Fear of Flying

No, I'm not afraid of flying, but a few people I have close relationships with would prefer other modes of transportation. Sometimes, though, flying is the quickest method of getting to your destination and there is little choice but to get your butt on a jet.

Recently Jan and I flew to Portland, Oregon to visit family. We went on Southwest Airlines due to the low cost fare that was offered for a time period that was perfect for us. Southwest is unique in that there is no assigned seats. They have A,B, and C seating assignments. In general the sooner you log on within 24hrs of your departure, the better chance you get to be in the front of the line. In practice, this does not work. If you wait one minute past your time you will end up in mid-B seating. This time we paid an extra $12 per person ($24 round trip) to get preferred early check in. This basically enabled us to get an A seating assignment and better selection of spots once on the plane.
There's no free lunch.

Seating space on all jets is pitiful. I read today that some airlines are thinking of shrinking some of the seats even more and offering them at "special" prices. The current minimum is small for anyone over 5'8" and the width is just horrible. Jan's elbows were jabbing me the entire flight. I can't imagine a smaller space. In the event of a crash you are supposed to duck down, bent over, hands over head. The majority of our population can't do that in the size seats offered today.

Ten things I learned about flying during this adventure;
1. Southwest Airlines crew are the nicest of any airlines.
2. I liked my minor Augieism - a business traveler on our flight home offered me his free drink coupon. I readily accepted and had my first drink of alcohol ever on a plane (Heineken beer, nice and cold). I almost got a Scotch in honor of NervousNellywhileflyingWeinpress, but the beer sounded good at the time.
3. It takes longer to get your checked bag from Rochester than Portland, even though the PDX airport is 5x larger.
4. Always, always take your own disinfectant wipes and clean the seat armrests and tray table as soon as you sit! The tables are the worse offenders of germs. On one flight a baby was having its' diaper changed on the seat tray. I understand a parent doing this, but just think if you were the next person in that seat? Yuck.
5. Did you get up and walk to the bathroom, like everyone should be doing on every flight to stretch legs and help prevent blood clots? Good. I hope you had more hand sanitizer when getting back to your seat and used it liberally.
6. Pets on plane. Sorry pet lovers, but this is getting out of hand. We had three dogs and a cat on our plane from Chicago to Rochester. One dog was a Labrador, very large, service dog. The woman had no obvious disability, such as sight, walking, hearing, etc. Maybe it was for anxiety? She got on the plane first, off first, got the best seat because of the dog. Nice deal. I may be insensitive here, but this seems a stretch.
7. Where in airports do animals eat and relieve themselves? At the Chicago Midway airport it seems to be anywhere they please. Three cleaners were working on a large area that a dog had used and people had then stepped in. (the Labrador maybe?)
8. When the flight crew repeatedly tells passengers not to place coats in the overhead bins because the flight is full and space is limited, don't do it! People are so self-serving.
9. Hey pig(s), the crew brings trash bags by at least 4x on a 90 minute flight. Do you really need to toss every piece of garbage on the floor by your feet?
10. Can we please get rid of seats that recline? Yes it can be a bit more comfy to lean back, but going back to my notes above, leg space is limited. Having your 1980's mullet cut hanging a foot from my head is not a pretty sight.

Sorry, another blog article not about running or triathlons. Well, I was wearing Brooks running shoes on the plane and did continuously stretch my legs (within my own seat space). I also read a Running Times magazine and almost completed re-reading "Once a Runner".

Portland on my mind

Truly I am sorry for the four plus feet of snow western NY got within two days of Jan and I leaving for Portland, Oregon. It's absolutely ridiculous to have that much anytime, but mid-November? Wow! However, here it is 45-50 everyday and no rain for the last four days, perfect running weather.

I am happy. In a day or two I will run around Nike headquarters, about a mile from my daughter's home. Maybe I'll be recruited by Alberto Salazar? Maybe Olympian Shalane  Flanagan will join me for a run?
 Probably not, but I can dream.

Subaru Commercials

I'm not overly fond of the hokey down-home Subaru radio commercials. In fact, they really annoy me with the fake warm fuzzy stories. What to do? Well, I wrote my own since I know a family that has two Subarus. The story is called "A Subaru Tale about Mike and Lou".

Lou and Mike, great friends for years, were traveling to Mendon Ponds for a race. Not just any race, this had hills and trails, deer and squirrels. Their beautiful wives gave kisses goodbye and off they went from the cozy confines of Spencerport heading east across the great river.

Kayaks firmly attached to the Subaru roof, bikes loaded on the back rack, running clothes jammed inside, Lou and Mike were ready for any adventure. They had smart phones, GPS devices, satellite tracking, written directions and a gas station map from 1973, getting lost was not an issue. The Subaru was filled with gas and ready for the twenty mile long trek to the hundred acre pond and deep woods of Mendon.

The Sirius radio was tuned to their favorite station with KC & the Sunshine Band blasting out a 1970’s hit and Lou singing along. After two hours they realized something might be wrong. It’s only a 25 minute drive, even at 45mph. The truth came slowly upon the two of them, once again they were lost. Having been to Mendon Ponds 93 times in five years you would think directions would not be an issue, but when you are easily distracted – Squirrel! – well, anything can happen.

Fortunately the Subaru self-directing button got pushed as Mike was searching the radio for another Credence Clearwater song and a sweet female voice came on to give them turn-by-turn instructions. Ninety minutes later they were safe in the Mendon woods, running amongst the wildlife. This is why Mike bought a Subaru and you should too.

To the Dark Side

It all began with the knowledge that a trip to Portland, Oregon was coming up. November in Portland, at least our experience there at that time of year, is rain. The daily high temperature hovers around 48. The rain might be a sprinkle or downpour, the sun shines about 2 hours a day... maybe. Sunshine in Portland can be taken with a grain of salt, it's more of a ray of light through a series of clouds. It's no wonder a coffee shop can be found every two blocks, all that caffeine is necessary to stay awake during the misty months.
Armed with this information I knew a rain coat for Jan and myself was in order. As a result it was me, anti-in-person shopper, online Christmas specialist, who suggested we trek to an Outlet Mall. Jan was shocked and hesitant, having suffered through my curmudgenous attitude in shopping centers for too many years when the kids were young.
The only recourse was to take the Weinpress's along for the ride to enjoy our outing and my potential poutiness. They are world-renowned Outlet Mall shoppers, I was actually surprised that a parking spot wasn't reserved for us. I think Mike has a rolodex with a credit card from all 75 stores in the outlet center. He is listed in the book, "Who's Who in Outlet Shopping" and regularly answers questions from bewildered shoppers on his website, www.goneshopping.com.

First stop - Under Armour, no purchase made. Second - Corningware, there must have been 60 people in line to check out, we didn't dare venture in. Third store - paradise - Columbia. I found the perfect jacket, as did Jan. The coats were marked down special just for the weekend (sure), they took my AAA card for an extra $10 off! Now I was a happy man. I was hooked.
We continued around the mall, buying clothes left and right. Our credit card started to melt from overuse. We had to stop at the truck and drop off packages that became too heavy. As any shopaholic knows, when you are on a roll just keep going. We went back to Columbia where Jan bought another coat! At least we weren't like the woman from Ottawa we met, who came down on a bus for $300 to shop for the weekend. She brought a rolling suitcase just to help carry her goods.
But we kept going, back to Corningware, which had calmed down, and bought new cooking dishes. (what do you mean our wedding present cookware from 36 years ago might be worn out?) Jan won that discussion.
Oh yeah, this is a running blog. Well, we all had run in the morning, Jan did buy a few running shirts, and we outpaced everyone else looking for bargains that day due to our fantastic physical condition. :)
I wouldn't say I'm permanently hooked to the Dark Side of Shopping. But maybe once every five years or so it's okay to get store crazy, just ask MW.