The shuffle to the final continent.

Australia & New Zealand Day 1: Wednesday, June 17th, 2015
Steps taken: 5,364

Thirty four years of dreaming of adventures, and seven years of constant traveling has built up to this moment.  I was heading to Australia, the site of my final continent.  While I did not truly have this goal in mind until I set foot on my third or fourth continent I believe it was something that was inevitable for the way I wished to travel.  The moment Scott suggested a trip to Antarctica, it felt real.  I have worked hard to accomplish this, and worked a questionably insane teaching schedule to make sure I could afford this while maintaining a financial cushion until the Fall semester began.  No matter what I had to do to get here, it was worth it.

After getting done the majority of tasks and little side projects that I needed to finish before I left home for a whopping month and a half I was ready.  Actually...maybe not.  The morning was a mad capped sequence of errands, and double checks.  I thought I had a universal power adapter, but it was European only, therefore I had to head to Best Buy to get one.  After that and a visit to my uncle John, I returned home to finalize my things.

At 3pm I said goodbye to my mother and my aunt Kathy (I said goodbye to my sister before she left for work), and headed to the train station.  I bought my ticket, and waited for the 3:39 train that did not show up until 3:50.  You're the best, LIRR!  While on the train I started reading the last 100 pages of Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.  Yes, I know.  A very appropriate novel for what I was about to do.

I got off the train at Jamaica Station, and took the air train to JFK Terminal 7.  I was sorely tempted to get some Tim Horton's donuts, but resisted somehow.  Once I arrived at T7 I went to the check-in area.  I waited on line for about 20 minutes only to find out that I was on the Icelandair line because the lines were not well marked.  They were practically merged.  As much as I would love to return to Iceland (I went there in March of 2012 to honor my father after his death because he was stationed there while in the Navy.), it was not the time for that.  I checked in my bag, and went through security, which went relatively quickly.  After going through Cancertron I headed towards the gate.

While at the gate waiting for my Qantas Air flight 18 to LAX, and then Sydney, I got some Red Mango (Sorry, Tim Horton's.) pomegranate froyo with almonds, and finished reading "Hard Boiled...".  In many ways it was the 'headiest' piece of fiction I've ever read, but I enjoyed it.  I think it's my second favorite of his works now.  I have read all of his main works and "South of the Border, West of the Sun" is still my favorite.  One thing I'm disappointed that I won't get to do while I'm away is to see the theatre adaptation of Kafka on the Shore at Lincoln Center in July.  Oh well.  A small sacrifice.

My flight was scheduled for 6:45pm, however we didn't board until 7:15, and didn't take off until 7:45.  I should be used to this crap by now.  I started reading the next book on my list The Necromancer, book 4 in the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott.  It's been a good series so far.  If you're a fan of assorted word mythologies, and action stores then I recommend it.  Nicholas Flamel was a real person thought to have successfully created the Philosopher's Stone.  I read about twenty five pages before the lights in the cabin went out.

I watched a few short animated interviews with musicians and authors such as Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, and David Foster Wallace.  I started watching the movie "Set Fire to the Stars" about Dylan Thomas' first poetry tour of America.  Unfortunately the sound system wasn't that great, and I couldn't hear everything.  Also, I was interrupted by dinner, which was chicken and vegetables.  About halfway through the film I fell asleep.  When I woke up there was still a bit of time left so I tried watching an animated film called "Ernest and Celestine" about a bear, and a mouse that become friends though their societies are natural enemies.  Once again, the sound quality was terrible and I fell asleep halfway through.  By the time I woke up again, the flight was almost over.  Flying over the valley I saw a few brush fires.  Bad Religion's song "Los Angeles is Burning" raced through my mind.

When we landed, everyone had to leave the plane despite this being the same plane that those going to Sydney were taking.  I usually try to get direct flights, but this was understandable.  I left the plane and was in LA for the first time.