I’m back on jetBlue after a couple days in the Canadian wilderness. After being cut off from all media during that time, a little television on the flight sounded great.
That is, until I turned on Fox News. And this time it wasn’t because they were displaying their special brand of “fair and balanced.” They were showing LAX via a live feed from KABC, because an American Airlines plane was going to have to try landing with a blown tire.
It was an especially eerie reminder of that jetBlue flight where one of the wheels was knocked sideways either during takeoff or in the air (I don’t have an internet connection on this flight so I’m not positive exactly how that happened), and all the passengers were watching their plane circle around in the air while reporters breathlessly wondering whether or not the passengers and crew on board would be able to safely land on their cockeyed wheel.
Luckily for me the plane on television was an American Airlines flight circling Catalina Island about 3,000 miles away from where my plane (which is traveling from Buffalo to NYC). And luckily for the passengers on that American Airlines flight and their families, their plane just landed safely.
Still, it’s pretty disconcerting while flying to hear about plane trouble, even if it isn’t about your plane. And watching an airplane flirt with disaster on a television screen sitting in the headrest of the seat in front of me is one of the most surreal, unsettling things I’ve ever experienced. It’s like watching the movie “Airport” while flying, only several times worse.
Second Leg: From NYC to Oakland (6:15 EST)
Just got to go online for about 15 minutes at JFK (which has to be the grimiest airport I’ve ever seen — I had to avoid sitting in Cheetos and other assorted trash scattered about the jetBlue free internet area), as well as pick up a copy of the New York Post.
15 minutes of internet time and an NY Post — my mind is just chocked full of well-reasoned, accurate information right now.
I saw that the Giants (who were somehow shut out in Coors Field made several expected September call-ups, including John Bowker, Nate Schierholtz and the dreadful Pat Misch.
The 49ers went the other way with several cuts to get ready for the upcoming season, including Thomas Clayton and Dominique Ziegler, who seemed to get open an awful lot during the preseason. Also, the Niners now have twelve defensive backs and only three offensive tackles, including the always-injured Jonas Jennings. Twelve DBs? Are the Niners going to be playing nickel defense on every play?
OK, my battery’s going to die in about a minute and a half, so I’m going to cut this short. I promise to get back to regular posts starting tomorrow. One last thing: what the East Coasters say about Dunkin’ Donuts is right: their coffee is awesome. I just grabbed my second iced coffee of the trip from Dunkin’ about an hour ago, and it’s better than any I’ve ever had at Peet’s or Starbucks. I think the whole nation would be so much happier if Dunkin’ Donuts made it to the West Coast, and In ‘N Out Burger wasn’t just a Pacific Time Zone phenomenon.
