Kay in the Air!

Well, unlike you readers, I have not flown very often, and not recently.  But, over the weekend, I had a chance to fly to visit some folks.  It was interesting, to say the least!

First off, I had to be driven to the airport, and this was one of the most harrowing experiences that I ever had.  We don't have an airport in the town in which I live, so I had to take a flight from an enormous airport, at which the parking fees were too high for me to leave my jalopy for a long period.  So we drove up, and had to go around and around, simply trying to get into the Departures and Check In areas.  (I had tried to check in Online, with only partial success.)

I finally got successfully dropped off, with my brand-new little bag, and was happily on my way to the check-in counter.  Luckily, I must have looked quite non-threatening, because they were all nice to me, and I successfully checked in.  The flight was full, so I got to check my baggage in for free.  Then, I had to go through security.  That was painful, because I had not come in very early, so there was a line a mile long—seriously—to go through security.  I pulled out everything they wanted taken off, put it in these large plastic trays—which was not something I enjoyed—and went through the full-body scanner.  No flags were raised, and I went through, collected my stuff, put myself together (which takes me more time than it probably takes you, because I'm not accustomed to dressing and undressing frequently) and headed off to the gate (these are areas where passengers wait for their planes, all sorted by destination), and waited until my group was called.  The groups are separated by class, and by how difficult it is for a passenger to get onboard and settled; e.g. mothers wrangling infants, and elderly in wheel chairs get to go in the first group, and servicemen go early too.  I was in group 5, because I had bought the cheapest possible ticket.

Then I was lining up to get into the plane, and got settled in my window seat.  I wish I had gotten an aisle seat, because there were lots of little kids on the plane, and I love to look at them along the aisle; they're so cute!  The next best thing to having cats to look at.  There was a young lady in the seat in front of me, and she stood, to look at me over her seat back, and she said she liked my ear-studs.  Score!

After a lot of fussing, the plane was rolling down the runway—I guess it's rolling up the runway, on a takeoff—-and we were in the air.  In the cheap seats, the engine noise is really bad, and I wish I'd brought earplugs to wear.  You couldn't pull out your tablet right away, because they seem to say that electronic equipment must wait until they gave the word.  The word was given, and I pulled out my tablet, and began to read.  I only looked up to see whether any kids were visible, but they were all on their mamas' laps, or perhaps seated next to them.  We were offered pretzels—which I loathe; I don't mind soft pretzels, though—and cookies, and so on.  But no lunch; but I was prepared for this, and I had brought some french fries.  (Must ease off the little fries; I only got my slim new figure with a lot of hardship.)  I tell you about the dismal options for entertainment, other than my tablet (which had to be put on Airplane Mode) at a later time.

There was a flight attendant who was really cute; I smiled at her when I got the chance, and of course she smiled back.  What were the chances she had read anything I had written?  Honestly, I have never been able to use my avocation to get a new friend!  Next to me was a thin, sourfaced, snooty-looking guy, who was watching a TV show (Curb your Enthusiasm, I remember) which I could not appreciate, without the sound.

Kay