Stuck in despair...

This is a post done several weeks ago. I was stuck in Warsaw airport and I started writing to kill time. I wasn’t able to post it at the time, but I still think it is worth to do it know. While I’m in a much better mood J

Warsaw, 7 November 2006

I’m in Warsaw airport, waiting for my flight to Vilnius and I’m in a very bad mood.

I only slept 2h today and at the end I got to the airport much earlier than I needed to.

Now I have a scale of approximately 2 hours and I cannot do some of the things I thought of because I can’t get internet access. There are three hotspots but none of the bloody shops of this airport sells the cards..

Besides, I cannot smoke!!! I must add Warsaw airport to the black list!!! The problem is that the black list is increasing more and more. And besides, I also get really pissed of when I have people picking into my computer, reading something that it’s none of their business, like the guy on my side. Yes, you :-

OK, the only positive point is that I bought some things really cheap, like a volume of cigarettes (Davidoff Classic) for 18 EUR and a bottle of Boss Soul 90 ml by 53 EUR. That was good but, even though, not worth it…

And it is not enough to turn my mind away from the fact that I’m just trying to kill some time in order not to remember that I’m on the verge of killing someone for the right of smoking one single lousy cigarette.

And I still have to wait two hours more. Though in half an hour I’ll get into the plane and there it is not so hard to resist. And anyway, I’m sure …

Fuck! My flight is delayed!!! Bad weather in Vilnius. This guy! This cop, this skinny guy with this stupid green uniform, this is the one I could kill. I would get arrested, get out of the airport and then I could smoke…

Decided to move. I’m by the gate now. Just went through another check-in. These new rules are so weird. Idon't have a problem with the limitation on liquids as I understand the assumption that they may constitute a threat. Neither the fact that they just let me pass with my recently bought perfume, as otherwise it would be the end of the (non) duty free shops in the airports.

My problem is that the two measures do not match!!! If I really want to carry out a terrorist attack would I not be able to fake perfumes or any other thing, pretending it was just bought at the airport?

Finally what’s the point? To make us buy more water in the shitty 'you-breath-you-pay' flights? To make people feel safer? To push for the desperation of the passengers on the security checks?

The security check in Brussels, though there was a small cue, took ages while the guards were checking the hand-luggage in detail and while people were “dressing up” after stripping under the magnetic door.

Just now, a very conscious guard asks me to open the computer. I obey and proactively prepare to turn it on. The guard tells me it is enough… I don’t get this. Again, if I was a terrorist would I be so stupid not to mask a bomb in the laptop? Maybe the guard has seen the first series of 24 and realised that they may even create the illusion that it is turned on…

Anyway, all this is too confusing for me. Better get back to my Saramago…

(5h without smoking and, at least 2 more to go)

My flight got cancelled.

Yeahhh!!! I could finally leave the airport and have a cigarette. Now, much more relaxed after having a cigarette I try to get things into perspective and try to use the time here the best way possible. If I don't get the web access I can still work in a powerpoint presentation I still need to finish.

And hope I can still fly to Vilnius today...

Back again...

Finally a post. For the last weeks I (and the same goes for Diogo) have been quite busy. The reward are three weeks of holidays back home, at Viana do Castelo.

Diogo and me came home last weekend. As we usually say, we did it the typical portuguese emigrants’ way: by car.

It was a long ride. 21 hours to cover almost 2.000 km. It wasn’t as tiring as I’d thought (though I was already quite tired when we started), also because we stoped every two hours to rest or relax. But it was boring at times. We drove all night through,in shifts. While one drove the other slept so, at times, it got quite dull to drive in dark, empty highways.

But it was a nice experience. I love to drive and I don’t have the chance to do it very often in Brussels. Besides, driving Diogo’s car is quite pleasant, being the biggest chalenge to avoid speeding (and preventing the speed limit alarm from buzzing).

In a bit more than two weeks we’ll do the way back. I’m curious to see how it goes. On one hand, I’ll be fresher from holidays. On the other hand, I’ll be leaving the holidays behind...