Traveling to Greece

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Kishkumen
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Traveling to Greece

Post by Kishkumen »

So, I am off to Greece tomorrow. I should have been there already, but American Airlines canceled my flight at 9:43 pm on Friday night. I am a little anxious about the trip. The mood at my house is somber. I thought about canceling the trip today, but my wife talked me out of it. I have a fear of flying, despite the statistics urging confidence. The statistically most dangerous parts of my trip are probably my time in the house before I exit for the trip and my drive to the airport. The highway I take to the airport is pretty damned dangerous.

But it is mostly the idea of flying over the ocean and dying in some kind of accident that gives me the creeps. I am really afraid of drowning. If something bad happens, I hope it happens quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Sorry to be so silly, but I wanted to air my fears somewhere. Am I always so anxious about flight? I didn't used to be. Some of this is the anxiety of COVID manifesting in various ways. The world has seemed out of sorts, and my usual casual confidence about things has been replaced by a general, low-level existential dread. Often I think, what next? And so many little things have seemed off for the past couple of years that it is hard not to be emotionally impacted.

Take it easy on me.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
Binger
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Binger »

Enjoy Greece.

The anxiety will subside. Be well.
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Doctor CamNC4Me
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Doctor CamNC4Me »

And so many little things have seemed off for the past couple of years that it is hard not to be emotionally impacted.
My wife and I joke around that we (all of us) were shunted into an alternate reality back in 2016. I think someone broke the Sacred Timeline and we’re one of the branches where bananapants was, is, and will be the norm.

Don’t worry about the flight thing. You’re dead, anyway. No point in worrying about annihilation. Anyway, I used to be terrified of flying. I don’t know why. I mean, I know why, but I don’t know why that particular thing sent me into white knuckling crazytown. And then one day my fear of falling out of the sky just *poof* disappeared. Hopefully you’ll have some great narcotics, a comfy pillow, and you can get some rest on the way over.

That said, Greece. Very cool. Make sure you update us with the food you’re eating, the classical music you’ll listen to, the theater you’ll see, and of course the Concentration Camp you’ll visit.

Oh. Wait. I forgot I’m not talking to a narcissist with a low-key Nazi fetish. Enjoy your trip!

- Doc
Hugh Nibley claimed he bumped into Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Gertrude Stein, and the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanoff. Dishonesty is baked into Mormonism.
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Kishkumen
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Kishkumen »

Doctor CamNC4Me wrote:
Sun Jun 19, 2022 6:05 pm
My wife and I joke around that we (all of us) were shunted into an alternate reality back in 2016. I think someone broke the Sacred Timeline and we’re one of the branches where bananapants was, is, and will be the norm.
Yep! My wife and I have had the same conversation, and I wish that it didn't have such an emotional plausibility to it. Things have just been wrong. It is irrational to say, I know. But I have felt that way for some time now.
Don’t worry about the flight thing. You’re dead, anyway. No point in worrying about annihilation. Anyway, I used to be terrified of flying. I don’t know why. I mean, I know why, but I don’t know why that particular thing sent me into white knuckling crazytown. And then one day my fear of falling out of the sky just *poof* disappeared. Hopefully you’ll have some great narcotics, a comfy pillow, and you can get some rest on the way over.
My best flight was a British Airways international flight in which the flight attendants regularly went up and down the aisles with free wine. I had a lot of wine on that flight, and it felt good. No hangover. Just perfectly comfortable the whole trip. Now all the assholes who can't deal have made this a thing of the past.
That said, Greece. Very cool. Make sure you update us with the food you’re eating, the classical music you’ll listen to, the theater you’ll see, and of course the Concentration Camp you’ll visit.

Oh. Wait. I forgot I’m not talking to a narcissist with a low-key Nazi fetish. Enjoy your trip!

- Doc
Thanks, Doc! I appreciate your nice response. I have been in emotional knots about this. It is a complicated thing, and there are things that I can't share, but I have felt inhibited about sharing my feelings. I really appreciate you posting these thoughts. I have thought about sharing something of my trip, and maybe I will. But it will just be me sharing for the sake of telling friends what I am up to. I have lost all illusions of being more than a simple guy.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
honorentheos
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by honorentheos »

Hi Kishkumen,

I wanted to first acknowledge and appreciate your opening up about the immediate fear of flying and the more broad sense of anxiety you expressed in the OP. While flying in a plane doesn't bother me, I don't volunteer to ride on helicopters.

Second, I'm thrilled for you going to Greece and look forward to hearing more about it!
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Jersey Girl
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Jersey Girl »

Here's the best I can do on short notice:

1. When you get on the plane take out the AA flight magazine and look for the routes found typically in the back of the mag. The route may also show on a display in front of your seat. Same one you use for entertainment. You could possibly fly over the ocean OR you could fly up the coast and cross over near Greenland (etc) and fly down into Athens. I've seen both types of routes.

2. The flight crew isn't stupid nor would they roll the dice every working day of their lives and bet on something they thought was unsafe. The planes literally fly themselves via computer. Virtually ALL of those pilots were trained on gliders, Kish. They know how to pilot the aircraft with or without an engine. Could something terrible happen? Sure. Is it likely. Nope.

3. I had an AA pilot present in my preschool class about flying. He brought in his own model planes. ;-) He showed us that turbulence is just like driving over bumps in the road only the bumps are made of air. You aren't going to get tossed out of the sky. I never worried about turbulence again and learned to love it.

4. While you are flying, chances are that somewhere in the world some trashy Kardashian is flying wherever the hell they want to fly whenever they want to fly. YOU being a non-trashy person (we think) deserve all the comforts, convenience, and opportunities that plastic porno Kardashians enjoy every day of their sickening fake lives. In other words--think of the flight as a well deserved treat.

Kish nothing you wrote is remotely silly. The pandemic has done a mental health number on probably most of us for the exact reasons you mentioned. We spent over two years waiting for the other shoe drop, watching it drop, then learning how to pick it up off the floor and put it on again and keep going. It's hard to extract ourselves from that cycle of emotional abuse and that's exactly what it was. Over two years of chronic slow motion trauma. We're all in recovery to one degree or another.

Try not to walk on the eggshells. Crush them under your feet.

We are your friends,
Jersey

p.s. Greece seems like a beautiful destination. Let us know how you get on!
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

Slava Ukraini!
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by huckelberry »

Kishkumen, best wishes for your journey. I share your sense that things just have not been right the past few years in a variety of ways. May you ride past your uncertainties and have a good trip.

You have made me reminisce for a moment. I love sight seeing from a plane. I have not flown a great many times but I hold close the memories of fantastic views. I remember descending over monument valley towards Phoenix at twilight with a very bright Venus illuminating the red rock formations. I will not list all the treasured sights I remember. But flying over the ocean sounds as grey dull as flying over clouds. There should be some marvels to see over Italy and Greece. I hope you find some enjoyment.
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Kishkumen
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Kishkumen »

honorentheos wrote:
Sun Jun 19, 2022 6:27 pm
Hi Kishkumen,

I wanted to first acknowledge and appreciate your opening up about the immediate fear of flying and the more broad sense of anxiety you expressed in the opening post. While flying in a plane doesn't bother me, I don't volunteer to ride on helicopters.

Second, I'm thrilled for you going to Greece and look forward to hearing more about it!
Thanks, honor! I really appreciate you guys. I will post some stuff as I am able. Here is the excavation I am visiting:

https://kastrouli.wordpress.com/
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
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Kishkumen
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Kishkumen »

Jersey Girl wrote:
Sun Jun 19, 2022 8:01 pm
Here's the best I can do on short notice:

1. When you get on the plane take out the AA flight magazine and look for the routes found typically in the back of the mag. The route may also show on a display in front of your seat. Same one you use for entertainment. You could possibly fly over the ocean OR you could fly up the coast and cross over near Greenland (etc) and fly down into Athens. I've seen both types of routes.

2. The flight crew isn't stupid nor would they roll the dice every working day of their lives and bet on something they thought was unsafe. The planes literally fly themselves via computer. Virtually ALL of those pilots were trained on gliders, Kish. They know how to pilot the aircraft with or without an engine. Could something terrible happen? Sure. Is it likely. Nope.

3. I had an AA pilot present in my preschool class about flying. He brought in his own model planes. ;-) He showed us that turbulence is just like driving over bumps in the road only the bumps are made of air. You aren't going to get tossed out of the sky. I never worried about turbulence again and learned to love it.

4. While you are flying, chances are that somewhere in the world some trashy Kardashian is flying wherever the hell they want to fly whenever they want to fly. YOU being a non-trashy person (we think) deserve all the comforts, convenience, and opportunities that plastic porno Kardashians enjoy every day of their sickening fake lives. In other words--think of the flight as a well deserved treat.

Kish nothing you wrote is remotely silly. The pandemic has done a mental health number on probably most of us for the exact reasons you mentioned. We spent over two years waiting for the other shoe drop, watching it drop, then learning how to pick it up off the floor and put it on again and keep going. It's hard to extract ourselves from that cycle of emotional abuse and that's exactly what it was. Over two years of chronic slow motion trauma. We're all in recovery to one degree or another.

Try not to walk on the eggshells. Crush them under your feet.

We are your friends,
Jersey

p.s. Greece seems like a beautiful destination. Let us know how you get on!
Thanks, Jersey! You are very kind to share all of these thoughts and knowledge. I am consistently surprised by all that you know and have seen. By now I really should not be surprised, eh? Mostly the fact you took the time to share it all is appreciated. I do feel comforted by this knowledge.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
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Kishkumen
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Re: Traveling to Greece

Post by Kishkumen »

huckelberry wrote:
Sun Jun 19, 2022 9:26 pm
Kishkumen, best wishes for your journey. I share your sense that things just have not been right the past few years in a variety of ways. May you ride past your uncertainties and have a good trip.
Thank you, huckelberry! I hope the trip is safe. If it is, I should see and experience some neat things. The more I learn about history and far away places, the more enthused I am, and the more I want to know. That helps crowd out feelings of anxiety and dread over a world gone mad.
You have made me reminisce for a moment. I love sight seeing from a plane. I have not flown a great many times but I hold close the memories of fantastic views. I remember descending over monument valley towards Phoenix at twilight with a very bright Venus illuminating the red rock formations. I will not list all the treasured sights I remember. But flying over the ocean sounds as grey dull as flying over clouds. There should be some marvels to see over Italy and Greece. I hope you find some enjoyment.
Beautiful sights! I used to want the window seat, but my thirsty mouth and middle-aged bladder and prostrate motivate me to choose an aisle seat whenever I can get one. That helps me avoid driving my fellow travelers crazy.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
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