Failure To Launch

Watched "Failure to Launch" recently while sitting on the runway in Richmond, Virginia. The plane was diverted to Richmond (after more than an hour in a holding pattern outside our destination) in order to refuel and wait out a storm that was bombarding Washington, D.C. It was a silly movie, but it did make me laugh out loud several times.

Sat there for over three hours. It rained the whole time we were in Richmond. Thank goodness I had been bumped to first class. My ever-increasing bottom was very comfortable in the extra-wide seat 4E. And the flight attended provided us warm nuts. Cashews, walnuts and others that had been warmed in a a little dish. I stayed away from the invitation for booze lest I get agitated on the ultra-delayed flight, but also wondered how anyone could get upset when they have warm nuts. (Get your mind out of the gutter. Yes, you.)

Not liking the idea of North Korea test-firing missiles. A little unsettling. My hope is that they continue to unsuccessfully launch. My thought is to pray.

On the first leg of the recent flight to D.C. I accidentally sat next to a 20-year-old guy from Sedalia, Missouri. Trevor. See, I misread my boarding pass and thought it said 23E instead of 25E. It did say Group 3. I think my eyes saw that three. In any case, the dude whose seat I took was cool and opted just to take my assigned seat instead of making me move.

A mechanical problem delayed the flight leaving Kansas City by about 90 minutes. (Thus missing the connecting flight and being bumped to first class for the second leg.) Trevor and I talked the entire time. Continued to visit quite a bit while in the air. After a two-week visit home, he was rejoining his unit in Baghdad, via Kuwait. He is artillery. Performs patrol in Baghdad. He was wearing his full army gear, with the velcro on the shoulder often sticking to my washable silk shirt.

On July 5th an e-mail arrived from Trevor. He reports that it took four days to get back to his unit, it is excrutiatingly hot, things are not as bad as the press lets on, and that he received word he may be coming home in November.

My thought is to pray.