I love it when lame and boring days turn into surprisingly memorable ones, and today seems to be one of them.
After a disappointing trip to San Antonio (too touristy) and Austin (uninteresting downtown and too short of a time to explore further), I was on a full flight heading back home. Knowing that I had a two-hour
layover in Atlanta, I had called a friend of mine so we could catch up at the airport. I am not a big fan of Atlanta airport, as a matter of fact it happens to be one of my least favorite airports, but I am always cheered up at the possibility of catching up with a friend. However, by the time we got to Atlanta, our pilot announced that we had to circle and wait for a bad storm to pass... 30 minutes later, we were still circling the skies over the busiest airport in the world with a number of other planes, and facing the possibility of being diverted to another airport as our fuel levels were getting lower. "Great," I thought, "another long day at the airports, and possibly sleeping at an airport motel in Alabama" (the only positive thought was the fact that I'd never been to Alabama, and maybe this would tempt me to rent a car and drive back to DC...)
Fortunately, we were one of the first planes accepted for landing as soon as the storm passed, so when we hit the tarmack and I turned my phone on, I was expecting a message from my friend saying "sorry, I see that you are delayed, and am not going to make the trip to see you for 5 minutes" To be fair to him, these were my directions - who wants a friend to drive during rush hour traffic if there isn't enough time to catch up?
To my surprise, my friend had a different plan with specific instructions: "Your flight to DC is delayed 2 hours, met me outside the terminal" To a regular traveler, this may not mean much (or may sound like a major hassle as involves going outside the the security line and trying to come back), but my friend knows me well... Knowing what the message meant, I had a big smile on my face and was out the terminal within 10 minutes (one of the advantages of checking bags - you don't have to carry them around!)... and he was there to pick me up ... in his convertible!
By this time, the storm had passed and even though it was a little humid, the temperatures were bearable, so, of course my answer to his question of "should we put the top down?" was a big "YES!"
Friends who know who you are and what you like are always valuable... And this friend of mine knows how much I like cars, driving, and how I am fascinated by convertibles (especially with BMW convertibles, but that's another story) He sometimes happens to be on the receiving end of my never-ending driving trip ideas ("The South," cross-county, Northwest, New England, Denmark to the bottom of Italy, etc...) and I enjoy hearing his adventures with his convertible of 8 months. As a result, when we pull out of the airport with the music blasting (Blue October - happens to be one of my favorite bands) and my hair dancing in the wind, he knows why I am screaming with joy! I just feel like driving all the w
ay to DC now, or whereever... Frankly I don't even care where we are going or how long, all I want to do is enjoy the wind, the music, the sun, and the feel of the road. I know my friend is watching me with the corner of his eye and having fun, because it is easy to make me happy and I don't hide it when I find it... At one of the red lights, he asks "so, what do you want to eat?" and when I answer "Eat? Who wants to eat?" he knows he's created a new devil in me. He always jokes about how I'm always ready to eat, and hungry almost at all times (which is true). If I cannot think of food, this must be really good - and he knows it.
Oh well, he's a proud guy with a convertible Jaguar, and I gotta give it to him after seeing the way people look at me. Most women give me the look of "oh, you lucky girl!" in a very different way than I've ever seen before. I am the same person I was 20 minutes ago, but suddenly I have become the "lucky woman who got a guy with the Jag" (envy). As for the guys, I don't know if they even notice me - they give my friend the "you lucky guy" look because of the car. Personally, I don't care for any of it... As good as the car feels and handles, the thing that makes me smile is the feel of a solid convertible (and a great sound system) more than the fact that it is a Jaguar. And ... I find that my heart still beats for a BMW, convertible or not...
When you know what you want, there is no comparison, only affirmation... But that shouldn't stop us from trying and exploring, should it?
P.S. Update on July 14: Every time I see a convertible Jaguar now, I remember that day and smile. I can feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, and Blue October blasting in my ear... How do we create memories that last for a long time and make us smile time after time???
After a disappointing trip to San Antonio (too touristy) and Austin (uninteresting downtown and too short of a time to explore further), I was on a full flight heading back home. Knowing that I had a two-hour
layover in Atlanta, I had called a friend of mine so we could catch up at the airport. I am not a big fan of Atlanta airport, as a matter of fact it happens to be one of my least favorite airports, but I am always cheered up at the possibility of catching up with a friend. However, by the time we got to Atlanta, our pilot announced that we had to circle and wait for a bad storm to pass... 30 minutes later, we were still circling the skies over the busiest airport in the world with a number of other planes, and facing the possibility of being diverted to another airport as our fuel levels were getting lower. "Great," I thought, "another long day at the airports, and possibly sleeping at an airport motel in Alabama" (the only positive thought was the fact that I'd never been to Alabama, and maybe this would tempt me to rent a car and drive back to DC...)Fortunately, we were one of the first planes accepted for landing as soon as the storm passed, so when we hit the tarmack and I turned my phone on, I was expecting a message from my friend saying "sorry, I see that you are delayed, and am not going to make the trip to see you for 5 minutes" To be fair to him, these were my directions - who wants a friend to drive during rush hour traffic if there isn't enough time to catch up?
To my surprise, my friend had a different plan with specific instructions: "Your flight to DC is delayed 2 hours, met me outside the terminal" To a regular traveler, this may not mean much (or may sound like a major hassle as involves going outside the the security line and trying to come back), but my friend knows me well... Knowing what the message meant, I had a big smile on my face and was out the terminal within 10 minutes (one of the advantages of checking bags - you don't have to carry them around!)... and he was there to pick me up ... in his convertible!
By this time, the storm had passed and even though it was a little humid, the temperatures were bearable, so, of course my answer to his question of "should we put the top down?" was a big "YES!"
Friends who know who you are and what you like are always valuable... And this friend of mine knows how much I like cars, driving, and how I am fascinated by convertibles (especially with BMW convertibles, but that's another story) He sometimes happens to be on the receiving end of my never-ending driving trip ideas ("The South," cross-county, Northwest, New England, Denmark to the bottom of Italy, etc...) and I enjoy hearing his adventures with his convertible of 8 months. As a result, when we pull out of the airport with the music blasting (Blue October - happens to be one of my favorite bands) and my hair dancing in the wind, he knows why I am screaming with joy! I just feel like driving all the w
ay to DC now, or whereever... Frankly I don't even care where we are going or how long, all I want to do is enjoy the wind, the music, the sun, and the feel of the road. I know my friend is watching me with the corner of his eye and having fun, because it is easy to make me happy and I don't hide it when I find it... At one of the red lights, he asks "so, what do you want to eat?" and when I answer "Eat? Who wants to eat?" he knows he's created a new devil in me. He always jokes about how I'm always ready to eat, and hungry almost at all times (which is true). If I cannot think of food, this must be really good - and he knows it.Oh well, he's a proud guy with a convertible Jaguar, and I gotta give it to him after seeing the way people look at me. Most women give me the look of "oh, you lucky girl!" in a very different way than I've ever seen before. I am the same person I was 20 minutes ago, but suddenly I have become the "lucky woman who got a guy with the Jag" (envy). As for the guys, I don't know if they even notice me - they give my friend the "you lucky guy" look because of the car. Personally, I don't care for any of it... As good as the car feels and handles, the thing that makes me smile is the feel of a solid convertible (and a great sound system) more than the fact that it is a Jaguar. And ... I find that my heart still beats for a BMW, convertible or not...
When you know what you want, there is no comparison, only affirmation... But that shouldn't stop us from trying and exploring, should it?
P.S. Update on July 14: Every time I see a convertible Jaguar now, I remember that day and smile. I can feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, and Blue October blasting in my ear... How do we create memories that last for a long time and make us smile time after time???
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