Friday

Sept. 28, 2001

take off

Flying and airplanes symbolized the good life to me for a long time. You were jetting away to get far away from Texas, across oceans maybe, to see museums and to hear people speaking other languages. Oh, the wonderful adventure of it! And the plane got you there. So for years even after I started hating flying (my ears didn't cooperate, my poor circulation and bursitis making sitting still hurt, the increasingly brusque service making one feel culpable somehow) I still got excited to be on an airplane. Like something wonderful is usually at the other end. It makes no sense, really, but then smelling diesel exhaust and thinking of Europe doesn't either. (Real butter on bread with strong black coffee screams Europe to me, too.)

So I set off to fly for the first time since September 11. I think everyone will mark their flights as before and after. I noticed before and after Lockerbee, too. But this is even more extreme.

And I leave this page to hold my place and yours until I can update again. There is always a sense with business travel that getting there is most of the work. After that the customers and selling are easy. I feel even more that way this trip.

I'll be back some time to update this page for myself and my silent readers.

Stay calm and peaceful. And celebrate the fact that you are free.

A happier time.

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace..."

John Lennon, "Imagine"

Meta:
We'll just be keeping Lennon's radical lyrics here indefinitely. I'm leaving FFP, dog, and hearth and home today.

JUST TYPING
Flying.
The drone of the engine.
The Slight Deafness.
Taking me to exciting things.
Inside offices.
Pretty much the same all over.
Except...some nice accents.
And better coffee generally.
For offices.