koolthing

OK so here's the current plan.
work my ass off from now until Sunday morning, leave for the south of France before the sun comes up. meet Jake in Nice - head off to Cannes. prepare a gameplan with Gila and Jake - demo JCRS. International attendee dinner Sunday night. Last minute preparations. MIP/MILIA through Friday. Fly back to Amsterdam and have dinner with Jason (birthday is Saturday) - leave for Chicago Saturday, leave for Los Angeles Monday night.

Funny airline story...

I have to laugh, because I can't figure out which airplane story to tell...I guess I am not yet weary of flying, and still find all of this extremely serious mileage talk amusing. I am one flight away from having my "Premiere Executive" status re-enstated. but I have to do it by the 31st of March. I really shouldn't care - but when you are a PE - they give you 100% bonus miles which is a FREE round trip anywhere in the US every other time I fly to Los Angeles from Amsterdam.

hmmm...

I live in Amsterdam, and fly back to Los Angeles usually via Washington DC.
I work as a creative, but for the entertainment industry - so people get very confused when they see a black guy with a Mohawk, enough facial piercings to set off ALL the metal detectors, wearing an Armani suit covered in various stains - usually running through the airport, because I am always late (security has to search me at every possible opportunity to try and figure out if I am in a band or something)
So I get to Schipol (late of course), and rush to the UA counter where the assembled staff starts laughing. They greet me and say "we have a special surprise for you! - hurry to the gate..."
After the usual "did that hurt, and what band are you in" with customs and security - juggling computers, various chains connected to wallets and keys or parts of my body, and numerous phones and other electronic devices, I get to the gate.

Plane is delayed - so I am going to make the flight!

:: yeah - I am usually happy about that, they always make up the time on long flights anyways ::

Our plane has a problem - so we are all moved to another gate, but that is an El Al gate and security freaks - so we move again. Finally we get combined with a flight to DC (I am off to LA via Chicago).

The plane is a bit crowded, and I get a seat next to this little kid who can not contain himself - his eyes are popping out of his head, and he keeps touching me (I think he can't figure out if I am real or not). As soon as the flight is underway - he pops up and disappears - only to come back with three of four friends - all with eyes popping and HUGE grins. It seems they are fro Uzbekistan, and on their way to America for the first time. We struggle through finding maps to point out where we are from, and exchanging money - several rolls of film, and all of my Dutch cheese. And suddenly we are in DC.

I have never had such a "short" flight - but these kids will stick with me forever.

I think if people would lighten up a bit - they might realize how lucky we all actually are. Not only do we choose what we are going to eat today - but we also have the opportunity to travel, to see the world and understand that people everywhere want the same thing, to be happy.

Oh - the surprise. I had an upgrade on the original flight - but at the end of the day, I would not have had such a great flight if I had gotten it.

HA!