Like I just mentioned, I love birds of prey. My favorite is a tossup between an owl and a hawk. I think I’d like to be a hawk in the day and an owl at night. Once, I was in my backyard in LA and this gorgeous snowy owl silently glided up past our fence. It was absolutely breathtaking and magical. I stood there dumbfounded for a good minute or two, marveling at what I just saw and hardly believing it. I love the grace, the power, the freedom of these birds. They exude confidence and ability in a way that I admire and would love to embrace. Plus, being able to fly and see so sharply would be amazing. I’d get a kick out of finding a nice perch and staring out at the world, or soaring high above it all. It’s beautiful out there and what a great way to enjoy it.
Posts Tagged ‘flying’
Window or aisle?
I’ve been traveling a lot lately and in my flight back to LA not long ago, I had an aisle seat for the first time in ages. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have a window seat. I always get a window seat. But, since I was given an exit row seat I figured it would be nicer than cramped in a normal aisle by the window, right? Little did I know how uncomfortable it would be for me to not be able to look outside. As it turns out, being able to stare blankly at the clouds, towns, and landscapes going by is actually really important to me. So that makes me wonder: do you prefer the window seat or aisle seat? (I’m assuming most people wouldn’t go for the center seat.)
I’m all about the windows because I love looking out. I don’t mind being squished in a small space and I rarely need to get up to move around or use the restroom. If the flight is around 5 hours or less, I almost never get up. It’s only on more long-distance (typically international) flights that I would get up. Plus, I love having the wall to lean on.
Meanwhile, Panda is an aisle seat kind of guy. He prefers the extra space to spread out a little and the freedom to get up as he pleases. He doesn’t mind not seeing out and when in first class, he gets to choose his meal earlier!
So what about you? Do you always sit in a window or aisle seat? Or do you like the center seat??
Traveling light
Wow, it feels so great to be flying with a half-empty suitcase. I have no crazy heavy bag on my shoulder (and can you believe it actually is a bit sore? Must be some sort of ghost feeling) – all I have is a clutch and my suitcase. I have so little with me that things are falling around in my suitcase. There are no toiletries, no change of clothes, no bulging bags. It’s really refreshing to be free of all that stuff.
Instead what I do have are my gadgets (phone, tablet, laptop) and chargers, gifts for my family from our Orlando trip, and my wallet. That’s pretty much it! Now on the way back it’s going to be a completely different story; I’ll have tons of things I want to transfer from my parents’ to my now home. So for now I will savor the ease of traveling with a minimal bag, not having to worry if I overstuffed my bags or if my shoulder will break off from the strain of carrying it.
Random observation: bridges
What’s black and white with yellow stripes?
No, not a bridge, but a road with a bridge! So I’ve been doing a lot of flying lately – from LAX to IAD, then from IAD to MCO and back – and quite a bit of driving (or being driven) too – from VA to PA and back – and it started to become really obvious to me that when I saw a patch of lighter pavement, it was a small bridge or overpass. Have you ever noticed that too?
My theory is that the bridges are made with a different paving material (concrete vs. asphalt) for two possible reasons: 1. to ensure that they are sturdy enough to hold under the weight of all the passing traffic and 2. to use the lightest/least possible material. Asphalt can be poured onto the base layer of concrete for roads directly on the ground, but when it comes to bridges, adding that extra weight isn’t necessarily worth the benefits of easier maintenance. So while you’ll find black asphalt roads most everywhere, once you approach a bridge, don’t be surprised if it’s white(ish). Then again, maybe you’re not a nerd like me, noticing and trying to understand this difference. Just thought I’d share one of the many random things I notice and think about as I go about my daily life.
Troublesome travel
Had quite the travel experience yesterday. I left through Burbank Airport for the first time and had to get on a different flight because mine was late and I’d miss my connection. They wiped my hands when I was going through security, which never happened before. I guess they were looking for drugs or explosive residue? My flight up to SFO was nice and quick and I had a lovely chat with the guy next to me – Peter? Or Henry…
Up in SFO I had a long layover and stood in this LONG line for customer service. There were a lot of delayed flights, missed connections, and cancelled flights to contend with. At first I wanted to see if I could get on an earlier flight but by the time I got to the counter, the only other flight was already heading out. I asked for a meal voucher but since the delay was due to weather, I was rejected. :-/ I got my boarding pass and got some food before settling in to blog and listen to some music.
At night, my flight came in (delayed, of course) and everyone eagerly crowded the gate for a good half hour before we could board. I had gotten a middle seat, but was fortunate enough to get the entire row to myself! I moved to the window seat when I was pretty sure I’d be alone and the lady behind me moved up to grab my aisle seat. I was looking forward to stretching out, dang! The ride was super bumpy and I woke up a few times wondering if we’d crash. I mean, I know how unlikely it is, but sometimes you’re just not sure…
I arrived early in the morning a good 5+ hours later than I should have but it was kind of nice to sleep all night on the plane. It wasn’t nearly enough and I crashed as soon as I got home to a bed. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until I woke up from a dream! Now we’re already on our way to Orlando for a mini vacation. Yippee!
The LDR
I came across some bloggers who are in long distance relationships, writing about the challenges of it. It got me thinking about my own LDR.
We spend a lot of time flying back and forth.
Usually it’s not in my conscious mind that I’m actually in a long distance relationship. Perhaps I’ve just been doing it for so long? The way my life is now, well, it’s all pretty normal to me (but it’s certainly not what I want long-term). Panda and I are coming on 5 years and at least half of that time has been apart, whether just a city or two away or an entirely different side of the world. Just months into our relationship, I decided to take an opportunity to work in Singapore. I was gone for about half a year and it was hard. Our relationship was actually fine the whole time – we got to chat on Skype and write long emails to each other to share our days. The strain was more in other aspects of my life, brought on in part due to the fact that I missed him so much. When I came back, we had some precious months together.
About a year later, he had moved home after graduating college and was preparing to start his working life. For another half a year or so, I only got to see him fleetingly whenever I could visit him at his house on weekends or days off work. And then, since March of 2011, he has been living out on the east coast. At first, I got to see him about one week a month. As that first year was ending, I was seeing him less and less (not as much travel for work) so I made a bold decision to quit my job and try out entrepreneurial endeavors. This gave me a chance to stay with him more frequently – a few months out of the year – and that’s where we’re at now.
I’m on the cusp of my next change: finding a job in his area so I can move there. Is it possible that our long distance days might finally be over? I dare not believe it yet. Not until I’ve secured a job and moved in and settled for a bit. It’s one of those dreams that has been following me for quite some time now and I’m really looking forward to making it come true. It’s been a long time coming and I want nothing more than a nice little home life with my beau. Oh, and I guess I want a house too. 😉
I think the greatest challenge in my LDR is the communication. It’s a lot harder when the sound quality on phone calls and video calls aren’t always that great (and things lag). It’s also hard trying to type it all since you often miss tone and true meaning. Panda and I will sit on Skype for hours at a time, both of us going about our days but being able to check in visually when we want, so we can feel like we’re almost in the same space. My favorite time with him is really the simple stuff in life – being able to sit next to each other as we do our own work, being able to go grocery shopping together, being able to take a stroll outside together… many plans have been put on hold just because we are not cohabiting and cannot do them just yet. Within the next year I plan on putting our LDR to rest! I’m sure it will pop up again over the years, but hopefully it will be less often (and certainly a minority of our time).
Are you in a long distance relationship too? What challenges do you find and how do you cope?
Giant stork
Just walking along the pond one day when I spotted what at first looked like a log, and then a dog. As I got closer, I could discern that it was a stork! I then tried to see how close I could get; when I got too close, it took off…
stork by lake from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
stork flying from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
