Once More Before I Leave :: December 21st, 2001 ::
Yesterday morning, my sister woke me up at four in the morning to take me to the airport. After dealing with the new "security" measures (which included my running my laptop through the X-Ray machine twice and made me feel more annoyed than safe), I got on a plane for Chicago, there I would meet my connecting flight to Seattle. I got there just fine, on time even, but not after having to deal with some of the most awful people in the most cramped spaces. Though I probably couldn’t blame only our national paranoia, or only the holidays, I feel completely certain in saying that now is the worst experience ever, that the people at United are not only completely incompetent but mean as well, and that if you can all avoid it, please stay away from commercial air travel. You will love people more, including yourself.
So I’m in Seattle now, alternately typing and staring out a window that overlooks a wooded hill. There’s at least one house in there, and I see a pickup truck. At the bottom of this hill, I can see a blinking stoplight go off and on, off and on. The ferry Jessamyn, her sister Kate, and I will be taking to Alaska will be leaving into five and a half hours, and I don’t think I could be more happy about how the next week will be. Of course, there is always room for some disaster, but why think about that these now? Which makes me think of one more thing w/r/t flying. When I got off the plane, I had no explanation for why people would do this, why they would subject themselves to the awful experience of cramming themselves into this massive steel tablet with wings with a bunch of other people they don’t know, just because the trip saves a bit of time. But then, when I got into the city, met up with Jessamyn, talked to her as a real person for the first time since November, and realized just how much I’d missed her in the past month, that awful trip I took was put in perspective. The awful people I dealt with, the sinus headache, the inability to sleep became, well, worthwhile.
Please blame my sappiness on the New Year coming soon.
