Soooo, ennui...
I was thinking about this yesterday (largely whilst waiting in JFK Airport, as to which, more later), but it struck me that ennui is not appropriate for airports. I shall expound...
When you're about the fly somewhere (I typed someone there. That is completely different), it seems to me that the overwhelming sensation is one of anticipation; waiting for the flight to board, buying anythingg you've forgotten. I suppose, and this is a grudging concession I've only just thought of, that you might feel a twinge of ennui if you'd left entirely too much time between check in and the flight leaving, but I think that would be easily assuaged with some decent reading matter. And I would defy anyone to feel even a twinge of ennui in the "Clubhouse" as Virgin rather poncily call the Upper Class lounge. I could probably have spent a weekend there, to be honest.
But what about when you reach the destination; ennui...? Nah, I reckon it's more like complete frustration; you want to clear customs and immigration as soon as possible to get on with the holiday. It took us over an hour to clear immigration and customs yesterday; I cannot see a good reason for that, and we had to give fingerprints, which was a little alarming. But there were electronic fingerprints (whilst I am sure I can find out how that works, it seems suitably space-y so as not to believe it was really happening. And I had spent some time wondering if they would give us a cloth to wipe the ink off our hands. Silly me!). Then we had to wait for the shared transport to the hotel. I do wonder in the end whether the differential between $34 and the $45 for a cab was worth it. But, to be honest, I have no clear idea, as I have no idea what the dollar is worth at the moment (and there have always been complicated sums to do there; I've never got over there being 10 francs to the pound; I could cope with that).
The hotel and room are fine. The area looks pretty lively, which might be code for red-light, but isn't (as far as I know atm, and there was someone with a red light in a window just opposite yesterday). The bed is suitably squishy, but I am reckoning that I am bound to fall out of it at some point, and it is very very high for a small person.
Is raining at the moment, and J is still asleep, so not sure what we will do. Perhaps departments stores, perhaps Museum of Modern Art. Perhaps I will beat this netbook into submission so that it works properly and doesn't go offline every now and again. Or not, otherwise I would be in right trouble.
