The Professor, who has a lifetime Platinum reward status with an airline (his father was a captain for that airline, so he got a head start), managed to get me Gold status last year by taking me to Africa. Gold is good. They automatically upgrade me to 1st class on domestic flights, and we can buy cheap coach tickets for overseas flights, pay a little money & a few miles, and get 1st class on most overseas flights. But this year I haven't accumulated enough miles to keep my Gold status; in fact, it looked like I wasn't even going to make Silver.

Well, the Professor didn't like that at all, so he set out to do something about it. He decided we should take a trip the day after Thanksgiving and return on Monday. (My vacation year runs May 1 to April 30, but I have to do this travel in this calendar year.) I suggested a lot of domestic destinations. Only Anchorage was far enough, and, I don't know, something about the idea of bitter cold and no sun just didn't turn me on. (Actually, Hawaii was far enough, but the flights are outrageously expensive at this time of year, at least when you're buying at the last minute.) So I suggested Ecuador, France, Spain, Portugal. I went to run a couple of errands. He called me, triumphantly, and announced that we are going to ....

Tokyo.

Tokyo???? I can't even get an anagram from the places I suggested! The Professor's explanation was that normally you can't get a 1st class upgrade on those flights no matter who you are, but apparently no one is traveling there at Thanksgiving. (Have I mentioned before that he is even worse about a bargain than I am?) So we are leaving Friday morning for a 13 hour flight to Tokyo. It will be Saturday morning when we get there, but he assures me I will never see the sun rise or set. We are coming back on Monday and will arrive in Houston 4 hours before we leave Tokyo. I'm not sure what we will do on our whirlwind tour -- either visit Hiroshima or catch a plane for Sapporo to see the snow monkeys. I'm inclined toward the latter, but since the Professor is better at making these arrangements, I'll leave it to him.

I don't want to sound like a spoiled brat, but I am soooo dreading this trip -- wrong time, too long a flight for my sinuses to handle, way too much to do at home and at work. But I know he won't give me any peace unless I go with him. I do intend to enjoy it. I'm not so spoiled that I'd get all pouty and ruin the trip. His son & family will be here for Thanksgiving. Sometimes they stay over, sometimes they don't. Well, they're welcome to stay as long as they want, it's just that we won't be here. Sad, huh, but his son grew up this way (travel comes first) and doesn't see anything strange about it.

While he was at it, the Professor made reservations leaving December 30th for Switzerland, coming back on the 4th of January. I have always wanted to ski in Switzerland, and now I will get to. I am excited about that trip. I guess we sound like jet-setters, but we travel more like Rick Steves (of PBS.) Pictures soon!