January 4, 2004
Well, to add insult to injury, after unpacking our luggage yesterday we realized we lost several gifts for the family (a Spain sports cap, a clock, and several other souvenirs, all of them gift-wrapped: total worth, about $60). The good news is that my mailing tube with the classic Spanish rodeo posters had been opened on one end but the tube was empty (this stopped my heart until I unwrapped the outer layers and found the posters wrapped around the outside of the tube!). Since our errant baggage made so many stops it’s probably impossible to ever determine which airport thieves stole the stuff, but it’s unnerving to know that with all the good guys trying to keep the bad guys out, there are bad guys on the inside. (British Air had bigger problems on New Year’s Day than the two of us, with our State Department cancelling two of their flights over terrorist concerns). Still, it hurts and we feel violated.

I think the person I’m the most upset with is the train woman at Heathrow who baited us with: “Hurry, get on, before the door closes.” She later told us, as we were detraining to catch the return train, this happens almost every day and I wanted to say, “Wouldn’t it be better to say, ‘Last call for London’, or, ‘If you’re going to London the door is closing’, or is that too direct?’” Of course I didn’t and I imagine she has already bagged her quota for today, no doubt wondering all the while how stupid out-of-towners are.

We e-mailed Deena, and she went through this morning and specifically asked for directions thru the maze that is Heathrow. I’ve got my fingers crossed for her.

In spite of the bad experience we still had a great time in England with Frederick and Heidi Nolan. Here is a photo of them in their kitchen on New Year's Day. Ain't they sweet?

“Anyone who is happy all the time is nuts.”
—Leo Rosten