cornerofmadness

They got like another seven inches of rain last night. I sort of knew I was doomed when at midnight another lightning storm moved into San Antonio. Mom calls me at 7 AM to tell me my flight into Dallas was canceled and I had been rerouted into O'Hare in the afternoon.

That gave me another whole morning to go exploring so I went down to the Riverwalk (good place to be since nothing is open but a few breakfast places and NO ONE walking around) and cruised down it to surface to go to that Cathedral after all. Unsurprisingly the San Fernando Cathedral is exquisitely Spanish Catholic. Like the Italians, Mary features prominently. But the Spanish might be even more gaudy. The altar was a lot of gold leaf. I did snag a few pictures of it but it was hard since it IS a cathedral with a lot of people milling about. Some taking pictures. Some praying. I also saw a Lady of Guadalupa painting (with gold leaf) and one who is new to me, the Virgin of Candelaria, the patron saint of the Canary Islands (i feel I need to read up on these islands after this trip) and she's depicted as an African Madonna. There is a version of the pieta in color but so many people have stroked Jesus's knees and feet the color is worn through. In the doorway is a box of the comingled remains of Bowie, Crockett and other Alamo defenders....I guess. It said they were exhumed and displayed but most of the tour guides said Santa Anna had burned the bodies. Hmmmm.

The flight out annoyed me because they wouldn't let me keep my carry on. This is becoming an increasing problem. If it's not a flat floppy bag that can go under a seat they don't want you to have it. This was a smaller plane and even me pleading that it has medical supplies in it I was forced to check it because those wouldn't fit in the computer bag. Mostly I was worried about the two breakable things in it. I was really pissed because I had the emergency row seat (my favorite) and there was MORE than enough room for me to have put it under the seat.

I got into O'Hare and we were SUPPOSED to board early. Somehow they couldn't find the damn flight crew who should have been there at 5:25 to get it started. They showed up at 6:25 to a crowd of pissed off people. Once again I had to fight them on the carry on but someone took his out of the bin and shoved it under a seat so I wouldn't have to do go all the way back to the desk and check it (and why wasn't it checked before I got on. Surely they knew how much room was on this thing). Luckily the breakables weren't broken because I know how to pack if nothing else.

O'Hare is four for four. The last three times I've flown out of there they're ruined my luggage. Got mine back tonight with a long rip up the back. They say they'll fix it. I say it's old and I probably will just go buy something new but not right now. I have to recover from over 1000$ in hotel fees alone. Texas, like Florida, has no state tax so they tax the living hell out of the tourist industry.

I'm home with the parents. Kanda is unimpressed by my return. I'm exhausted but I wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to