Year 2, Day 150: What You Won't Do For Love

I can't tell you when I became afraid of flying, but I think it must have been in the late 80s. In the early 80s my brother was a Terrapin at a University of Maryland I used to hop on the shuttle and go to Washington quite frequently. At the time my Mother also had reason to be in Washington and it was pretty inexpensive in both time and money, so it was no big deal. I felt like a Jet-setter and flying was very, very cool. Somewhere along the way I started not to like it so much, and by the late 90s I had stopped flying altogether. I don't think I got on a plane once between 1998 (when I went to Mexico for a family vacation) and 2004—when I had to fly to St. Louis to see a client. That year I also flew to New York and North Carolina, so it was a big year. Obviously, a lot had changed in that six years what with 9/11 and all, so I wasn't really any more at ease with the whole thing. I had realized on a trip to Las Vegas that no matter what prescription drug I took, my heart still felt like it was going to burst out of my body. With the help of a few doctors I realized that if I took an an adrenaline suppressant, it made the flying easier. However, I can't take those if I'm going to drive, or if I'm going to be chaperoning a child (especially mine). So it was with that in mind that I embarked on my first unmedicated trip in probably 20 years so Ruby could enjoy how cool flying really is.

I agreed to get her whatever she wanted as a 'plane snack.' She picked Hershey's kissables, which are VERY GOOD (I had two). At the advice of a friend, I asked the captain if Ruby could see the cockpit and they delighted in showing her around. She didn't get a pair of wings or a little plane as I think I did when I was a kid, but she was impressed just the same. She thought it was the 'bees knees' to be in a plane, and I kept my game face on. When we met my Mom in New York, Ruby kept singing the song "I'm Flying" from Peter Pan over and over again, in her very sweet, and nearly tone deaf way.

Breakfast
2 Slices of Balthazar Bread
3 Slices of Ham
3 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Tea

Plane Snack
1 oz. Salted Peanuts
1 Diet Coke
2 Hershey's Kissables

Lunch:
Breast of Chicken (with Skin)
"Health Slaw" (no Mayonnaise, but that's not really what makes it unhealthy to begin with)
Popcorn

Dinner: Stefano's
6 rings, Fried Calamari with Tomato Sauce
3 Glasses Merlot
Caesar Salad
House Salad
Tilapia with two Shrimp (and tomatoes)
Broccoli x 2

Dessert
2 Bites of Cheesecake
1 small slice of birthday cake

My Grandfather turned 95 today, or pretty near today, because there is some controversy over the date. But no matter, you've got to admit that to be 95 and to have your own place, to still be married to your wife of 75 years, to still play bridge, eat food, and eat birthday cake, that's quite an accomplishment. And he's still got it where it counts— he's not being fed, he's cracking jokes and having a good time (though I can't vouch for his bridge playing). My grandmother, also born around this time, turned 94. There were nearly 20 people in the dining room of Stefano's and it was that critical moment in our lives when the kids table (filled with 40 year olds and THEIR brood) was just not bigger than the adults tables (60 and over) but actually overwhelmed it completely. Of course, there were six kids under 13, and they were wreaking havoc and disturbing the path of the wait staff. I tried to stay on the program, but the bacchanalia (and three glasses of wine) got the best of me. Plus, the birthday cake, despite its absence of chocolate, was very, very good. A good time was had by all, though as usual with a three and a half hour dinner, many children were carried out in their pajamas and ready for sleep.