2023 - Trip #10 - Brisbane to LAX

 It's been 4 years since we last ventured out of the country.  Trip number 10 was supposed to occur in April 2020......when I was supposed to see Pearl Jam at The Staple Centre in Los Angeles.  Thanks to Covid, this was cancelled 3 weeks prior to departure and I am almost positive that my shrieks and wailing could be heard as far away as Hades.  We have seen many big acts both in Australia and the USA, however my beloved Pearl Jam has always been snatched from my clutches.  Not this time!  The kindness of a lady in Florida has pretty much guaranteed that I will see them.  I say "pretty much" because they have had to cancel a few concerts due to illness (talk about dejavu!) however they seem to be back on track now; We will need to fly from LAX to Dallas Fort Worth,  pick up a rental car, will pick up my friend from Florida who is staying with her sister, and drive the hour or so to get to "Dickies Arena". Due to Texas being to the East of LA, I will enter another time zone and will need to attend the concert in the clothes that I wear on the plane.  The big surprise will be how I react when the guys come on stage.  My guess is cry, or scream, or faint. There is a fairly last possibility of me peeing my pants.  I may even attempt to "body surf" across the heads of other concert goers to get closer to the stage  however there would be a large possibility of Greenpeace arriving to drag me out to deeper water. That would be interesting given that Dallas Forthworth is landlocked... but stranger things have happened.  Keep an eye out for a NEWS Headline "Aging Australian Tubby Dwarf Sets New World Record in Stupidity".   Ahhhh it will be interesting as I will have the added bonus of being sleep deprived thanks to jet-lag. If I can fall asleep whilst sitting in the FRONT ROW during a show we saw (ok...I didn't see much) on Broadway in New York a few years ago, AND, allegedly fell asleep during an Ice Hockey match when taking Alyx to see her beloved Anaheim Ducks....then I guess I can fall asleep, or, do something stupid with being jet-lagged at a Pearl Jam concert.  I highly doubt this though!

Apart from the concert, we will be doing a few things that we have not done before or go to places that we have not been to before.  I do wish to somehow visit all 50 states in the USA.  Of course it's a given that I will be heading to my favourite places in the world, such as Walmart, Pet Smart, The Hobby Lobby, In and Out Burger, Bubba Gump.....just to name a few.  And then in a fortnight we shall find ourselves boarding a ship in San Francisco and will sail to Auckland via Hawaii, Tahiti, and American Samoa.  20 days of excellent food, some interesting (I use the term loosely) entertainment, a cocktail or two, and sailing half way around the world.  Mind you, whilst I have cruised several times, we have always been near land.  The idea of sailing where there is no land in sight has me a little apprehensive given that I had to watch "Titanic" 5,697 times (thank you Alyx - not) as she was growing up.  I figure there is the bonus of being nowhere near icebergs however if something were to happen, I do know that a shark would pick me as a decent sized meal before a lot of people.  Of course, there is always the chance that a pod of whales might welcome me.

It is currently 3.19am in the morning here.  This time tomorrow, we will be approaching the half way mark and will arrive in LA in the evening.  We will stay at a hotel near the airport, before going back there in the morning to head for Dallas Fort Worth.  I am sure I will have plenty to add when we are waiting at the airport, because as everyone knows......I am never short of things to say!