Im leaving on a jet plane
So today they wake me up with this music from a 1960's group:
“I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again.”
What's that all about? Actually, I won't ever be back.
They wheel me out to the plane. It's HUGE! I'm the first one on, and they put me right up front. Then there's a bunch of other cargo boxes that get placed next to me. We start chatting – I start making friends. We're checking out each other's stickers. They're jealous because I'm from NASA! Then I tell 'em I'm going into space, and they're like “Awesome!” Some are pretty cool. Others – I hope they just sleep!
Scott sits upstairs with the pilot.
The plane takes off about 2 AM. We have a layover in Anchorage. Let's see, about a 7 hour flight, with a 5 hour time difference – so it's still early morning. Any aurora out there? Of course, they leave me on the plane while they go into the airport. I hear there's a polar bear on display that was shot by a dentist!
It's really cool flying out. Big mountains with lots of snow, and then we're flying over the ocean. My cargo-mates are all pretty cool. We chat for a bit, sleep for a bit, practice our Japanese together. “Eigo no uta wa arimasuka?” Someone wants to try Karaoke, but we say no – I'm not sure I want to hear any of these guys sing!
