Flying Observations

My recent flight home was an interesting one (not quite as exciting as some of the greyhound bus trips during my college days, but still interesting).

The flight into Louisiana was very bumpy thanks to stormy weather and an old prop plane. I hadn't felt that sick in a long time. Once off the plane we had to walk across the the runway only to discover the door to the terminal was locked and no one was responding inside. Felt weird to be standing out there watching other planes come in and wondering why they didn't realize a whole flight of passengers was standing outside on the runway. After finally getting inside, I headed to the bathroom where I ran into the flight attendant who told me she had thrown up twice during the flight. That made me feel better. If someone who flies all of the time got sick twice and I only felt that way but didn't get sick, that must mean I am better at flying right?..that's my twisted competitive side exposing itself.

On the flight back home, I had a layover in Memphis. I hadn't flown into Memphis before. So here is a warning for those vegetarians flying into Memphis: change your flight or be prepared. It is a vegetarian nightmare with a BBQ place every few feet, smiling pig faces, and the overwhelming aroma of roasting flesh. I am not a vegetarian so I enjoyed the local fare, but I can only imagine it wouldn't be a fun place to have a layover if you kept Kosher or you were a vegetarian.

The final leg of my flight was an interesting experience in American social/economic class. I sat between two very different men. One was a very well dressed vice president for a large railroad company with several vacation homes around the world. He spent most of the time glued to his laptop and trying to ignore the other man. A young guy dressed in shorts, a Grateful Dead t-shirt, and a very loud southern accent. I spent most of the flight listening to him. A construction worker from Mississippi who offered me drugs (Xanax) while taking some pills with his cocktail. A very chatty guy who moves every three months working on hotels across the South. A smoker who kept talking about his desire to smoke on the flight. I am not a smoker. Can't stand the smell or the idea of it. Glad it is not allowed in most public places. But this guy actually had some good business ideas for catering to smokers: movie theatres for smokers and flights specifically for smokers. I don't get much opportunity to hang out with construction workers so it made the flight go by quickly.

This is what I love about traveling. The unexpected conversations. The chance to meet people you don't ordinarily hang out with. Their stories. Things out of context that suddenly make sense or feel right or make me think a little more carefully. The funny and annoying things that happen along the way.