ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE TURN OF EVENTS

Part of me doesn't want to talk about this because it makes me look horribly directionally challenged and possibly "challenged" in many other ways. But, this is what made my life interesting yesterday so this is what I will write about.

I have never missed a plane before. I have had planes cancelled because of weather or postponed because of technical difficulties.. but I have always been at the airport, dutifully waiting for the plane and for Air Canada to figure out the problem and take care of me. Yesterday, I missed my plane. This is hard for me to admit because I had told a number of people yesterday that it would be no problem.. .that I would have lots of time to get to the airport and things would just go smoothly. I truly believed that it would. I had in my head that I would sail over to the airport, get on the plane in the nick of time and everything would just be fabulous. I'm not sure where things went awry... possibly between the time I realized that after turning around a number of times in Vancouvers downtown area I realized that I was 5 blocks from where I first started out and 1/2 an hour had already gone by. It could also be when I missed the exit off the 99 and then proceeded to get lost (once again) in some side street district with windy roads and no signage. Needless to say, I made a series of bad mistakes and poor judgment calls and ended up arriving at the Vancouver airport a mere 15 minutes AFTER my plane departed. Sigh.

Unfortunately, the next available flight leaves today (monday) in the afternoon. Fortunately, it is a direct flight so my chances of seeing anyone that I talked to yesterday are minimal... yes, I'm feeling slightly sheepish.

Luckily, Air Canada did take some pretty good care of me and found me a hotel with a discounted room. The hotel is very "country". I ended up spending some time in the restaurant with a few of the other guests. Here's a picture I took close to the end of the evening. I sort of hope I don't see these guys today either...