Homecoming

As always, it’s good to be home.

Frankfurt was too short to do anything. I did go out for Thai food (go figure), but went to bed early. Just couldn’t stay awake anymore. Which, of course, means I was up in the middle of the night. Oh well…

I’m still recovering, but I’m glad to be back. On the way from Dallas to Fresno, I sat beside a corporate pilot. Naturally, we got to talking. Turns out he’s a Christian. Better yet, he discovered today (as a result of our conversation) that he’s a libertarian. What was impressive to me was the amount of thought he had given to libertarian ideas without actually realizing that’s what they are. Needless to say, we enjoyed our conversation. We exchanged email addresses. He, too, is looking to get out of California. He has chosen Oregon at the moment. I didn’t have the heart to point out their similar passion for socialism. One piece at a time…

On an unrelated note, I had a conversation with one of our pilots about how little people understand what we go through out on the road. We have a common interest in computers and were discussing wireless and wired networking. I told him I had discovered the hotel in Frankfurt had a crew room with free internet access (after staying there for three+ years). You can even bring your own laptop and plug in, but they don’t have wireless.

Somehow that led to the topic of Osan, Korea and the internet access they have there. We had obviously both had the same experience trying to hook our computers up to their wired network. In some of the rooms the jacks are on one side of the room and the nearest power outlet is on the other side of the room. We traded stories about creatively relocating the furnature and chairs and what not to accomodate wires strung across the room (and the ensuing strange looks from the maids ;). I guess it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ stories. In a way, though, it illustrates how truly unique this job really is. Sometimes we just see and do things that are unusual. In some ways I think my whole life is one of those ‘you had to be there’ stories…

V- (professional gypsy)