Flying

A couple of weeks ago I flew to the Bay Area for a business trip.  I flew one of the big carriers, but instead of being on a "normal" sized aircraft, I flew on a Bombardier regional jet.  I assume that these jets are highly efficient for the airlines, but I hate them. 

First of all, when I stand straight up in the isle, my head hits the top of the aircraft.  So I walk hunched over so I don't whack my head.  Next, the plane only seats four across, two on each side.  So you either have a window seat or an isle seat and no dreaded middle seat.  Now, when I was a kid, I wanted a window seat.  But that was a long time ago.  And I was a lot thinner than I am now.  So when I fly, I want an isle seat so my largesse can have some stretching room.  My flight out to the bay area, I got stuck with a window seat.  I got in my seat and felt like a stinking sardine.  Remember, these aircraft aren't very big and I'm a pretty big dude these days.

The worst part of the whole trip is the bathroom experience.  Remember, guys can do certain things standing up.  Also remember that my head hits the roof when I'm simply walking down the isle.  Now, where is the commode?  Generally it is near the wall of the aircraft.  So I'm having having a Brent Brown moment in the bathroom, praying profusely that we don't have any clear air turbulents and I don't end up breaking my neck.  For those that don't know who Brent Brown is, he's a local auto dealer that has a photo with his likeness bending over backwards.  I didn't find a suitable graphics of Mr. Brown, but here is an example of what I'm talking about (or at least this is how it feels).

So I'm really glad when the plane lands, we arrive at the gate and I'm able to get out of the sardine can.  After flying in one of those small planes, the larger aircraft (737s or A320s) look pretty decent.

My trip was mostly uneventful.  My outbound flight was cancelled, but I was able to get to and from my destination without any serious consequences.