The Conical Glass: The F state

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The F state

My friend Doug tagged me with the following:

Each player of this game starts with "6 weird things about you." Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule.

I have been thinking about this for a couple days now, and have been unable to come up with a single weird thing about myself. Am I really that mundane and normal? Perhaps it's just that in a country of 300 million people, it's hard to distinguish yourself; I mean, I didn't start driving a car until I was in my mid-20s, but I know a woman (a transplanted New Yorker, of course) who doesn't drive at all. I've never watched a single episode of "American Idol," but a friend, a brilliant AIDS researcher, undoubtedly couldn't name any of the "Idol" judges or past winners if you put a gun to her head. I'm pop-culture-savvy enough that I could probably reel off just about every "Idol" winner and runner-up.

The reason I haven't posted lately is because I have been in Florida, at my parents'. I sat down intending to write something a couple times, but couldn't think of anything beyond, "Wow, I sure am enjoying this 70-degree weather and sunshine! Take that, rest of the country!" I know Florida is supposed to be the weirdest state in the union, but I've been visiting it my whole life and love the place. I would never want to move there (I couldn't handle the summer heat), but it's hard not to envy the folks who are able to spend their winters lying poolside and walking on the beach.

The worst thing about my annual visits to Florida is getting there. It's a long, long trip from Northern California, and I hate to fly. If it were up to me, I'd have my own Madden Cruiser. Nevertheless, I keep getting on planes -- I generally fly about three times a year -- because I like going to different places. Usually, if the ride is smooth, I manage to relax a bit after the first half hour or so; if it's turbulent, I am in a state of constant terror. Now, logically, I know that turbulence is uncomfortable but nothing to be afraid of; I've done a lot of reading on the subject, including this excellent Ask the Pilot column. But it feels horrible.

Recently, I found a new reason to be worried about flying: the possibility of dying on the plane, or having someone else die on the plane. This situation makes the news occasionally, when a celebrity passes away at 30,000 feet; most recently, Richard Carlson, author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, died of cardiac arrest while en route from San Francisco to New York. Celebrity biographer Albert Goldman also died while aboard a plane. The really scary thing about this possibility? Pretty much every flight I've been on in the past several years has been completely full, so if your seatmate's heart gives out halfway to your destination, it seems horrifyingly likely that you'd wind up sitting next to a corpse for the remainder of your travels.

Luckily, I should be able to stay on the ground for at least the next five months.

posted by 125records @ 2:40 PM

5 Comments:

At 5:54 PM, 2fs said…

Extrapolating from your post, I'd list your "six weird things" as follows:

1. I think I'm normal
2. I didn't start driving till my mid-20s
3. I've never watched a single episode of American Idol (ed. me neither, which is why I haven't shot myself) yet I can name most winners by memory
4. I actually like Florida, despite the Bushes
5. I'm afraid of flying
6. I'm afraid of sharing a small, cramped row of airplane seats with a corpse - especially if it's Albert Goldman.

You're welcome!
At 6:08 PM, 125records said…

Steve also listed that he didn't learn to drive a car 'til he was in his 20s, so it's not even that odd in my circle of friends. (I actually got my driver's license at age 16 but didn't use it, except as an I.D., for the next several years.) Also, 1 out of 8 people don't fly at all because they're afraid, so that's not so strange, either. There are no longer any Bushes in power in Florida -- Jeb termed out. I'll grant you #3 & #6, though.
At 4:49 AM, Janet said…

I'd let ff's 6 suggestions stand. The rules simply stipulate "weird", presumably as in "interesting", not unique. And all 6 are certainly interesting.
At 7:15 PM, yellojkt said…

I got tagged by this same meme (thanks, 2fs) and I had a hard time with it to.

Florida is the weirdest state, but not in the interesting way. I somehow get stuck going back about every year and a half. That has got to be a nightmare flight from CA. It's a pleasant morning from MD.
At 9:55 PM, Miles said…

I didn't learn to drive until 18, which seemed late to me, since everyone else I knew had been driving - not driving well but driving - for two years! By the way, I was one of the people who voted for Casino Royale, even though I have yet to see it myself.