15.7.09

this mortal, coyle.




Recently, I vacated the wonderfully intoxicating city of Austin to embark on a journey through Chicago.
I took the subway for my very first time... I flew on an airplane for the first time in years... it all felt like being a child again. Everything was so new and exciting. I'm not quite sure that I will ever understand those who dislike flying. It will never seize to amaze me; that you can reach such great heights that you are above the clouds! I feel as though they should make planes with observation decks, like trains with observation cars. with large windows so you can see for miles. I'm quite sure they make the windows so small so that most people don't have panic attacks while flying. If you don't even look out the window while on airplane, you may be able to get away with convincing yourself that you actually have not even left the ground.
And then there is the infamous "sky mall" catalog. my sister and I used to look through those on flights to see my dad when we were young. we would try to pick out the most ridiculous products out of all of the ridiculous products that fill the pages. then we would pick up the other magazine and do the crossword. I always pretended to finish them, but I would find one that was left filled in and just copy it. too young to know those words.
when we reached chicago, the airport smelled of hot dogs immediately. this was a meal recommendation that was thrown at me on a daily basis during the weeks before my trip. I am a vegetarian, but one who doesn't care what other people eat at all, so these recommendations were pointless, but definitely not insulting or alienating whatsoever. actually, quite entertaining. people would go on and on about the hot dogs for five minutes or more, even after I shared the news that I am an herbivore. these hot dogs must be amazing!
the next scent I detected before descending to the depths of the train tunnels was the sweet delicious smell of gummy bears. it reminded me of sticking my hands in the bins at the candy store when I was a child. we rode the train to logan square and climbed the stairs to daylight. the air there felt so fresh and cool and full of energy. it was quite a switch from the hot, sticky, 107 degree weather we have been experiencing in Austin.
the architecture is so different from Austin. they don't really have the boring cookie cutter apartment buildings that we have here. don't get me wrong, Austin is quite wonderful, but Chicago has these huge old buildings that look like giant houses, but are all split into apartments on each floor. the look, the feel... it's all so much more comforting.
anyways, this is just a taste of chicago through my senses... I'll log more details later.
removing myself from Austin for a few days certainly put things in perspective for me. I finally felt like I had time to think. about everything. about what I would like to put my energy into and where it needed to be balanced. I'm happy to be back and I feel like it is the beginning of something new and wonderful and fresh and I am so excited.
love.

2 comments:

frogpoet said...

i like this blog.

p.s. please dont block me from your blog. I love responding to blogs and do so just about every chance i get - check out jess rice's blog and maryann's blog, and you'll see that i respond to them on just about every entry; so please dont feel alarmed at my responding to yours.

on what you say about those who dislike flying - that can change over the years. i used to love flying. when i was young i did tons of traveling with my dad. lots of flights to mexico to visit family; over 20 flights to the carribean with dad (even sailed there)... been to just about every island down there. we would go twice a year for many years and i would watch him give lectures for a few days and then we would explore the islands afterwards. he even had his own piper cub for a while (he became a certified pilot as a hobby) and we would fly to south texas and south padre island, though i didn't like THOSE flights as i would invariably get rollicking sick on them. Flying the big planes didn't bother me at all though during those years; flew to russia once on a school trip; flew to illinois for both work and latin national competitions (our high school made nationals - yaay. roman history was my forte... i got 2nd in texas, 7th at nationals, brag brag brag). Anyways my point is that things change. many brain imbalances don't appear until after you turn 30, and apparently thats what happened to me during the france trip - my neurotransmitter level plummeted and i spent the next 7 hours of the trip right on the verge of throwing up. that was one looooong "dont throw up dont throw up dont throw up" episode. yech. that was severe enough and long enough that it caused me to associate that feeling with airplanes. i've since flown successfully several times to new york, once up to seattle for my alaska trip from last year, with my emergency medicine in my pocket in case the neurotransmitter starts is haywire journey. Its not that i can't fly, its that i am hesitant to, and its hard to shake that feeling. when i was younger i also wouldn't have quite understood people who dislike flying, because at that age i liked it just fine. Experiences you have later can change your views on things in ways you would not have expected.

anyways these are just some thoughts i felt like sharing. no big deal. i added a short poem to my blog late last night for the first time in months. same thing there... just a bit of sharing is all.

Alan P said...

You should buy a hot dog cooker from skymall.