I'm on the ground in L.A.

Although I'm sort of writing this in real-time, as things happen. I apologize for it being such a long post, but it seems better this way since I never got to post the stuff I wrote on the trip over. I will put that together and post it sometime in the next week. Qingdao customs was funny. I filled out the form, checking "yes" for a camera as a "necessary item" and then wrote in the space provided the make and medel of my camera, with a value of 8,000 RMB. But they didn't like that so they gave me a new form. I filled it out and checked "no" this time but they didn't like that either. The guy kept talking to me in chinese but I didn't understand, obviously. Finally he took a pen and crossed out my "no" and checked "yes" without wring anything about my camera below the check marks. Then they proceded to stamp my original form instead! After that My bags were all x-rayed and then a woman at the next desk asked to see the camera and that was it. I then checked my bag and of cour
se got a

The plane boarded late in Qingdao (ten minutes after we were supposed to take off) so that didn't really help my trip nervousness any. I hate not being able to ask what is going on. We took off 50 minutes late. Still I've done that flying to Chicago and still landed early and that flight was about the same length. According to the estimate, we will only land 20 minutes late.

Ok I wondered why we were flying around in circles. Apparently the airport is busy. Don't they know I have a connecting flight to make???

Whew! Travel excitement!

So we landed 45 minutes late and I rushed off the plane. Luckily no one was in the transfer security point and I made it through quickly. Then I rushed up to the Asiana transfer desk and I think (although I'm not sure how it was supposed to work) a bunch of people behind me got served first while I panted and looked worried. Finally I made it up and after waiting to get my boarding pass. Of course I could only get window seat on the wrong side of the plane (I wanted to be able to see land if we fly along the Alaskan coast or down the U.S. Coast. Or the mountains if we fly farther in. Anyway, after all that worrying it turns out my flight was delayed one hour due to a foggy winter morning. I guess that is why the airport was too busy for us to land immediately. So now I can relax a bit. I was very happy to finally have time to go to the bathroom. VERY happy!

So I just had a little time to send an internet through the series of tubes. Of course it did that crazy thing where just when I was almost done it started giving me crazy Korean characters. On Annie's advice I kept on typing but that didn't help. She had said that it may recognize a pinion spelling (I hope that's how it's spelled) and try to predict what I was typing but I don't think that was what it was it was doing. After that anything I typed was a Korean character, even if I want back into the middle of a previous word. So I finished my post on the half-worn keyboard and we'll see what it shows up as on a western computer.

I also had time to buy Yoonie a quick stupid present that cost wayyy too much at the duty-free shop. But I bought it with good old American dollars! I hope that duty-free crap doesn't cause me a problem in customs when I forget to declare it. Yoonie is making out like a bandit on this trip (ew! Makining out!)! I really don't know where all my money got spent. Unless I counted wrong, I spent about $500. I don't even want to know how much I cost Annie! So already my left little toe is starting to feel rubbed. That's the opposite foot that was a problem last time. I'm sure that was at least half because I walked around Incheon Airport for 4 hours on the way over. So I figured I'd better stop walking for now. My plane should board in 15 minutes anyway.

I just figured out why my camera started highlighting all the blown-out areas. It has a bunch of different ways you can display the information and I must've accidentally pushed the up or down button. I had pushed it once and gotten the histogram overlay, which I immediately got rid of, and that's probably when I swiched views, going forwared instead of backward in the various possibilities. Ok enough boring talk, my plane should really be boarding any minute now (it's 5:06pm). Oops I just spelled "bord." Must be Börd Erik influencing me. Ok enough overly-esoteric inside jokes.

I guess I spoke too soon. They just announced that the departure has been delayed but they don't have a time yet. I guess we are waiting for a connecting flight.

I am finally on the flight. It's an hour after our original new boarding time (so that means it's 6pm local time-the original boarding time was 4pm). There was additional security getting on the plane for some reason. I can't say it was that thorough. They wanded me and searched my baggage (and did the same to everyone else, as well as checking passports again), although only the main part of my duffel bag, not the two end compartments. They took my water though, so they'd better keep me well-hydrated. I'm parched and hungry.

I shoulda taken a Korean newspaper on the flight from Qingdao. There were none this time that I saw and no one was there to find one for me. I guess it's racial profiling when they just look at you and suddenly dig out an english-language newspaper. Works for me! I've been glad I speak english, of all possible languages, on this trip! I was also glad, in the four or so real Chinese bathrooms that I was in, that I am a boy! Speaking of racial profiling, I noticed in Chicago on the way over that it seems like Koreans have no sense of personal space. Now the guy in the seat next to me is sitting totally askew and leaning right on me. I hope that's not a harbinger of things to come. It's like when I thought German kids were rude, but I realized that it is just a cultural difference. Ok enough of my racist ass (ew! Now he has his shoes and socks off! I'm so prudish and midwestern!).

On a funny note, it's going to be fun watching the movie in the dark with my sunglasses on!

Wow, they will even give you wine for free on Asiana! I went with water. I also went with steak. I'm ready for Western food. I kinda wish they gave you chopsticks with it though! The Korean dude next to me also had steak. He has to have his son or grandson or whoever the dude in the seat in front of him is trasnlate. He knew how to say Coke though! Heeee!!

Wow, they even refill your wine! I'm not full after a meal for the first time in weeks! I hope I survive! We're over a city now, I assume in Japan. I have to say this flight really takes the cake for turbulence! My customs form looks like a 1st-grader wrote it! Just now the waitress (oops, I mean stewardess) barely was able to pour me more water without spilling. Kudos to her!

I don't understand how I can cross the international date line (call now, sexy girls are waiting for you! Sorry, nevermind...) and not have the date change.Oh nevermind, I just figured it out. It was getting later as I went farther east until it hit midnight, then it became the day before. Now it will get later on Thursday all over again. Anyway, I just watched Flushed Away. Of course the only movie I saw in its entirety was the last one I wanted to see. But it was way funnier than I remember the previews being. Plus it had a brief "Rupert" segment! Oh goody, The Prestige is on again! I can try to watch it this time. Maybe it's good I'm not tired. Man, I wonder if the front of a plane shows the turbulence more than the back??

Well I slept a whole 45 minutes before they woke us up. For some reason I got Korean hot pepper paste with my omlette. I think I got the last omlette too. Good, cuz I don't think I was ready to have kimchi for breakfast.

Jesus I just had to wait 20 freakin' minutes to go to the bathroom! And there were only two people waiting in front of me! While I was in there we switched flew over land. It was still ocean while I was waiting. The other freaky think was that there was what looked like dried blood all over the inside of the door and I don't remember seeing that last night. We should be landing shortly. I don't understand how we didn't make up any time at all on the flight. I hope I have enough time for customs.