I wrote this post from the 9 hour plane ride to Paris, as I think airplane rides are always somewhat interesting. As soon as I got into the security line in Nashville an older lady in front of me moved to the side of the line and said, “My husband is behind you.” I thought that since she had moved over I was to just go ahead and just said, “Oh, thank you.” She turned around and pointed her finger at me so fast I barely was able to take a step. “NO! I MEANT FOR YOU TO LET ME HUSBAND BY. I didn’t mean you could get in front of me.” Absolutely startled I didn’t know what to say. We are in an airport security line lady. We are not waiting in line for the last ticket to meet the queen of England. I let her husband pass, and he didn’t really know what was going on so she turned to him and said, “That little girl thought I told her to pass us but she cannot have our place in line.” BAHAHAA. Oh my goodness I could not hold my laughter in nor could the people around me. Turns out I got through the line before they did anyway….Oh karma.
My flight from Nashville to Dallas was delayed by an hour because of a storm hovering over Middle Tennessee. Which, of course, put me late for the plans I had to see Holly and Callie. I had all my things ready to get off the plane and dash off before all the slow pokes got off so I could maximize my time with my friends…and catch an international flight in an hour. I feel if you are sitting down in your seat once everyone is exiting the plane that you are really in no hurry so I normally just pass those people and let the people standing up go ahead. A couple a few rows ahead of me were sitting down so I didn’t think much of it. This lady stood up so fast that it cut me off and then started complaining about how rude people were to not let the people in the front of the plane off before the rest got off. It was a connecting flight to Oklahoma City…if she wasn’t standing up, how was I suppose to know she wasn’t going on to Oklahoma City?! So as they were exiting into the airport (continuing to bitch about how rude people were….aka, me) I tapped her on the shoulder and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve got friends to see I haven’t seen in a year and an international flight to catch in exactly 58 minutes. Please forgive me for not wanting to exit the aircraft at the speed of a snail.”
It was then I knew that I was going back to bustling Paris with, as we would say, “my elbows up.”
My flight to Paris was delayed about 20 minutes so I had time to scarf down one more BBQ sandwich at the airport before leaving. Which, in hindsight, I’m glad I did because our dinner of soggy cheese ravioli and limp iceberg lettuce salad was certainly less than appetizing. I settled into my aisle seat and stashed all my belongings in the seat pocket behind me. As soon as the airplane doors closed and I realized there was no one sitting in the other 2 seats I scooted over to the middle one. How could I be so lucky to have 3 seats to myself?! I unpackaged my hygienic pillow square and felt blanket….and the other two that were in the seats beside me. The French people around me who had empty seats only took their package of pillow and blankets and didn’t take the others. Of course, another great example of American consumerism. We always want more…and nothing is ever good enough.
The man sitting in front of me was a looker. A looker meaning….his head was like an owl, always turning around back, from side to side, trying to see what was going on in all parts of the aircraft. Whats the need? Think you know somebody back there or something? There was also a French couple sitting behind me who spoke very loudly. But judging by her Petit Bateau striped boatneck shirt, Louis Vuitton wedges, and his sweater tied around his shoulders they weren’t anything less than chic.
We were served a meal of ravioli, salad with some sort of peppercorn dressing, a spreadable wedge of cheddar cheese with crackers and a brownie. All the French people around me picked up the dressing and the cheese and started looking at the ingredients….”What is this?” “Look at all the ingredients.” And “Do you have any oil and vinegar?” were just a few phrases I heard as the trays were being passed out. Everyone else just ripped into everything without blinking an eye, myself included!
After dinner I pulled my armrests up, plugged in my headphones and settled in for what I hoped to be a long nap. They turned off all the lights and everyone had shut their blinds, so the cabin was pretty dark. About an hour in of just resting my eyes, the lovely French woman behind me decided she was going to read so she blasted her overhead light which also shined right in my direction. I had to put a blanket over my face to keep the light out, which resulted in me getting very warm under that fabulous felt blanket. I was able to get some sleep on and off for about 3 hours, but still perturbed because I had 3 seats to myself and would have probably slept pretty darn well if it weren’t for that crazy lightbeam in my retinas. We were served a pretty terrible croissant for “breakfast” which for me would have been a midnight snack. As I spread my Land-O-Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste Spread on my chewy croissant I couldn’t help but be excited to get back to the city. The thought of making the trek back to my apartment today with my 70 pound suitcase doesn’t really excite me, but I can’t wait to get back tomorrow and stroll along the Seine and enjoy the last bits of summer in Paris.
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