It CAN be *fun*. Really.

I think I might have a been leaning a little too far over towards the curmudgeon side of things yesterday.  I didn’t mean to give a completely negative view of air travel. 

Yes,  I’ll admit that it pretty much sucks.  Just approach the whole experience with your eyes open,  and for gawd’s sake people,  read the security requirements!  I’ve seen reasonably intelligent rational people try to take the darndest things onto a plane.   A jar of gravy?  Seriously!   I’m not kidding. 

Happened in Amsterdam,  a few years back.   The security Dude was amazingly polite.  I don’t think I would have had the patience.  Thankfully I was already “in” at that point.  Honest to God,  it looked like a jar of gravy.  It didn’t bother me in the least that it didn’t come on the plane with me.

 

Once I’m ON the plane, I’m fine.  I’m fairly easily entertained.  All I need is to leaf through a magazine or stare out the window.  It can even be bumpy.   That’s OK too.  Preferably not too warm in the cabin.   That sucks,  but I’m not going to be nattering like a negative Nelly today. 

Maybe toss me something to chew on once in a while,  or better yet,  offer me some sort of liquid refreshment.

Plus I learned something.  Apparently “Warsteiner” is the “Queen amongst beers”.   Well,  alrighty then!   Sure glad we found that out.

If you prefer the “live action” version,  feel free to start the video.  What’s 10 seconds out of your life?

 

 

If you did watch the video (which I highly recommend by the way)  you’ll notice that there was a hand that came to pluck away the bottle right at the end?

That was not one of the air crew.

See,  here’s the thing.  You know how when you wash your vehicle,  and then sure enough it starts to rain?   Whenever I decide to take a video,  it’s kind of like that, only not weather related.

Travelling Companion has this innate ability to be completely oblivious to the idea that I might be doing something with the camera besides staring at the viewfinder.   She’ll start talking, or probably ask me a question that I’m not going to answer because well,  I’m taking a video.   Or, in this case,  take away my subject!   That’s why the clip is only 10 seconds long.   Better for all concerned I suppose.  But I’m pretty sure I could sit and watch beer bubbles for a little longer than 10 seconds.    20 maybe?

So if you’ve watched any of the pitiful little clips I’ve posted in the past,  and there’s someone yakking away in the background?   Those are the rain clouds off in the distance.

 

Well,  here’s a little “fun” thing.  Just to try and balance things out. 

When we were waiting to board in Vienna,  there were a few guys who were obviously travelling together,  who only caught my attention due to the amount of tattoos they had.   Of course,  my first thought is,  “Gah,  that must have hurt.”  

I’m just not a tattoo kind of guy.  I have enough aches and mystery pains.  No huge desire to go out and ask someone to stick something sharp in me.  Over and over again.

Anyway,  they kept to themselves pretty much,  were very polite,  and one of the gentlemen ended up sitting right next to Travelling Companion.   He had an Ipad in front of him,  and was looking at pictures of his two kids who,  according to “eye witness reports”  were the cutest looking kids T.C. had ever seen in her life.   He was too far away from me to verify this,  so we’ll just treat it as “hear say”.   It seems that he and his friends had been on the road for two weeks and he really was missing his wife and kids.   They were on their way to somewhere outside of Birmingham to play a gig of some sort. 

The way these things go of course,  they were part of the bunch of us that had to dash for the connecting flight to Birmingham,  and we ended up sitting in close proximity to each other once again. 

One of the group was even willing to switch seats with some silly bugger who wanted to sit next to his wife,  since, 1) he was too dim to select his seat ahead of time the way we did and, 2) had to make sure he sat next to his wife for the great long 90 minute flight.  Someone even said, “But it’s only 90 minutes!”  and all he had was, “But it’s my wife.” 

Idiot.

I didn’t think she was that spectacular to be completely honest,  but I certainly can’t vouch for all men and some of their goofy ideas.   We did mock him ever so briefly.  That was fun.

 

At some point in the flight(s),  someone must have casually asked just who the heck these guys were,  at which point we heard them call themselves Steel Panther.

Not being the brightest bulb in the pack of course,  I promptly forgot that name,  so it took a bit of digging to finally come up with it again.  I knew it was “Steel”  something,  but I was missing the second part,  along with part of my brain apparently.

 

But here’s the thing,  there’s only one of them in that photo whose hair is real.  It’s the blond guy in the middle,  and he was the one sitting next to Travelling Companion.  (with the adorable children.  *allegedly*)

 

 

I’m so outside of this particular loop that I can’t even see the loop,  and I had no idea there was such a hoard of metal/heavy metal,  or in this case,  “Glam Metal” bands.   Yes kids,  these guys do something called “Glam Metal”,  or more specifically, “Glam Metal Revival”.

I’m not making this sh*t up!   There are links.  Go ahead.

It’s a total “act”,  and they’re as campy as can be.  Like I said,  with the exception of the one guy in the middle (with the wife and cute kids, *allegedly*) all that hair is fake.   

The tats were real.

The funny thing too is,  the guy in the upper left,  when travelling “incognito”,  was wearing a hat that was very similar to the one worn by Gene Hackman in The French Connection,. 

 

And it looked good on him!  Mind you,  the eyeliner might have been a clue,  but still. 

The other night when Travelling Companion and I were looking at their website,  it finally dawned on us why they were getting a little anxious about their luggage!  Gotta have them wigs!   I don’t think the “show would go on”  without the hair.

 

See?  You just never know who or what you’ll see on a flight.  

Just approach the whole experience with your eyes open.  Wait,  I think I said that didn’t I?   Well,  either that or pop a couple sedatives I suppose.

 

Meh,  let’s face it.   Flying still sucks.

 

Thanks for coming by.

 

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