Departure: heading across the globe

As agreed, Annette comes by SpeedPro to fetch Paul at 3:00PM (actually arriving a bit earlier), and with only a bit of panic, we are able to head back to Foster City by 3:10. Not too bad a start considering the madness of the previous couple of weeks with lease negotiations and year-end business wrap-up duties.

Our Uber driver (actually a Peninsula Cab Service guy moonlighting or playing both sides of the business model…whatever) arrives at 5:30 and we pull up at SFO’s International Terminal just a bit after 6:00PM, allowing Annette to fully relax ☺ since we’re on schedule with plenty of time.  Once passed TSA screening, we enjoy a couple of Haig Club tester sips at the DFS store, and pose Annette for photos in front of the point of sale display that SpeedPro had refaced about a month ago.

Since our plane is running a bit late, we proceed downstairs and establish camp at the Firewood Grill, where we enjoy a small pesto & chicken pizza, beer (Paul) and Manhattan (Annette), and Paul takes advantage of the airport Wi-Fi to log in and finish up a few bits of business…of course!

We board the British Airways 747 after a short stint in the waiting area, and settle in for a multi-day series of flights.  Hooray for in-flight entertainment: Paul gets all the way through “The 100 Foot Journey” in a single sitting (liked it…”predictable plot elements, but charming and sweet -- 3.5 stars”), but it will take Annette 3 more attempts on the next flight to finish it (“great movie for falling into a Xanax-induced coma – 3.5 stars”).  The dinner does not live up to the standards of the Michelin star restaurants portrayed in the movie…by a long shot!  Annette is really happy that we’d stopped for the small pizza before departure since the shepherd’s pie is inedible.  Paul somehow manages to choke his down, and polish off part of Annette’s too.