Boring vacation update
Once again I found myself shielded by head-high privacy walls as I settled in for the long haul this evening. I immediately felt like a podunk again in these new digs, but luckily the staff were kind and patient as I tried to figure out all the bells and whistles that have been installed to keep me company in the self-imposed solitude. It seems we pay a premium to avoid community. The fact that I usually feel the avoidance is worth the money makes me question my priorities and my state of mind. It really is an odd thing for a social creature to visualize luxury as anything other than shared pleasure, but in our little plastic and pleather cocoons we can't really share anything at all, even if someone we love is just one seat over. We literally cannot eat dinner with someone else, or watch a show on the same screen, and talking face to face would require some minor acrobatics. Everything is strictly partitioned for the individual. Is this really what we want?If so, should it be?
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After insisting on staying up for every course of dinner (because, damn it, I'm getting my money's worth), I couldn't sleep. I might have caught 5 winks in a reclined position after giving up on the idea of laying flat in a bed with a seatbelt on. The seats are comfy, but between turbulence, a hot cabin, being tied down and being surrounded by blue lighted buttons that won't dim, there really is no complete relaxation to be had. Caffeine it is. At least it's almost breakfast time.
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After a nutritious breakfast, a cup of tea, and salt and pepper shakers that look like kooky little planes with feet, I feel amazingly good. This, of course, leaves me with a deep sense of foreboding. At least we're not over the ocean anymore.
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Everything went smoothly through customs, I got a ride from the airport in a lovely car and have a decent hotel room with a bathtub. I'm pretty sure a meteor will fall on my head later today, but for now I'm going to have a look around and find some lunch.
