Leaving On A Jet Plane

Can we pretend that Airplanes
In the midnight sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now) (wish right now)
Can we pretend that Airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now) (wish right now)

The other night, while getting ready for bed, I caught part of new tv show about the glamour and luxury of air travel in the 60s.  I believe the show is called Pan Am.  It made flying look exciting and fun, an adventure.  Not stressful at all.  Everyone looked like they had first class treatment and no one was worried that a terrorist was going to plunge them thousands of miles into a building or empty cornfield.

I took my first flight when I was 20.  I went with my college roommate to Atlanta for a long weekend visit with her father and his new wife. I was so nervous about the flight.   

The airport near our college was very small.  No major flights and all of the planes were small and the kind that you have to walk across the tarmac to board.  We had to use it to get to another airport, where we then boarded a real plane, a jet, to fly to Atlanta.  The airport was large and I remember gawking at everything like a little kid in a candy store.  

These were the days when people could actually wait at the gate with their loved ones.  I remember spinning stories in my head about the people waiting on people and waiting with people.  I felt a little mushy about the couples holding hands and telling each other "I'm going to miss you".  I remember thinking that some day, I'd take a trip some place and someone would take me to the airport and stand there and watch my plane leave, thinking to himself how much he was going to miss me while I was gone.  Sadly, terrorism and increased security at airports have taken that dream away from me.

Once we boarded the plane, I was in awe of everything there as well.  I know I must have looked like a major dork, getting excited about the littlest things like the "skymall" magazines, barf bags, laminated emergency instruction card and hot meal we were served.  23 years later and I can still remember it.  A salad, corn chowder soup, sandwich and apple.  I loved the little plastic tray it came on and I think I even smuggled the napkin imprinted with the airline's logo into my purse as a souvenir, along with the little foil pouch of nuts. 

I didn't get sick.  I think I was too excited to get sick.  I watched the stewardess (yes, she was still called a stewardess then) go over the in-flight instructions and silently memorized what she was saying, thinking to myself that if my college education didn't pan out, I could become a stewardess and travel the world and do exciting things.  I had this thing for pilots back then and used to fantasize about cockpit (cough) fun.

I think I can credit the trip to Atlanta for creating the travel lust inside of me.  While there, we went to Stone Mountain and Buckhead and a variety of other places.  We had beignets and cafe au lait at this New Orleans style cafe, filled with attractive yuppie types on lunch breaks.  We visited her step mother at the huge hospital she worked in and had lunch in the cafeteria filled with doctors and nurses.  I allowed my mind to indulge in some "General Hospital" type fantasies. 

After college, I landed a job as a child care consultant which gave me the opportunity to travel by car and by plane to several places.  I got to go to Philadelphia and San Francisco on the company dime.  I loved the flight to San Francisco because we got to have an in-flight movie and alcohol on the plane.  During this time, I also made some wonderful on-line friends and got to travel to L.A., Des Moines and New York to visit them.

I became quite the experienced traveler.  I knew how to efficiently pack a suitcase and learned all of the ins and outs of navigating the airports and parking garages.  I knew which shuttles were the best and which airports were nicer than others.  I set a goal for myself to see at least one major city for each letter of the alphabet before I died. 

After I moved to Columbus, I headed to Iowa and New York again.  I also got to go to Vegas twice.  I really loved America West airlines.  I'm sad that they went belly up.  They were my favorite.

I eventually added several trips to Virginia Beach and remember the first time I flew over the water and looked down and saw the beach.  I thought to myself, "I want to live there some day."

Since moving here, I haven't done much traveling. I have gone to Baltimore a few times for work by plane but have not gotten on a plane for recreational purposes in over 4 years.  I've taken car trips and bus trips, but no plane trips for fun.

This year, I correct that. I'm taking a real vacation this year. To Las Vegas.  I leave on the 14th of October and get back after midnight on the 18th.  I have a direct flight. I'm hoping that means an in-flight movie, adult beverages and possibly hot meal.  I'm flying Southwest and I bought two seats so that I don't have to worry about who sits beside me and if I'm going to be forced to play nice with a total stranger for 5 hours.  I used to fantasize about meeting the man o' my dreams on a plane trip, but now I just like having peace and quiet for the duration of my flight.  A little rest. A good book. Maybe some music. My thoughts and daydreams.

I kind of wish airline travel was still glamorous and luxurious like it was on the tv show I saw part of, instead of hectic, harried and overshadowed by security precautions.  I wish the seats were generous and leg room ample.  I wish I didn't get hit in the head by people trying to shove everything they own into overhead bins because they don't want to pay for a checked bag. I wish a snack didn't cost an arm and a leg.  I wish every seat could be a "first class" experience.

One of my favorite movies is LOVE ACTUALLY.  I love the movie for a variety of mushy romantic reasons but one of my favorite scenes in the movie is at the beginning when they show all of these people at the airport, greeting each other, hugging, kissing and being happy to see each other.

The airport is a fantastic place for someone like me, who can just sit and people watch and spin tales in my head about possibilities.

If the inventors of yesterday hadn't seen the excitement in possibilities, we may never have gotten to fly.

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So, if you've read this far, you are probably wondering, "Where are those questions I have to answer?"

Yes, this is the 100th blog of 2011.  Thank you for patiently following along and playing along as I've divulged way more information than any one person should probably ever divulge.  

Here are your questions:

1)  Name two things on my "bucket list" (other than the recent Jason Mraz concert.) Hint: The title of the blog is a Billy Joel song.

2)  What was the one thing I wanted most as a little girl, in my "50 random things" post?  The # 50 is in the title of the blog.

3) What is my favorite psycho pick up line? Hmm... the name of the blog says it all.

4) What two songs do I reference in the body of my blog from early July about my "pretend boyfriend" dream? The title of the blog is a line from a Michael Jackson song, Billie Jean.

5) Which meal do I want someone to make for me every day when I win the lottery?  Do you really want to use a life line?

Good luck!!!  Thanks for reading!