So the plane ride was nothing unusual. Every time I ride in an airplane something happens. Either I get delayed for 24 hours or the passenger next to me askes the flight attendant for a seatbelt extension. Either I have a panic attack or I'm in front of and behind screaming babies. This flight was no exception.
First of, since I get a bit dry when I fly I remembered to get a HUGE ($3.07) bottle of water before I got on the plane. Shortly after take-off I drop the cap which rolls a few rows behind me. Now I'm stuck in this uncomfortable seat and I have an enormous bottle of water that I can't put down because I've lost the damn cap. That means no sleeping - No trying to sleep. I do the only think I can think of and down the entire bottle. I feel a little better.
My row-mate, a lady in her mid-40s, I guess grumbled a few things about the flight being full, but she's not trying to talk to me and that's great. I cement the deal by plugging in my ear-buds. I'm now minding my own business with my ipod up loud just trying to find any sort of comfortable position to while away my two hours. It becomes serving time and I get nothing to drink, of course, because I'm completely full of water but I do take a chewy granola-bar. I also don't have to use my tray table which makes me happy because I hardly have enough room to move. About 10 minutes later the lady taps me on the shoulder and I pull the ear-bud out of my hear and she says, "I have to get up" and she's putting her Diet Pepsi and Chewy Granola bar on MY tray table. She gets up and kinda stumbles toward the rear lavatory and then comes back, white as a sheet, and calls the flight attendant and tells her, "I feel faint".
The flight attendant has no idea what the hell to do and starts screaming, "Is there a doctor on board?". Another flight attendant comes quickly and tells the ghostly-white lady to put her head between her legs. Then the panic-stricken flight attendant goes up and pages for a Doctor. A man two rows back, a huge black man with an African accent gets up and says, "I'm a nurse" and asked my row-mate if she's taken any medication. She says no.
About this time I have to piss like a racehorse because I've just downed about a gallon of three-dollar water and there are two flight attendants and a 1/2 dead passenger in between me and the lavatory. I decide to hold it until Atlanta.
Then a woman comes up from first class. She's very smartly dressed and made-up and speaks with a pretty Southern accent, comes up to the lady, takes both her hands and says, "My name is Sunny - Just like the weather report", and by this time they've brought oxygen for the woman. Sunny also gets some cold towels to put on the back of the lady's neck. Sunny just kinda takes over so the African man goes back to his seat.
Within about 1/2 hour or so of breathing oxygen the lady gets a bit of color back in her face and Sunny goes back to first class.
I still have all this woman's crap on my tray, which I still don't want, but I don't know if I'm supposed to throw it away or give it to the flight attendant or what, but the lady eventually takes the diet pepsi and the little plastic ice-filled cup back off my try and on to hers. They also bring her a bagel and cream cheese to eat. They didn't bring me anything to eat.
I still have to pee so badly that I feel my bladder might burst, but I don't have the heart to make her stand up. I mean she's still got that oxygen tank and mask all rigged up. I decide to swipe her Chewy Granola Bar as payment for making me suffer.
We finally arrive in Atlanta and I make a bee-line to the bathroom at Harsfield feeling kinda guilty about the granola bar.
Atlanta is how it always seems to be when I fly in. Cold and raining. Ma and Pa and Shelby were there to greet me by the baggage claim and we came home to a fantastic meal of Ham, Dijon Brussels Sprouts that Mama made from the Food Channel recepie, delicious macaroni & cheese, some kinda little baby onions that were in this garlicy sweet sauce, they were kinda cool, fresh rolls, sparkling cran-apple cider, and my Mother's apple pie (or pumpkin, your choice).
After dinner we all watched Waking Ned Devine and I had a 15th helping of that delightful Macaroni & Cheese.
Plenty to be thankful for this year. Plenty.
Woke up this morning and read the newspaper with Ma and talked about what we were going to do today. She's very excited about me taking her to Chipotle for lunch. They're not completely covered in Chipotles here yet, but they are springing up all over Atlanta. I suspect in six months or so they'll be on every corner. Somehow we end up eating at The Taco Stand, a favorite restaurant from my college days that I only get to eat once a year in Atlanta and we decided to shift Chipotle to another day.
We also went to see BUBBA HO-TEP at the Midtown 8, which Landmark bought and is now the Midtown Art. Probably one of the worst movie's I've ever seen.
Then off to do our After Thanksgiving shopping. I got a few things for Madison (but since she reads this blog, I can't write what they are - Hi Maddie!) and got a Seattle's Best coffee for Mom.
For dinner I looked up Atlanta's best Persian restaurant and found Miraas (Mirage) on Roswell Road and when Howard came home from work we all went for Persian. Tadig appitizer, Chicken Kabob, Koobideh & Chicken Koobideh, Rack of Lamb, and a Vegitarian Rice dish for Mom. It was all excellent.
Tomorrow night is The Highland Tap with the boys......and perhaps a cigar and some gaming.
I had the Chewy Granola Bar this morning for breakfast. It was quite tasty!
Posted by Michael at November 28, 2003 11:22 PM