11 December 2007 14:07
the thought occurred to me recently as i was walking through Charlotte's airport terminal (the one with white rocking chairs placed at intervals along the walkways between the individual terminals to let you know that you're definitely south of the mason-dixon line now) that while i still despise airline travel and consider it a chore that i'd rather not undertake, it's not as depressing as it used to be. i've mentioned before that i used to hate airline travel. now i just despise it. part of it is being alone amongst a veritable sea of people. part of it is my self-destructive habit of not packing for the trip until the last minute. this means i get anywhere from one to five hours of sleep before reaching the airport. the more significant the trip, the fewer hours of sleep. so invariably i'm fatigued and sleep-deprived before i even get the pleasure of having a tsa agent scowl at me like they find my passport picture from seven years ago offensive. also i don't like the idea of waiting around, so i try to pare my arrival time down to the last minute to avoid waiting around at the gate too long. invariably i'm 20 minutes behind schedule which means i'm also stressed and in a rush long before i reach the terminal to find out the line at the ticket counter is forty people long.not traveling for my own purposes has been a help. instead i'm traveling for a company...if my flight is delayed, canceled, or lost then i'm still getting paid to watch dvd's on the laptop that the company paid for. if i miss whatever it is i was headed for, then it's the company's problem; it's not like i missed a family reunion or my best friend's wedding. i bought tickets a couple weeks ago for a personal trip i'm taking in january. it was interesting to note the anxiety that popped back up in trying to find the right dates, the best price, the right layovers—and i'm sure i'll be all paranoid about missing the flight. none of that happens on company business. for starters the ticket doesn't get bought until the day before and usually we're in such an allfire rush that i get to pick a direct flight. if i miss a flight it wouldn't be pretty, but somehow there's not as much stress related. {shrugs} i know, i'm strange.
all the same, it's much better to fly your own airplane. you don't get to use the rocking chairs, it's true. but most FBO's have couches that are lightyears ahead of anything any airline terminal has to offer.
14:07 email me permalink / commentary (1)
I'm not sure why, but I've always considered despise a stronger word than hate. I mean, say it aloud, with relish, "I despise you." 'Hate' insinuates anger, but 'despise' suggests delight in said anger.
Maybe if they paid you every time they delayed your commercial flight, you would like it better? 15 December, 2007 10:32 – 
Samantha
