Musings Onboard, Mostly

I don't know why I should be, but I continue to be amazed at what people do on airplanes that mostly do not take into account the fact that they are in an enclosed space with a bunch of people they don't know. Up in First Class, (I am only two rows back), there is couple with a young child who did nothing but yell loudly while playing with his superhero men while we were waiting to take off. Only the sound of the aircraft now diminishes his voice. Across the isle and one row up from me, a woman is treating her area of the aircraft as if it were her living room. See photo.

 This woman also turned on her iPad and laid her chair back almost as soon as we took off. I don't know; I think it's rude and inconsiderate. This first leg of the trip is rather short—only an hour to San Francisco. Then I have about an hour at the airport before boarding the Sydney flight. Starting off with a little hot tea and lemon because i am COLD! Many of you who know me will laugh because I would much rather be cold than hot any day, but I actually turned the blower off when I usually have it going full blast. I am also glad I have my coat. Things will change during the next 14 hours or so, I am sure. I am also using this opportunity to become more comfortable with my keyboard and am doing okay so far. The main problem is when I want to shift on the right side, the key is small, and I end up hitting the arrow up key.

 San Francisco International Airport
So now I am in the United Club Lounge. It's about 9 pm and the Sydney flight leaves at 10:35pm. The accommodations in the lounge are varied and comfortable with many areas where one can "plug in" to recharge whatever needs to be recharged. A variety of drinks, like coffee, water, wine and other alcoholic beverages, and some snacks like cheese and crackers, fruit, and even little carrots with ranch dressing. Having eaten lightly today, I am having some wine, cheese and crackers, and some Milano cookies and trail mix. I am sitting at a table with a view of the airport and some lights of the city. It would be nice to see the bridge and Alcatraz, maybe from the plane. Sister Tracy is playing Words with Friends (not on the runway), and it was nice to have a word when I disembarked in San Francisco. I wasn't sure if I was going to use the lounge services this trip since it didn't seem like I would be here that long. The flight, however, arrived much earlier than scheduled, and once I walked across the terminal to the International section, I just followed the lady in front of me—we were both in search of the bathroom. And it's better I stay in here because there are SHOPS out in the terminal. Not that there is anything I would want to buy, here at the beginning of my trip, though Ghiardelli chocolate is kind of hard to pass up. There are not many people in here this evening, and those who are are quietly about their own businesses. The TV at the bar is playing the Cardinals-Dodgers game—GO CARDS!

 Not very many women, much less single women, in the lounge. I played Solitaire on the plane from San Diego to San Francisco. I am looking forward to a little movie watching—probably on the iPad—and maybe starting a book. So far the iPad configuration is working admirably (yes, I know I am not far into my trip), and I am glad not to have lugged around a larger laptop. I love airports, and I love watching the planes, mainly when they take off and land. My dad used to take my sisters and me to Lambert Field in St Louis when we were kids. You used to be able to go outside on a deck and watch the planes take off and land. When you came back inside, your face and arms would have black soot from the exhaust. You can still find a spot to watch the planes at airports, but it's not the same as hearing the roaring of the engines and marveling at the fact that those big machines can actually fly in the air. United Flight San Francisco to Sydney It is many hours later. Our flight did not leave until almost 11 pm PST. Since we were sitting at the gate for so long, the man in the seat on the aisle (we have a seat between us) got out his iPad and started to watch a movie. I was just waiting for the flight attendants to either come say something or kick him off the plane like Alec Baldwin was for playing Words with Friends while a plane was waiting to take off. It is now 9:34 am PST. It is 2:34 am Australia time. We are supposed to arrive around 6:25 am, so there is a bit of travel time left. The flight itself has been bumpy—lots of turbulence. It's dark out (duh) so there isn't much to see, although I did see some lightning—storms in the Pacific. I was on the wrong side of the plane, and we were probably a bit too south, to even see the Golden Gate Bridge. I do like to look out the window when I travel, so there not being anything to see but lightning, which, in itself is cool, our our in flight entertainment has to take place in the cabin. They are on the third movie, all of which I have only glanced at because they are on screens throughout the cabin and not at individual seats. Oh I miss Continental! I did start watching a movie on my iPad, but then we were served dinner—nice juicy piece of chicken, awful vegetables, standard iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots salad with a roll and a brownie. After dinner clean up, it was pretty much lights out. I usually don't have trouble sleeping on planes, but I have tossed and turned this time and don't really feel rested. I wonder if Trevor has anything planned for today? Or if we are going with the flow. People are waking up. I can see the reflection in my window of the woman in front of me doing a crossword puzzle. Some are working. Some are watching the movie. And some seem to have come down with a cold, like the man in the aisle seat in my row. 5:15 am Australia time. When the heck does the sun come up? It is still dark, dark, dark. We have just had breakfast. You could have an omelet or french toast. Either came with fruit, sausage, and some kind of fruit pie thing that I didn't eat because it had red filling—either strawberry or cherry, which I don't like—and because I had french toast. People are gathering up and putting away their belongings, visiting the lav to clean up, and filling out our Entrance to Australia cards. My tailbone is sore. We are going to have to do some walking in Sydney.