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January 8, 2000 |
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I flew out of Florida today. I had originally gotten a rental from the
airport so I wouldn't trouble my family in dropping me off. My cousin Ling stopped by the house to say goodbye.
My sister Aileen called me on my cell
phone (and even paged me a funny message). I
did some last minute things on my mom's new (for her) computer and finished
packing. I then said goodbye to the remainder of my family: my mom, Terry, John, and my nephew. I put Magic in his carrier and left. It was warm and muggy
probably mid-70's maybe even warmer.
The plane trip was uneventful, which is precisely how I like my plane trips. When something does happen out of the ordinary, it is typically not good… like a flight delayed or lost luggage or the like. Len is notorious for having all kinds of mishaps with his plane trips; I should make a list. Besides, nothing could happen to me, I was carrying my lucky drumsticks. Yes, I realize how this logic eludes the rest of you.
On my first flight, I was seated next to a young Bahamian woman, who was returning to school in Chicago (Ohio actually). We chatted a bit during before take off and it was quite fun talking to someone still going to college. She was an accounting major. We didn't talk that much during the remainder of the flight; I'm not sure why not, we just didn't. I was sitting across the aisle from a woman who was driving me bonkers. She was mauling the book she got for Christmas. Books have a dear place in my heart; I hate seeing them mistreated. This woman was opening the book in such a way to bend the binding, forever leaving creases on it. At times she was reading one handed and folded the pages back around the book. It was agony. She would also fold the full page in to mark her place. Now who am I to say what she does with her belongings, but there was a part of me who really wanted to scream at the woman. I was, however, able to restrain myself and did not say a word.
Since the trip was otherwise uneventful, I thought I might share a couple of thoughts that inevitably cross my mind while I'm flying. I know you're going to think I'm a lunatic, but really… I'm mostly harmless. Yes, they both involve air travel.
Here's the first. The airlines insist on showing you the safety instructions on every flight. Some of the aircraft are equipped with the self-inflating life preserver. I want one. Okay, I know it sounds nuts, but I want one. I want to see how it works, if it is a mechanical device, if it is simply gas under pressure, or what? Besides being curious about how it works, it would amuse me to keep one around. I know it is a twisted sense of humor, but that's me. Then I get stung with angst of guilt. What if I were to steal one and then the plane does get into a crash where a life-preserver would've saved someone's life? …I mean, if they weren't split into thousands of bite-sized pieces. Then I think about how many other people have tried… and failed. I wonder if there's some sort of security device that would alert people when you're taking these things off the plane. I also think about how often they check for ones that are missing are replace them. Yes, I know… way too many brain cells wasted on such non-sense.
Now here's the second. It involves seat selection. I like sitting in my assigned seat. Don't get me wrong, I'll occasionally change seats, so that two people could sit together for instance. If there are three of us packed in like sardines and there's a spare seat elsewhere, I don't feel a particular attachment to my seat. "Why this strange fondness to my seat?" you ask… Because, in the off chance that my plane does crash, my friends and family will know for sure that the charred remains in 24A are a collection of my former self. Hopefully the airline can figure out for sure and let them know. I also make sure that they know the flight numbers for each leg of my flight for the same reason. I know, it sounds kind of morbid, but I think about it.
Yes, I know… Now you're convinced I'm insane.
Seattle wasn't any different when I arrived. It was high-30's and overcast. There was talk of snow possibly on Monday. Jim picked me up from the airport. [Thanks, Jim] Magic seemed glad to finally be home. I turned the heat on my place and stepped out to grab a quick bite to eat. I then came home and crashed. It was the end of a very long day. Zzz…
January 8, 2000