Bus internet

Well here I am on the bus home to St. Louis from Chicago. Going on hour 20 of travel. Just spent 2 hours sitting on the sidewalk near Union Station in Chicago waiting for my bus to show up (after an hour long train ride, customs, 8.5hr flight, 2.5hr drive to the airport, and lots of misc. waiting around). I can easily say I'm pretty drained right now. It's been an emotional day as well as physically taxing. I dissolved into tears while saying goodbye to Lewis and TC and didn't really get myself back together until well on the way to Heathrow. Leaving Tris in the airport was a whole 'nother bucket of water. *sigh*

The flight was not my worst transatlantic, but it certainly wasn't the best. I was in the very back of the plane, and had a space between me and the other person in my row, but we were right by the not so sound proof toilets, which were very much not smell proof. There was a screaming baby, several times. The flight attendants' galley was right behind us, so that was a lot more noise, especially when they were trying to break up ice. The inflight movies weren't so hot and the radio channels were awful. I also woke up (with a very comical gasp) in midair (well more in midair, like 0g midair) as the plane suddenly plummeted enough to throw us towards the ceiling and knock a lot of stuff in the galley over. Scary stuff. However, the food was good, and I pulled at least an hour of sleep.

Customs was a breeze, both agents welcomed me home, which was really sweet. I was approached by a guy who wreaked of alcohol (and had a bottle in his pocket) trying to find the same train into the city (Chicago) as I was. He asked me a lot about Cardiff (why did you come back?) but was quick to assure me he was not hitting on me as he was "a little gay boy." So my arrival back into the states was pretty hilarious. Felt like I was going to die lugging all my stuff to the train (a really long walk with lots of elevators etc). The train ride to the city was at least an hour long, and it was all I could do to not fall asleep. Once at the stop I wanted, I had to drag my luggage up 2 flights of stairs (owww), as a very nice African lady (full garb and everything, she was neat) cheered me on from the top. She asked where I was coming from, and told me about the time she went to London, and how different she found the people and culture there. Finally (after having to stop and readjust several times) I found Union Station, only to find it closed. Had a guy point me to where megabus leaves from (should have known really) and parked myself on the sidewalk for 3ish hours waiting for mine to show up. Had a nice talk with a guy who had caught an earlier bus, just to have his ride's car break down on the way to pick him up, he'd been sitting there for 2 hours waiting for them to tow their car home and pick up their other car to come get him. I was also serenaded by a priest (collar and all) playing a jazzy soprano sax while waiting for his bus. Traveling is such a strange experience sometimes.

After all the moving around, last minute packing and moving out, I'm really ready to be home. My real bed is calling, even its supreme squeakyness isn't going to keep me awake.