unexpected...

change of plans. first, out of nowhere, i got an email from expedia saying my flights have changed and immediately i thought "oh no, oh no, oh no - what if i have more layovers now or they've switched me to a different airline!?" (can they even do that? i dunno but i was worried) and then i caught myself & said, "that's no way to think" (yes i talk to myself. deal with it) and decided that maybe they'd switched me to a better flight, fingers & toes crossed.

i checked the email against my original itinerary and, lo and behold, it WAS a better flight. nonstop! which means 3 hours shorter - a big deal when you're already in the sky for at least 14 hours. AND, on a hunch, i checked my travel buddy's itinerary and, lo and behold again, we are now booked on the same flight! miracles of miracles.

so i was all warm and fuzzy, believing in the good intentions of expedia.com, thinking that i would have someone to talk to during my flight so my vocal chords & social skills won't be dusty from disuse by the time i step off the plane, when i get an email from b. entitled, "And now I'm mad..."

uh oh.

turns out my travel buddy, b., may not be traveling with me anymore. work had some issues with him taking time off & his bank account had some issues with him buying a plane ticket. "oh nuts!" was my original thought, "now i'm gonna have to strike up a conversation with a stranger on the plane & hope they're not A. chatty-cathy-won't-let-me-sleep, or B. psycho-weirdo-inappropriate-discomfort-guy. dang!" but then i caught myself again & decided that if i end up traveling alone, then there's a reason for that & it's going to be for the best. and then i got excited about doing it all on my own, which was the original plan anyway.

no offense, b.

so, don't y'all worry, i'm still on track - got a nonstop flight to sydney in my very near future, got a backpacker's backpack coming to me in the mail, and i got the will and the attitude to do this by myself, for myself & make it the best trip ever. bring it, australia.