Home Again, Home Again

[plumtreeblossom]

I got back from Rochester late yesterday afternoon. All in all I really did have an enjoyable time. My mother is walking even better than before the surgery, and doesn't even need a cane. She did, however, catch a nasty intestinal bug in the hospital, and she can really leave the house until that clears. But the family had a nice time together. I'm usually only there at Christmas, so seeing the house and yard in summer was very different. Emily is reaching an age where I can really enjoy her company. She didn't drive me batty even once. Jack the Border Collie was a delight (I wish I had video of him romping in the sprinkler!), and my brother's cooking was awesome as always. And beowabbit welcomed me home with a lovely dinner alfresco in Davis Square.

On the flight home, for the first time ever I had height-related anxiety. It might have been because it was one of those rickety little jets, or that I was un-customarily sitting in a window seat, but the window seat usually doesn't bother me if I get stuck there. I'm usually fine in enclosed high places. I don't know why I triggered through the whole 45 minute flight. My improvised coping mechanism: keeping my eyes on the flight attendant. There she was, calm and cool, she's done this a million times and those turbulence jolts don't mean anything to her. Unlike me, she was not preoccupied with the notion of what if the person in the emergency exit seat directly behind me was a raving lunatic who would fling open the emergency hatch and get all of us sucked out to our deaths. She did not perceive that every list to the side was the beginning of a spin-out. She did not have her seatbelt pulled as tight as it would go even though the Captain had already turned off the "fasten seatbelts" sign. Aisle seat next time. I wish there were acrophobia pills.

But I get to stay on the ground today, and I have a wedding to go to! Looking forward to seeing many friends dressed up, and the joyful vows of the cutest couple in the world! (Well, if you don't count us ;-)) I will be dateless, BTW, as Wabbit can't make it. So if you're going, please ask me to dance!

Comments

[beowabbit]

Love my darling, and glad to see her back home last night! Glad your mom’s doing so well.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Love you, my sweet potato!

[joyeous.livejournal.com]

what if the person in the emergency exit seat directly behind me was a raving lunatic who would fling open the emergency hatch and get all of us sucked out to our deaths

That is my greatest fear. Sometimes, in my morbid fantasies, I am the raving lunatic that does it, either by pressing a button my accident or because my mind can't stop my body from doing it. I know it's unrealistic that that could really happen, but its' still pretty horrifying.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Oh I know. I have imagined myself being in some altered state and my body just opening the hatch uncontrollably. With so many nutters out there, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

If it makes you feel any better, you physically can't open the emergency exits in flight. It's quite impossible.

Plus, the mere act of trying to open them triggers an alarm, and you'd get tackled by all the air marshals and flight crew. In fact, I'd be more afraid of someone thinking I was trying to pen it if I brushed against it accidentally.

I know joyeous has this fear, so I sent her an article not too long ago about how some guy tried to open the emergency window exit mid flight (and was of course unsuccessful).

In the old days, the airlines used to have schools for people to help get over their fears of flying, using psychologists and actual aircraft, culminating in people making their first flight.

Flying is very scary, especially when it's been in the news. But it's not good to be so anxious that you can't find comfort. There are pills you can take to help you stay calm, but you'd need to see your doctor.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

indeed, what _mattt said. Also, might be helpful: Nick has flying anxiety, and takes Dramamine (the original formula/sleepy kind, which is actully quite good as a calming/sedative) during flights. We discovered when he accidentally tried using the NON-drowsy kind instead (we didn't even know it was a different drug) that the calming effects of the original formula were definitely NOT psychosomatic. So it's worth a try!

[minkrose]

I don't know if this will help or not, so you can think about it.

This person made this post where they thought that the plane was going to crash and they might all die... but it turned out ok, everyone lived to tell the tale. Regardless, she went through the entire process and emotional experience of having that happen (minus the death). I actually found the whole thing rather comforting, especially the reactions of other passengers on the plane.