Airport Life

Traveling always makes me notice CORDS and CABLES – all the electric strings in plastic we seem to find invaluable these days. I reach into my bag to listen to some music and sift through the contents to find my headphones – of course, first I come across my computer charger, my cell phone charger, my iPod charger… somehow, the cables always make me more aware of the technological influx than the actual devices do.

I won’t pretend to be superhuman, though. Man, if someone offered me an iPad to use on this transatlantic flight – EVEN THOUGH I already have an iPod nano and a MacBookPro – I would SO take it. Damn Macs. So seductive!

I wasn’t intending to debate the pros and cons of technology in this entry – I’m not really informed enough to do that. But I did want to write about the things I notice while traveling, and technology sure is one of them.

I also notice shoes a lot when I travel. Maybe it’s because I’m paranoid ever since I learned that only American wear garishly white tennis shoes everywhere, but I look at peoples’ feet a lot when I travel. Lots of leather shoes, and some flip flops today (my friends from Hawaii say it’s embarrassing to call flip flops flip flops when you’re in Hawaii. If you’re ever there, say “slippers” instead.) and the occasional daring high heels on the high-powered-looking woman tearing up the escalators in front of me…

The really interesting thing to notice in airports is

(AAH! Mini-break in writing this entry - I was being a bad person and eavesdropping and realized that a Thai family is sitting behind me – I DO still understand some Thai! Oh man, I’m so happy now! Oh dear… reminiscing time!!!!!)

Anyways, the other really interesting thing to notice in airports is the way different people deal with strangers. Because there’s NO way to avoid strangers in airports – even if you’re traveling with friends or family, you’ll still go order a coffee or some French fries or at least be standing awkwardly in line for the bathroom with people you don’t know. And that’s just neat. I tend to smile at people – I know it’s weird. Well, it’s weird in some cultures to smile at people you don’t know, but I tend to do it anyway. Especially – hihi- especially when other people are getting grumpy, I tend to do it. In a weird reversely-proportional way, the more grumpy a crowd gets that I’m in, the happier I tend to be! This is especially true when I’m in a line of people waiting to GO somewhere – like on to the plane. People jostle and swear and glare and shove and cut other people off with swift suitcase moves, and I just can’t help but laughing because I know for the next EIGHT HOURS none of us will be moving much at all! So why does it matter?? It makes me smile, what can I say. J So, yeah. The strangers here probably think I’m rather, well, strange. ;-) I’m okay with that.

Also, I gave into the advice of some friends and decided physical appearance doesn’t matter when I travel, so I’m in sweatpants and so very very comfortable! Thanks, C!

Now just an hour until takeoff, 8 hours on the plane… I still don’t quite believe it!