Nothing speaks to me that the world is getting normal again like watching people scampering to catch a flight that they might otherwise miss. The claustrophobia that Covid had wrought upon me got a ozone-hole sized puncture as I took to the skies today!

Exactly 11 months and 1 day earlier on Mar 13, 2020, I had taken my flight back from Chicago to Atlanta. And that was that.

The breakaway had all the hallmarks of the yesteryears. Made a reservation on Delta and Marriott to go to New York City. As I was wont to do before, I called them back next day to let them know that my plans had changed and I needed to change reservations. Down to even the last bit of calling Delta up this morning enquiring if they could change me to an earlier flight. Which they did.

Sure enough, the flight was delayed since the crew was not there. And yet, we came earlier than planned since the schedules are heavily padded.

One thing – seeing everybody having their masks on, I found myself wondering at times if I was in a Japanese or South Asian airport!

Covid is lurching around enough that I am still not into Joy Adamson-esque “Born Free-Living Free-Forever Free” mode yet… but my personal freedom which is defined by my ability to check into much delayed flights and noisy Marriott rooms undoubtedly got a boost today.

Eleven months and one day after my last flight!! Ever since I took my first flight of my life – a Damania Airways flight from Bombay to Kolkata towards the end of April, 1993 at the age of 27, never ever have I gone for this long without being in a plane. To put this in perspective, the previous year – in 2019, I was in 141 flights with 8 different airlines.

I feel like some normalcy was reached today!

Walk from check in counters to T terminal to the train tunnel and then walk all the way to terminals A, B, C, D and then E. This used to be my exercise of the day (invariably could not run on those days I had to fly). Felt good to re-live it again this morning!

One advantage of the virus pandemic is that I have been trying out a lot of coffee shops in the next 20 miles from our house. Most are owned by individual families. They let me sit inside or outside. (Starbucks is allowing us to sit outside now but not inside yet). The coffee is usually a little costlier and they take more time than Starbucks to prepare it. But the output, for some reason, I am finding to be far more enjoyable.

This is my cappuccino from this morning. He took a lot of pains to create the art. I messed it up with one long sip 🙂

But this could still have been avoided!!! 🙂

In fact, I asked the young lady why is 2 inches the same as 10 cm? Or does linear dimension expand in translation?

Julia – her name – who grew up in the city of Atlanta and was thankful that her parents who also live there did not get hit directly by the riots – at least saw the sense of humor in it and both of us laughed.

Soon all the workers started looking at all the boards around with the same error. I think Fulton county is going to mark me Covid positive just to spite me 🙂 🙂

We simply asked the coronavirus to stay at home.
How silly are those folks from other states feeling now, huh?

(This is on Highway GA 400)

What is that sign doing in that van? What does that even mean? The van is not allowed to park? You are not allowed to park *in* the van?

Hmmm…

The Taziki app asked for my car color when I ordered food for a curbside pickup. I put in as precise a car color as I could for this time of the year.

Turns out I need not have worried about they getting me mixed up with somebody else. I was the only car in the whole parking lot!!

TSA security line

No crowd. No cars. Just the cones that are supposed to keep them in line!!

Rock star parking for everybody!!