He tries, dear Reader

Text from Jody, the morning following my flight:
I got you a Doctor Who magazine for the plane. It is good.

Conversation with Jody, the evening following my flight:
Jody - Sorry I forgot to give you the magazine. But you should have two Cherry Ripes in your bag.
Me - Not unless they're in a hidden pocket.
Jody - Oh. Then I have Cherry Ripes. Here they are! Dark and milk.
Me - I haven't had the dark cherry one yet.
Jody - I'll let you know if it's good!

He tries.

There were a lot of readers on my flight. I counted three iPads, four Kindles, and several paperbacks (not to mention numerous gossip magazines). Most of the passengers, including myself, ate large sandwiches that claim to be created by a renowned Australian chef. It was tasty and filling, so I had no complaints. I also ate a snack mix. For those readers who are not Australian, there's a saying here that something  yummy is "moreish" - meaning, it leaves you wanting to eat more. A local company has taken its name from the idiom.

The plane was some derivative of a Boeing 747, and fancier than the Boeings of my childhood. There were leather chairs, softly glowing blue cabin lights above the large overhead bins, and an upturned wing design. The view of the clouds was particularly beautiful. Late afternoon sun glazed them in warm, golden light, and some were large and fluffy, others mere wisps.

I did meet up with my ride and hosts for my stay in Perth, despite the hour-long delay at the airport, and I have a room and a bathroom all to myself, a half-hour's train ride from the city. Lovely! The family keeps hens, so we have fresh eggs for breakfast.

The only unfortunate thing is that I seem to have caught a cold. Whether some generous person on the flight passed it on to me, or whether my body has just had enough of the strange sleeping schedules and shifting temperatures, I don't know. In any case, I visited the chemist today and got some tablets and an herbal mixture that's supposed to help, since I'm treating it so early.

So! Tomorrow. Practicum! Watch this space.

Jody would like me to note that his forgetfulness isn't entirely his fault. He was helping me hustle into a taxi. So you see? He tries to take care of me, and I love him very much.

Technology win! Flight fail.

Well, the great adventure to Perth has gotten off to a slow start. Thirty minutes after our scheduled departure, we’re just starting to board. The other passengers in the waiting area have been friendly and talkative, so we’ve been good-naturedly berating Virgin and wondering what the delay is. Hopefully my ride on the other end has gotten my message about the delay.

So, it’s off to WA for two weeks at the State Library! Music, books, marketing and client services are on the agenda. I’ll be staying with friends of friends – the Canadian and library networks have combined to find accommodation for me. It will be much nicer than living out of a backpackers’ for a fortnight.

I’m using my Samsung Galaxy S as a hotspot to send this post through my Mac – while sitting on the plane. Here’s to technology + libraries!