Take Flight

In these days of Heightened Airport Security
I can't help but see this subliminal message!

I am writing this as I sit on the plane flying back to England.

I love flying.  I remember that one year, through work,  I had flown over 140 times!  Short day trips and longer flights.

I am amazed at the man behind me.  He is holding a bible, and a rosary, and has spent the last two hours sitting there, head bent, and with his eyes closed.  When I say 'holding' the bible and rosary I mean strangling them.  His knuckles are white.

He isn't sleeping...he is praying: with the occasional groan.

The flight from LA to London meant a transfer at Chicago.  He got on at Chicago and we have at least 8 hours flying time so, as prayers go, that is going to be a humdinger.  I hope his personal God is taking notes.

So here we sit.  All is quiet apart from the hum of the engines, the clink of the glasses at the bar, and the occasional groan of the praying man.

This is 1st class.  Big comfortable seats. A bar.  I am up front in the bump of the Jumbo Jet.  I wonder if I should tell the praying man that if we crash I will probably act as an airbag for him and he will be OK? Maybe not.

Fear of flying has always puzzled me.  They say it is the safest form of travel.  You can be born on a plane, live on a plane while it flies non stop and you would reach 77 years of age before it ran into any kind of trouble.  I don't really believe that...I think it would need to refuel occasionally.

Checking the in flight magazine I see that we are strapped into a huge 231ft long metal tube that shot along the runway at 180mph to take off and climb up into the sky, weighing 833,000lbs, containing 52,000 gallons of fuel, flying at an average height of 36000ft and hurtling through the air at 565mph to land on a two mile strip of concrete....what could POSSIBLY go wrong with that?  I wonder if the praying man has read that?  Probably.

DON'T!

I hope he hasn't looked at the bulkhead wall.  There is a door 3 feet away from him which, if I can, I will take a photograph of....and there it is...see what I mean?...>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It is a door leading to oblivion by the looks of it.  I hope he realises it is not an option.

Sitting at the bar having a third large Gin and Tonic I think back to the seminar and the trip to LA for one night.  It was a shame that nothing got coordinated to meet my online friends...times and plans change at the last minute.

+Nora Whalen who I thought would be in LA flew to Seattle to meet +Jessica Dewell so we probably passed each other at 30,000 the other day.
+Connie Avila-Von Leitner was probably busy moving home so that's a meet for next time.
I noticed on email just now that I did have the chance to meet with Phil from +OneGR8Life !!!!  Damn you Googlemail.  that shot into my spam box for some reason.  Sorry Phil, next time, which is in a couple of months.
In LA Paul made a Rendang Pandang curry that blew my head off as if a distress flare had gone off in my mouth.  It was fantastic.

Tony, who came to LA with me while the rest of the team flew home is still in LA looking at the women on the beach.  We really scared a guy near the Dodgers stadium when Tony asked him if there was somewhere nearby he could get some fags!  The guys expression will live in my mind forever.  God bless you sir, but he only wanted to buy some cigarettes!!  Lost in Translation.

Seattle was great, what I saw of it, and I will go back.  Something called Cow Burgers(?) was recommended but I went Mexican instead...not a great idea....I love Mexican food but it was late and there was an early start and it was convenient.  I will try the double decker burger next time.

Spent some private time at the grave of Bruce Lee and his son Brandon.  Then the guys wanted their pic taken for the Dojo wall and the mood was shattered!!!  RIP Bruce.

Didn't have time to go up the Space Needle and realised that Frasier's apartment was a film set in Burbank so all in all...still plenty of stuff to do on the next trip.

I liked what I saw this first trip to Seattle, and of course LA which I have been to many times.  I get the feeling I need to relocate there...around the Seattle area...it suited me.

East coast bound in late august.  A trip for work and a visit to my cousin who married a man in the Air Force over there.  If the timing is right I may get to meet +Kate Nasser in person.  Google has opened up a world of contacts...

We are now approaching England.....and the praying man is sleeping.  Dreaming of happy landings...and so am I.