Airplane Friends

Summer, in my opinion, is amazing. I don't know if you feel this way, but I think summer is a really happy time of the year... people are outside, some of us are out of school, tans deepen and the consumption of ice cream increases.. pretty much my favorite time of year (especially the ice cream part).

Along with the icecream, summer also often sends families and friends on trips. This week is vacation week for my parents and I. We're in the booming metroplex (not) of Potsdam, NY. They may not have things like, oh, Target, but you can't beat the scenery. Basically, it's everything that Texas isn't... hilly, green, zero humidity, you know.

Getting to Grandmas is an all day adventure. I wish it were as easy as "over the river and through the woods..." Anyway, after two flights, and a two hour drive, we made it!

One of my favorite things to do while traveling by air, well anytime really, is make new friends. Usually, the people I sit next to on airplanes are sub-par, but every once and a while you hit the jackpot! I mean, why not be friendly... you're going to be sharing germs for two hours.

This trip I made a good airplane friend. I'm not sure what his name is, but that's alright. On one of our flights I was assigned to an isle seat and a lady (another really lovely airplane friend) occupied the window seat. We wondered who (on our flight that was oversold by 10 people) was going to be sitting between us. Well, he showed up. I tried to find his face, but I had to keep looking up... he was REALLY tall. So this giant sits in the middle seat while my shrimpy self, who could curl up in an airplane seat, was livin' the good life on the isle. I watched him sit down, his knees crammed up against the seat in front of him, and I couldn't help but be sympathetic. I asked him if he wanted to switch. He seemed shocked. Seriously, though, I have a conscience, I'm not going to see that poor kid all sardine-like for hours when I would be just as comfortable in the middle as I would on the isle.

Obviously, he took me up on my offer.

He did, however, try to return the favor. At one point during my airplane nap he offered his shoulder in addition to my really uncomfortable airplane pillow. For some unknown reason, it wasn't creepy at all. I didn't take him up on his offer... i was able to sleep fine without.