There is writing to problem solve and there is writing to observe. The writer looks around, sees things, describes things they might not otherwise describe. Later, in rereading what she or he wrote, the writer is surprised by the high level of acuity. This is because writing slowed the mind, resulting in a high level of acuity.

It was a long night on the ole red eye. I left Palmer at 9:00 p.m. The plane left at 11:30 p.m. I didn’t have a very long wait. The flight itself was a little bumpy, not bad. The fasten seatbelt sign was off most of the way. The sun came up on the left side of the plane, my side. It rose above a white blanket cloud cover. The descent into Chicago O’Hare was quite lengthy, and

not super bumpy. Once on the ground, we were told that we’d have a short wait because there was another plane at the gate. I did not care – the choice came down to being uncomfortable on the plane or in the airport.

The only places where you can be comfortable in an airport are places in which you pay money to be there – lounges and restaurants and bars and the like. The chairs in the waiting area don’t cut it. I tried to get myself comfortable and take a cat nap – really difficult. Dozed a bit, just enough to keep me lucid, and that, at this point in time, is questionable.

There is also now a charge for internet service. This to me is the height of inconsideration. It sure would make life easier to have it – paying for it, uh uh.

You are also, in waiting areas, subjected to the noise of television. There is no getting away from it. It’s designed to lull those who can’t afford the more comfortable areas into a state of complacency.

I of course am thinking of home. It’s 8:00 a.m. there, 11:00 a.m. here. Pete is just getting up and tending to the critters. At least it’s now warmer where we live. And one less person will be tracking mud into the house over breakup. When I get back, all the snow will be done and perhaps there will be a green haze on the trees.

There go the passengers taking the commuter flight to Fargo, North Dakota. Just a handful. This is how the big airlines make money – they have many small planes that take people to distant places where there is no large airport, like Fargo and Albany.

I am really sleepy. I wonder if anyone has ever missed their flight because they slept through the boarding procedure. My thinking is that once all the possibilities for everything have been realized, it will be time for us all, en masse, to depart earth. The rapture seems to me like it could be fun if everyone just remained calm and didn’t push or shove. Otherwise, you might have the equivalent of a nightclub fire.

A diversion. My flight is now scheduled to leave out of a differing gate, one far, far away and in a differing galaxy. So I am packing up base camp and moving it to this distant place. At least I am not in a hurry.

Next: 102. 4/12/17: The Horse Life: Internship Day #1