I'm Leaving Today

August 17th 2008

Having a family living 2 flights away for the last 9 years of my young adult life has meant: many tears, goodbyes, hellos, hugs, phone calls, emails but mostly, MANY FLIGHTS! Flying two flights three times a year means MANY hassles. Sitting next to a bright-eyed 22 year old New Yorker, I anxiously picked apart her brain as I embark on my new adventure. Yet, in our exchange, she picked apart MY brain about flying and traveling as she carried on her experiences, and for the first time I felt my age.

We sat on the run way of Charlotte, North Carolina for 20 minutes because of the thunder and lighting going on around us, and we both looked to each other in a slight panic. My panic mostly came from the sheer fact that I was now 2 hours away from New York, and I quickly discovered that her panic was because she was going to miss her connecting flight.

“I’m 22 and just graduated college and our family always drove when we went on vacation,” she said to me at one point. Instantly reminded of all the traveling hassles, I looked out the window to take in the thunderstorm and I knew this little blip would be exactly that a little blip. I was not about to tell her about the 6 hours I sat at JFK once because of the dark dark dark and dreary thunderstorm that made even the darkest new moon night look like early morning. I refrained from telling her about the time I took a red-eye and the weather/delays which caused me to miss my connecting flight that happened to be the last flight out of the airport. Yup, in the middle of nowhere, I’m shipped off to timbuck two with all my luggage and just me to shlep it around. Oh, maybe I could tell her about the time that they lost my luggage for 5 days, but they sent me a 500 dollar check to cover all the expenses that I incurred. Maybe a story of the MANY times that I have sprinting across the airport to make my connecting flight? No, that won’t comfort her Beverley…..Hmmm….. “Don’t worry, this won’t take long and you still have plenty of time to make your connecting flight,” I replied. Seemed the only appropriate thing to say, and for the record, I understand the condescending I-know-everything type of responses I used to get from parents now. I totally get it – I still hate it, so, I tried my hardest to sound hopeful instead of knowledgable. She took it well because she began to give me a glimps into her life in New York.

Returning from her recent vacation in the bay area, she compared where she lived in New York to Palo Alto and San Francisco with the only difference being that the public transportation was significantly better. She told me about the different sections of New York and more and more I started to feel comforted by the similarities to home. Yes, I know, I KNOW it will be completely different. The people will be colder, and I will have to experience the tourist – esk life of New York before I can really begin to find my way of life living in this state – particularly because I have not moved yet. ☺ I am just hoping that it will be similar enough for me to not feel completely isolated and empty.

Just as suspected, the delay took no time at all, and just like that the thunder and lighting ceased and we were getting off the plane. I turned to her, and I thought I met my first New Yorker – super nice and I helped her. I comforted her! Not exactly what I was expecting, but I’m not sure what I was expecting – her to slice my neck while screaming “I’m a mean New YORKER.”

I’m boarding my flight to LGA now.

I Made It to Florida in One Piece

Remember the days when you could sit at the gate with your loved one until their flight took off? There you could tearfully watch their plane depart, and linger at the door gate for seconds more after their departure. Oh, and remember when picking people up from the airport included a joyful hello right at the moment you stepped off that forsaken plane? I think I miss that the most because only everyone in the world knows just how awful it is to sit on a plane -even for 45 min.

Being able to walk into the gate area with all your cloths on is a close second though. I guess my suspect sweatshirt must be screened because someone has found a way to sew some of something dangerous into the thread of my clothing, and only unsuspecting ME would be wearing that sweatshirt. I'm looking forward to the day where we all have to wear airport onesies, and instead of 3-1-1 (liquid rules) signs splashed all over the place, we'll see: arrive one hour early to change into your airplane onesies.

After I managed to make it through the hose down of the security checkpoint and put all my cloths back on, I made it to the gate to sit and wait for an hour. In my favor, I sat in a window next to two normal sized people, but I did struggle with my usual pass out. I usually can instantaneously fall asleep on a plane, but this time, my knee started aching and I could not get comfortable. Is this a sign of my age? I did manage to fall asleep, but my eyes STRUGGLED to open when the landing annoucement came on at approxiametly 7:10am EST.

WHA? I am NOT supposed to be awake this early. I forced my eyes to remain open eventhough the eye glue begged me to keep them shut. I got off the plane, and found my gate for the next plane and I managed to find the only drunk person in the entire city sitting right next to me.

I know! Who gets drunk at 8am in the morning? I mean REALLY??!?! As he began to run his mouth about all the famous people he knows, what it's like to travel all the time, leaving his wife for his new stewartest girlfriend whom he like to marry, the age of his military song that I would be PERFECT for, how he can upgrade me to first class and how he managed to get drunk at 8:00am in the morning, I slowly stared right through him begging BEGGING to board the plane. Lucky me, he's sitting right in front of me.

I managed to shake him when he started chatting up the blonde girl sitting next to him, so, I decided to put on my sweatshirt hood fully convinced that I would now be shielded by the invisibility property the hood provides. I quickly ducked out of the plane and ran towards the baggage claim to be greeted by the comfort of my family.

I'm looking forward to this holiday.