Aaaand there was a lot of time in transit. From waking up at 3:30 am Saturday morning to catch my flight out I was on the move! NYC-Chicago-Orlando-Long Island-NYC. I got home last night around 1am. But today I really do feel fine at work, despite being told I look a bit "glazed." (Like a sexy donut.)You do great things for the people you love.
My views on flying continue to have their ups and downs. I was a great flyer as a kid, but as I told you, that's because mom plied me with toys. I was pretty good through high school, with nerves only really kicking in on trans-Atlantic flights. I reasoned that plunging into the ocean was much worse than crashing into the ground...because I am an idiot. I also dreamed of ways that I would save myself in an emergency...like wearing one of those winged-Lycra "Squirrel suits" under my clothes when flying. Then, if needed, I could simply strip down to my squirrel suit and glide to safety.
*Bedsheet as parachute does not work. You will die.
Side Rant. Carry on bags. This is for all you fuckers who either think one large suitcase or three medium sized bags are acceptable! THEY ARE NOT!!! Check that bag before I wreck you! One small bag and maybe a purse for the ladies. That's it. Just accept that you might have to allot a few extra minutes to pick up your bag afterwards. I'm sick to death of watching you trying to shove a hard case bag the size of a dwarf into the overhead. You are thoughtless. You are an idiot. You are an asshole, and may God have mercy on your depth and size perception impaired soul. Just as irritating though is the fact that airlines aren't trying to stop them! What the hell, man?!? Airlines, you have these rules for a reason! Time to enforce them. Call me (maybe) if you'd like some help.
Back to flying. A very scary flight a few years back (small plane, big storm) scared the shit out of me, and ruined my airline spirit. My sense of safety was really, seriously damaged. I spent the entire flight huddled into a ball in my seat with my jacket over my head, that's how scared I was. After that, I lost my muchness. Every bump and dip on a flight caused me to gasp and grip the seat in terror. More than once, gentle strangers seated next to me would ask if I was ok. And then...I read a CNN article on "why planes crash" and weirdly I felt a lot better. The article discussed the mechanics of large passenger planes, the training of pilots (what is great and what needs to be improved) and why things bump and move the way they do. It didn't "cure" me but it sure did help a lot.
So last night I flew home into the most beautiful sunset, contentedly picking at Cheese Nips and wondering if I could register for my future wedding at Skymall?
(I'd like the Yeti garden statue and the hot dog cooker.)
(Yeti see you.)
It was then that it dawned on me that I couldn't remember the last time I'd flown WITH someone. I always fly alone, and have for as long as I can remember. I don't even think CA and I flew together to LA for that big awesome road trip we took in 2007. I don't fly with anybody. Not with family not with friends. I am a flying lone wolf, but I'd like that to change. Maybe, just maybe, I would be less scared of the occaisonal bumps and dips with a companion. Even just a travel buddy- someone to let me sleep on their shoulder, do the in-flight magazine puzzles, share my Cheese Nips with. I think I would be less scared if I could fly with a friend.
