Travel, Part 1

Last week I traveled by myself to Washington DC in order to be a part of Kappa Alpha's 73rd Convention at the JW Marriott Hotel. For many people I am sure this would seem like an ordinary thing, but for this blogger it was something rather unusual. First of all, I have only flown by myself twice (each time for my fraternity). I can say that while traveling (esp. flying) alone can be daunting at first, it always makes me feel more mature and independent. No longer do I need a parent or friend to accompany me as a roam the country. I am doing something that only a relative handful of people in the history of the world have gotten to do, and I am doing it effortlessly and by myself.
Conquering nerves is easy at an airport (even if you aren't old enough to get a few in at the airport bar). First, bring a good book. I read almost two hundred pages while flying, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Air line magazines are some of the worst periodicals in America, and everyone who reads them looks like a desperate schmuck. People who spend the flight reading novels look sophisticated and thoughtful. Maybe that's just my opinion, but I can't help but wonder why people would be so interested in AA's flight schedule or a list of restaraunts in completely different cities than the one they are going to.
If reading just doesn't float your boat, I suggest people watching. What a wonderful place an airport is to observe others. While I was waiting for my first plane to board, I was sitting next to a tremendously fat woman with two rambuncious young girls. The father was thin and balding, but very attentive. He would take his two girls (who were maybe 7) to look out of the window at the big, amazing planes that were rolling by on the landing strip. Meanwhile, the mother just sat there barking orders to "not run so fast" or "quiet down." Every once in a while, I heard her mutter "Jesus Christ" or some kind of expression of sheer frustration. I don't know what this lady's problem was...maybe she had a Mcdonald's hangover coupled with awful flatulence. I don't know really. Whatever it was, it kept her from moving more than an inch for at least an hour. I feel like the inability to move is probably quite the setback for a mother of two young girls. Also, I found it ironic that here we are about to travel across the country and I am sitting next to a lady that hates moving. In other eras, traveling was reserved for the bravest and most active of people. A trek to DC would have taken months. Many people could have died. If things had gone horribly wrong, cannibilism might ensue. Now a days though, people insist on bitching about shitty in flight movies or lack of hot food during lunch hour. Yet, here I am surrounded by people who serve to prove that travel is no longer that big of a deal. Who cares if we are going on a trip that 100 years ago would have been completely impossible. Let's freak out about our kids doing their best impersonation of kids, while trying to put as little physical effort into anything as possible.
Well that felt good to ramble about. If it weren't for this blog I probably would have forgotten all about that lady and kindly let her pass out of my conscious memory. Instead, I immortalized her by assasinating her character on a faceless blog page. Truly heroic. When I landed in DC, a whole lot more AWESOME things happened. Also, I people watched like true champion. More about all that later...perhaps tomorrow!

Aren't I fancy?

Tim Clark