Other than the quick post I just put up, it's been a few weeks since I last wrote... The hiatus has me back, yet again in a contemplative state, contemplating inspiration, happiness, love and life. The usual things, I suppose - but nonetheless, I'm going to give you an update on my life and thoughts, stream of consciousness style.
So what's happened in the last few weeks?
Well, let's run it down:
- 5172 miles flown
- 49ers lose 3 times
- Giants beat Braves to win NLDS
- 2 weddings attended (both were weddings of esteemed colleagues)
- a bunch of last minute hotel reservations
- two half marathons completed
- 1 new friend
- countless covenant slaughtered (playing Halo:Reach)
- found my lost love for the city that never sleeps
My history on airplanes is a long and storied one; I got on my first plane at the age of 6, and at that point, wanted to be a pilot. Unfortunately, the genetic lottery was not on my side, and I grew up with a vision impairment, thus ending the dream of a career in the air force flying jets.
Anyhow, I started flying commercially when I was about 22, for work. Criscrossing the great white north in the interest of preserving justice, peace and the inner good. I really liked it; I thought it was exciting; I thought that it was fun, exotic - going and staying in places that weren't my home - experiencing restaurants and hotel rooms was a great way to live. Ten years later, I'm 32. I've logged over 500,000 miles as of this writing in my history with United. That's on top of the 100,000 or so I did with Air Canada during my stint with the Department of Justice. 183,784 of those miles were in 2009, and 119,843 of the miles were in 2008. Obviously, I've been building it up for a while. I got tired of it at one point, and in my latest job, I've travelled far less than in previous years. I doubt I'll even hit premiere executive this year, which I will miss dearly next year.
Anyhow, where am I going with this? Nowhere really. This is a stream of consciousness posting, so I'm entitled to meander.
Well, I've met some cool people on planes over the years. A week ago today, I met Carolyne, a beautiful and interesting woman from Philadelphia, who now makes her home in New York. She was minding her own business in the departure lounge at SFO, watching the skins play the packers, getting ready for the flight to JFK. She didn't see me coming, but graciously allowed me to remain with a smile. As a native of the city of brotherly love, she's a Phillies and Eagles fan - probably more of a sports fan than I've ever seen in a woman.
So I'm in 9A. United upgraded me to business, and I was feeling pretty good about the situation, looking forward to a nap on the way to JFK. As luck would have it, 9B was available on the flight. Serendipitous? Perhaps. I nicely asked the gate agent if she would mind upgrading my new friend, and she gracefully accommodated my request. So, I've got a flying buddy. Put aside that lovely 5 hour nap, and talk all the way through the flight. Interesting conversation, including discussion of 3rd nipples - neither of us - tough mudders, marathoning and other random facts ensues. 49ers playing the Eagles while we fly ... sounds like a wager is in order - especially since we can get online during the flight.
The Wager:
For me, if the 49ers win, I get the pleasure of her company for tuesday evening and get to experience the city as a native would. For her, playing the new york attitude card - an Eagles win has me flying from honolulu to JFK, and going to the Giants/Eagles game on December 19th in New York, wearing Eagles garb.
The flight ends with the score 24-10, and I consign myself to making good on the bet. I give her my number, foolishly without getting her details. Obviously the end of the game was fantastic, and I had high hopes, but ultimately ended up losing. Without her number, I couldn't call.
Monday night while I'm sitting in a bar watching MNF and giants, my iphone buzzes with an email - I check it and see this (spell corrected because google does a pretty bad job transcribing audio):
On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 9:27 PM, Google Voice <voice-noreply@google.com> wrote:
Voicemail from: (xxx) xxx-xxxx at 9:26pm
Hi Dave this is Carolyne from the airplane, calling to collect on my bet, so call me back. Bye.The SF giants are about to beat the Braves in 4 to win the NLDS, and I see this. It's been a good day.
The Outcome:
So long story short, I spent Tuesday evening in her company, enjoying the wonders of the east village. Dinner at Yerba Buena, cocktails at PDT. It's a cinderella story complete with pumpkins and glass slippers. When the evening ended in the east village at around 2am, I had a smile on my face having enjoyed an evening in incredibly interesting company. Could it be possible that I'm actually enjoying a trip to NYC?
Who knew. So I guess I'm going to New York from Hawaii in December. Ultimately, I won, regardless of the outcome of the bet.
Next up: Phillies/Giants NLCS. I'm sure there's room for a wager in there somewhere.
Ok, I'm out. Until next time guys.
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