Sunday, November 7, 2010

Daily Report: 120 Days

I went through one of those Bio-6000 see-everything scanners at Detroit airport. ("Our new system lets us ensure safety and security without as much contact.") I step through the thing and the airport security guy speaks into his wristwatch, "Confirmed... anomoly, left groin." (As best I could figure, that's apparently DHS-speak for "his underwear is suspiciously tight", since that was the most anomolous aspect of my groin of which I was aware.) So, instead of the Bio-6000 see-everything scanner providing me less contact with security, for the first time at an airport checkpoint, an airport official got his hands on my balls.

Epril and I took the ferry to Cebu on Wednesday night. (Trust me on this: Presidential Suite or nothing... only double the price of the cheapest ticket yet 10 times the value.)

We had a nice vacation in Cebu before heading out to the airport. The Shangri-La resort hotel is very nice... but the food wasn't very good. We met with a very nice couple living in Cebu whom we had been introduced to via the Yahoo CDO Expats Group, who showed us the ropes of selling on eBay. We also had a nice evening wandering the SM Mall there, as well as some discount shopping in the market district.

After that it was off to the airport... one-hour evening flight to Manila... seven-hour layover... thirteen-hour early morning flight to Detroit... seven hour layover (drinking Sam Adams Winter Lager at the Fox Sports Bar)... then a three-hour flight to Fort Meyers, Florida... then a ninety-minute trip up to Venice.

Right now it is in the low 50's in Florida... what a ripoff: Trying to stay warm and this is what I get? My feet seem to be suffering the worst. They haven't had to heat themselves in almost a decade and seem to have forgotten how to do so. Work computer and monitor survived the journey without a problem. Mom and Paul have set up a nice home office for me and I have a breezy palm tree outside my desk's window as a reminder of home.

The tentative plan still is for me to return to The Philippines on March 1st... 4 months from now, give or take. But, we'll see what the future holds. Epril and my life has been literally been adjusting itself every day for the last 3 weeks and continues to do so.

Now: If you will excuse me, I need to go buy some nice thick socks.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jil Are you kidding about the scanner? I am seriously worried about it. I am thinking of telling my us relatives that I do not want to visit because of it.

Anonymous said...

Jil I recommend this site. http://www.visajourney.com/
I used the info from the forums, sample forms, asked questions, learned from others mistakes, etc. I got my wife here from Thailand in https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1943735266880000142&postID=2472361804700772857&isPopup=truerecord setting time. Your a bright guy. Dot your I's and cross your T's and you can do it also. It was also quicker and less expensive than using a lawyer.
Mike

Jil Wrinkle said...

Anon 8:08:

I'm not kidding in what was said or what happened... but the guy didn't actually grab my balls. However, he ran his hand all the way up the inside of my leg to the very top.

Mike: Thanks for the info.

Anonymous said...

Body scanners,what a disgrace. citizens harrassed at airports.Do you intend to help outsource jobs from the states?Gr8t,No one in the states needs the jobs!

Charles Hoag said...

Hello Jil, we never got a chance to meet, I've lived in Libona, Bukidnon for the last 2 years. My wife and I have been trying off and on to make money online (even with ebay, but the shipping killed us.) Care to share any tips you learned?