Tag Archives: JFK airport

Leaving Iceland and getting back to NY

28 Monday Aug 2023

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me, travels

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Downtown Reykjavik

Downtown Reykjavik

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” ― G.K. Chesterton

The fifth day in Iceland was the day we were leaving.

The day before, Michael had driven over 10 hours.  By the time we got to the hotel he was exhausted, as expected, so we didn’t go out and went straight to bed.

He had hiccups that were persistent and kept getting in the way of his sleep. We Googled and tried some of the techniques recommended to stop hiccups. They would work for a while, but then would return.  Eventually we fell asleep.

The next morning, I wanted to have breakfast first and then leave for the airport.  Michael wanted to skip breakfast and leave right away.  Our flight was at 11:30am.  In the end, I agreed with Michael, we still had to stop at the gas station and fill up the tank.

His hiccups came back again, on and off.

We stopped at a gas station to get gas, and made it to the airport with a lot time to spare.   We checked in, and then got breakfast.  There was not a lot to choose from, so we got croissants and coffee. 

We had to take a bus to get to the plane, I haven’t had to do that in a long time.  It was an uneventful flight.  To eat, they gave us a choice of chicken sandwich or cheese platter.  I got the chicken, and Michael got the cheese.  They were both good, but he barely touched his.

We both have Global Entry, and our bags had priority tags, so it took minutes to get out of JFK airport and into an Uber.  They were handing out Covid tests, and for a moment I thought about stopping to get some, but decided that we needed to just get home.  We got home it was only 2 pm, 6pm Iceland time.

“The most poetical thing in the world is not being sick.” ― G.K. Chesterton

As I was unpacking, Michael said: “I think I should take a Covid text”. What? Seriously? Why? He answered: “because persistent hiccups can be a symptom of Covid”. He had just Googled and found that out that it can be a Covid symptom, although rare.

I got a test, and lo and behold: He was positive.  It was shocking to me.   Who knew hiccups can mean Covid?  It turns out the fatigue he was feeling was not only about the driving.

I tested negative. The next few days I woke up with a scratchy throat. Five days later we tested again. He was still positive, and I was still negative.  On day 10 we both tested negative.  I never got it, so I think my scratchy throat was just a cold.

By now he is already feeling back to himself, and back to the gym. I finally came back to the office.  Because I had been exposed, I made sure to stay away from the office. 

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.” ― A.A. Milne

Back to the trip.  To summarize, it was a wonderful trip.  We did a lot in 4 days.  In hindsight, we would do some things differently, such as staying in hotels throughout the country, so we wouldn’t have to do too much driving in and out of Reykjavik.  I would have researched restaurants and coffee shops and already have a plan of times and places to stop to eat. 

But then again, it is fun not to have everything so planned.  It can be fun to just leave room for discovery.  Beautiful things can be found in the unexpected and unplanned.

As far as being an expensive place as everyone say, it is!  But with planning, it doesn’t have to be.  We bought our tickets and hotel just one week prior, so we probably overpaid.  There is an airline called Play Airlines that flies out of Stewart Airport, about 1 hour from me.  They sell tickets to Iceland for around $500.  Actually, I just checked and it is now $299.00.  We didn’t want to take a chance since we were going for only 4 days.  But when I retire, we will perhaps take a chance on budget airlines.

Iceland is gorgeous, clean and safe.  They even recommend hitchhiking!! I may go back at some point, but only after I crossed off some other countries off of my list first.  Well, I better start making that list then.

Being blessed with seeing another year – 57 and it feels so good!

28 Tuesday Mar 2023

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating, Finding Me

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“I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust, I forgot to ask that they be years of youth. ” ― Ovid, Metamorphoses

Thank you all for your birthday wishes.  I don’t feel 57 at all.  Well, don’t ask my body.  Sometimes it feels like 107.  My mind keeps getting younger and younger.  

I knew my trip to Florida would be good and I was correct.  I have a lot to write about about Utah, and now about Florida, but will keep this short and write additional posts in the future.

M was the most gracious and caring host to my sister and I.  I asked him not to buy anything special as we would be there for only 2 days.  He didn’t listen.  He had all kinds of foods that he thought we would like. He had paid attention when he was at my home, and made sure to have some of the same things waiting for us.

There were various types of coffees, bagels and popcorn for my sister. For me it was cappuccino mix, oat milk, scones, macarons and Pellegrino water.  He also got prosecco, St. Germain, lemon and lime to make my sister’s favorite drink.

He also gave my sister and I a cute mug (the one above), along with a birthday card and an Amazon gift card.  I love that he gave my sister and I the same amount $100.00.  He has been gifting me things since I met him.  In Utah he gave me an electric hairbrush when I pointed  one out in a store and commented that mine was getting old.  This weekend we were talking about electric toothbrushes and he had one delivered to my house. 

“I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don’t have to respect anybody.” ― George Burns

I am now very careful when talking about things. I don’t want him thinking I am hinting at him buying me stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy him wanting to make me happy by getting me stuff, but it is not necessary.

On Friday night, he picked us up at Orlando Airport.  It was already late when we got to his house so we just had a drink and some cheese and crackers.  

He lives in a condo, townhouse style, in a golfing community in New Smyrna Beach.  He doesn’t golf.  He prefers surfing.

Saturday morning we enjoyed a breakfast of bagels and croissants.  We declined eggs.  After, we went to the beach.  It is a cool beach where one can drive the car on the beach.  That was a whole new experience to me. Supposedly there are sharks in these waters.  But apparently these are good sharks.  Is there such a thing?

I really wanted to feel the sun, so I used sunscreen on my face only. I think that my Brazilian skin never burns.  Wrong!  Burned cleavage anyone?  It turned out that it was one of the hottest days ever there.  Lesson learned. Always use sunscreen all over.

“I see birthdays as a reward for having shown up 365 in a row. It’s like getting a badge for attendance.” ― Gina Barreca

After the beach we stopped at a local favorite Joe’s Subs where we had fish sandwiches and burgers.  Then we went home to get ready for dinner.  We could have skipped lunch or dinner, but on vacation my sister and I forget all reason.

We had dinner at Norwood Restaurant and Treehouse Bar.  The food was great, but the drinks were awful. We ordered too much food.  That night my sister and I come to an agreement: no more ordering of appetizers when out to dinner. 

We got home and watched The Whale.  I fell sleep towards the end.  I woke up with M and my sister wanting their money back. It was great acting by Brendan Fraser, but we didn’t really like the movie.  Expectations, I guess we had too many.

“We do have funerals for the living,” Jill said. “They’re called birthday parties.” ― Andrew Shaffer, Hope Never Dies

On Sunday we had a late start and skipped the beach.  We drove his golf cart around the complex to get a tour.  Then we went to a small spiritual community called Cassadaga.  It has many psychics, healers and mediums. 

M knew I am interested in such things and wanted my sister and I to get a reading. It was interesting.  I will be talking about the reading in a future post.

After the reading, I chose Olive Garden for lunch.  I have never eaten there before.  We were passing by it, and I remember a friend mentioning that he loves their tiramisu.  It seemed like the perfect time to try it.

First thing we do at the restaurant?  Order appetizers!! We were pleasantly surprised with the food and drinks we got.  Everything was great.  And the tiramisu was indeed delicious.

We got back to his house, packed and got ready to go to the airport.  Our flight was delayed.  There were long lines. I try not to let those things bother me.  But my sister got a little stressed, worrying about getting home very late and having to get up early the next day.

As I am at the gate, I realized I didn’t have my carry-on. After being sent to different locations, I went back to the TSA screening and saw it on a table.  I had to wait for an officer to inspect and then was free to go.  In 40 years traveling it has never happened.  I told my sister it was her fault, she got me so frazzled and made me forget.  She smiled sheepishly, because she knows it is true.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ― Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!

We boarded, it was a quick flight, just a little over 2 hours.  Kristin Chenoweth was on my flight with her dog and her fiance.  She is a tiny little thing.  She was escorted to the plane first.  Everyone left her alone.  I am not sure a lot people recognized her.

My sister and I will be having a quiet birthday evening.  I will be getting her her favorite Black Forest cake, and also the Nutella cake from Martine’s Bakery.  I am thinking of getting Walter’s Hot Dogs for dinner.  

When my sister and I were discussing what to have for a special dinner, we realized, once again, how blessed we are.  We want for nothing.  

Tomorrow I am having dinner with my friend A.  Then Thursday dinner with my sister and another friend.

On Friday, guess who is boarding a flight to Florida again?

Life keeps getting better and better.  So infinitely blessed and thankful!

“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s birthday but never remembers her age.” ― Robert Frost

ps. Happy Birthday Lady Gaga!

Sisterly love, twin style

28 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me

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“You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you…”  – George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Today at 5am I was at JFK airport waiting for my twin sister.  She was here for a few months last year.  At that time we had another friend here, and then my mother, so she was mostly involved in running around with our friend and then being with my mother. Now she is back here to decide if she wants to live here or not.

We shall see what the future holds for her.  I want her to follow her heart and choose what is good for her.

A sister is a built-in best friend, or it should be.  We are extremely close but also extremely critical of each other.  Last year it was the first time we have lived together since we were 17 years old.  It was not all fun and games, but it was not bad either.   It takes some adjustment to live with someone after being alone for several years.  Throw in 2 very strong personalities, add the fact that we are identical twins and you have a balancing act.

I plan on using this time while she is here, however long it last, to grow our friendship in a positive way.  We would kill for each other, but still the tiniest of issue gets us to be annoyed at each other and things to get blown out of proportion.  Loving each other is not the issue, the issue is respecting each other.  The issue is being okay with disagreeing.  We both need to stop thinking that we know what is best for the other, and in general and allow room and space for errors.

All I can do is try, but with all my heart.  I will try more and better than before.  What if I fail?  There is no failing, there is only trying, and when that fails then trying some more.

I am going for:

  • No reaction and no over-reaction.  Stop. Do nothing for awhile.
  • Put myself in her shoes, and see how it feels before judging, before criticizing
  • Listen with love, talk with love, act out of love

While she is here I plan on getting out more and doing a variety of things. There is so much in New York to see and do so we plan we on doing some of it.  When she was here last year we did most of the usual sightseeing so now we will probably go off the beaten path.

So much culture, so much adventure, so much living and loving to do, I have to hurry up.

Wishing you all a blessed week ahead!

oh, and just a thought:  You know that relative, or that friend that you love but that for some reason or another it is easier to be apart and silent? Yes, that one!  Give him or her a call, or meet for coffee.  You don’t have to hash out all the issues at once.  Actually sometimes is better to just let go of the issues of the past and start fresh.  You can slowly rebuild the friendship.  When there is love anything is possible.

On Friendship  –  Kahlil Gibran

Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor do you withhold the “ay.”
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.