My Flight

I got on the plane, and the pilot said we were going to be on the ground for a while. He told us they were having some mechanical problems. Of course I started thinking about the blog I had just posted regarding this very topic and thought, "why would he tell us all that?" It made me mad. I had already wasted two hours, and now he's going to tell me about why the plane might fall out of the sky. Don't tell me I'm over reacting.

If I were the pilot I would have said "one of the outside light bulbs needs to be replaced and they can't find one. Might take a minute." No harm done if you do it my way right. Doesn't make the guy sitting in 17c a little jumpy.

He said, "There is some material that is hanging from the plane. Need to get a mechanic to look at before we leave." I realized then, and now that they wouldn't have left the ground if the plane was unsafe. I'm just saying if you do it my way, 17c is doesn't have to put on his ipod and turn it up as loud as possible so he won't hear any further details.

The 20 something girl sitting two seats over says, "isn't that thing too loud?" Referring to my ipod. You know what I said? I said nothing. I couldn't hear her, I had my ipod on remember? Hello, you paying attention here. Keep up with me. I took off my head phones, and said "what was that?" She said "I said (that's how I knew what she said the first time wise guy) isn't that thing too loud, I can hear it all the way over here." I'm thinking, who is this person? She the ipod police? Was she sent here by Hannah, and Georgia to follow me around and tell me when my ipod is too loud since they can't? Can this person who I've never exchanged any conversation with not see that I have my head phones on? Isn't that a universal sign for "don't talk to me?" No she must see that I have my head phones on because she talking to me about that very fact. So it must be that she doesn't understand universal signs.

So I told her "well, yes it is turned up rather loud, but that's because I don't want to hear anything else." Can you believe I was that rude? I can't even believe I was that rude. Makes me laugh to think back to it. She's says "ooooh, huh, I have an ipod too!" She than began to tell me all about her ipod, and ask questions about mine. I determined that not only could she not read universal signs, but she also did not have the ability to understand subtle conversational hints. I can't blame her though, she's from Canton Ohio. People from Canton Ohio seem not to need to read universal signs, or subtle hints. They just tell you flat out what they are thinking. That's how I found out she was from Canton Ohio. It's also how I found out she has a baby girl who is two years old. I also found out she's in school full time, and that this late flight might make her miss her connection and she's going to miss her class in the morning if that happened. Her class was at ten. She's single. She was visiting a friend in Sacramento that she went to high school with, and I'm sure there are many other things I forget. I learned much of this with asking a question to prompt the information.

I did get to use my head phones to watch the movie. Night at the Museum. Good movie. Thinking back it amazes me all the interesting things I've learned from people I've sat next to on flights. I think there is a sign some place on me that says "talk to me." Which quite honestly I am grateful for, because the sign could say a lot of other things.