Chimera Song Mosaic

Sunday, June 25, 2006

I'm blogging from the Dubai International Airport. I have, like, a five hour layover, which wasn't supposed to happen, but my flight into NYC yesterday was late, so I missed my original flight, which would have given me a good connection. Okay, boring travel details. But it's not all bad because I actually did get to meet some fun people on this flight, like Lai, the law student whose spending a few days in Dubai before heading off to do volunteer work for an NGO in Uganda for a couple of months. Good luck, Lai! And the guy who has a dreamy job installing software systems at posh hotels in exotic locations. Right now, he's headed to the Maldives. Of course, I don't envy him the 20 hour layover in Dubai. And then there's the elderly gentleman who informed us that he is headed to Karachi to supervise some children's clothing factories. He actually said, "You know, the kinds of clothes at Target and Walmart and such." I didn't ask him whether they were clothes for children or factories staffed by children, and Hotel Guy whispered to me later, "I forgot to ask him if he knew Kathy Lee." Also the pissed off business man from Houston who was very upset about the flight upheaval.

Emirates is a nice airline. They stuffed us with delicacies like lamb meatballs, eggplant rataotuille, veggie quiche, and lots of chocolate. They were some service servings, and they keep offering sandwiches and candy and fruit throughout the flight. I didn't quite get enough water, toughs, but that's my fault. Also, all of the movies are on demand, like 100 of them, and I watched a Hollywood fluff glut of four "films": Aeon Flux, Aquamarine, Pride and Prejudice, and I forgot the other one, it was so subpar. Okay, P & P is not strictly Hollywood, but it was a pretty sad effort, especially compared to the BBC classic version. Also, there were films in so many different languages, lots of Bollywood, also stuff in Tagalog. Did I mention the decor? Soft pastels!

I don't expect this is very interesting, either, but I'm excited to write it. Nothing stimulates me quite like travel. I guess it has been mainly non-eventful, except for the unexpected night last night at JFK airport hotel (not, inconvieniently enough, in the actual airport). Well, I just snaked (again!) at a free buffet for Emirates travelers in transit, and this guy totally made a stalking attempt. He was a puny guy. First he started by bumping into me a lot in line. Then when I sat down, he sat down at the next table. Then when I unexpectedly moved, he jumped up and tried to follow, but it was getting really obvious, even for a stalker. So he finally sat with his friend and left me alone. Well, I haven't seen him since then, and I hope I don't. I don't think I handle that sort of this properly, like my passive girliness just doesn't cut it. When he was bumping into me in line, I felt like, saying, "Don't touch me!" but I hate coming off as paranoid (not that I don't now). I think a simple stern look would have been perfect.

If I haven't mentioned this before, check out my poems starting today (if it is Monday, which I suspect it is) at No Tell Motel. I'm going over there now to check them out.

Well, I'm excited to be here, and I'm very happy to be seeing Lance in a few hours. Then I'll probably crash since I haven't leapt much (too excited about the movies to do it on the 13 hours flight). Mostly I'm feeling so good because this is what I am meant to be doing.

Ps. Just when I was thinking I could sit here in this central coffee spot forever, happily typing away until boarding time, they just moved me to clean the floors. It's like a 300 square foot patch of wood floor, and this guy is driving around on one of those big zamboni loooking floor buffer things.
- posted by Deborah Wardlaw Pattillo @ 10:38 PM