Things started off well enough. I got to the airport in plenty of time, boarded and stowed my carry-on without incident. I sent Dearest a quick text of farewell and turned off my iPhone. I settled in with a magazine for take off already planning what I would write once we were in the air and I could turn on my iPad. Then the announcement came, “bluetooth devices of any kind must remain off for the entire durations of the flight.”
WHAT?!
I had chosen to travel light. Instead of bringing my MacBook Pro, I brought my iPad and a bluetooth keyboard; a blutooth keyboard I apparently could not use.
I know what you’re thinking, “No biggie, just use the touch screen keyboard” right? Oh but I’m a spoiled writer. The feel of a keyboard under my fingertips, the soft trateling noise the keys make as I type and the muscle memory of precisely where all my letters and punctuation marks are is integral to my writing rituals. This was a major blow to my plans.
<sigh> I elected to just read my magazine for the first leg of the trip. I usually read magazines on my iPad but I actually bought a paper and ink magazine for the trip since I have to turn off the gadgets for take-off and landing. I was happy to put on a pout and just read from Port Columbus to Chicago O’Hare. I would resign myself to writing with the touch screen keyboard for the longer leg to Seattle.
I got some breakfast at O’Hare, boarded my second plane and settled in with my magazine again and waited for take-off (and permission to turn on my iPad to start writing.) Then I waited and waited some more. Finally the captain announced they were doing some additional engine checks… Then that there was a problem requiring a quick adjustment… And then that the plane was grounded and we would have to get off.
After an hour, the ticket agent announced we were to all go to another gate and that another plane was waiting for us. After another hour they started letting people on that plane. Not everyone made it. It was a smaller plane and there was no room for me. After another hour I was put on another flight of another carrier leaving from another terminal. After rushing through O’Hare (deja vu) to make the new flight, I arrived to find the flight was delayed due to air traffic control cutbacks. It was another hour before boarding.
By the time I was finally settled in my seat with carry on stowed I realized I had left my magazine on the other plane. No matter, we would be aloft soon and I would be lost in my own little world writing away. That’s when it hit me. I had left my iPad in my carry on bag that the flight attendant stowed in an unknown overhead compartment, not tucked into my personal item stowed below the seat. Did I really want to go on a treasure hunt for it? I was tired, stressed, late, and brain-dead. There was clearly only one thing for a frustrated wander writer to do.
I got out my headphones and watched the inflight movie.