S&G's Amazing Race

Blogman is allowing me the blog time today to thank everyone for their birthday greetings and to tell you about my amazing birthday race. As some of you know, one of my favourite TV shows is called the Amazing Race. 11 teams of two set out from some point in the US and race around the world for 2 weeks for a prize of 1 million dollars. After each leg of the race the last team to arrive at the pit stop is eliminated. During each leg, the teams must complete certain tasks successfully before they can continue. Anyway, I watch the programme faithfully when I can. A new season had just started while we were in Washington and as Janelle is also a fan, the ladies commandeered the Tv set on Sunday evenings. One of the great memories of Washington will be watching the Amazing Race with my wonderful daughter in law.
I have always wondered what it would be like to be on the show and I was given a taste for my birthday. British Airways had gone on strike and rebooked us on Continental Airways for our return to England. 1st clue - get ourselves to Baltimore/Washington International Airport to catch a 17:57 flight to Newark, New Jersey. We left Liam and Janelle's at 12:30 to catch the bus, then subway to Union Station. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day so I was wearing my sunglasses and no-one could see my red, puffy eyes. We arrived at Union Station in time to catch an earlier train to the airport (good sign; race going well)
Got to airport at 14:10. No line up at check in counter. Took this as a good sign. Should have been suspicious. Much toing and froing and disappearing by person helping us. She came back and said, "You have two options. (this in the show is called a detour) I can book you on the Amtrak train to Newark leaving at 16:20. It SHOULD get you into the airport an hour before your 20:00 flight and if you have no checked bags you can do it. Or you can stay over night somewhere and catch a 6:15 flight to Newark tomorrow and a 9:00 flight to London. This flight would get you in to Heathrow at 22:00". (every time on the show is given on the 24hr clock just to confuse us North Americans further in a stressful situation).
Quick decision. Go for option 1. All lotions, gels, sharp, pointy objects and the kitchen sink into the garbage can. With our now carry on luggage, we race through the terminal to get the shuttle bus back to the Amtrack station. The lady has told us there is an earlier train to Newark at 15:31 but she has been told it is completely booked. It is 15:00 when we board the shuttle bus. On the bus, I think we have come up with a plan to surmount our road block. (in the show a road block can be done by only one member of the team).George is to use his charm to get us on the earlier train and I will stay with the bags. We get to the station at 15:10 and I am yelling to George "Run, run!!". He takes off running and I stumble along as fast as I can with three backpacks. There has been a miscommunication and George didn't know what he was running for and I become one of those people I have always disliked on the show, the one screaming at her partner "What are you doing?! Why are you just standing there?!" Not an edifying moment. George's charm works, as it always does and we are on the 15:31 train. I have 2 1/2 hrs to contemplate my behaviour (not only did I scream, I also ran to the wrong platform, forgetting that Baltimore is south of Newark and we had to be on the northbound platform).
The train is late. We arrive at Newark airport at 18:10. Race to security point C. The line is enormous. Through security at 19:20. George had been unable to throw away his beloved razor but as his backpack goes through the machine, the two people running it are chatting and don't even glance at the screen. Feet in untied shoes, belts flapping, bags dragging, we run to gate 75. At 19:30 boarding begins and we are there and we are on and we have not been eliminated. And I never want to be in an Amazing Race again!