Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I Thought I Was Sending a Clear Signal

About a year and a half ago, I acquired a set of noise-canceling headphones. Now I can’t imagine flying without them and the down blanket / pillow combo my dad gave me for Christmas a few years back. Muting everyone from flight attendants to chatty neighbors to screaming children certainly makes air travel more enjoyable.

Over the weekend I flew from my real home (Maine) to my current home (California). I drifted in and out of wakefulness on the early morning flight from Portland to Detroit, cocooned in my snuggly blankie and the soothing tones of my iPod.

Not only was the flight from Detroit to San Francisco completely full, the plane had less legroom than anything I’ve ever flown in. Before take off I made small talk with the couple sitting next to me. On their way to visit the grandkids. Yadda yadda yadda. As soon as we hit 10,000 feet, I put on my headphones, pulled out my book, and tried to find a Zen-like state. Thankfully, I found myself drifting off . . .

Only to be awakened by a distinct poke in the arm. I pried one eye open to find the woman next to me poking my arm, pointing to the flight attendant coming down the aisle, and mouthing the word “Coffee?” About two hours later, it happened again. This time it was for the drink cart.

Seriously? Barring oxygen masks appearing for immediate use, I cannot imagine a circumstance where it’s appropriate to wake a sleeping stranger on a plane.

2 comments:

The Duncan Family said...

Jesse is that neighbor on the plane that talks and talks even if you are done talking to him. We will also soon be that couple on the plane with a screaming baby while on a 5 hour flight to Hawaii.

RobRoy said...

Clearly, you sleeping WAS the sign. Coffee apparently has caffeine, which increases alertness and heart rate. Nothing like being hyper-alert and going tachy at the same time.