contemplation at 30,000 feet

I don't make any secret of the fact that I am a nervous flyer.​

I actually used to love flying.  But then, when I was about 12 years old, I was on a flight that experienced ... what's it called?... Clear Air Turbulence.  My family and I were minding our own business, just hanging out, and the plane suddenly dropped.  I remember someone who was sitting with his seatbelt unfastened flying upwards and hitting his head on the ceiling.  I remember a flight attendant crashing to the floor.  I remember my mom grabbing me and my father and starting to pray.  And then as suddenly as it happened, the plane leveled off and continued like nothing happened.​

And i never felt entirely comfortable in a plane again.​

But even so, I must admit that on a long flight (like the one shown in the gallery above from Los Angeles to Houston this weekend; I took the scenic route home for Vegas, apparently), there comes a moment when I finally relax, and enjoy the quiet and the solitude.  Sometimes it feels like flying is the only occasion anymore when I actually get some focused time to ​just think and dream, you know?  And after the last few weeks -- the travel, the site relaunch, and everything else in between -- the hours I spent just listening to the drone of the engines and thinking about what I'd like for myself and for Chookooloonks in the coming months was just ... well ... heavenly.

It's been 8 years.  Thanks to my recent flight, I'm ready to make the next 8 as awesome as possible.​  

Song:  She drives me crazy by Fine Young Cannibals.  Marcus blasted this song Sunday morning during breakfast. I suspect he was trying to tell me something.​