Fear of flying

I remember when I was about 4, I was taken on my first aeroplane ride, from St Petersburg to Sochi. It was super fun. And I liked to fly: you suddenly get 6-8 hours for yourself to think, read, do nothing, with an excellent excuse.

So, I don't understand, when did traveling become such a tremendous pain in the arse?? I don't remember the last time I enjoyed an airport experience at all!

Yesterday, we boarded the plane, and things looked promising: in a full flight, we seemed to have been granted the only empty seat as the middle of our threesome. That's where the goodness ended, though. Imagine: doors shut, and the plane starts taxying, and all of sudden screeches to halt and backs up. 3 flight attendants race to the back of the plane - actually, about 3 rows behind us.

I'm all, OMGeeee, is someone sick?? I'm like totally a doctor, maybe I should help! Hubby held me down. He's very pragmatic: Don't even think about it until they ask.

Anyway, turned out, it was some girl who started flipping out, or, more formally, having a panic attack about flying, and asked to get off the plane. She almost changed her mind, but then, the crew made her get off the plane, because clearly, on a 6 hour flight, no one needs a woman in hysterics.

So that was an interesting beginning.

Then the flight attendants announce that we the lowly public in coach should refrain from using the bathroom up front, because it is reserved for 1st class. About 5 minutes later, she announced laconically that the bathroom in the back of the plane is non-operatory. This made for interesting peeing for the entire coach cabin.

Then, they said, we'll now be playing your movie, "Journey to the center of the Earth." And I could see, the 2 monitors up in 1st class lit up, but the 10 monitors in coach flickered and.... nothing! She got back on the intercom, and said, oh... sorry guys. Non-operatory monitors.

This was starting to sound like a mnemonic for an illness: Can't pee, can't see, can't... (climb a tree is the ending of that, so I worried, is the engine gonna be "non-operatory?")

Plus, they never announced it, but I suspect that climate control was being temperamental too, because it was really hot on that plane.

However, I consider the flight a success because at least, they didn't lose our luggage. You gotta appreciate the small pleasures in life. Just because I had to hold it in for 6 hours until I got off the plane, doesn't mean I'm not thankful that at least I had a change of underwear available.