My walk today included peeking into a store that has blown right past all the fall holidays and gone full-on Trumpy Christmas already.
That little display reminded me — I might want to get my act together for the westward trek. I leave October 27, I think.
I keep dithering about how to get back from Tokyo. I consulted ChatGPT and got this advice:
Sometimes the smartest move for the return leg is to make it as simple and gentle as possible:
• one flight,
• in the pointy end of the plane,
• straight back to your comfy chair at GHBC by dinnertime on Christmas Day.
So, I did it. Booked a very boring flight from Tokyo to Dulles — arriving an hour before I leave. Now all that’s left is a ticket to Honolulu and a night at “my” Honolulu airport hotel.
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Alaska Trip Report (YWCA Hotel, Vancouver)
1. Glad I went.
2. Still convinced I’d hate a round-the-world cruise.
3. The last day of any trip is a drag — nothing new there.
4. ChatGPT helps with planning. Trust but verify.
5. I can still plan and execute a trip without ChatGPT.
6. I don’t have as much energy as before I got old. Need more downtime.
7. Better pacing this time — but didn’t like it.
8. Two bottoms, four tops, enough layers for warmth. Allbirds high tops good; Allbird slip-ons bad. (Remember that fall.)
9. I could probably go to Antarctica, but a medical emergency would turn the ship around. I’d rather not be that passenger.
10. I finally know why I chafe at The Asylum: it removes all risk. It’s “safe,” but I don’t want to be taken care of.
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