Field Trips are Still Cool After You Graduate

Still life, stained glass, sculpture, etc. I passed and studied several pieces of art today at he Getty. On a couple different occasions I had some 'ah ha! that's awesome' moments. While I was in a photography exhibit I took into account the beautiful and dramatic lighting on the photograph's subjects. I thought to myself, 'Wow they look stunning, it's funny how I can admire them so much based upon a job-well-done by the photographer'. For a moment it was funny to see these people so closely, so in-depth, and no one was around to tell me to 'stop creeping' or 'back up from that artwork you're going to stare a hole through it!'. It was the feeling of when you're photo-stalking someone on facebook whom you barely know. Harmless, but also slightly meaningless. And then I got to the Northern Europe room. There were several pieces of stained glass that I took a close view to and then I stopped. All day I had been introduced to new pieces of art, nothing like I hadn't seen before, but nonetheless, I hadn't really seen it before. And then I found myself just staring almost in awe. It was Jesus. The first recognizable subject of an art piece I had seen all day. An intricately designed sculpture made of clay that was formed into what I would have considered one of the best depictions of Jesus that I've seen (you know what I'm talking about....how in most instances Jesus is a white dude with a small nose and a major beard. Which of course, based on his birthplace, he would have looked much different). I was impressed and taken. It was neat, it was just like seeing an old friend :).

That day at the museum in addition to looking at captured and still pieces of art, I also took the liberty to check into the faces of those viewing the art. What were they thinking? I wonder why this painting makes them smile? What the heck was she whispering and chuckling to herself about as she walked away from 'womanhouse', the kitchen with rubber boobs glued to the walls?
Why when looking at the people in the museum do they all look so uniquely and artistically put together, but can all be easily identified as 'an art person'?

..

I ..

Just When You Think Your Day(life)Can't Get Any Worse...

Just When You Think Your Day(life)Can't Get Any Worse...

My best friend was calling, I was stoked to hear from her! I answered the phone in a goofy tone, just to be embarrassed for doing so after I heard the voice on the other end. The phone call no one ever wants to hear…and one that’s dreaded to make. It was her fiancé calling on the behalf of my friend to inform me that her mom had just died. I felt sick. I just spent this past Thanksgiving with them in Arizona and I was looking forward to seeing my friend and her mom during my visit to Ohio. I was supposed to see the both of them a couple weeks ago but because I couldn’t get a ride (my car is in California) it didn’t work out. Thoughts and images overwhelmed me and before I could thank him for calling, I broke down, sobbing. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Why was this real?
I couldn’t sleep at night. I just kept thinking why why why? Why did this have to happen… I needed to see my friend, but of course, I couldn’t. She lives on the other side of town and people here are selfish. Thinking about my friend and how she must feel and how I have to be away from her… it’s a hurt I can’t describe. I hate it. And some stupid part of me keeps thinking maybe there’s been a mistake maybe I just dreamt this but no, it’s as real as the person (my sister) in the other room who sits there numb to the devastation that has stricken me. Aside from one text message the day I found out about my friend’s mom, she’s expressed no concern for me. I’ll sit here by myself and just cry. Today is the day I’m going to the showing of my friend’s mom. I’m a mess.
This will be the first time to see my friend since I’ve been back and this is in no way a way I would wish for us to see each other.. My mom wants to come with me, thank goodness. I need strength, I can’t hold myself together. I needed to wash my face, the water was shut off. I went to check the mail to see if there was a notice of when it would be back on, but instead I found something that would make my sad-started day—even worse. It was from the Malibu Sherriff’s office. Shit. A few months ago my freakin car broke down on me up in Malibu and I left it in a friend’s neighborhood because it wouldn’t drive for more than two miles without overheating and attempting to blow itself up. I freakin had to work every dang weekend the past semester and was just overloaded with working three jobs, finishing stuff for graduation, and attempting to sleep. My family came out for the last few days and graduation so I was constantly busy with them. My original plan right after graduation was to move to LA for the month before my job started but the people I was moving in with were wishy-washy with rent-numbers so to save money, I booked a flight to Ohio instead. Long story short, my broken car has been in that neighborhood for awhile.
I called the Sherriff’s office, which’d sent me the notice, and they directed me to the towing company who had apparently towed my car. Oh awesome, because I hadn’t looked at the notice in depth at that point, I was unaware they actually towed it . Someone in the neighborhood had reported it and because my friend supposedly was out of town, didn’t see the ‘abandonment notice’. The guy from the towing office was a real jerk, and he totally yelled at me. I wasn’t even rude, I just had a lot of questions. He told me a whole lot of crap and that at the standing total right now… I owe them $544 plus $32/day and my flight isn’t until Tuesday which will mean when all is said and done it’s going to be $736. So much for saving money by coming back to Ohio.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste….

A mind is a terrible thing to waste…

The catchy-cliché tagline, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste…studies show that your kids can lose what they’ve learned over the next two months for summer…” Each time I hear this sylvan learning’ promo, it resonates and reminds me, just because I’ve graduated from college, it is no time to stop learning. I’m choosing to avoid the blues of not being in school anymore. Yeah sure, we all say, on the mornings after our all nighters that we hate school and can’t wait to be done… yet when we are done we say man, I wish I had more access to my friends. The truth is, we’re never really happy with what we get, which is what makes me keep working for what’s next. Last August, going back for my senior year of college was brutal. Yes, life in Sunny San Diego can still be a downer, that’s just life. But I’d been living, working, and having a ton of fun in Hollywood and I wasn’t ready to leave. A lot of the semester I whined about the friends of mine I missed in LA… so just about the time when I began to whine about missing my friends in San Diego (I’m currently in Columbus, Ohio) I reminded myself…here in just a few weeks, I’ll be back to the city I love, the City of Angels.
Those Sylvan commercials though, haunt me like a bad fun-house experience. I’m somewhat obsessing over NOT slowing down, yes, I need a break (after working three jobs and going to school full time) but I still don’t want to become comfortable or lose what I’ve learned just because I’ve moved, but instead, learn more. That’s why I’m spending ample time in front of the tube. In college, I was on TV more than I ever had time to watch it. That’s not bragging, it’s just an example of how much time I didn’t have for nonsense entertainment. Yesterday I had a free afternoon and I literally watched seven episodes of The Hills, it just made me miss California mostly, but it was nice to see the characters again that I’d never had time for. Speaking of characters, I’ve been hanging with the fam a lot and catching up with my old Ohio pals. It’s honestly amazing to me how people and things change. Sometimes it’s a bummer, but by this point, I know how to move on. Some amigos I’ve been chatting with this past year via text and social networking, we’ll talk about how we can’t wait to see each other or ‘hang when I get home’…it’s almost time for me to head back west, and some of those people I haven’t heard a word from or have ignored. On the flipside, I’ve met a few people here while out and about, and we’ve hung out on several occasions. Funny how things work out sometimes right?
Everything is an adjustment, it’s how we learn. My sister, her kiddos, and I hit up the Groveport Pool on this insanely sweltering day and we ran into a couple my niece’s classmates; I was stoked, I love those little ladies. After an exhaustingly fun day in the water with the kids, and tan time during Adult Swim, I could barely keep my head up on the car ride home but found myself singing to the song RadioU was playing. It was the first time I heard it and I sang it like I knew the band, quietly of course. The lyrics were ones I knew I wouldn’t forget because they were so strong, so full of life but unfortunately hours later, those lyrics were left somewhere in my state of exhaustion. It didn’t hit me till later that I totally could have ‘Shazammed’ that song on my far-too-expensive-new phone. Fail! Like I said, everything is an adjustment. I’m used to having a gangster dumb-phone only capable of the simplest of tasks such as texting and talking. And a phone that when I pull it out of my purse people would usually respond with “dang… do you have an upgrade soon?’ or “oh, my 8 year old brother has that phone…”. Awesome.



That's all for now... bye bye <3

Sincerely,
Meh.

My Day Job Versus My Passion

My Day Job Versus My Passion
Who goes from working in Hollywood on the studio back lots to working for a SoCal smoothie franchise? That’d be me. A few months back I applied for a side job at Jamba Juice to have some extra money, a sweet discount, and satisfy my constant craving to learn. It was also appealing to revisit the feeling of working hard for little money. Strangely enough, much can be gained from such an experience. I love my job at Jamba Juice. Customers are generally pretty happy when coming in, as opposed to a caffeine-oriented place. Then my coworkers, though younger than me, (high schoolers) always make it an interesting and entertaining atmosphere. I like to see it as being on-set for Degrassi , or some other high school drama-oriented TV show.
Speaking of TV, I’m the station manager for the TV program here at PLNU; Point TV on Channel 23. Just recently, I was making a mental note of what’s on the agenda for the next 24 four hours and I had somewhat of an epiphany. I have to finish editing the latest episode of the Blind Dating show I host and direct, host an episode of Acoustic Sessions, between sets, make an appearance at the KPLR karaoke event (grab one of the free Chipotle burritos) back to editing, begin my performance reel file, and reserve equipment for the Advanced TV Class screenings on Wednesday. An estimated 15 hours of work, and I’m stoked for it. Whereas when I work at Jamba, even though I love it I still dread those eight-hour shifts. After the first six hours I’m ready to get a Bobik-Special-Bananaberry smoothie and peace out. Jamba is fine for now and of course I enjoy a healthy sweet smoothie as much as the next person, but my real passion lies working in entertainment. It’s the ultimate team effort and it brings people together; that’s something I want to be a part of for a very long time.

What happened in Vegas....I Brought Back with Me

Just go away. Growing up, my mother always encouraged me to take advantage of any travel opportunity that I encounter. Now, I forget her reasoning’s in telling me to do so but she is my mom so of course, I listen. Since then, I have made it a point to make my way around any and everywhere I can. This past week I was in Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters Convention. I’ve been to Vegas before and even to this exact convention. Experience is organic, and in this case there's no such thing as a cloned substitute. To travel is to see and to learn. To me, being a learner is a characteristic I hold in high value. Essentially we have to make a choice whether or not to learn. Webster defines the word ‘learn’ as, “to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.” The convention itself is partnered with the "Broadcasters Education Association: Educating for tomorrow's media." Fortunately with access to several industry-professional-led workshops and seminars I was highly enthused during my note-taking sessions. Although somewhat more interestingly to me is what was learned from the unexpected conference rooms. The space in those five-hour car rides, the small casino diner, hotel room, and poolside tanning times. It was these occurences where I learned about others and myself. During a lunch with my cousin who was also attending the conference, he provided wisdom from his many years ahead of me that will benefit what will happen for me in these next months post graduation. Sometimes I think he has a lesson plan for my life and knows exactly the right time to share each lecture with me. Even though his times are opportune, doesn't always make them easy to digest.
I didn’t gamble any money in Vegas, mostly just my time. My expectations for the trip were far too high for the reality of it,at least socially, but I also acquired new knowlege in various areas, which was more than I started out with so I guess that means I win. That happened in Vegas...and I decided to take it home with me.

That Moment When....

It’s that moment in the movie where the story comes full circle. When the Titans score the winning point in overtime, when Forrest rescues Bubba, and the list carries on. Depending on the situation, the minor details can vary but the end result is the same, that feeling of unreal accomplishment. This week that moment came in the form of speech from my records advisor. Transfer credits, course substitutions, the whole bit. I was flustered with the fear of potentially not graduating; especially after my entire family from Ohio had booked their flights to join me for the celebration. I was getting down to the wire in a meeting with my advisor and then for a second, time stopped. “How would you like for your name to appear on the diploma?” He asked. The words rolled off of his tongue like gold poured from a casting. For a second I didn’t realize he was talking to me, but he had to be talking to me. I was the only one sitting in front of him. For a moment I think I even forgot my middle name. “Oh uh, yeah, the middle name, put Danielle down for that.” I was graduating. The first in my family to obtain a 4-year degree, all of the time spent in libraries, internship offices, labs, and classrooms. It all comes down to this. It’s really happening. It was one of those moments. I took it in with a deep breath and said, “Yeah, Jessica. Danielle. Bobik. That sounds good.” May 14th, here I come.

Japan Quake Causes Hollywood Shake Ups..

Just over a couple of weeks ago…terror from natural disaster struck Japan. The morning of, I had received a text message from my mother saying “There’s been an earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, California might be seeing after effects, are you okay?” Not exactly what I was expecting to wake up to, but I’m sure neither were the Japanese.
Roughly 5500 miles away, the disaster was strong enough to cause a flair of bad weather and slight damage up north in California. That was what was evident immediately after as well as the week to come. What’s even crazier is although Japan is quite the distance away, it’s directly affecting many individuals in the states. Earlier this week I was purchasing a new car and got to talking to the dealer about the tragedies in Japan and he shed a little light on how it’s affecting Japanese cars and their parts not only over there but here as well. Many of the major car part factories were damaged and now have to go through full inspections before they can pick up manufacturing again.
In addition to cars.. the film industry is also being hit pretty hard. Yesterday I was at USC with my cousin who is a film professor and one of his students rushed into his office frantically, she seemed very urgent. She stated that her thesis project that is saved on one device needs to be put onto a digi beta but because USC has no more tapes due to the current stoppage of deliveries from Japan, only left her with another option. “Can I just send it to Fotokem to be digitized?” she said. “Good luck, you’re not the only one, Hollywood is filling the bulk of Foto’s processes for the time being…”-my cousin responded.
When these sort of disasters happen, it seems a common trend for people to say ‘Oh, this is affecting everyone in some sort of way’, and normally I would assume people mean emotionally but now I know different. I’d usually think, well most people aren’t upset because it’s not happening to them and they dismiss it. Now it has become clear that when something goes wrong on our planet, that regardless of how long it takes us to realize….it will impact us in some way shape or form.

Afternoon with a Stranger Who Bought me dinner….

Afternoon with a stranger Who Bought me dinner


As you may or may not know, due to unfortunate circumstances (i.e my car being a deadly piece of jazz) I’ve been without a vehicle for a little over a month now, which is a little more than inconvenient. Including… people forgetting to pick me up from work..walking five miles home…my work telling me not to come in because of bad weather FIVE minutes before my shift, while I’d hitched a ride to work..etc. Lovely right? So I’ve taken up another job these past weeks of constantly searching dealer’s inventories online for the ride I should like and can afford and one on which I can rely. Yes that’s right kiddies, I’m working to pay for my own car. Some of us aren’t given everything on a silver platter that’s wrapped in red ribbon, just in case you were confused. Anyway.

Last night I finally found a car that fits all of the ideals that I’d wanted! I was stoked. And to my surprise…on a Sunday morning I got a call from the dealer. He informed me that the vehicle I’d requested was in fact still available for purchase. Woot!
[Only haha, silly me…I’d confused Carlsbad with Clairmont, Carlsbad being 40 mins away, and Clairmont being just four miles away. Rather than try and depend on someone to give me a ride up and hear them beat-around-the-bush-indirectly-complain when I pay them exact change for the—I figured I’d rent a Prius from the PLNU zipcar system. Yes…I would drive a Prius in this situation. Desperate times call for desperate measures. ]


He then asked me when a convenient time would be for me to come in to check out the car and I explained that I would have to arrange a ride first and then I could let him know. Being of course, the impatient nature of a car salesman he was, he almost immediately offered a ride from his dealership or if I thought that was weird I could find my own ride. Of course I’d take a free ride when gas prices are high and people are greedy. I prepared for the day and waited for him to roll up in the electric blue 2009 Honda Accord. He generously agreed to not drive the car up and down that I would be testing out. That was nice.

Test drive! One of the only times I don’t blast fat beats on the radio. Fortunately I’ve gone through enough car problems and repairs that I can decently (for a lady) check out a car and size it up. Thanks to Cousin Chris… I can pretty much identify every part of the engine and its function. Hello accomplishment. I think Michael-the-car-[dealer]-man was somewhat surprised. I think everyone in life should have to deal with car issues at some point so they actually understand how a car works instead of being naïve and/or ignorant.
When all was said and done… I was just shy of having enough (after a taxes and California’s rape of taxes/registration/fees) to pay fully in cash but, it’s Sunday, and credit unions are closed today. Sooooo now I have to wait until tomorrow to hear back. I usually say that car salesman have no soul but…this was seemed to be somewhat decent in that he wasn’t a huge a-hole to me when the sale didn’t work out today.

“Do you want to stop at the outlet malls or anything? Are you hungry?” – He said.
“Hah umm I’m just kind of cold and want to go back… I am hungry though, In-n-Out sounds good”- I said.

We pulled up and I got my warm dinner for the evening (eliminating me having to eat cereal in my apt later on.) I attempted to hand him cash for the bill-- the stranger who’d been shuttling me around all day, also bought my dinner.

Surprisingly…the ride back was enjoyable, and not awkward. Thank the Lord :). Fingers crossed for tomorrow!! Until next time… I’ll catch ya on the sunnyside.

Koala Cocoa Puffs Anyone? [Research Blog]

You’ve seen them, all kinds. You know, a physical association comparison made subconsciously when the guy with the large schnozz and less-than-tiny ears walks in the room and all that comes to mind is-- the cutesie Disney pal, Dumbo.
Whenever I see a person who greatly resembles the twin sister or brother of a horse, a gorilla, or even a llama, these are the human-animal associations I try to keep to myself. It’s much more acceptable to tell someone they look like something cute, like a puppy. But why? People don’t want to be told their ugly, even if they know they are. Which brings to me to the koala, they LOOK super cute, but that's only the beginning of it... Koalas are adorable and an animal one may be pleased to be called. But what people really don’t know is that these cute little Australian marsupials are nasty little fellas and carry some major baggage.
First of all, these guys are SUPER lazy. They literally sit around "e ‘rest motionless for about 16 to 18 hours a day’ and most of that time is spent sleeping. On top of that they can be highly aggressive towards each other and gnash those little teeth in each other’s faces. The most accurate human comparison I can make is that of koalas are similar to the middle aged human. They sit, they eat, they sit some more, they bitch, complain, and then when that all gets too much for them, they just go back to sleep; or for humans, they go on vacation.
Next off, koalas can’t make up their mind. They spend the majority of their lives hugging Eucalyptus trees but then when it comes to someone picking them up to give them a hug—don’t even think about it. Koalas can suffer tree-separation-anxiety but that hardly means they want a human substitution.
Speaking of substitutions… when these little guys enter the world, of course they’re picky and can’t just order the plain eucalyptus off of the menu. No. They have to have momma order a helping and deliver it to them directly via bacterial fermentation which takes place in the digestive process which means—yup you guessed it—for the first days of their lives, they have poo poo for breakfast. Cocoa puffs anyone?
You may think twice next time. As for me, gross stuff and baggage aside, I still want a pet koala.

Milk milk milk. Making the mundane original

Making the mundane original. 

Ever since I posted my originality to the mundane I felt guilty for having placed writing on my blog which I didn't feel Appropriately fit the topic. Odd mindframe the other day. Which brings me back to milk . It's kind of funny. Not really one of those things you think about . It's just there. It's the first thing you drink outside of the womb. It's one of the single most important essentials if life for the first few months. We forget that though. And then there's the flavors and varieties.  2% , not-as-much fat, and fat free. And then there's goat
Milk, cow milk, human milk, then it goes to chocolate milk and strawberry milk and so on and so on. Sometimes there's nothing better than a tall glass of ice cold milk especially on a sour stomach.  So what classifies something as a 'milk' anyway. How we decide what should fit into a smooth cool nutrient source. I wonder if there's certain requirements a substance has to meet to be put in that category. Are there a certain number of nutrients that have to be present to meet the standards for a recipe of milk. It kind of makes me think of college students... Sure , there's a general make-up of what a college student needs to possess, certain grades and other credentials,  but Theres always those special cases. For those kids who are terrible at math and science and fail at tests-- but yet they can compose a score for a short film that brings tears to any eyes who view.  Maybe they're not the 'ideal excelling student' but they're still a student. Like chocolate rice milk, it's not really milk from a mammal, but it's still yummy when served chilled and can satisfy your tastebuds. 

Making the Mundane Original...

Chitter Chatter

As an umbrella topic, we all talk. We talk to one another and when we’re not talking, generally we’re listening to someone else talk. Whether or not we’re invited to or we’re imposing. When speaking to someone it is polite to make eye contact and express modes of active listening such as agreeing and shaking your head yes or no, based on what the person is saying.
As a person with background in voice talent, I am often amused with not only what people are saying but also how they are saying it. In today's lecture I was lost not in the subject matter but purely in the delivery of it. Specifically, in one of my classes a professor of mine has a particularly high-pitched voice and I often times wonder if it is natural or forced? Several clues allude to whether or not this is her God-given tone, or if she speaks in one based out of emotion. She seems like an introverted person and sometimes when these types of people are placed in an atmosphere such as this nervousness can move in and affect how one speaks. Her breath support is strong, which is surprising, although she is not quite petite so she most likely has the capacity for a larger diaphragm, which would make sense that this tone is her own. She makes good use of each one of her articulators for the most part, but flops on certain words almost hinting at some sort of accent. Although from which specific dialect it’s origination is, I am unsure. Her speech is also interesting to me because of the way she delivers. We talk to people of different status than we in different ways. For instance, you normally wouldn’t talk in the same tone to your supervisor as you would to your small puppy at home. This professor in particular talks to us in the same tone as my 1st grade teacher did to us. Sometimes it’s amusing, and other times it’s cute, but the times I hate it the most is when she’s being rude. She’s so pleasant about it. There’s something dissatisfying about that. I suppose I demand variety in tone of speech in certain settings. I had a supervisor one time that sounded like a 5-year old, come later to find out, that she had done voice work for the Nickelodeon show, ‘Rugrats’; maybe I should make a career-change suggestion to her. I think I’ll wait till the end of the term for that though.

6am, Fresh.

Lying in bed. Shifting hues of blue softly illuminate the room. Now is somewhat sacred. For with this hour, I am not closely acquainted. Normally, my awareness at this segment of a day is only that I am subconsciously in existence.

Over the past 1200 minutes I’ve pondered things of simplicity. One item probably of little significance to others, the word Sun-day; taken literally. A chaos of associations with the origination of the word have been dazzling around my synapses. For some reason, the one sticking out most to me, is the hunch I have that today is going to be quite sunny, not because it’s San Diego, but because it’s Sun-day.

Each moment that ends when the next begins, anxiety and excitement catch me by the arm. Will I continue this disposition of alertness and witness the instant the room segues from indigo into orange; or will I again slip fast into slumber?

A brief though my mind of dressing and venturing for a morning jog—or brisk walk-- depending on what my body would allow. I am weak. A morning 48 hours prior to this one, waking up was not so pleasant. Excruciating pain stemming from my eye pulsed and spread throughout my body. A trip to the center of ophthalmology and center of diseases and surgeries of the eye informed me of some not-so-fantastic news. A vision-threatening virus had entered and attacked my cornea, which also created a picky-back virus to reside in the rest of my body. Cute, it made itself a companion.

Ah ha! T’is orange! Orange. At 6:44am. It’s evident because the room is now in a neutrally lit stance. Its funny how on the color wheel, blue and orange are opposites. Like man and woman, like cats and dogs. For those of you non-art people, that means they cancel each other out, when placed side-by-side, the other pops. When mixed, they make brown. That was no accident. What an insanely creative artist the Man Upstairs is and how thoughtful. How our eyes were designed to react to such placements of various combinations of hues and to comprehend optical illusions as true. Often times I find myself counting the number of colors stacked on top of the pacific. Beginning from the bottom, up. Probably every time I reach the crossover from “Y” to “G” in “Roy G. BIV”, I get a little giddy. Like being first introduced to the creative acronym. Something about pastel lime in the sky gets me every time. I suppose because when considering the sunrise any other time of the day, “I love the green!” is not what most would say. Maybe its subtlety is what gets me. How slightly yellow slides up to blue, creating a short path of green. And how it somewhat, in a tricky placement of atmosphere from our perspective, seems to defy gravity; for the natural force pulls down, and yet the colors stretch upward and across the sky. I wonder if in heaven, people still have a favorite color?

Your life in a suitcase

They come in all shapes and sizes through words or maybe actions; goodbyes.
Some can be emotional and include great physical contact. Others are like a
cold-read from an actor who belongs behind the lens. Like suitcases, each one serves the same purpose: a place to carry belongings that are somehow essential to the owner. Patterns and sizes may vary but luggage is luggage.

Arrive at the gate, and then the wait. Staring at complete strangers becomes
acceptable and appropriately re-termed 'people watching'.

Everyone is coming or going and that's just a fact of life. A redirection of focus onto
others may mask personal anxiety but does not eliminate it. What
is he thinking? Who is she going to visit?

"flight 1284 service to
San Diego California will begin boarding 1st class at this time", is heard from above.

Were words spoken that needed to be? Was enough time granted to the
longtime land dwellers who potentially may get a one-way to be with
the lord upon your next arrival?

"passengers in all four zones may now board the plane"

why didn't I....

28a. Window seat. A catch 22. A great view and only one neighboring
seater. But passing on the 3rd water offer from the flight attendant
may be beneficial when the seemingly narcoleptic lady
passes out after two sips of her cocktail

Time for take off. Hold on, brace yourself for turbulence, and
pray you land safely at your next destination