Jennifer is on her way to New Jersey to link up with her husband – then off to Hawaii for a wedding and a little R&R.
She's on crutches though – she has a hairline fracture in her hip – not the best way to go to Hawaii – but her attitude is unsurpassed.
More about her later
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Same Day - Flight Home
Still March 11th - and I ran to catch the 3pm flight home - managing to make it just in time!
I'm seat 25B - (I don;t know about you - but I'm not a big fan of the back of the plane)
But - there's still nice people that end up back there. I'm next to Susie - now here's a good story.
Susie is flying up to Rochester from her home in NYC to pick up a cat. (that's it - get a cat and fly back home....) Her 5 year old cat had died 3 weeks prior after getting it's teeth cleaned for the first time - "Never again" she says. Missing her cat - she used the internet to find a breeder of Ragdoll cats in Rochester. Susie had not realized how far Rochester is from the city - but her husband bought her a ticket - so here she was. (reminds me of when I lived in Richmond Virginia and folks would ask if my prior home in Rochester was near Central Park - yeah - 7 hours by car.....)
I learned now that the back of the plane is fun too...... it's where the flight attendants chat with each other and make plans for their stays in the places they land. In this case - they were looking for some bars to go dancing at - so I called my son as soon as we landed and gave them the "hot spots" of the young generation of Rochester. Hope they had fun!
I'm seat 25B - (I don;t know about you - but I'm not a big fan of the back of the plane)
But - there's still nice people that end up back there. I'm next to Susie - now here's a good story.
Susie is flying up to Rochester from her home in NYC to pick up a cat. (that's it - get a cat and fly back home....) Her 5 year old cat had died 3 weeks prior after getting it's teeth cleaned for the first time - "Never again" she says. Missing her cat - she used the internet to find a breeder of Ragdoll cats in Rochester. Susie had not realized how far Rochester is from the city - but her husband bought her a ticket - so here she was. (reminds me of when I lived in Richmond Virginia and folks would ask if my prior home in Rochester was near Central Park - yeah - 7 hours by car.....)
I learned now that the back of the plane is fun too...... it's where the flight attendants chat with each other and make plans for their stays in the places they land. In this case - they were looking for some bars to go dancing at - so I called my son as soon as we landed and gave them the "hot spots" of the young generation of Rochester. Hope they had fun!
Seat 1B - Fellow Alumni
This March 11th flight form Rochester to NYC finds me next to a freshman college student from SUNY Brockport ( I got my masters there) - He's from Long Island and on his way to visit a friend in Tampa for spring break. As the young ones do - he's flying standby - hoping to get on the next flight to start his spring break early......hope he makes it!!
Chapter 15 - Three Bags Full
Seat 1 B - Rochester to Philly - talk about hitting every airpocket!!!
Lucky Don - he's in seat 1A - and gets the honor of being the first seat mate since I've started writing this book - to have to watch me get sick. But - he said I was good (?) - he had apparently been on another flight once and the girl got sick all over him! I guess life is relative - and relatively speaking - I was good as I filled not one, not two - but three bags!!
I digress.....
As it stands now - this chapter on Don is the first one I actually wrote down on paper. I've been telling folks for over 2 years now that I'm writing this book - but until this flight, other than notes, I had not written a page. So thanks Don for inspiring me! (on the handwritten page that I'm transcribing here I wrote... it helps that I am currently on my next flight after leaving Don in Philadelphia - I'm on my way to Chicago - and no one is in the seat beside me - so prime time to write!)
Coincidently - and as you know by now - it's only because of the conversations - I know Don't daughter and others in his circle of colleagues. And to think I had to shove (well not actually shove) but kindly tell an elderly lady that she was in my seat. If not for that - this chapter would be quite different - and who knows - I may still be waiting for that divine inspiration to get this book started.
Thanks Don, and thanks to the lady that moved!
back to Don.....
In less than 5 minutes we realized our connections - starting with small talk of bad roads and him telling his wife not to go shopping. Then a quick mention of icy roads last Wednesday where his wife didn't go to practice for community theater. Then my mention of my involvement with arts-in-education - and Don saying he's part of an arts organization and well....I met his daughter last summer - and so the story started.
Don't doing fascinating stuff - as a consultant - he's involved with coaching principals and leaders around the country. He's also very involved (and proud) with his daughter's work - helping students learn through the arts. In his spare time Don mentors a young boy in the city who is being raised by his grandmother. Don also performs in community theater!
The great thing about Don is his passion and sincerity for the work he does. You see the excitement in his eyes as he talks about the various areas he's involved in.
Glad he could handle my weak stomach!!
Lucky Don - he's in seat 1A - and gets the honor of being the first seat mate since I've started writing this book - to have to watch me get sick. But - he said I was good (?) - he had apparently been on another flight once and the girl got sick all over him! I guess life is relative - and relatively speaking - I was good as I filled not one, not two - but three bags!!
I digress.....
As it stands now - this chapter on Don is the first one I actually wrote down on paper. I've been telling folks for over 2 years now that I'm writing this book - but until this flight, other than notes, I had not written a page. So thanks Don for inspiring me! (on the handwritten page that I'm transcribing here I wrote... it helps that I am currently on my next flight after leaving Don in Philadelphia - I'm on my way to Chicago - and no one is in the seat beside me - so prime time to write!)
Coincidently - and as you know by now - it's only because of the conversations - I know Don't daughter and others in his circle of colleagues. And to think I had to shove (well not actually shove) but kindly tell an elderly lady that she was in my seat. If not for that - this chapter would be quite different - and who knows - I may still be waiting for that divine inspiration to get this book started.
Thanks Don, and thanks to the lady that moved!
back to Don.....
In less than 5 minutes we realized our connections - starting with small talk of bad roads and him telling his wife not to go shopping. Then a quick mention of icy roads last Wednesday where his wife didn't go to practice for community theater. Then my mention of my involvement with arts-in-education - and Don saying he's part of an arts organization and well....I met his daughter last summer - and so the story started.
Don't doing fascinating stuff - as a consultant - he's involved with coaching principals and leaders around the country. He's also very involved (and proud) with his daughter's work - helping students learn through the arts. In his spare time Don mentors a young boy in the city who is being raised by his grandmother. Don also performs in community theater!
The great thing about Don is his passion and sincerity for the work he does. You see the excitement in his eyes as he talks about the various areas he's involved in.
Glad he could handle my weak stomach!!
Chapter 14 - Hugs and Kisses
Tony.... a hug and a kiss and we parted ways to head home. That's Tony - in 55 minutes on the NYC to Rochester flight - we connected.
Now Tony might tell the story a bit differently. He'd say - "Boy was I in the wrong seat" - and actually - he's right - that's how it started! He was in MY seat! You can't blame him though - after all - it was an aisle seat which beats out a center seat every time! Graciously thought - he moved to his assigned middle seat - and in those few short moments of us settling in - our conversation started.
Turns out - Tony was on a trip back from England - on the final stretch home - dead tired - yet full of fantastic conversation! He's in a back-up band for Paul Simon - and has toured many exciting places. Yet Tony is humble and genuine. When I learned who he was - of course I'm thinking (like you might be) - I can't believe I'm sitting next to a celebrity - pretty cool huh?
What struck me most about Tony was when he talked about tutoring students. You can see his passion and commitment - how he truly connects with them - guiding them from where they start - learning their interests and going from there. A true teacher!
Now Tony might tell the story a bit differently. He'd say - "Boy was I in the wrong seat" - and actually - he's right - that's how it started! He was in MY seat! You can't blame him though - after all - it was an aisle seat which beats out a center seat every time! Graciously thought - he moved to his assigned middle seat - and in those few short moments of us settling in - our conversation started.
Turns out - Tony was on a trip back from England - on the final stretch home - dead tired - yet full of fantastic conversation! He's in a back-up band for Paul Simon - and has toured many exciting places. Yet Tony is humble and genuine. When I learned who he was - of course I'm thinking (like you might be) - I can't believe I'm sitting next to a celebrity - pretty cool huh?
What struck me most about Tony was when he talked about tutoring students. You can see his passion and commitment - how he truly connects with them - guiding them from where they start - learning their interests and going from there. A true teacher!
Chapter 13 - The Dentist Chair
"Is she ever going to shut up?" (I hope you're not thinking I'm like that on these flights...) - "I wonder if any of those ladies know her?" I posed these questions to the lady beside me. "Nope" was the reply of my seat mate -"Those other ladies are with me and they don't know her - but the entire plane knows everything about her now."
Yes - that girl could talk! Lots to say...and loud! She looked about 25 - but with all the stories she was sharing - I'd swear she'd have to be 50 to have fit them all in her lifetime!
Lucky for me - she was not in the seat beside me - so I was able to tune her out a bit. During the flight, the lady beside me and I chatted a bit - her and the other ladies (that were stuck listening to "chatty Cathy" all worked in the same dental office. The dentist was flying them all to Aspen (none of them skied) for a week at his ski resort. Boy - I'll work for that dentist!
Later - milling around the Cincinnati airport I saw the group again - and have a chance to meet them all. Ends up - their office is right down the hill from my home (I've since stopped to see them - what a fun place to work!).
Yes - that girl could talk! Lots to say...and loud! She looked about 25 - but with all the stories she was sharing - I'd swear she'd have to be 50 to have fit them all in her lifetime!
Lucky for me - she was not in the seat beside me - so I was able to tune her out a bit. During the flight, the lady beside me and I chatted a bit - her and the other ladies (that were stuck listening to "chatty Cathy" all worked in the same dental office. The dentist was flying them all to Aspen (none of them skied) for a week at his ski resort. Boy - I'll work for that dentist!
Later - milling around the Cincinnati airport I saw the group again - and have a chance to meet them all. Ends up - their office is right down the hill from my home (I've since stopped to see them - what a fun place to work!).
Chapter 12 - Gail's Back!
This time we're at another educational conference in St Louis. We saw each other during the conference - then as we went to head to the airport - who's in the seat beside me? Gail..... She's headed to Washington DC - and I'm going back to Rochester but through Washington Dulles airport. We enjoy catching up over a glass of wine at the airport - and then - as fate would have it - board the same plane - she's in seat 3A and I'm right behind her in 4A (one of those planes with only one seat on the left side)
Chapter 11 - Books and Movies
In looking at this ticket - I realize they don't put the year on them - funny thing.....
This is a January flight from Rochester to Chicago. The guy beside me (never did get his name) was headed to San Diego to meet up with his boys that had gone skiing.
Our conversation turned to books and movies - he was reading the Camel Club by David Baldacci - he likes the way he writes - very visual - like a movie.
(that's all I have for my notes....but hey - maybe you'll like the book)
This is a January flight from Rochester to Chicago. The guy beside me (never did get his name) was headed to San Diego to meet up with his boys that had gone skiing.
Our conversation turned to books and movies - he was reading the Camel Club by David Baldacci - he likes the way he writes - very visual - like a movie.
(that's all I have for my notes....but hey - maybe you'll like the book)
Chapter 10 - A Moment of Fame
Seat 3D - NYC to Rochester - Jetblue
Beside me is Sonny and next to the window - his wife - Mary Ann.
After the initial "hello's" - Mary Ann asks if I recognize her "famous" husband. (hmmm... he does look a bit familiar...) - Sure enough - his face had been in the paper for saving a drowning girl at the Greece YMCA. Mary Ann's face beamed in pride as she retold the story.
What a wonderful couple to meet. Married 58 years - they were just returning from West Palm where they were visiting some of their children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren! With 3 kids of their own (and 7 marriages among them) - the family has grown and Sonny and Mary Ann are enjoying every moment. Life is good!
Beside me is Sonny and next to the window - his wife - Mary Ann.
After the initial "hello's" - Mary Ann asks if I recognize her "famous" husband. (hmmm... he does look a bit familiar...) - Sure enough - his face had been in the paper for saving a drowning girl at the Greece YMCA. Mary Ann's face beamed in pride as she retold the story.
What a wonderful couple to meet. Married 58 years - they were just returning from West Palm where they were visiting some of their children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren! With 3 kids of their own (and 7 marriages among them) - the family has grown and Sonny and Mary Ann are enjoying every moment. Life is good!
Chapter 9 - A Hefty Bridge
Kevin - my seat-mate for this flight- is an engineer working for Hefty plates - there's a science behind everything!!
Did you know...the more you share in conversation the more connected you become? As it turns out with Kevin - we had several connections.
First off - he graduated from RIT - where my nephew went also for engineering - although their paths had not crossed. He also knew one of my former colleagues from Kodak who was my engineer in research and development - Bill.
Kevin is married to another engineer - and her job involves bridges. As it turns out - she worked on the bridge near my house where there had been quite the problem of about a 2 or 4 inch gap for the road and bridge to meet.
I love learning about all the world that we just take for granted.
Did you know...the more you share in conversation the more connected you become? As it turns out with Kevin - we had several connections.
First off - he graduated from RIT - where my nephew went also for engineering - although their paths had not crossed. He also knew one of my former colleagues from Kodak who was my engineer in research and development - Bill.
Kevin is married to another engineer - and her job involves bridges. As it turns out - she worked on the bridge near my house where there had been quite the problem of about a 2 or 4 inch gap for the road and bridge to meet.
I love learning about all the world that we just take for granted.
Chapters 4-8 Revisited
I've already touched on Chapters 4 - 8 at the beginning. I forgot howevere to mention taht Sue, from Chapter 5 (teh one going on the cruise with 3 generations) - predicted that Chapter 5 will be taken over in 3 years. (need to check back and see what that was all about) - the problems with sketchy notes - if you don't write it out completely it means little.
Chapter 3 - Sharing an old seat
Have you ever been in a public place (say the airport) - and as you scan the crowd you see what appears to be a familiar face - but you just cannot place it? Well - believe your intuition - you probably have met the person at some time. Thats' the case with this chapter. Nov 8, 2005 - I'm on the 6am flight to NYC and while waiting I notice a familiar face - one I cannot place at the time.
But as luck would have it (and remember this is the chapter that sparked the idea for this book) - I get on the flight and who is beside me.....this person! She looks up from stowing (a term that always makes me giggle) her stuff under the seat - and says "Bonnie!" - now I know we've met - I don't think she'd just be guessing my name..... I respond with "hi - I thought you looked familiar - who are you?" "Staci" "Staci - who?" and on it goes.... as it turns out she had taken a position at my former company doing the job of a good friend of mine (after she had left). We had spoken on the phone several times and met at some parties. In the 55 minute flight we had a great chance to get to know each other better - she was on her way to NYC to do a documentary video with some students in Brooklyn. Our conversations included past experiences and I was able to connect her with a company that could use her expertise. Our paths would cross again in work with a common company.
But as luck would have it (and remember this is the chapter that sparked the idea for this book) - I get on the flight and who is beside me.....this person! She looks up from stowing (a term that always makes me giggle) her stuff under the seat - and says "Bonnie!" - now I know we've met - I don't think she'd just be guessing my name..... I respond with "hi - I thought you looked familiar - who are you?" "Staci" "Staci - who?" and on it goes.... as it turns out she had taken a position at my former company doing the job of a good friend of mine (after she had left). We had spoken on the phone several times and met at some parties. In the 55 minute flight we had a great chance to get to know each other better - she was on her way to NYC to do a documentary video with some students in Brooklyn. Our conversations included past experiences and I was able to connect her with a company that could use her expertise. Our paths would cross again in work with a common company.
Chapter 2 - Cheers!
Okay - this is another Jetblue flight - coming home from NYC - November 4, 2005
I'm seat 1C - with an elderly gentleman in 1B and another lady in 1A.
I make my first impression (good or bad?) by a quick "oh - a thorn between 2 roses" comment.
Well Lester laughed and off we started chatting....
As it turns out - he is the owner of a liquor distributor that one of my best friends works for.
He was a great conversationalist - we talked about our "back and forth to NYC" jaunts.
Life is good...
I'm seat 1C - with an elderly gentleman in 1B and another lady in 1A.
I make my first impression (good or bad?) by a quick "oh - a thorn between 2 roses" comment.
Well Lester laughed and off we started chatting....
As it turns out - he is the owner of a liquor distributor that one of my best friends works for.
He was a great conversationalist - we talked about our "back and forth to NYC" jaunts.
Life is good...
Back to the Beginning
The idea for a book about the seat beside you (yes - the name came to me right away) started I'd say at Chapter 3 - it was the third flight I had in a row that the person beside me was connected in some way to me. So let me start with the first connection here - should it be Chapter 1???
I was on a Boston to Baltimore to Rochester flight - you'd think they could go direct Boston to Rochester - but I guess you get to fly farther for cheaper - hmmmm.....
Anyways - I'm sitting next to a lovely young lady (early 20's) and down the aisle comes a good friend of mine - Ken. he hugs and kisses both of us - and ends up in the seat behind me (another book??) - As it turns out, Jamie (the girl beside me) has a brother that went to school with my son. And - her aunt is my realtor (I was in the process of house hunting at the time) Small world!
Jamie also was quick with ideas for my son's 21st birthday. What a great flight!
I was on a Boston to Baltimore to Rochester flight - you'd think they could go direct Boston to Rochester - but I guess you get to fly farther for cheaper - hmmmm.....
Anyways - I'm sitting next to a lovely young lady (early 20's) and down the aisle comes a good friend of mine - Ken. he hugs and kisses both of us - and ends up in the seat behind me (another book??) - As it turns out, Jamie (the girl beside me) has a brother that went to school with my son. And - her aunt is my realtor (I was in the process of house hunting at the time) Small world!
Jamie also was quick with ideas for my son's 21st birthday. What a great flight!
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