Brain, book, and a ballpoint v2.1 Seattle

After feeling awake enough I jump in the shower, coming out I hear the h2g2 theme again, (my back up alarm). I proceed to grab a cup of coffee that has been brewing due to the built in alarm then plop right back down in front of the computer to shuffle some last minute additions to my iPod, and make some myspace comments to waste a few more minutes before I have to leave. I shut down my apartment, grab my packed bags, my coffee cup and think the next time I walk into this I will have traveled a few thousand miles and back. I throw my bags in the car, jump in the drivers seat, plug the ipod into the stereo, and stand on the pedal. Fitting, the first voice on this journey is Kurt Cobin, being that I'm headed to Seattle.

I pull into a parking space after the usual drive to Appleton. I check my bag, grab my ticket, take off my shoes, ipod, keys, cell phone, coat, backpack, and go through security, put everything back on, wait at the gate for twenty minutes while watching pundits talk about lung cancer and the death of Superman's wife, listening to john butler and breaking into the Da Vinchi code. The usual hub bub goes on, kids playing psp, teens listening to mp3, parents trying to communicate with both. Businessmen making doing last minute business before they have to shut off their cell phones.

unintelligible verbal communication coming out of load speakers with what could be your flight number or in fact anyone's flight number if you could understand it. My flight number finally comes up in the airport bingo, this time I could understand it because the voice was coming from five feet behind me. Making my way through the gate I realize how small the plane is, no Cessna but a SAAB 340 40 passenger plane. Then I really realize how small it is when I walk into the plane and I can't stand to my full 6'2", and you wish you were taller, my neck doesn't at this moment in time.

We go through the normal rigmarole of seat belts ... electric devices ... cell phones ... seat positions ... tray tables ... exits ... floatation devices ... damn I wish I hadn't been watching all those lost episodes :) We take off and my hopes of seeing my house are dashed when we are engulfed by clouds.

After we break through and see the sun with the floor of clouds beneath I remember why I like flying. I turn my ipod back on, read a chapter of Da and sink into oblivion, until I decide to write this first installment.