Airports Don't Get Me High

[binqs]

I hate airports. Because I hate airports, my S.O. has decided to take a shuttle to a downtown location, where I will pick him up. The prob: his flight arrives at 11:00 p.m., and if everything goes well (oh, sure), the shuttle arrives at midnight.

Not picking him up at the airport would be a fine thing--if I didn't have to sit in an empty parking lot at midnight in a big city in not the greatest section of town. In a convertible. He thinks I'm just being a weenie (I am).

What do I do? Just take my driver's licence so they can ID my body later? I offered to pick him up at the hated airport (at least that hell has good lighting) but his mind is made up (as are his shuttle reservations).

I hate driving at night on tricky roads to a place I've never been before. It's like a slow crash landing. I have a friend who actually went through a (benign) crash landing...they instructed her to get out her drivers license and proof of insurance as she assumed the tuck position. (Like a piece of paper would survive a hard crash landing.)

But maybe I should take the insurance card, too.

I hate airports.

 

[Into The Light]

maybe send a taxi to pick him up?

 

[Jazzey]

Don't do it Binqs...I know that I wouldn't..I'd send an airport Limo to pick him up.

Binqs, what's "s.o."?

 

[binqs]

Hi, Jazzey. S.O. = Significant Other (or significantly other, I say.)

Yes, we've already had that "discussion." This is our compromise.

Understand that we live a loonnnggg way from the airport. I've rented cars for him at the airport, but this time it's just too expensive <sigh>. As they say, I'll just have to pull up my big girl pants and deal with it. I'd like to pull them up over my ears. :jump:

 

[Jazzey]

Please don't pull the girl pants over your ears. Then, how would we see you smile?

I hope you'll be safe binqs. When are you doing this?

Added: What's really helped me with my anxiety re: tricky roads - A GPS system. They're fairly cheap now..

 

[Into The Light]

what about him taking a taxi to the nearest safer parking spot for you?

 

[Halo]

Another option is if you have a cell phone you can always have a good friend on the phone while you are on your way there and while you wait (although for safety reasons, have the person on speakerphone while you are driving).

A friend of mine who had to drive 40 mins from her house to her parents just to do that while on the highway because she had a fear of highways and driving.....she always felt that talking to someone helped calm her down.

 

[binqs]

That's the thing, ITL. It *is* the nearest, safest spot. And even doing what we're doing is expensive.

It's my own fault for having airport-phobia. I think it will be okay--just feeling foolish and irrational. And then I'm irritable for feeling that way.

I'm excited to see him again, just don't want my foolish irritatedly irrational feelings to get in the way.

 

[Jazzey]

I don't think it's foolish Binqs. I hate airports too - and I'm in many airports during the months (for work)...hate them, hate them, hate them. But I'm happy that you can be excited about seeing him - maybe that will lessen the anxiety a little?

 

[Into The Light]

i don't think you're being a weenie. i would be nervous too to be sitting in a parking lot at midnight in a not so great end of town.

i like the idea of having someone on the phone while you wait.

also maybe try to time it as close as possible to when he arrives so you don't have to wait for long.

 

[binqs]

Thanks for the great suggestions and support! :flowers: I just got off of the phone with him, and now he wants me to meet him at a gas station *somewhere* near the original destination. Ha! Never been there either: "Just stay in the left lane [of a street that t-bones into a deadend at the courthouse!]. Ummm, okay.

Being directionally impaired does affect my life. :teehee: It's soo good to know others may be/feel that way too and have real methods of dealing with it.

The support/info that you all give here is amazing! But if you hear news from the States about someone binqing endlessly around the downtown of a city in the Lone Star state, just smile. Yep, it'd be your misguided friend.

Someone has to do it. But it's more fun to do it with your help. Thanks again.

 

[Jazzey]

Good luck Binqs Anything on the news about misguided friends and I'm coming down with my GPS

take care.

 

[binqs]

:thankyou::thankyou:Hey, everyone! Just a quick note of thanks! I did buy a GPS, even though I won't use it much, and it helped tremendously. We changed our meeting location after I talked with a few of my friends who thought the original pick-up point was *really* dangerous after dark. I made some mistakes getting to the second pick-up spot, but the GPS rerouted directions, and--success!

Also, he was wearing light-colored clothing which helped me to spot him in the dimmly lighted part of downtown--maybe a good tip if you have to do something similar in the future. Thanks again, and wishing *you* smooth navigations.