Sunday 2 March 2014

Back Home Again in Indiana


     My epic 31 hour ordeal of driving, waiting in airports, and flying from my wintry home in McBride, BC to my childhood home in southern Indiana has now, finally, come to an end.  I was so tired by the time I got on the red-eye overnight flight from Vancouver to Toronto, that I could hardly keep my eyes open.  
     I was on a big 777 jet, jam-packed with passengers, tightly squeezed, elbow to elbow, in their seats.  Because it was a newer plane, we each had a tiny screen, attached to the back of the seat in front of us, staring us in the face.  We were confronted with a choice of movies, TV shows, music, and maps of the flight, to keep us entertained.  
     The only movie in the choice, I was interested in seeing, was "Gravity," but since I was faced with such a small screen, lots of engine noise, and was so tired, I didn't want to spoil the movie by trying to watch it on a plane.  I opted instead for an animated movie about turkeys, going back in time on a time machine, thinking, if I couldn't stay awake for the ending, it would be no big loss.  Unfortunately, boredom, rather than sleep, made me miss the ending, when I cancelled the film, midway.
     I made an attempt at sleep, but sleeping in sitting position in the tight confines that were available to me, didn't work, I read a bit and listened to some music from my iPad, but was soon nodding off and jerking back into consciousness, with those activities also.
     I tried to wake myself up a bit and decided to seek out another movie.  I chose a Canadian one called "Hit and Strum" about a young business woman, who, while distracted, hits a homeless street musician with her car, then flees.  He was relatively unharmed, and when she later sees him busking on the sidewalk, feels guilty and tries to help him.  It was not a great film, but it showed a lot of Vancouver scenes and I was able to stick with it until the end.
     Mercifully, the flight finally came to an end also, and my next task was to endure more time killing, now, in the Toronto airport waiting for a flight to Atlanta.  The arrival of daylight helped in my fight to stay awake, that, and a bagel sandwich.  Soon, I was in the Atlanta airport, where I was distracted from exhaustion, by trying to correct a problem with my final flight, to Evansville.  Once that had been dealt with, I was able to relax with a giant Mexican salad, which I bought at one of the many eating kiosks at the airport.
     I was a bit dismayed at not finding any family members waiting for me, when I arrived at the Evansville airport, but before I could work up very much concern, my sister came through the doorway.
     After a good, 11 hour sleep last night, I am back among the living, only to be confronted with an icy rain outside--coating everything with ice.  It doesn't matter much to me, I really don't have any plans other than staying in the house and visiting with my mother.  I am very happy that my plane wasn't due to land in Evansville today--I doubt it could.

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