JUNE5

Log

I’m not completely sure where to start this day, since I technically left on the fourth and arrived on the fifth. But I’m counting this as June 5.

Before heading to the airport, I met my dad for lunch. It was fine. He still does not seem interested in retiring, which I do not totally understand. We talked about work, business ideas, and the usual stuff. Nothing too dramatic. I also picked up a few more shirts, although I may end up returning some of them.

Getting into the airport was probably the most annoying part of the day. My fast-pass status — TSA PreCheck, Sky Priority, or whatever it was supposed to be — did not transfer over to my Air France ticket. I guess I did not add the right frequent-flyer number when I booked it. That meant going through the full regular security process and dealing with the usual nonsense. Still, I made it to the flight on time, grabbed some cheeseburgers, texted a few people, and got settled in.

The flight itself was honestly great. The food was amazing. There was a really young couple sitting together, and I ended up taking the middle seat so they could stay next to each other. I guess that makes me a Good Samaritan. I was tired and did not really feel like making a big deal out of it anyway.

I also talked to a girl on the flight whose name I already forgot. She's from Chicago but lives in Flagstaff. She is flying to Lisbon for an HR internship. What ever that means. She explained it's  a good excuse to fuck off to Europe and I guess I agree. She describes Portugal as they take off the entire summer.  

One thing I did not expect to enjoy so much was the Air France airplane seat app. It is honestly amazing. It has everything: navigation, travel information, and these Wikipedia-style pages where you can click on different cities, landmarks, foods, and destinations. There are travel tips and high-resolution photos, so you can explore places while you are flying.

The flight-tracking features are great too. You can switch between different views of the airplane, including a tail camera and a front-facing camera. There are also 3D renderings that show exactly where the plane is, where it is going, and what the route looks like from different angles. You can even see the line between the light and dark parts of the world as the plane moves across the map. There are games too. Maybe im easily entertained or I dont play games all that often but they were fun. I played the poker app and 2048 app. Always bet 500 and it should be called Jacks or higher. For 2048 just keep swip swapping until you combine everyting. 

The plan finally landed at the Paris airport, and I really liked it. The terminal was one giant tube. The tube was lined with lightly colored wooden slats separated by softly glowing bulbus white light fixtures. The curved walls were broken up by large long windows, so everything felt open and full of natural light.

There was also this fuzzy red carpet with a kind of gradient to it. It almost looked like TV static, but with shades of colors of blood. The whole place felt clean and thoughtfully designed. Even the food looked fresh and good. It reminded me a little of the Phoenix airport, but the natural light made a big difference.

A bus picked us up directly from the tarmac and drove us around to the terminal, which was interesting. The airport was clean, the Wi-Fi was insanely fast — around 300 Mbps down — and everyone seemed pretty friendly.

Eventually, I made it to Birmingham. The airport there was an absolute zoo. There were people and cars everywhere, and it felt like I had to walk forever before I finally got out. Sam picked me up, which was great, and it was really good to see Sophia too.

We grabbed some food and headed back to their place. Riding in a car here is strange in a way that is hard to appreciate until you experience it. Everyone drives on the opposite side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. It sounds like a minor difference, but it messes with your instincts. When you turn a corner and another car appears where your brain expects your own lane to be, it briefly feels like you are about to get hit head-on.

Later, I went to the grocery store to pick up some food. The market had a huge selection. I kept trying to make little jokes with people, but they mostly ignored me. I am not sure whether British people are just more reserved or whether they think Americans are obnoxious. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

We ended up talking about hospitality and some of the cultural differences around it. Sam explained that British people might see giving someone a full tour of your house as a little pompous, like you are showing off. From an American perspective, it feels completely different. Giving someone a tour is usually about making them comfortable, showing them where everything is, and helping them feel at home.

It is funny how something so small can mean completely different things depending on where you are.

Sam and Sophia’s place is really cool. Getting there means driving along long, winding roads through rolling green hills, with even bigger green hills in the background. Their driveway is lined with greenery, and there are two barns as you approach the house.

One of the barns belongs to their neighbor, Shawn. He is around 40 years old and owns a bar nearby. He showed us inside and explained that he is thinking about renovating the barn into a house. It would take a huge amount of work. The floors are uneven, the bricks are uneven, and there are holes in the roof. Still, the overall layout is interesting, and you can see the potential.

Another neighbor is doing something even more ambitious. He apparently disassembled an old barn brick by brick, chiseling away the mortar and cleaning each individual brick before rebuilding an entirely new house.

The result looks amazing. The house has black hardware, high-quality windows, and a really good layout. I cannot imagine putting that much work into a project just to gain something like an extra hundred grand in value, but it is impressive to see.

By the end of the night, I was completely delirious. I think I had been awake for close to 30 hours. I still think staying awake until the next night is probably the right move for adjusting to the time change, even if it is brutal in the moment.

It has been a long day: lunch with my dad, airport security nonsense, cheeseburgers, an unexpectedly great flight, a beautiful airport in Paris, a chaotic arrival in Birmingham, British grocery-store interactions, winding country roads, and a conversation about turning an old barn into a house.

I am exhausted, but it feels worth it.

Tomorrow, I’m going to see a castle.