konfessions of the Koog

When we were in the UK for a month in 2023, Mrs. Koog did all the driving. I will admit, she hit nothing and no one. She got us safely from London to Bath to North Wales to Liverpool and all over Scotland until we turned in our car in Edinburgh. And when we turned in that car, it was pristine. No dings, dents, scratches or bumps. As I have written in the past few entries my trip was magical and healing and all those things trips should be. With one exception, driving. I was nervous when I booked the trip that I would forget to stay to the left and cause an international incident on the M4. Apparently, staying to the left would not be the problem. No, my problem was staying too far to the left. For some reason, I completely lost my depth perception on the left (passenger side). This issue wasn’t a real problem on the motorway as there was a shoulder and every time I’d cross the line I was able to correct immediately. The drive from Heathrow to Conwy, Wales was uneventful until I go...

After a tough go these past few months, I am off on a short solo trip to find myself again. For some reason, I think I may be lost on a mountain in North Wales. Yes, it is a strange place for someone that hates to fly, has a fear of heights and hasn’t really loved the outdoors for the past say 50 years. I am a very, very, very fearful flyer. This trip was strangely different. Sure, it may be the meds but I had almost no anxiety about the flight. This calmness made me nervous. Poor Mrs. Koog had to listen to my nervous banter about being calm for an entire morning. Is this how normal people travel? I must have asked her this question 100 times in 100 different ways. I may have also asked in Spanish, German and Welsh. Anyway, I got to the airport and was able to use my charm, good looks and credit card to upgrade to first class for a couple hundred bucks. I don’t want to discount my charm and good looks, but it seemed the lady was mostly interested in the credit card. The Virgin At...

Well, we made it safely and soundly across the pond. Flight was fantastic, E-Koog and B-Koog went to the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot seat. I was remarkably sober having taken only 2 anti-anxiety pills (tranquilizers) and was actually able to sleep for an hour or so on the flight to London. Flight: Not sure if it's a scientifically proven, but Koogs HATE flying. Maybe it's a generalization since the rest of my family seem to actually enjoy it? Not sure, but I do not enjoy any part of it. I know, it's safe...it's a control thing for me and I could write thousands of blog posts about my control-freakiness... Anyway, not much to say here except the food and the service on Virgin Atlantic was spectacular. The flight stewards work so hard to accomodate even the most, ahem, needy passenger. Rental Car: We originally rented a Vauxhall Minivan from Costo's travel program. About 2 weeks ago I wanted to confirm with Mrs. Koog the specs of the automobile. It went li...