Pearl
I guess you'd get used to the insanely constant gorgeous weather after a few years. Enjoyed my first papaya at our parting breakfast, in an open-air fan-covered area behind the O'Club, I guess redundant to say "by the water." We shuttled our visitors to the airport and said our hearty Mater-esque guBAHs, mission officially complete. Had a few hours before our flight home, so Chris was nice enough to take me over to the USS Arizona Memorial a short drive around the corner to Pearl Harbor. Very tranquil location, with a shuttle boat that takes people from a visitor's center out to the flotilla straddling the sunken ship, rusty gun bases protruding above the surf. I found it odd how many Japanese tourists there were, especially those snapping pictures of each other doing the Hawaiian 'shaka' hand signal (thumb and pinkie sticking out). I'm sure they meant no harm, but it looked like Germans going to Auschwitz and doing 'bunny ears' with each other.
Last-minute operational requirements prevented our being able to ride the AF C-40 (basically a luxury 737) back to Scott AFB, so we had to scramble to get a seat on commercial with the sort of folk I lovingly call "the riffraff." Basked in the bitter butter the whole 1st leg to Dallas/Ft Worth, since even though I had an aisle seat, it was in the very rear of the plane, next to a toilet and just in front of the flight attendants' work area. So even if I could sleep cramped in a seat the size of a grade school child's desk, hearing constant chatter, ice bag banging, vaccu-flushing, or morons slapping at the accordion-style shitter door (I twice pointed at the sign that said, "PUSH") prohibited any shot at even giving it the ol' college try.
Instead, I watched "WALL-E", which wasn't the best Pixar movie ever, though I submit watching it on the airplane ceiling with occasional cockpit interruptions, people constantly walking past to empty their urethral cavities sixteen inches from my head, and iPod earphones is probably not the way Disney intended.
Landed for our 2-hour layover just as the airport was waking up, but 2 a.m. for us. Fortunately, the flight to DC was sparse enough that I could lie down and sleep, for only the 2nd time on a plane for me. (2000, on the Germany-to-Turkey leg, also lying across three seats.) Stiff neck, face lines and full-body blanket fuzz be damned, MAN is that the way to travel.
When you don't have your own C-40.
Which had a couch.
I'm just saying.
Last-minute operational requirements prevented our being able to ride the AF C-40 (basically a luxury 737) back to Scott AFB, so we had to scramble to get a seat on commercial with the sort of folk I lovingly call "the riffraff." Basked in the bitter butter the whole 1st leg to Dallas/Ft Worth, since even though I had an aisle seat, it was in the very rear of the plane, next to a toilet and just in front of the flight attendants' work area. So even if I could sleep cramped in a seat the size of a grade school child's desk, hearing constant chatter, ice bag banging, vaccu-flushing, or morons slapping at the accordion-style shitter door (I twice pointed at the sign that said, "PUSH") prohibited any shot at even giving it the ol' college try.
Instead, I watched "WALL-E", which wasn't the best Pixar movie ever, though I submit watching it on the airplane ceiling with occasional cockpit interruptions, people constantly walking past to empty their urethral cavities sixteen inches from my head, and iPod earphones is probably not the way Disney intended.
Landed for our 2-hour layover just as the airport was waking up, but 2 a.m. for us. Fortunately, the flight to DC was sparse enough that I could lie down and sleep, for only the 2nd time on a plane for me. (2000, on the Germany-to-Turkey leg, also lying across three seats.) Stiff neck, face lines and full-body blanket fuzz be damned, MAN is that the way to travel.
When you don't have your own C-40.
Which had a couch.
I'm just saying.
posted by Dan at 10:15 PM
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