Right now I am 40,001 feet above the Atlantic, due south of Reykjavik, likely to arrive in Dublin in one and a half hours. The computer is pressed against me and I have to squeeze my hands to my body to type – not a lot of room (of course the guy in front of me has his chair down). The flight has been good.
One thing strikes me – Aer Lingus charges for almost everything but the dinner (which was OK). Usually at least wine is free at dinner, but any alcohol cost money (though soft drinks are free). That’s the first time I’ve seen that on an international flight, but I’ve never flown Aer Lingus. So I partook of soda water for my beverage – probably a good idea because I’m getting no sleep.
We do have personal video screens, and I watched Catching Fire and Muhammad Ali’s Toughest Fight (or something like that – it was about the Supreme Court deciding the case against him being a conscientious objector). Catching Fire was pretty good, though not great. I loved the Supreme Court movie, mixing real clips of Ali and the news with a fictional portrayal of the court. Though Frank Langella really portrayed Warren Burger in a sinister way. Christopher Plummer was his usual amazing self.
So there was a bit of memory of the film Syriana with Jeffrey Wright in Catching Fire, and Plummer in the Ali movie.
The van ride from UMF was great – Kat Zachary, a recent grad, was fun to chat with, and the trip was quick and uneventful. At the airport students wondered where I was when I disappeared to a corner and posted last semester’s grades – don’t want to have to think of that while we’re in Germany.
It seems like a great group of kids along – only three males, ten females, and they seem very eager to explore Germany. We have a relatively short layover in Dublin, and then it’s on to Berlin! I’ll blog again when I get the chance!
World in Motion 