Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Houses and Airline Chat

People like to talk to me. I guess I have one of those faces or maybe I'm just approachable. I don't know. On my flight from Atlanta to Pensacola yesterday, a fellow sat next to me and looked over to ask if I was reading a Kindle.

Yes, I was reading.

It was okay. Turned out he was a Michigan native, headed to a job interview in Pensacola with some company involved in air-transport. He was not a handsome fellow, but he had the most unusual eyes. They were the color of gunmetal, and they had light-colored lines bursting out from his pupils. All around. It was odd.

Anyway, he mentioned that take-offs and landings always made him nervous, so I figured that was why he was being so chatty. And I'm always willing to help others talk it out if they're having a moment.

On our descent into Pensacola, we flew over a stretch of wetlands. I watched them from my window and thought about that ValuJet plane that crashed into the Everglades and completely disappeared. Remember that? If not, here's the link (link).

I glanced back at my neighbor and said, "You doing okay?" He smiled and nodded. Then he said, "Remember that plane that crashed into the Everglades?"

I am so not lying. He said that unprovoked. Then he said, "There's a lot of babies on this flight." I nodded and smiled. He said something about it being a good omen--all the babies. (It was hard to hear.)

Then I looked back out the window and started thinking about L O S T...

As for inspiration, I read this quote while researching Goethe the other day: "A really great talent finds its happiness in execution."

He also said this: "A creation of importance can only be produced when its author isolates himself. It is a child of solitude."

I guess those are both nice ways of saying, "Stop chatting online, and get to writing."

I'm planning to keep those in front of me when it's time to get back in the writing cave. That is so. Hard for me.

Finally, I promised you all something funny. My friend Scott told me a funny joke in Indy, and now I can't remember it. But he's one of those types who always has a new one for ya. I love folks like that.

Sticking with our theme, here's an oldie:

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were all flying on a small plane, when suddenly, it developed engine trouble.

The plane started going down, so the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers to jump, and bailed out.

Problem: only three parachutes were left.

The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live." And he jumped out.

The lawyer grabbed one and said said, "I'm a lawyer, I'm the smartest person in the world, so I deserve to live." And he jumped out.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father. The smartest man in the world just jumped out with my back pack."
* * *

Have a great week, reader-friends. I'll be playing catch-up over here. Til Thursday~ <3

27 comments:

vic caswell said...

HAHHAHAAAAAAAhhhahahahahaha!!!!!

the thought of a lot of babies on the plane being a good omen is really interesting.

now to cut my online chatting short- seeya! :D

KM Nalle said...

That joke is hilarious! Beloved Husband will love it. Now if I was only good at telling them.

Write on...

Old Kitty said...

I'm so glad you were there to help out that poor guy who was having a moment or two of panic on the plane!! Dear oh dear!! Glad you are all safe and sound!!!

I had to re-read your joke to understand! LOL!!!!

Enjoy your weekend!! I hope you find time to de-stress and rest and relax (but not next to panicky people!!!! You need some ME time!!!! ). Take care x

Michael Di Gesu said...

Funny joke...

Glad you got home safely....

Unknown said...

Heeehee too funny! Chad hates flying and we got married in Jamaica... That was an adventure. He asked yesterday if we could drive to Hawaii. *snort*

I love the quotes. It kind of reminds me of something I heard in church once. Something about a christian shoemaker doesn't have to put crosses on his shoes. He just needs to do his work well.

Ex-pat Odessa said...

People approach you cause you're so cute!! :)

I'll have to tell dad that joke - you know how daddy is about jokes!!! At least this one is funny!

Matthew MacNish said...

That sounds like my kind of guy. I'm terrified of flying.

Julie Musil said...

hahahahahaha! Love that joke! Glad your plane ride was a safe one. I absolutely hate flying, and I would have been just like your chatty friend.

walk2write said...

People like talking to you because you're not afraid to look 'em in the eye and tell 'em the truth.

Great joke. So that's how we get rid of the lawyers! Wasn't there an Eagles song promoting it?

Michelle Merrill said...

Great joke! And I loved the conversation with the man on the airplane. I also happen to love the way you described his eyes. I can't wait to read your writing :)

LTM said...

@Odie--I dunno... rarely am I the cutest person anywhere. In other news, I think your dad's the one who told me that joke--LOL! That one and the one about the parrot in the freezer are my faves from him~ <3 xoxo

Unknown said...

Who doesn't love an awesome joke!!!

I love the conversations you have when meeting people. I will be going to Jacksonville by myself for the first time, it'll be interesting and I hope I meet a nice person... perferably one who doesn't bring up tragedies.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

lol, love the joke.
And yarp, I need to cut back on the social media, and write more... but I can't help myself ;)

Al said...

Goethe? You really are in danger of raising the moral and intellectual tone around here!

Ella said...

lol, I needed that...funny!
That man is going in a book, I just know it.

My daughter was born in P'cola...Oh, you take me back~ Happy Wednesday!

Unknown said...

You flew through Atlanta yesterday? So close to me!!!! I loved the Goethe quotes. Writing them down now!

Have a great day!!

PK HREZO said...

LOL! I love it!! I love lawyer jokes. Oh hey your book club selection is the same as mine this month. And we're all planning on seeing the film afterward.
Did you see The Help is coming out on film??? I'm curious how they'll pull that off since the voice was the best part of that story.
Anyway, Glad you made it safely!

Tara said...

Ha! Love that joke! I still lived in S. FL at the time of that crash, so I remember. So eerie. Not a great thing to be thinking of in the air, either.

Creepy Query Girl said...

bwahaha, love the joke! I always chat people up on international flights. Dunno why, but I'm a blabbermouth who gets put next to blabbermouths. People end up looking back and sushing us during 'nap time'.

Talli Roland said...

You've really freaked me out by that man's eyes! Eeeeeee...

Hart Johnson said...

*snickersnort* I love a joke where the lawyer is the butt...

I imagine you DO have people talk to you... I think I am pretty good at looking busy when I want to and people leave me alone.

Those eyes sound like my dad's I have the lines in my eyes--lighter and darker blue, but my dad's were definitely more gray.

Lydia Kang said...

That was too funny! I'm so glad the doctor wasn't the punch line, hee hee. Now my lawyer friends are gonna be mad.
;)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The person who mentions a plane crash while I am stuck on a plane is asking for a beating!

Jessica Bell said...

hahaha! I love that joke. I've heard it in so many different forms. One of them was with ansd Aussie, and Irishman, an American, and a Scot or something. Can't really remember the ethic importance though ;-/ Glad you're home safe! Miss ya xoxo

Theresa Milstein said...

How nice you comforted gunmetal eye guy.

I'm always struck that everyone has unusual eyes in books. I'm arguing with the book in my head that most people have normal eyes, so what's with all the fancy eye stuff in the books?

But there you have it. Lots of unusual eyes out there.

That was a really good joke. I actually chuckled. I'll probably even share it, and I'm so not a telling jokes person.

LTM said...

@PK--we're planning the same thing--lol! did hear about the Help. KS spoke in Mobile last month, but we missed it. We also read the Hunger Games and are keeping up w/casting. If I were staying we'd have lots of
movie dates! awww... :o\

Stina said...

LOL at the parachute joke. :D

Love your translation/modernization of the one quote about being online. :D