When you get to my age new experiences are few and far between (unless you count osteoporosis and memory loss). Last night, however, I did something I've never done before - catching a redeye flight! I'm here in Boston to attend the memorial service of one of my Dad's oldest friends, and apparently due to the earth being round (who knew?) you can leave one side of this country at bedtime and, only a few hours later, arrive for breakfast.
This exciting experience provided a few worries for me, aside from the hallucination-inducing lack of sleep. Etiquette on such a gruelling flight is presumably different than on a daytime one. Obviously you don't engage other passengers in small-talk, but being British this is an automatic no-no for any form of public transport.
More tricky was the fact that I was travelling on JetBlue, an airline that offers FREE drinks, snacks, and entertainment. You know how much I hate missing out on free stuff. But, being sensible, I decided to ignore the seat-back screen and slip on the eye mask directly after the safety presentation.
Incredibly, though my seat choice at online check-in had been very limited, the plane was about a third full. And my row was part of that emptyness! I didn't need any more invitation than the ding of the seatbelt sign turning off to quickly flip up the mask, check no one had sneaked in next to me after take-off, and to stretch out vaguely flat. It was then just a case of ignoring cramp and the screaming child in the seat behind.
I stirred as we started our final descent into Boston, and almost before I awoke I was washing in an airport toilet. It's a glamorous life. I'm now enjoying my second coffee of the day (for obvious reasons) and unless the heat and sun are part of my halucinations, it's very pleasant to be in Boston.
