Um, really?

Yesterday I flew from SEA to my second home in PHX.
The flight is 2.5 hours and I was flying into Terminal 2 (the best one at "America's friendliest airport"). I was flying Alaska which means a 20 minute guarantee for luggage. The car rental place is nearby and I have fast pass. All means of efficiency and I love it.
I didn't leave until 12:30 which meant a full morning at home to have breakfast, enough coffee, and finish packing.
I was stoked for a smooth travel day.
I used MN girl's suggested car service and got to the airport in a timely manner. My departure gate shared the gates with all the Alaska-bound flights. And there is nothing I love more than people who live in Alaska. I had all I could do to not hop on the wrong flight and go see all the snow. (I would have been completely unprepared for the weather, but still...)
I resisted the urge and hopped onto my flight. I have elite status so got to an exit row seat. I love that because it generally means seatmates who travel.
I was one of the last to get on the plane (normal for me as I feel there is no need to rush to wait in line to find my seat. All my things go under the seat, so I can wait). My seatmates were seated and both on the phone.
I was seated between a woman and a man. The man may have been the tallest dude ever. Seriously, even in an exit row his knees almost touched the seat in front of him. The woman semed polished and together. Seemed being the important word in that sentence.
Scene 1:
The woman was talking rather loudly and I overhead the following:
"No, mom there aren't really any."
pause
"Well, any of them that I see have wedding rings on their fingers"
pause
"Well, no big surprise. When you get to be my age all the good ones are married. It just means I have to work harder to steal them away." (said in all seriousness)
"Ok- gotta go mom."

Um, really?

Woman tried to casually engage me in conversation, but I plugged in my ipod.

Scene 2:
Woman pulls out her airplane snack. It's sushi. Smelly sushi.
She turns to me and asks if I might have soy suace with me.

Um, really??

Scene 3:
Woman pulls out her makeup bag, puts on "her face". Then proceeds to file her fingernails. And if that's not gross enough, chica gets out her floss. (I was watching and thought-- no way is she going to floss her teeth while sitting on an airplane. I wonder what she is going to do with the floss...). And then she did it.
She flossed her teeth right there on the plane while sitting next to me!!!!! (It deserves the extra punctuation.)

Um, really????

What is wrong with people?

Through the eyes of a child.

Turbulance.
Not a word air travelers enjoy hearing, but it is all part of the experience.
On my recent air flight, the pilot came on before we even took off and made an announcment similar to the following: "Hello Passengers. Please be prepared for the following 2 hours of your flight. Buckle up! Cause it's gonna be a doozie! If you feel the need, pray to the god of your choice and make amends. And remember flight attendants also need to remain seated so they won't fly into your laps or hit their heads on the ceiling. We'll do our best to make it less bumpy, but we're not miracle workers. Thanks for flying with us today. Hope to see you on the other side."

okay- so maybe this is slightly off and exaggerated for a little humos...but that is how it felt. And no one was freaking out more than the family behind me and the people next to me. Oh! and the old man in front of me. Ok- I am actually quite certain that entire plane was a little anxious. The flight attendants battened down the hatches and we were off! (Belted in, of course.)

We took off and got smoothly in flight. The ding! for electronics went off and still smooth sails. I plugged into my iPod and swiftly fell asleep (it was 7:45am and I hadn't slept well the night before). I slept soundly....that is until I literally woke up because I thought someone was shaking me awake. Nope, it was everyone shaking on the plane. The turbulance was SO bad that it actually woke me up from a deep slumber! Well, once awake there was no going back to sleep, so I was awake and aware of the bumps and dives. I couldn't read, so I listened to passengers around me. Now, while uncomfortable, I did not fear we wouldn't make it. I didn't worry that we wouldn't land. I wasn't fearful for my life, but others were. (drama...)

But then I heard a giggle. Not a sound usually paired with worry or panic.

The giggle; giggles, I should say, were coming from the girls behind me. They were first time flyers and were nervous from the start. But when the bumps and dives shook them and bonk'ed them together, they giggled. Not a nervous giggle, but a giggle filled with pure delight. They thought it was fun! One even said, "Daddy! I love airplanes! They're just like roller coasters only cozier!"
Only though the eyes of a child. :)

European Traveler

So, perhaps the most funny and random travel experience happened to me during my flight from Seattle to Michigan on Saturday...

First, I was on a flight filled with priests and nuns (and some friends) headed to Rome for a week. Literally, it was the entire back of the plane filled with these folks and me. Now, some of you know I have a small obsession with nuns, priests, monks and the like who are out in public wearing their specific garb. I LOVE it! And more often than not there is at least one of the above on any one of my flights. I find it a little weird, but comforting. So, that's where we begin---surrounded by many foreign travelers and foreign-bound travelers and me.

As we getting ready to exit the plane (after a rather smooth and work productive flight), this woman was staring at me and saying, "Heidi? heidi?. Of course, I did not even acknowlegde her for a bit because my name is not Heidi nor does it even remotley sound like Heidi. After the third time she said it, I finally realized that she was in fact talking to me. I looked at her and she said something to me in german (I know no German...my ancestors are rolling in their graves). She realized I was not Heidi and while odd, the incident of mistaken idenity was complete (or so I thought).

I went to grab my bag from the Luggage claim area and all of sudden, this group of people with balloons and signs came rushing toward me exclaiming-- "Heidi! Heidi! Heidi!". At this, everyone in the area turned to look, I turned a nice shade of tomato and explained that no, I was sorry but I was not Heidi. While sad, they too were slgithly embarrassed for making the error. They had mistaken me for Heidi their foreign-exchange student*. No joke.

After that excitement, I was a little sad to arrive at my rental car and not have a crowd waiting with signs and balloons. And even more sad when my family hadn't thought the same thing... (just kidding, mom)

**I did meet heidi and she did resemble me quite a bit. But, seriously, who else does this kind of thing happen to??

Summer Solstice!

Oh happy day--summer is here! It did not get dark until 9:55pm last night. What?! That is some sort of craziness....and I love it!

I am delighted to have been home in Seattle to enjoy the glorious sunny longest day of the year! I enjoyed some outdoor time in my garden (it's starting to grow....hooray!) and took a little walk after working a full and somewhat long workday.

As the paragraph above says, I was traveling in the morning yesterday. I returned from Phoenix, just in time to miss the first day of 115 degrees (oh thank goodness!). Whilst traveling, I could not believe the sheer number of travelers! Then it occured to me--summer travel time is here. My heart sank. Ugh- the summer travel season. is upon on us. It may be worse than the Christmas holiday season.

So, here's my rant and suggestion list for those raggety summer travelers--

1- Although it may be hot in both your departure city and arrival destination, having your booty shorts on and sitting in an airline...EEEWWW! Girl- none of your bits should ever touch a seat that 100s of people sit on in a short amount of time.

2- And on a similar note. Gentlemen, read above about the heat. For you, it seems sleeveless shirts seem to be a trend. No matter how buff you are, I just don't want to see your pit hair on an airplane. Or smell you, for that matter!

3- Just because you don't travel regularly does not mean you can be put out (read: yell, rant/rave at nearby passengers) by the rules of airline travel. I'm sorry, the TSA is just doing their job and PS- the rules have not changed in many, many years!. Yes, it is annoying and yes, I, too, would prefer to not have to do the "TSA Striptease" each and every time I travel. But it is, what it is. Just roll with it. And think about those rules before you pack your carry-on.

4.- Once on the plane, please remember if you are seated in an exit row you really are going to be asked to help in the event of an emergency. So, no joke, take it seriously. A shug of annoyance is not what your fellow passengers are looking for in an emergency row seatmate.

5- For those seated in the first row of first class or coach you do not get under seat storage. The person behind you gets to use the storage space beneath you. Those are the rules, even if you think your bag is the most precious item in the world. (No kidding on my recent flight, I witnessed the woman in the front row turn around and scream at the woman behind her for putting her bag underneath her chair.) Um, that is where the back person's feet go---do you really want your precious bag to be marred by the dirty, possible bathroom germ-y feet of your fellow passenger? I'm thinking not so much. I would suggest that the overhead bin would be a better bet.

Even with the crazies, I AM looking forward to my travel this summer season. There are "favorites" to be seen, beaches to play on (or sleep on), and a tan to be worked on.

Welcome, summer!

(I would appreciate some slightly warmer days in my home state...maybe a few 70s in a row? Thanks!)