The Flight Over

Thirteen hours in economy class on United flight 976 was an experience.  Although I must say, thanks to my ability to sleep, not as bad as I had feared.  The long flight is taken almost in complete darkness, as everyone closes their blinds to allow as much sleep as possible.

Movie options included Wanted, Kit Kitteridge, Diminished Capacity, and Tropic Thunder.  One out of four ain't bad.  I'll leave it for you to decide which I settled on, but for a hint it did involve blackface, a tivo, Tom Cruise in a fat suit and a friendly little chap, who we now refer to as "half-squat".

Most surreal moment of the trip:  It's 8:30 PM and I am stretching my legs.  I look out at one of the few exposed windows and look down on the Tigris river.  Yes, we were at 35,000 feet flying directly over Baghdad, where over 200,000 Americans are risking their lives.  I go back to my seat with couples poring over travel books, kids eating their snacks and watching the Suite Life of Zack and Cody on the Disney channel and it seems quite wrong to be so oblivious to their sacrifices.