Among the clouds

So...I'm on my way to California. Nope, I don't mean I am leaving soon or that I am sitting at the airport, or on my way to the airport. I mean I am actually on the way...in progress, sitting in seat 11D, smushed in next to two fellow-travelers, sipping a Diet Coke.

This morning as my plane lined up (number 2 for take-off) at Logan International Airport and lumbered onto the runway, the Atlantic Ocean glistened deeply blue. And I took a few minutes to ponder this modern miracle. In a few hours I would be across a continent, touching down towards another ocean as the evening shadows descended upon that beautiful city by the bay.

I am not an adrenaline junkie (really Jawahara? Do tell us more after this shocking announcement) but there are few things as exhilirating to me as taking off in giant plane. The short stop. And then the sudden rush of power and speed and that almost effortless lift off. You can tell me about aerodynamics and air flow or whatever but there is a little bit of magic in flight.

Ever since Dedalus's ill-fated adventure captured our imagination humans have been obsessed with flying in the skies. Perhaps even before that. And why not? Despite the hum of the engines, when else can we fly above the clouds?



And now this. Sitting (uncomfortably) at 32,000 feet I tap into a wifi signal, update my facebook status and my blog. Or is this sad? That I cannot unplug even for a few hours? I'm not sure. This is the first time for me. If I make it a habit it would make me worry. But for right now I am reveling in the newness of it. In front of me is a familiar screen. Next to me is....nothing. The sun is shining pink-golden light onto the dappled clouds below us and I feel a world away from civil wars, earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdowns. It feels like a respite.

So I look out at the clouds below, watch a distant plane fly beside us and take in this new plugged reality. So, friends of my blog...hello from the clouds. Of course, with all this magic...there is something still missing. Yep...my computer is running out of juice and there seems to be no magical way to recharge it...at least no in cattle class.