Well I am almost done talking about my trip to Russia. I have a few more subjects to write about but a couple more weeks and I will have to look elsewhere for ideas to write about. This is actually the last one about Moscow for now (I head back in November) and it really doesn’t have much to do with the city. When I went to Moscow I made a big travel mistake by not packing for the weather. This caused us to have to go to a mall and get me a zip up sweater. But this was far from my only travel mistake. You would think that someone who traveled more than 120 times last year and 80 this year would know the tricks. The problem is you get comfortable in your routine and do things with out thinking. That is when you, or rather I, forget things.
So beyond not packing any long sleeve shirts or a jacket I made a few other mistakes. I flew from Milwaukee to Detroit to Amsterdam after a full day of work, at the end of a work week. So I will admit I was pretty tired before I even got on the first plane. Then I decided to stay away the entire trip so I could adjust quicker to the new time zone. This kinda worked. Well I was so tired and been on the plane from Detroit to Amsterdam so long that when it was time to land I put my noise canceling head phones in the magazine pocket in the seat in front of me. Then I was in such a hurry to get of the plane, I left the headphones in the seat back pocket. I realized this about 30 minutes after getting off of the plane, but by the time I circled back they were nowhere to be found. I was informed I could contact security for the lost and found. For some reason I don’t see paying $80 to ship $40 headsets to the states to be a good investment.
The final goof I made was actually just a little risk I consciously took that didn’t work out for me. I didn’t want to check bags so I stuffed everything into a single bag. This didn’t work out. For one the overheads on the planes from any airline outside of the US won’t hold the massive bags we consider carry on. So I ended up checking my bag anyway. Next my bag was SO full of junk there was no room for anything extra… Not that I planned on buying anything in particular, but I should have assumed I would want to buy something. And so I did. Just a couple bottles of vodka, a large book, and some chocolates, but still that was room I didn’t really have. Lucky for me I was smart enough to buy a bag that expands! So I unzipped the top of the bag so it gained an extra 3 inches, say on it, pounded on it, repacked it, and finally was able to get everything to fit. Next time I will just take a small second bag to fill along with me. Of course part of this is because my wife, her sister, and their roommate gave me a 2 page list of stuff to bring to Russia when I return.
Also when I replace my noise canceling headphones, I plan to get nicer ones. No not the $350 Bose. But some thing twice as much as the old junkie Phillips I had before. So I will have to be three times more careful not to leave them on the plane.
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Sounds to me like your wife, her sister and roommate are quite smart. Get all the goodies from the US, free shipping :)
I am also guessing that the next headphones are going to be 3 times as expensive than your previous ones, since you are going to be three times as more careful with them. I think it's a good idea to get a better pair, after all you spend like 1/3 of your week on the plane (ok, ok, not that long, but still).
Can't wait to see you (and that extra suitcase you are bringing :))
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