So I always resolve, every time I fly, not to fly again; flying is just so unnatural, bad for the environment, bad for my health (apparently, one flight across country is like the equivalent of getting 100 cat-scans of radiation, because you are so far up in the atmosphere, or something like that.) But, then my family calls and really wants to see me and offers me a plane ticket home, and since I also miss them and really want to see them, and hitchhiking across the country takes a week or more, and I often have limited time to get there, see them and get back, time and time again I find myself flying. But I really want to keep my resolve this time, and never fly again. Here are my reasons why:
1) Flying is so hypocritical for me. The damage to the environment from air travel is so huge; and I'm not just talking about the fuel used, greenhouse gases and all that good stuff, but the noise pollution as well. When I'm living in a tent or sleeping bag in someone's yard or woods, I often bitch to myself about all the jets and planes going over; living outside makes you realize just how many are constantly crisscrossing the sky, how wasteful and noisy we civilized humans are. When I'm lying in a backyard someplace, I find myself shaking a fist at the skies and telling myself I'll never fly again, yet, next thing I know, I'm once again taking a plane back to New York; well, this madness has to stop; planes are annoying, dangerous and extremely harmful to the environment, as Al Gore so helpfully pointed out in his movie, in one of the many scenes of him on a plane, flying to a lecture someplace where he would tell people to stop flying (ironic, hu?) Anyway, this type of hypocrisy has got to end for me; I also found it ironic that I was watching the movie Ember City on the plane, which was so clearly a warning about our (humanities,) careless usage of our natural world, while flying across the country.
2) Planes are so clearly hierarchical in nature; in most instances in our culture, we at least try to hide the fact that some of us are slaves, while others are masters (and the masters often hide their wealth and have some level of shame about it,) but this does not hold true on planes; oddly enough, it is culturally acceptable to clearly define the class a person belongs to on a plane; first class people get meals for free, while the rest of the rabble has to pay for theirs. First class people get pillows and blankets and more leg room; the rest of the rabble does not. "Gold Star Executives" board first, then "Premiere Executives", etc, etc...doesn't this feel strange to anyone else? I did enjoy sweating all over some businessmen who where seated in the economy section with the rabble on this flight; but every time I fly lately, I feel really odd about the way commoners are so clearly separated from "Executives..."
3) What the fuck do they spray the seats with? Doesn't anyone else feel like they are getting poisoned by the stain-guard, or whatever the hell it is that they spray the seats with...why do people want this shit on their seats? Why is it ok for people to spray perfume and fake male musk all over themselves while on a plane? Doesn't anyone else have chemical sensitivities? I got a headache from all the shit people where spraying while on this plane-ride; probably they where spraying it to "combat" my "stinkyness" but geezus, I don't want to breathe that stuff in. I was relieved to get off the plane and wrap my arms around Ian, who smelled like a man; musky, sweet, sorta like a rabbit, oddly enough. My friend Lucas once wisely said "people are getting divorced in record numbers because they never really smell their partners' natural scent...how can they know if their chemistry is right for one another if they are always covering their scent up with perfumes and deodorants...?" I tend to agree with this theory; one of the first things I think about when looking for a mate is "does their natural scent smell appealing to me?" I was relieved to finally smell armpits and rabbit-likeness from Ian after weeks and weeks of being around too-clean people who only smelled like soap and deodorants and whatever Victoria Secret or Bath and Bodyworks thinks people should smell like this season...this is a freakishness I just can't understand.
4) Again, the radiation. People just aren't meant to be in the upper atmosphere like that, absorbing mass quantities of radiation; no wonder we all get cancer in this culture...geezus, time to stop flying.
Anyway, I guess I want to say I'm really glad to be back in rainy Portland, where not everyone is extremely into Jesus, oppression and hierarchy and extreme cleanliness...glad to be back among the stinky heathens, glad to be back in a town where you can buy things like "bird friendly coffee" (what the fuck does that mean, by the way,) and where nettles grow in all the parks, year round...
Love ya,
Carrot
I sold my beloved 1953 Piper SuperCub, "Myrtle the Turtle", when I sent my daughter to prep school about 6 years ago. It was a case of economics. I could keep my favorite toy or I could educate my daughter. My daughter won out.
A SuperCub is a two-seat bush plane and a good pilot can land and takeoff on just about any slightly smooth piece of ground about 300 yards long. I could often land shorter than that but my confidence and competence level dictated at least 600 yards to prevent underwear changes. I spent hours meaderring around the countryside with the doors open listening to the roar of the 160 horse engine and feeling the wind blow through the cockpit because I seldom closed the doors. Sometimes I would circle in the thermal updrafts with the hawks. A SuperCub is a very slow airplane. In a strong headwind I could literally slow it down enough so that I was moving backwards across the ground. I was probably one of the pilots you cursed at for noise because I sometimes flew so low that my wheels would barely clear the taller hills or sometimes I would drop down even lower and fly the lengths of the valleys at below hilltop level. I once dropped a penny on top of Devil's Tower from about 25 feet as a goodluck gesture on my way to Deadwood, SD for some gambling. My wife would be her own stewardess and make herself inflight cocktails in the backseat and occassionally we would literally drop in on our country neighbors for a cup of coffee. Most people thought it was pretty cool when I landed in their driveway and taxied up to their ranchhouse.
I had an engine failure once and landed Myrtle on her back. I made a pretty good landing but in a field with about a foot of wet heavy snow and as I slowed to a stop the tail came up and I did a really slow forward roll. That was pretty scary. It hurt like hell when I unbuckled the shoulder harness and I landed on my head. I cried when I saw my lovely airplane with its wheels pointing towards the sky. And then I went to the bar and got very drunk with my friends. It took almost 9 months to get it rebuilt.
I'm not sure if I will ever decide to own another airplane. They are an expensive habit. Ever since I sold my plane I have had to content myself with my lessor toys like my snowmachines and my four wheeler. They are pretty cool. I generally love any throttle toy that has a lot of power and makes a decent amount of noise and surges forward with heart gripping authority when you squeeze the trigger. But there is nothing quite like the freedom of flying wherever you want or nowhere at all in a small airplane.
We had a go cart when we lived in No. CA. I used to crash it and break it all the time because I went to fast. My dad sold it because it got too expensive to keep up. Fun while it lasted.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I've never ridden a Seadoo but they look like a ton of fun. I think the big rooster tails of water they throw are awesome.
Riding a snowmachine in deep virgin powder is probably a lot like a seadoo (only colder). You literally float across the snow as long as you keep the throttle on. It takes balance almost like trying to stand up in a canoe. But unlike a Seadoo, once you let the throttle off, you sink and sometimes you get stuck and it can be a lot of work to get moving again. A really big powerful fire-breathing engine helps a lot with the being stuck part.
My husband (then boyfriend) was showing off with our friends. They were another couple, and the guys were driving with the girls on the back (its not so fun to be on the back). so my husband does this crazy thing going as fast as he can to suddenly stop, which makes the machine jerk backward in half circle, at which point I fly off. For that reason I prefer seadoos, at least falling into water isn't so bad.
I didn't have fun until I figured out how to relax. Being nervous and stiff all over made every little bump reverberate through my body. I had learn to relax, and "be one" with the machine, and my boyfriend, then it was great. It was quite a growing experience, actually.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
sounds awesome!
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
"
apparently, one flight across country is like the equivalent of getting 100 cat-scans of radiation, because you are so far up in the atmosphere, or something like that"...i didn't know that!!
------------------------------------------------
It always seems impossible until it is done-Nelson Mandela.
My gynecology teacher told us that, and she tends to be pretty paranoid about technology related to health; she also seems to believe just about conspiracy theory she reads on the internet...so, to be sure, I need to research this fact to see if it is actually a fact. I do know I feel like shit for at least a couple of days after flying across country...maybe it is just jet-lag, but it could also be contributed to radiation.
Love ya,
Carrot
People do tend to get sick after being on planes, and the longer the flight, the sicker they get. That is because there is only stagnant air in a small space with a lot of people. you breath everyone's germs on a plane.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
From what I came across regarding radiation, it is linked to nuclear tests performed by the US, apparently the radiation which followed out of these many test is trapped exactly in those layers which are being used by airplanes.
Radiation seems to be seriously high too.
Nice huh!
http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm
I really dig yer theory about body pheromones. Coupled with my dreadlocks, patenting my own smelliness should make me an attractive mate.
No, but really I think there is something to cleanliness. I can see why that might be important on, say, a plane. Cleanliness does not mean perfume-iness. But if your idea is to fully represent yourself (and not to mask yourself) or if your idea is to sort of transcend those people you don't want to deal with anyway, then smellin' naturally is the way to go.
Talk about a pointless comment... I just meant to show how much I liked yer theory.
my documentary...
"some folks say that a hippie won't steal,
but I caught three in my corn field"
--John Hartford
I knew there was chemistry between you too!
http://www.progressiveu.org/142430-porn-away-porn#comment-290770
I don't mind human smells, but if you don't want to wash, please wear a little patchouli. It helps a lot.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
There is nothing like the chemistry between us both, good thing I'm living overseas,
:rofl:
http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm
well apparently my sense of smell is pretty strong, because I can still smell you.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
That’s only an illusion, reality would drive us both insane....
http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm