Okaaaaayyy...
This might be a post chalk-full of BS, but hopefully it will at least be entertaining. Everyone likes a good read when they get to their jobs and need a good excuse to put off actual work, right?
I have a few thoughts.
First of all, travelling via air is an addiction of mine. I crave it. I wait for it. It excites me and it thrills me. It means adventure. And I LOVE adventure. Last time I was on a plane was in April when Hannah, Jackson and I went to Cali to hang with Mickey and experience an earthquake. It might sound like April wasn't very long ago, but for me it is. Spoiled I may be, but I used to fly all the time; like, at least 3 times a year. So this feels like a drought. Anyways, I have never understood why people are afraid to fly, but I feel for them. My advice to you is: do it. Fly away. Take off your shoes and march proudly through that security frame thingy. Arrive far too early for your flight and sit in impatient anticipation as you wait for your flight (don't forget to drink over-priced lattes). Walk the tarmac with your heart pounding and your arms aching, wishing you had packed your carry-on lighter, even though you HAD to have everything in it, especially your 6 pound discman (remember those?), and all your CD's AND a pillow. Bon voyage!
Trains: Y'all know my Gramma and I are tight, yes? Well, we are even closer because of a trip we took in 2006. She took me back to our homeland: Deutschland. Beautiful Germany. We went for several weeks and it was a like a step back in time. I saw the place she was born. Where she bravely kissed my Oma and Opa goodbye when she was taken to safety while they served in World War II. Where she kicked it in the school yard with her homies. Her favourite restaurant. You get the picture. The truth is, I don't think I fully appreciated it at the time, and I maybe never will. But I can appreciate that it was an amazing trip and I love her all the more for sharing her life with me and allowing me to see into her past. One of the greatest thrills about those months spent in Deutschland were the hours upon hours we spent riding in trains. Trains to the North Country. Trains to shopping districts. Trains to Lindau, and even trains into Austria and Switzerland. And thanks to my trusty 6 pound Discman and endless CD collection, I built a nice little soundtrack to go along with the beauty that was whizzing past me all too fast.
.
Your name rings on the plains...like a not so distant train.
And love, and history are near the flowers that you make.
The flowers that you make...
Because I'll never hold a picture of the horizon in my view.
Because I'll never rip the night in two it makes me wonder
Who am I? Who am I? Who am I and great are you...
.
My little kiddies ask every once in awhile for a special song to end our day together. It's called The Goodbye Train. Let me tell you, I did not appreciate the Goodbye Train that escorted me to Frankfurt for my flight home all those years ago.
.
And as for those automobiles that lovely Brian requested in typical difficult-male-fashion, I have two thoughts:
.
One: Who here gets annoyed by slow drivers? A show of hands isn't necessary. It's a rhetorical question and obvious that we all do. I was thinking about this the other day and couldn't help but notice that it is mostly the elderly that are usually the perpetrators of this daily annoyance. And then I couldn't help thinking: do they do it just to piss off other drivers? Um, perhaps, come to think of it. But actually, don't you think there might be a better reason? I'm going to take a stab at it...maybe, just maybe, they have seen far too many sad things in their lives. For every sad car accident we in our 20's have witnessed or driven past, how many dozens more have they seen? They received their licenses before the 'L', before the 'N', hell, maybe even before seat belts! Is it possible that some of these Oma's and Opa's in their Chrysler Dynasties have themselves lain in hospital beds after crashing 20 or 30 years ago? They probably have grandkids they would like to see walk down the aisle one day, or great grandchildren they would love to hold in their arms. So maybe, just maybe, those are the things running through their cute little heads when they pause a second longer than 'necessary' at the 4 way stop. They are trying to avoid danger, while I think sometimes we are nearly even looking for it. So next time I see one of those Veteran licence plates that I swear BC issued only so we could see a clear line between generations of drivers, I am going to hang back and try to not give them a heart attack.
.
And my second thought, going along with drivers that piss others off, is this: My friend in my sociology class had her mother come in to do a presentation a few weeks ago on Corrections in Canada. We learned a lot about the judicial system, how it works for and against us, and what a 'typical' day looks like for convicted criminals. Fascinating. Really, really fascinating. She talked to us about how Average Joe becomes Convicted Joe. And a lot of Average Joes live in prison because of road rage. We've all seen it, felt it, maybe even acted on it, right? My friends mom made a really good point. She said that we have 2 choices to think about when someone on the road upsets us. We can take the whole "me and my car are the centre of the universe" approach, sure. You know, where when someone on the highway cuts you off and you feel personally attacked by him or her; like they definitely for sure woke up that morning and planned their entire day around getting on the highway at that exact moment and cutting you off. Victory. I don't really think so. But it's a good way to get all fired up, hey? My friends mom also planted another thought in our heads...she told us to consider that other driver. Not that it's easy when you've just been cut off. She said to think about what kind of day they are having. Maybe they just got fired. Maybe they are rushing to get their kids from school. Maybe they have a sick friend in the hospital that they are trying to say goodbye to in time. We don't know, do we? But once we let go of the "they're out to get us" idea, we can kind of actually let it go and move on. And maybe not become wards of Corrections Canada. Sound like plan?
.
So, now that I have talked endlessly about Planes, Train and Automobiles (are you happy, Brian? You've managed to inspire a semi-substantial post!), I will leave you to your day. And without further adieu...
.
Well the Goodbye Train is coming, bye to you! (and so on and so forth---I don't need to bore you).
.
~C~
