Paul's Corner

I share your joy of flying, Paul, and of that first moment when you actually fly. It always leaves me in awe and wonder, esp. since I always think while sitting in the plane that the tail end of the plane just has to hit the ground because there is no way that the plane just can get off the ground quickly enough to avoid hitting the ground with the tail end, but so far it always has. I laugh at myself every single time that thought occurs on take off.

The clouds from above are truly spectacular!!! Sometimes I want to run across them, bouncing from one to the next, but more often, I want to just sit or lay on one, basking in the warm sun (hah, I know it's -60 C up there, but it doesn't look like it) floating away on a soft white cloud, pondering life and its beauty.

Actually, right now, I'm looking out of my new office and just a few minutes ago, I saw four rabbits palying with each other in the grass below, chasing each other and having a wonderful time, and the beautiful birds and fire flies, it's hard to believe that I'm in the middle of a pretty big metro area.

Happy flying and safe travels, Paul!

Your boundless enthusiasm is intoxicating :) xxxoo

Tea

On my last flight back to Washington D.C. the plane overheaded a great thunderstorm in the midwest. It was the biggest lightning show I had ever witnessed.

When I was ten, my mother and I were flying back from Anchorge AK to Seattle. God, what a long time ago! We had been delayed in Anchorage due to engine problems. This was on a DC3. It was an old cargo plane with bolted down seats. No comfort here. We finally took off at midnight and about an hour out the port engine (there were only 2)started leaking oil. The cowling was glowing red hot. The pilot shut the engine down and we were only flying on one engine. As a ten year old I did not see the danger. I can remember looking out at the ocean which was black with a moon shining on it so it looked like a sea of oil. We had to land on Kodiak Island to be picked up by another airline.

I like to fly too. The air though is so poluted now that you can't see any of the sites that the Pilot usually announces.

Take care and love to all
Marge

Gosh, what beautiful thoughts, Paul. I've never flown, but your wonderful descriptions will be with me when I leave in September to visit my lifelong pen friend of over 40 years in England. I'm printing your post out and will keep it with me to read while I wait to take off, and will be looking forward to seeing all the beauty that you have so movingly described.

Thank you.
Sally C.

Lovely perspective, Paul!
I haven't flown in ages, but I do remember that glorious view!
Then I heard somewhere, on some special about seeding clouds, that a cloud weighs tons and tons, and it just seemed so wrong!
Must be the same phenomenon that makes the scale misbehave. ;)
smiles and hugs,
deltalady aka Sally

Paul,

I think this entry is an example of how you are "enjoying the flight" of life. As long as you can take off and land safely, everything in between is going to be a blast!

Keep on soaring!

Another great post Paul.
When I read that it felt like it was happening at this very moment. (Which would probably scare the life out of me, although I've never flown I'm actually petrified of flying and heights)

Hope you're well and keep up the great work!

Lots of Love.
Clair. XXXX

P.S. SallyC I hope you enjoy England when you come over!

Hey everyone,

I love the optimism at the end of that, although my first thought when reading the naked through the clouds bit was that it sounded like you were on magic mushrooms!
That brought back memories of the first time I can remember flying, which was when I was 8 going to Pakistan. Above the clouds were very white and thick, and looked just like mountains of snow or mash potato or whippy ice cream. Very beautiful. I just wished the windows were a bit bigger so I could get a better view. weird, my sister put Cindy Lauper on and just now "Time After Time" came on.

Love and prayers to all,
safe flying,
take care xxx

It's slow in here!

Also, wow, you feel the same way about flying that I do. People think I'm nuts, but I always want a window seat, and I get a thrill at every takeoff.

And now, I'm going to do something a little bad--shill my own project! It's Blogathon season! I hope you'll all drop by blogathon.org to see what it's about. If you have a blog of your own, I hope you'll consider signing up! If not, a mention would be fantastic.

The one thing that annoys me during flying is when they make me put the window shutter thingies down, out of crourtesy for those watching the movies. Dang it, I want to watch the clouds, what about courtesy to me?!?

I'll check out the blogathon, Cat, it was so much fun watching last time you participated, was that two years ago?

The last time I ran the 'thon was in 2003. I did do a lot of posting on their front page last year, just to help out.

I actually won't be blogging with frytopia this year--I'll be concentrating on admin and keeping the front page of blogathon.org going instead.

I used to love flying - especially the sight of clouds from above. But I confess that I've grown to endure it only to get where I'm going. Aching knees from too little leg room, aching butt from lousy seats, dried out sinuses... ah the things we put up with! One of the neatest things, though, is flying across the north Atlantic at night and seeing the northern lights, all night long, arcing across the globe. Makes me forget my knees!

There is nothing like the sensation of liftoff when you feel the lumbering rhino of an aircraft suddenly reach beyond the tarmack and turn it's gaze skyward. I favor takeoffs with a hard banking turn (usually for noise abatement)for the view.

There is a poem I love that expresses the joy of flying better than I ever could.

High Flight
J. Magee

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up, the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor even eagle flew.
And while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space...
...put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

See you up in the heavenly blue, Paul!

HELLO PC FRIENDS,

It has been pretty quiet in here for awhile-people on vacation, maybe?

Just wanted to pop in and say hello.

My one and only plane trip was a blast-felt like I was on a roller coaster. I had no idea what the scene would be like above clouds; I know that I 'll never forget it.

HUGS!
Abeth

Hi everyone,

It HAS been quiet in here! Summertime travel and busy times?

I just got back to work after one week of nice blissful boredom at home. I dind't go anywhere this time. I am one of the last mohicans without a computer at home, so I am just now able to write.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer. Things have really slowed down here in this "corner" of the world.

What's new Paul???

I've been busy setting up my new home and painted walls for 8 straight days. I'd forgotten how much strength painting requires, esp. if the walls are old and uneven, which mine are :-( but I'm glad I did it. I had gotten tired of all the white walls in prior apartments and this landlord let me paint and color does add to the overall atmosphere of each room and I LOVE it!!! I guess, now I have to start thinking about "real" work again for the rest of the summer before classes start up again at this new job/university etc.

Happy summer/winter to everyone, depending on where you are at the moment.

Hi Paul.

I see that "The Food Trail" is being screened in Sydney starting next week. Congratulations!
I'll be watching.

I've also seen your latest in the series of the margarine ads (Which one was it? I never pay attention, it seems). Gee, you really get around, don't you?

I've very glad to see that things are going so well for you. Well done. All of your hard work and persistence has really paid off, huh?

Cheers,

Peter

Glad to hear that you are getting settled in, Evelyn. I've been painting my place, too, although I'm not nearly as ambitious as you - I've been doing a room (or a half room) each weekend for the last forever (it seems). Still have a room and a half to go, but it is so transformative - that's the only thing that keeps my arms (and my left knee, for some weird reason) going!

Hi Laura,

I've never done anything like this either, painting an entire big apartment in 8 days after moving and unpacking and trying to get used to the heat and humidity, but I really needed to creat a positive, comfortable space for myself, esp. in this transition period of starting entirely from scratch again. It is kind of lonely around here as hardly any of the very few people I know here are around (academic summer break), but come the end of August, that should change somewhat.

Happy painting to you Laura, you can do it!!! What was that about your left knee?

Hello Peter,
how are you doing? I'm glad you get to see the Food Trail and all the other TV related projects Paul is in and that you tell us about it. Thanks!

Hi Paul

Nice post. This is a bit irrelevant to your post but i wondered how you did that big slide across the dance-floor on your knees at the end of SB?? I have tried it a few times but just skinned my knees. Am thinking there must be a secret.
Thanks
Amanda

Its funny to read your latest post about flying. I just got back this week-end from a three week vacation in Europe. When the plane takes off I do have that feeling of wonder but landings and turbulances are a different story. My stomach starts to wonder what's going on. LOL Great post!

I was in Vienna for one week and attended the jazz festival there. I saw Herbie Hancock in concert and it was spectacular. I also met a very famous American blues singer in the airport. Vienna was certainly an inspirational city for music and art.

Hope everyone is well and a BIG HUG to the Big Kahoona!

Julie

Evelyn, I seem to have arthritis in my left knee. Sitting too long without being able to straighten my leg has been a problem for a number of years (hence the complaint about lack of leg room on long flights!). And I noticed when I was painting that it got quite stiff and sore, I think from standing for so long. Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

HELLO PC FRIENDS,

I was wondering where MICHELLE #3 has been?

HUGS,
ABETH

Hi all!!!

I was just looking at some old posts that i printed off from 3-2004. WOW was I screwed up back then. I was going through all the cancer scares and medical stuff and surgeries and I didn't know what was going to happen. And all of you were there for me everyday. WOW

So much has changed!! I still have medical crap but I finally found a Rhumatologist that has helped me out. I have 5 disease's now and quite frankly, am happier than I have been in years!!

I am learning to cope, and live with challenges, and feel happy and appreciative to be alive and have options!!!

Evelyn,

We just sold our home, we close tommorrow, We are building a new home, our dream home, as close as we can come. We close on it on 8-7-06. It's 1642 sq. feet. I will love the full basement!!
So many wonderful things going on right now it is hard to breath!!

Paul, I can fly without the use of an aircraft right now !!
Clay will be 16 on 8-8-06. Where has the time gone!! Paul, does this age ever get better?????

Well, gotta go, it's late and I am tired of packiong so going to bed.

Love to all

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

it's good to hear from you and good luck with the house selling/closing etc.
I have to keep this short. I'm at work where there is airconditioning and electricity. Those storms Wednesday night in St. Louis were quite something. It only knocked out electricity to half a million households (incl. mine) and with 100 F temps, super high humidity and heat indexes of 110 F this is fabulous-NOT!!! but at least I can spend the day in a cool space, but the evenings are terrible ! I will survive, that's the plan, but I can tell that this is getting to me physically.

Laura, I hope your arthritis problems are "managable."

Hello and love to you all!
Evelyn

ADORABLE picture of Paul on the Food Trails review!

They mention Paul eating pork cracklings...are they nuts? It looks to me like a little bowl of delicious prawns with a few lemon slices. YUM, if it is.

Maybe I'm just hungry and imagining a nice peach ale and some shrimp on the grill! (won't make it too corny, but using the other word for barbeque)

Keep on tootling Paul!

Miss you all! I've been having a fun but hectic summer.

Will be back to visit soon.