notforprophet

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Jottings while flying across the country today...

Someday there will be a major league pticher who's capable of pitching both left and right-handed with equal fluency. That will spur the next revolution in participant functionality. After that there will training camps for kids in dual-armed hurling.

- while over Ohio

It is more important to be happy than to feel in love. If in love but not happy, you may never, probably never will be happy. But if happy and yet awaiting love, there remains high hope for you.

- while over Ohio

I had to refrain today from pounding and slapping and hitting infrastructure things as I typically do while touring on my daily travels. For today I proceeded to the airport to catch a flight. And I had enough sense to realize that while I can walk along a downtown block on the way to work and slap a building or punch a tree, hitting, kicking and pounding structures in the airport would likely run me into problems with security.

- while over Indiana

“Enjoy the flight.” You have got to be kidding. I am all tensed up. I’m pretty sure there’s no air marshal on this flight so I’ve appointed myself sub-superhuman avenger. Damn bumpy ride is terrorizing the crap out of me. But how does on apprehend an updraft?

-while over Indiana

There’s an old Zen instruction that mandates “Never carry excess baggage.” Accordingly, on my four day trip to Scottsdale AZ, I am carrying no luggage beyond strapping on my computer backpack (with my two computers, of course) and utilizing the rest of the space for some spare clothes. Yes, it’s good to be a guy.

-while over Missouri

Surprise, surprise. My flight had to return to St. Louis—where it had a stopover—ten minutes after it had taken to the air again. There was an emergency—a malfunction in a baggage compartment door seal—which could have caused the plane to decompress had it become fully breached in the upper atmosphere. The pilot claimed on the intercom that the return landing was the “hardest” he ever had—“exhausting all my brain cells”. That due to the fact that the plane still had nearly a full complement of fuel and that passenger planes are designed to land much “lighter” with fuel stores relatively more depleted. Hence, "heavy" they are harder to control and stop. Lost time, but did not lose compression. That was a fair tradeoff in my estimation.

- while over Kansas

There’s a 15 pound cat named Jack in New Jersey that chased a black bear up two different trees yesterday. Now that story inspires me more than most anything I’ve heard lately. In many ways, I can see myself, like Jack, intrepidly confronting challenges along my way. Jack had so much heart that he prevailed despite his deficiency in size. Here’s to heart, for God knows that my deficiencies vis-à-vis the challenges that await me are immense.

- while over New Mexico

Finally, over Arizona, and feeling light and playful. Like being home once again. But then, it was (once my home), so (in a sense) I am.

- while over Arizona