Now the milkman's on his way, it's too late to say goodnight

[austin_dern]

Come the morning I woke about a half-hour before 6 am, and tried to stay asleep while my mother and my sister fussed over things. There's a lot of fussing to be done. And my father moved in, so that he could sleep loudly. Finally I was officially woken up, for the one task I knew ahead of time I would have: going out to get bagels, muffins, and coffee. It had rained overnight, and the car was beaded with water. We expected rain, as my rain-goddess aunt was visiting and she's got a 35-year-long documented record of bringing rain to events, including at least one instance in which she broke a two-month-long drought. If she ever visited Alice Springs, Australia would become the wet continent. I can't imagine what would happen were she to visit Venice.

The bagel and muffin order seemed to confuse the clerk working at Panera Bread, who kept ringing up bagels until we got to a dozen, then realized this was satisfied as a Bagel Pack or whatever the name is, and rang that up, and then put in a thirteenth bagel so it would be the pack, and then with the cream cheese to a different Bagel Pack, making a deal which ... I really don't understand, but the register topped thirty dollars before somehow figuring out what was going on and coming to the right price of something like twenty dollars total. Coffee was only a little more confused (my sister, the maid of honor, and the photographer had custom orders), but I carried out my only known duty correctly. The toughest part was I had two arms full of stuff when I got out to the car, and no really good way to open the doors (or the trunk) without putting cardboard or paper bags down on wet surfaces.

But I negotiated this and only three hours until I had to put on my new suit and be present for the ceremony. It turned out this would not be quite enough: my mother rejected the idea of my wearing light but presentable dress socks, so I was left with the other pair of dress socks I brought, which proved, on investigation, to somehow be a small pair of gloves. I don't know how. Fortunately -- and this tells you much of my family -- my father had brought a backup pair of not-quite-so-dark socks that he wanted to wear with his tuxedo, so he took off his primary socks for me to wear. Silly? Yes. But if he hadn't brought backup socks, I would have had to wear my backup socks instead.

Trivia: Moses Bruines Cotsworth's proposed new calendar had the months renamed to be based on their number or on their zodiac signs. Source: Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History, EG Richards.

Currently Reading: Leave It To Psmith, P G Wodehouse.

Comments

[bunny-hugger.livejournal.com]

I bet you looked nice in your new suit.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I looked far better than I would have figured possible, actually. I look better dressed up, but avoid it on the grounds that it's less comfortable generally.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

And now we'll never get either of you out of the habit of packing backup dress socks, because this time they were necessary.

Didn't you lead the bagels order with "I'm going to get a dozen bagels?" That tends to reduce confusion. Though knowing your clerk chaos field, I'm going to imagine you perhaps did, and it didn't quite get understood.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I've always kept a change of clothes in carry-on, and try to pack at least one more outfit than I figure to use, but I think that's sensible.

I started out my order by saying that I had a fairly hefty order, and showed the paper on which it was written -- I was ready to hand it over -- and did say that it began with a dozen bagels. (The next item was to be the cream cheese tubs.) My conscience is clear in this matter: I'm certain I said what I could to warn that ... it ... really shouldn't have been as confused as it proved to be.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I've never had clothes in carry-on, because I'd rather check my luggage, save for those things essential to self-entertainment during layovers and on flights. Mind, the new charges for a second bag are making me reconsider this approach, and we'll see how it goes for my flight to Pittsburgh. I can easily jacketpocket iPod, phone, n800 and a Games Magazine or book, and stow in overhead bins.

Last time I attempted to do carryon, was the day after the attempted whatever in Britain, and I had all my luggage ready for carryon. Except I had liquids or gels that no, I wanted with me. So that got checked. Bah.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I keep a spare set of clothes on the grounds that if my suitcase is lost, then I'll at least have something to wear while waiting for the airline to catch up with me. (In fact, I'll be all right -- if less pleasant to be around -- indefinitely, as long as I can rinse out whatever I wasn't wearing.)

For flights to and from Singapore I'd take two spare changes, one to change into during the flight, because it feels much better changing into something over that long a haul. I'd change in an airport stopover, though, rather than in the plane bathroom, for obvious reasons.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just figure that I'm not likely to travel anywhere that's all that far from a store that sells clothing. Particularly to a tourist who was likely to buy some anyway.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

You sound like somebody who travels places where you don't get in after midnight and after thirty hours in an airplane.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Much closer on the former than the latter. My flights are often short, but at horrible times due to my work hours being 3pm-11pm.

and indeed, I imagine after Transoceanic flights. you'd want a change of clothign at first opportunity.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Still, it seems easy enough to roll up a pair of light sweatpants and a shirt and toss it in the carry-on bag. It's not like it takes up much space or it won't be usable.

[orv.livejournal.com]

...I was left with the other pair of dress socks I brought, which proved, on investigation, to somehow be a small pair of gloves.

You didn't bring your prehensile feet?

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

No room; they'd have to fit on my piece of carry-on luggage.

[lethea.livejournal.com]

Carry-on luggage with prehensile feet sounds incredibly convenient, especially for dealing with escalators.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Or for getting it stowed properly in carry-on.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

What it needs for stowing is to get really scrunched up, actually. It needs to provide accommodations for feet around them.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I never had trouble on the escalators, but I use the roller-kind with a long handle that's not quite long enough for me when I'm standing up. But put on the escalator step above me, the positioning is fine.