Foreword: this was written from my mobile phone – not the most encompassing of publishing tools to say the least. Please forgive any mistakes as much as you are able.
I am current 10568m in the sky, and looking at a screen in the back of the chair in front of me, streaming a live camera from the planes tail, facing forward. The view is amazing. The clouds hurry past underneath and you can see the horizon line as it goes from blue to black.
Outside my window, a wing the size of a cricket pitch with room to spare flexes under the weight of this aircraft and I am just floored by the sheer concept that humans have achieved flight. It was a coincidence that I recently watched The Aviator (you know, that other film that Leonardo Dicaprio did not get an Oscar for?) and it brings to mind just how completely recent a concert commercial flight is.
My single serving travelling companions are an older couple who have been very quiet – we shared a laugh when everyone tried to offer everyone else the first bottle of water. I will no doubt feel bad when I have to push past them to stretch my legs (although there is plenty of room). They seem like seasoned flyers, dialing out the hubbub of take off with no sense of awe. I was glued to the porthole window like a stunned idiot.
So far, Qantas have been amazing. In Melbourne the gentleman put me on an earlier flight so I could get to Sydney without having to stress about getting my connection in a bug hurry. It massively reduced the amount of stress I would have had – Sydney airport terminal is a big place. When I said this to Bex, she laughed and said “wait until you see L.A!”.
In my youth I recall a lot of talk about how bad airline food is. Let me tell you now – the wagyu slow cooked beef with steamed veggies and mashed potato, while no 5 hat dish, was delicious and we’ll timed. I was lost in my book and no concept of how much time had passed until the hot meal was in front of me. I used the preording service when I did online check in, and the wagyu isn’t on the regular menu. I’m sure this is much to the chagrin of my single serve friends, as I saw them eyeing off my beef.
Speaking of book. Holy cow, push it over and run like heck. I’m reading a book called Horns written by Joe Hill (recently made into a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe) and it is a stressful emotional roller-coaster! I’m in love with the characters as kids, I’m stressing for the protagonist and I hate the antagonist and I’m totally wrapped up in how this will turn out. At its core it’s a pretty thematically ‘done before’ story – guy is grief stricken after girlfriends untimely death, (girls character is barely fleshed out, a cardboard cut out of a feminine concept more than anything else) goes about seeking revenge. The writing style is right down my alley however, and I don’t mind a bit of the old cliche! It’s also not entirely predicable and the main character is delighting relatable and easy to sympathise with to some extent. I’m about a 3rd into it and hope to finish it before the flight is done. I have some issues with how women have been portrayed so far. It definitely doesn’t pass the Bechtel test, at least so far.
Obviously this book is having some effect on me. I’ll stop harping on.
A shout out to my parents – those of you who didn’t answer have phone messages. If Bex and I don’t update this sooner, happy new year!
P. S. This will have been uploaded only when I land in LAX. Ratings to come.