In the clouds…literally!
I recently returned from the better part of a month’s stay in FL with my mom…discussing my new path in life & how lame paths are b/c people are constantly trying to find theirs, but always seem to crash into everyone else’s path.
Coming home, I flew into a new-to-m airport, Memphis!, & thoroughly enjoyed the stroll through musical history as I dashed to catch my connecting flight that was boarding before I even got off the first flight.
My final flight of this adventure from Memphis to LAX was the most TURBULENT flight of my life…& I fly a lot!!
Most of you know my parents divorced when I was young, so visiting the two families created lots of opportunities to fly…more so than the average family vacation flights.
Consequently, I LOVE to fly! Packing I could do without. But flying is fun!
Of course everyone is excited about where they are going (except funeral attendees, can’t imagine they are too excited), but me, I look forward to the plane ride.
It’s true proof of packing skills if I manage to cram my entire life into a suitcase or two & they pass the weight limit test at check in…it is so embarrassing to have to crack open your suitcases at the check-in counter & transfer items to another bag. If you manage to guess-timate the correct amount of weight & move it to another bag, you have to pick up all the items that have fallen out & shove it all back in…attempting to sit on two suitcases to zip them closed, all while the attendant waits & the 400-person long line stares at you with impatience in their eyes is very tough.
So, this time I passed. Barely. Now it’s off to the security line, where the art of TURBO STRIPPING is practiced. This very difficult form of artistry entails ripping out your laptop and any other electrical device that some genius decided could be used as a bomb, taking off all extra layers of clothing, including you shoes (even if they are one-layer flip-flops), putting everyone into plastic bins that never seem to want to come apart, holding your boarding pass & license to be rechecked b/c the scrutiny of twelve security agents isn’t enough to ensure you are the same person on the same flight as you were 6 steps ago, pushing your 2 carry-ons & at least 2 bins with your 2 arms through a conveyor belt all while the people behind you act like they are trying to escape a fire coming at them from the security line. Whoo…made it. You may now put your shoes back on , but oh, not here…you’ll hold up the line.
Finally I made it to the plane & my seasonal weight test confirms although I struggle with my weight, I can still fit comfortably into my airplane seat. A feeling of “ah” comes over me as I am glad to be going on another trip!
This feeling is quickly interrupted by a blast of icy air coming from my feet, to which I promptly wrap myself up like a mummy with whatever blanket & sweaters I’ve remembered to bring.
Did I mention I love flying??
I like the reclining seats, the arm rest that I always hog if possible, the cute little tables folding out from the back of the guy in front of me’s chair, a.k.a. his flotation device, the flight attendants who bring drinks and snacks & never have an answer for why there are no more peanuts on flights anymore, the captain who always says ‘hello’ & tells me all about his flight plans and the weather as though I might change my traveling based on this info, & the view of watching things getting smaller and smaller before disappearing under the clouds, then new sites appear from under the clouds and get larger and larger before a jolt on the landing tarmac reminds me this part of the trip is nearing the end.
So, back to my ULTRA TURBULENT flight from Memphis to LAX. As I’m sitting there watching the wings on the plane jostle around while grasping my drinks and snacks so not to loose them in the abyss under my seat, I started to wonder how the good ole’ cap-i-tan feels when he starts to feel the plane jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean.
Does he think to himself: ”Crap, gotta hold on, keep steady, stay cool” or “oooh, hope those folks don’t remember my name from earlier, I don’t need any more complaints” or, maybe “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t bring the plane down…that would be the icing on an already crappy day.”
Me, personally, I don’t mind the turbulence much, unless my drink spills or I have to hold my bladder for an hour before the captain turns the fasten-seat-belt sign off. That I’d mind.
Ah. Anyway. I’m now home again, back from a lovely trip with some new goals, slight changes & a new pet, but I’ll be blogging about all that later on…
