Day 1: Still on a jet plane

Well, staying up all night sure did the trick: I slept like a baby the entire flight to Minneapolis. I even fell asleep when people were still boarding… and trying to communicate with me. Unfortunately I’m still loopy and stupid and now feeling slightly sick. What’s the point of avoiding jetlag if I’m just going to end up lying in bed for a few days anyway? Kirsten’s really good judgment strikes again.

Actually, I’d like to dedicate this posting to Jeni Floener. It’s not as cool as getting a song or a book dedicated to you by some well-known and talented person, but a dedicated blog posting is the best I have to offer. Jeni and I spent far too many nights working on engineering homework until so late it wasn’t even that early. I have many memories of us both feeling like crap. Then, we had to attempt to be functional the next day too: all I have to do is find the right gate. So Jeni, if you’re reading this, now that we’ve graduated, let’s keep all-nighters restricted to worthy endeavors, like partying or traveling to go party. I’m nervous about customs though. As little German I speak, I know even less Dutch. I’m pretty sure there will be an “English option,” but what if I’m still stupid and answer a question wrong and get caught and they strip search me and probe places that I would rather not think about right now?

 
My journey began in good form. I made pancakes for my roommates, but didn’t calculate start time right, so I ended up being really rushed at the end, took a hectic speed shower, and never ate a pancake. I had made myself some nutritious and delicious salads out of the leftover produce I still had in the fridge. The first was kale and carrot slaw with craisins stolen from Elissa (sorry) and sunflower seeds.  
The dressing is olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a dash each of birch syrup and sesame oil. The second is tomatoes, garlic, pesto, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

I threw both salads and their tupperware into a leftover REI bag, and thought nothing of it. Once I got to the security line, I took my quart bag of 3 oz containers and laptop and added them to the bag, for fast and easy access. 40 minutes later (the security line was ridiculously long), the tomato salad had leaked, the bag failed, and I spilled garlicky juice all over the floor, myself, my computer, and worst of all, my new pink Spanish cowgirl boots, which are now permanently stained. 20 minutes after that I was actually able to talk to an employee and tell them that there was a puddle of juice in the middle of the line, but he did nothing about it.