And starting as I meant to carry on, I had half a baked potato with a tin of Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans for breakfast. I had sort of forgotten that in the US, baked beans are "pork and beans" so you need to be a bit careful if you don't want to eat pork. Usually just seemed to be a lump of fat in the can anyway, from what I recall.
After my potato and beans, I ended up having a farewell maple doughnut from the Super-8 breakfast room as well, but because it was there.
Here is a painting of a maple glazed doughnut I found on line:
Artist: Ray Kleinlein
Title: Maple Glazed Doughnut
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions (H x W): 15 x 15"
Price: $1,300.00
This guy seems to like to paint food - you can see some of his other works here. I like the cocktail onions and Tanqueray, too.
Spent to day again with my Mom. Apparently, the Friday after Thanksgiving is now a big deal called "Black Friday" and it is when Americans go on insane shopping sprees. All the local stores were having these sales that begin at 5:00 and run until 10 or 11:00, selling loss leaders in the hopes of getting people to spend, spend, spend. I am told it is called Black Friday as it is the first profit making day (in the black) for lots of retailers. People go nuts, riot and even kill each other in the hunt for "bargains". According to Wikipedia, the term only came into common use in 2002, which is why I am not familiar with it, having left the US in 1985.
Ian seems to want to go check them out, but I have already packed and could not fit another thing in my bag (it weighs a tonne). Plus, the idea of getting up at 4:00 to fit a crowd of nutters does not appeal to me.
I spend the day with Mom.
Lunch was the last of the lettuce, broccoli slaw, Fat Free Ranch dressing and most of a large bag of Lay's Wavy Hickory BBQ Potato Chips (although Ian also helped himself to a fair few when he thought I was not looking).
We had a little picnic on the lawn at Mom's, to celebrate that Ian had finally managed to sort out with the Davenport cops that we were in fact, allowed to enter the house and he even managed to get confirmation that it was Ms I H Bell, across the street, who decided to call the cops even though she knew who we were (and said as much in the police report).
What a bitch, eh?
Said my farewells and Ian dropped me at the airport. They opened my suitcase and then wished they hadn't; getting everything back in is like a game of Tetris. Had an hour and a half to kill after passing through ludicrous security, so I had a vodka & tonic and a sack of Tom's Snack Mix (sorta like Chex Mix), then flew up to Chicago.
Flight home is much easier - baggage is checked in in Quad Cities Airport and not seen again until London, so none of the silly collecting baggage and re-checking it. The flight to Chicago is only 27 minutes, so I arrived with 2 hours to spare and head for Business Class Lounge.
Which is, of course, closed at 17:30 as it is the day AFTER Thanksgiving. I can understand being closed on Thanksgiving Day, but not the day after.
So, I wander around O'Hare and find a little covey of hideously overpriced food joints and bars. I settle into something called the Jazz Bar and pay $7.49 for a glass of nondescript white wine. But I did meet and chat with a couple of nice women on their way home to Rhode Island and Ohio after their annual family gruesomeness. One is travelling with a 14 year old cat named Rascal in a shoulder tote - reminds me of how much I miss my kitties.
On the plane, I finished off the crispy, spicy lima beans I bought at Big Lots and sprung for 2 Bloody Marys (made with Mr. & Mrs. T's Bloody Mary Mix, of course).
United did remember my veggie meal, but it was totally rank and I ditched it in the galley after one bite of some decidedly sour and off tasting ratatouille (again with the ratatouille!) But the flight was nearly empty and the ordinary meal selections were chicken something-or-other or cheese tortellini, so I managed to snag a tortellini which came with a salad, roll and a brownie thing for dessert.
And then I dozed in and out of "The Devil Wears Prada" (good, from what I can recall) before falling asleep and staying that way for most of the flight.
I love empty planes (although I am sure the airlines don't and they are not very good for the environment either). I saw lots of ads in O'Hare for an airline called Eos. They only seem to fly between London Stanstead and New York, but the planes are fitted out for only 48 passengers, instead of 220. Luxury! And not as expensive as I thought; £850 from London to New York, booked 2 months in advance.
Interesting.... Eos Airlines
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