This week: Just roll with it.
Being on an airplane is exactly like being in your own home except that there are more strangers milling around. Also, if you step out of your house, it’ll probably be okay, but if you step out of a plane, there’s a high likelihood you’re going to die. Another difference is that most houses don’t have wheels. Or wings. Unless you live in a trailer, but even then, no wings. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that being in your own home and being on a plane are two completely different experiences.
You heard it here first.
I read somewhere that if you veer even one degree off your path each day, before you know it, you’ll be going in the opposite direction. Yesterday, the first degree started with my toothbrush.
I meant to keep a toothbrush in my carry-on instead of packing it in the checked luggage so I could use it during the flight. I value excellent dental hygiene and brush after every meal. Sometimes, I brush my teeth because, fuck it, it’s fun. Too cheap to buy an extra toothbrush at the airport because they cost like 50 goddamn dollars, I convinced myself that it would probably cost less to buy a new set of teeth rather than spend that kind of cash on a toothbrush for one or two uses. Plus, the airport only had the cheap kind where all the bristles are the same height and the handle doesn’t even have rubber grip strips to ensure a satisfactory brushing experience. I’m not trying to be elitist or anything, but my mouth is accustomed to the gentle soothing vibrations of a Sonicare.
Since I felt like such a failure already, I decided not to do any items on my In-flight Task List. Instead, I spent a good two hours memorizing the lyrics to Snoop Dogg’s Lodi Dodi. The plane didn’t have internet, so I couldn’t look up the lyrics. Instead, I had to painstakingly record each word into a little notebook as I heard it. Here’s the thing: Rappers tend to rap faster than I can write, so I would catch a few words before Snoop outpaced me. I would then have to reset the song back to the beginning. In this way, I could double-check my progress and catch a few more words at the end. Rinse. Repeat.
The flight from LA to Frankfurt is 10 hours and 10 minutes. Since it took me nearly 2 hours to transcribe the song, I devoted roughly 20% of my flight to this endeavor.
Do I regret it? Not really.
A lot of people use their time, energy, and dedication to better themselves. Some go to college, others learn a skilled trade. As for me, I’m going to pretty much blow the lid off any karaoke bar I step into for the rest of my life.
I just want to have a normal trip like a normal person. Shit always happens and it makes me think that either I was really bad in another lifetime as a dog or a snake and I’m paying for it now (if I were Hindu), or maybe I’ve done something horrible in this lifetime to warrant such bad luck (karmic retribution), or maybe my grandfather or his father did something so bad that it traveled down the lineage to me (long distance karmic retribution), or maybe the devil is angry because I won’t give him my soul (Satanic-ism). I’m not sure I got all the belief systems/punishment combos correct or if Satanic-ism is even a real thing. All I’m trying to tell you is that I have Bad Vacation-ism.
Instead of letting the little things get under my skin, I’m going to stay focused on what’s most important this week: Making sure Cal has the time of her life. BAM. I’m such a good mom.Has anything funny/weird/disastrous happened to you while traveling?
P.S. Thank you so much for the travel tips last week. Y’all are beyond dope when it comes to steering me in the right direction
I NEED TO PICK A PEN NAME. AND I’M LETTING YOU DECIDE.
I’m about to burst because I want to tell you what it’s for, so I’ll let you know as soon as I can. In the meantime, I’d love for you to weigh in: Sha-Nasty (part of the name I would have chosen had I been a rap star), or Flo-Rish (I think this one is pretty self-explanatory).
“Like” the Flourish in Progress Facebook page to get the first word when I announce the site. I also post original content (pictures + thug life thoughts). (UPDATE 6/7: Just announced the site on the Flourish in Progress Facebook page.)
P.P.S. I couldn’t pick just ONE winner for the journal giveaway, so I picked TWO instead. Cindy Kang and James Taipale, please email me at flourishinprogress at gmail dot com with your address.
image via pinterest (Queensland Rail train etiquette parody poster)
