capitan is not lying to me... I don't think I could handle it.  What to do to stay awake during that 2 hour cruise home??  Sing!!  Hopefully, the radio provides good background vocals.  Alright, that's my flight entry.  An hour to go... Side note: Just looked out my winder.  I'm right near the wing & those lights are blinking on schedule... Cannot help but think of the Twilight Zone.  I'm ready for some deathly skeletal creature to fly tandem with us right now..."

Well, there you have it.  I was kind of wordy!!  HaHa!  I had a lot to say, apparently.  That, or I was insanely bored!!  Moral of the story:  I HAVE MY VISA!! :)