Sunday, August 08, 2010

Brahms, Books, Boredom, And Behavior

According to my watch, which is already set to British Summertime, it is just after seven in the morning. That means that it is about midnight back in Denver. It is Sunday morning and I can honestly say that the ploy of trying to get myself good and knackered before getting on the plane has not helped. I am wide-awake and completely unable to sleep. I've already watched a film (on my PC, the screen in front of my seat is not working), and have been treated to a nice dinner of curried chicken (surprisingly good for airline food in coach).

I'm reading a book I found in the seat back that I am not particularly interested in, hoping the boredom would help lull me to sleep. It's a Dan Brown novel that here-to-fore I have intentionally avoided, his style being pallid and predictable. I've got Brahms playing lightly on the iPod and the noise-canceling headsets have changed the roar of the plane's engines to a pleasant background hum that is mostly inaudible under the music.

The couple sharing my row are making out (do people realize that other people on the plane can see them, I wonder), and they are fooling nobody with the shared-blanket method of disguising what they are doing. The mile-high-club has a couple new members this morning. I could have missed that bit of information if only I could train myself to be able to sleep on planes.

At times like this, I envy people who can; I am reminded of my friend, Kevin, on our trip to South Africa. As soon as we boarded the plane, he was fast asleep in his seat despite the fact that he was seated bolt upright strapped into an uncomfortable airline seat.

Oh well, perhaps I will give the novel another shot. My computer' power is running down and will soon set off the low-battery alarm. We're probably half-way through the flight. Perhaps even an insipid novel will pass the time.

Wherever you are tonight, I hope you're resting comfortably!

Don Bergquist - August 08, 2010 - United Airlines Flight UA948, Somewhere Over The North Atlantic

No comments: