--Shorter Summary at the bottom of the journal--

Hey friends, I know I’ve been radio silent for the most part, and I think now is as good a time as any to let you all know what’s been going on for the past while.

I’ve been pretty busy non-stop from September to December, after a crazy burst of work, things didn’t stop for the Christmas Holidays and into the New Decade.

Work itself has pretty much stopped since November. I’ve worked twice since 2020 has begun.
In January I did not work once. This has been a sluggish beginning, and it has not been uncommon in past years at this time for me to feel the stresses and the pinch from my meager sources of income.

That being said, I usually take some form of annual vacation every year, usually in November when flights are cheap and work slows down. I’ve since learned that January and February are also relatively safe bets for longer time away to recharge and get a change of scenery. I did not take a vacation in November because I was lucky enough to actually have a surplus of work going for me at the time, so instead I made the plans in November to go away this coming March.

I plan was that on March 1st, I was going to fly to London, England for a majority of the month! I was supposed to be staying there with a friend and co-worker who moved to London in January 2019 and I whom have not physically hugged in over a year. I planned a nearly 4 week visit and since I was staying with them for free I didn’t have to worry about accommodation expenses. I was really looking forward to seeing my friend and getting to enjoy London again. I’ve been once before, only for 3 days. In the large time I had planned to be away, I wanted to potentially go see some other countries thanks to the incredible low fare flights available over there.

Now, it’s March 4 (my Birthday) and I am still home, what happened you ask? Well, 2 days before I was scheduled to depart, while I was at the Currency Conversion place in fact, my friend called me and with ‘apparent’ deep regret had to cancel on me due to some deeply serious issues.

I was pretty stunned, and while I have extreme empathy for my friend, this was absolutely a low blow. I am stuck with these airplane bookings that I am unable to get refunded or transferred into credits and 4 wide open weeks with no accommodations. Help :( Stranded Human!

I’ve taken a couple days to recover, mourned missing my initial departing flight without me on it, desperately wishing for a Dragon to fly me over. It’s the gross fact of lost money; the airline took my money and would not refund me because my basic economy ticket is under the strictest regulations when it comes to refunds, exactly zero. You buy an Economy flight, if you don’t take it; you’ve lost your money. My friend said they will pay me back for my lost flight but I am having a rather hard time believing them right now.

I’ve been humming and hah-ing and I think, as a special Birthday gift to me, I’m going to book another 1 way ticket to London anyway (they are super cheap right now) and go for a solo adventure for a smaller amount of time and take my original return flight back home at the end of it, so that my entire trip was not entirely wasted. I will have lost some money, but in the end not a whole heck ton, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson about having backup plans. Had it not been so close to my actual departure date I wonder if I would have been able to make plans with any UK people and seek shelter.

Maybe that can still be an option. I plan on heading to London now around the 17th and stay for about a week and a half, my return flight is on the 26th. Are any London UK peoples around who could offer some good accommodation recommendations? I’ve got my eye on a couple hostels in London, maybe a casual hangout could happen! I’ve been fiddling around with perhaps also checking out Ireland or Poland, if I go there I might get to stay with a certain Dragon buddy! That be insanely cool, but I’m not too sure yet. Within the next day or so I’m for sure booking a plane ticket again, I’m not going to let this ruin my chance for some time away.

I’ll need all you loving, caring, protective Dragons and flying creatures to send your positive energies and auras to safeguard my plane when it flies, likely on March 17, (St Patrick’s Day!) I’ll keep you guys updated, thanks for reading all of this is if you made it this far.

Summary:

• Been working a lot before Christmas -Worked only 2 days since 2020 began -Need to get away -Been saving up for a long vacation -was supposed to leave March 1 to London UK and stay with a friend -2 days before leaving my friend cancelled on me for deep personal issues
• I was stuck with 2 flights I could not get refunded or changed
• I didn’t take my departing flight, a decision I am regretting.
• Now planning to take a new departing flight to London
• planning to stay a week or so, longer if anyone is willing to shelter me.
• will take my original flight back home so it is not wasted.
• learned a lot about who my friends are and to have back up plans.
• lost a lot of money
• might visit Ireland or Poland
• It’s my Birthday today