Retroactive flight play-by-play

Here is a series of thoughts that I had over the course of my first flight-- a direct flight from Chicago to Frankfurt.  All times are approximate.  Excuse any typos to my lack of sleep in the last 36 hours.

3:20 p.m. -- "We are now boarding all remaining rows."  Alright, here we go.

3:25 p.m. -- Hmmm...the stewardesses are wearing traditional garb.  I know Air India is going for that exotic look, but this may be a bit much.

3:27 p.m. -- Alright!  Tv's in the headrests of every seat.  Fo sho.  Why do I have a feeling that "Everybody Loves Raymond" is on the list of programs to watch?

3:30 p.m. -- I knew it!  But why would they only have one episode?

3:45 p.m. -- *cautiously play on my phone for a few minutes*  Please no one else get in my row.

3:50 p.m. -- Awesome.  The whole row to me.

4:00 p.m. -- Did they have a freshman computer graphics major do this safety video?  These "3D" animations are awful.

4:05 p.m. -- We've been going down this runway for a while.  Is the pilot going to pull up?

4:30 p.m. -- Hmmmm...Sherlock Holmes.  Why yes, I will watch.

5:00 p.m. -- *first bit of turbulence*  We're all going to die!!!!!!!!!

5:05 p.m. -- Phew, thank God, that's over.

5:10 p.m. -- *more turbulence* WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!

6:30 p.m. -- Mmmmm..... dinner time.

6:45 p.m. -- Is this sour cream?  It looks like sour cream, but that's a lot of sour cream if so.  And, what do we have that you'd put sour cream on?  Ok, look around to make sure that no one is watching.  Eat a little with your spoon.  Ewww...definitely not sour cream.

7:30 p.m. -- Time to watch Young Frankenstein.

8:00 p.m. -- Marty Feldman's "Igor" may be one of my favorite characters of all-time.

10:00 p.m. -- *movie over, begin to play with virtual flight maps*  Hmm...749 mph.  Are we really about to break the sound barrier in a 777?

10:04 p.m. -- Whose idea was it to include the locations of significant shipwrecks on the flight map?  My apologies to those affected by the sinking of the Titantic, but I don't really like to be reminded of transportation failures while I'm 36,000 feet above the Atlantic.

10:40 p.m. -- We'll see if I can sleep.

10:45 p.m. -- Pro of having row to yourself - You can actually lie down to sleep.  Con - my head being closer to the engine only makes me more likely to hear any possible sounds of mechanical failure.

11:30 p.m. -- Well, that didn't really work.

11:45 p.m. -- Fine, I'll cave. *starts Everybody Loves Raymond*

12:10 a.m. -- Hmmm...about an hour left.  Music?

12:12 a.m. -- They have a "Bratz" album.  Really?

12:13 a.m. -- Rubber Soul, it is.

12:30 a.m. -- Time for some Buddy Holly.

12:40 a.m. -- *more turbulence as the plane starts to move downward*  Wait, didn't Buddy Holly die in a plane crash?  *changes to Johnny Cash*

1:00 a.m. -- *seat belt sign comes on*  Maybe I'll move to the window seat.

1:02 a.m. -- Being an engineer, I know that safe structures bend and twist, but that wing is worrying me.  Maybe I shouldn't have moved.

1:30 a.m. -- I hope this pilot went to class on "How to Land" Day.


As you can probably tell by this post, the pilot did go to class that day, or at least borrowed someone's notes.

I'm currently in my room in Karlsruhe.  The flight to Frankfurt and train trip to Karlsruhe were both relatively painless.  It was my first time on either a plane or a train, and neither were too bad.

I haven't taken any pictures yet, but after my meeting with Lorrin, an administrator in the International Department (ID) where I live, I may walk about and snap a few shots.

Until then, Alles Gute.