NYC Day One
The day started at 5:30am when the alarm went off and I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. I should have known better. The flight to Ottawa was uneventful except for some light chow (a little turbulence) just after takeoff and just before landing at Ottawa. Oh the landing; forgot about that. My best guess is that the crosswind was at least fifteen knots (the wind sock was horizontal) at about 30 degrees off the runway. The landing was hard; hardest landing I’ve experienced to date. Even harder than the landing Westjet did at Kelowna.
After entering the terminal at YOW, we needed to collect our bags and clear US customs. That’s fine. In the past, I’ve always collected my bags at the carosel like everyone else and then dragged my bags through US Customs only to place them back on a baggage conveyor belt. Not at Ottawa. At Ottawa there’s a secret room that only a few people know about and that’s where your bags end up. Why doesn’t anyone know about the secret room? Because in order to access it, you need an Air Canada escort. Nice. Then what do you do? You drag your bags forty feet, put it on another conveyor belt and say by to the bags. Then you proceed to US Customs without your checked luggage. WTF?
After arriving at La Guardia (LGA), Ali and I waited for our bags. Ali’s bag came out first, followed by my garment bag and then what looked to be my suitcase. Only some guy grabbed it. So I assumed it was he and I had similar bags. Only we didn’t. He had no bags and was a low life thief and was in fact stealing my bag, which would explain why I couldn’t find him after I lost sight of him. You see, when someone grabs a bag that looks like mine I’m immediately sceptical. It’s the result of 13 years in the Army where everyone’s kit and clothes look the same. What I should have done was grabbed the guy and checked the bag but he looked well dressed and was carrying a small leather case. In order words, he fit in and lokoed like he belonged. But in actual fact he was a low life thief. Did I mention that part?
After reporting my bag missing to Air Canada and catching a cab to Marcos’ place, Air Canada called and told me that my bag had been found by NYPD in the airport as an abandoned bag. The reason it was returned to the Air Canada desk? It’s Air Canada luggage. Thank goodness we got new luggage this year and decided on the AC line.
The whole time Ali was convinced that the luggage simply missed the plane but my gut feeling was that I watched it being taken away. And I was vindicated. Just now. My luggage was just delivered by AC’s lost luggage (er, delayed baggage) delivery contractor. As I was sitting here writing this blog at oh-dark-stupid I thought perhaps I should check my bag to see if anything was missing. Because I’m a pretty care free guy I didn’t take an inventory of what I packed. I do, however, know for sure that my dress shoes are missing. Yes, my crappy dress shoes. The poor quality ones from Aldo with the soles I had replaced mere months after buying them and that I had to colour in parts of it with black felt. Yes, overall, the quality of those shoes was crap. Perhaps worse. Yes, 100% crap shoes from Aldo. And I paid a decent penny for them. Lesson learned. I hope the thief is forced to wear those shoes for all eternity in Hell. Yes I feel violated that my luggage was rifled through and the only thing deemed worthy of stealing was a crappy pair of Aldo shoes. Or perhaps that’s a sign that it’s time for a new wardrobe.
The only other casualty that I’m aware of at this late hour is my trusty Dell mousepad. In his haste to steal something good, the thief crumpled my ever so thin mousepad while checking through all the pockets. It’s been with me on all my Zymeta trips but now will find it’s final resting place in an NYC landfill. Final score today: NYC Thief 1, Douglas 0. But karma will get him in the end; I’m sure of it.
And yes, Mike, I man should not remember his passwords after drinking. Especially in NYC after having his luggage stolen.
Update: my nice black Diesel belt was also stolen. Ali figures the thief knew something about ‘accessorizing’. I still think he’s a low life moron. Or perhaps he was just lucky.
Fri, 30 Sep 2005 05:52 Posted in General
