The countdown is on, eleven and a half more hours before our LOT flight to Warsaw takes off from Kennedy. My heart is all aflutter.

I haven’t even packed yet, but I did do the last laundry, and I have everything picked out in my head. Being a guy with a limited fashion pallet, it should take me all of 10 minutes to fill my one carry-on bag.
We are going to a first communion, and I have to wear a suit, so that’s going in the big check-on luggage. We each get one check-on bag for free, so there’s plenty of room, since one of the check-on bags will be devoted exclusively to a painting Danusia is gifting to her sister.

This is me on my first communion. A lot of folks get a kick out of this picture, so I couldn’t resist posting it again.

Danusia and I have been to Europe before together, but this will be the first time we fly to Europe together. The last time, some four years ago she left first, and she flew on Lufthansa. I left the week after, and she booked me on Aer Lingus,

so even though we were to come back on the same day we’d be on different planes. Due to Hurricane Irene, it became even more convoluted, we went to Heathrow together, but she boarded a flight to the states and I got on one to Dublin where I spent the night with friends. She got a direct flight to New York, but I was flying to Boston the following day. That was an ordeal, I can tell you.

I wish we were flying together on this plane:

I found this Antonov 2 on some airstrip in Oshawa, Canada last summer. Looks cozy, no?

One thing I learned in Canada is that you can only get Orbit gum in the U.S.

I bought 3 three-packs at Duane Reed the other day; I don’t like getting caught without.

In Canada I was able to get the New York Times. I buy it every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday just for the crossword. People tell me I should just get the on-line subscription for the crosswords, and I just might break down and do that when I come back.

But that’s a little weird; having a sheet of paper as opposed to the comfort of the Arts section opened and folded in quarters to the crossword. It’s more reassuring to have all that paper folded up in my hands. And besides, there’s something to read when you finish the crossword.

If you find my priorities a little off kilter, you should hear some of my friends. I know a guy who brings his own food when he travels because he can only eat certain things.
I’m glad I’m more adaptable than that. But I gotta have my crossword.

I’m leaving $20 with Yannick, the cat sitter. I’m going to ask him to pick up the Times for me on the days specified, so I can have a crossword orgy when I return.

Another friend, my friend Jenny M. M. asked why I don’t do the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday crosswords, and my answer was that those are too easy. No challenge at all, and I’d just be bored. Not that I’m aces at doing Friday and Saturdays, I seldom finish those without a little help from Google, but I’ve gotten better. Now I at least finish one out of four of those without help, and I remember when I couldn’t even get one word on a Saturday crossword.

I also remember when I didn’t have a green card, much less a passport. Just the thought of crossing a border filled me with visions of Cheech Marin wandering around in Mexico after not being able to get back into the country.

But now I’ve got a passport, I’m a citizen, and I’ve found out that here’s life north of 14th Street. There has to be, since now I live on 152nd Street. You can’t stop change, but you can make sure you’ve got the right gum and the papers.