Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Day One in New Jersey

Woo Hoo I'm in the Garden State! Now, I'm not scared to fly. Flying doesn't bother me one bit. However, during our descent today, I was pretty sure, with the way the plane was rocking back and forth, up and down, turning this way and that, that we were going to spiral into a fiery nosedive, and crash into the Atlantic.

Flying is a great way to observe other people. You meet all sorts of folks on a plane. On board, a guy sitting a few rows back from me, was coughing his lungs out. At one point, I think Tuberculosis Joe actually coughed out his spleen as I think I heard it splat on his unstowed tray table. The guy sitting behind me snapped like 850 pictures out the window during the flight. "Hey look - there are some clouds! Look - some more clouds! Ooo, I better get a picture of those clouds!" Won't he be surprised, when he gets his 50 rolls of film back, to see 850 pictures of his reflection in the window.

I sat next to two blokes from England. I know they were speaking English, but I seriously couldn't understand a thing they said! I understood the Vietnamese nail salon girl better than these guys who were speaking English! They tried talking to me at first, but soon realized that I was stupid as I repeated, "What?" three or four times every time they tried to ask me a question. I finally gave up and just nodded and smiled at them. They were probably asking me to move my fat butt over so they had more room and there I am just nodding and smiling. I think that's when they stopped talking me. Then I just eavesdropped, and even though I couldn't make out more than a word or two, I enjoyed listening to their accents. I named them Harry and Ron.

To read the rest of my adventures in the Garden State, go to my other blog right here.

35 comments:

Donna said...

What is this "film" of which you speak?

Glad you made it ok.

Hot Chica in Me said...

OMG! I have flown with TB Joe! On a trip with my roomie, we were sitting in the airport waiting to board our flight. We saw this man, hacking his alveoli out. He had this mountain of tissues he was collecting. Then he was doing this weird thing with sugar packets. Don't ask. Anyway, we joked about the poor person that got seated next to him on a flight. Wouldn't you know! Yep, on a 4 houe flight to NY we got seated next to TB Joe. Never had we ran for a shower so fast in our lives!

Becky said...

ROFL...Tuberculosis Joe!

TB is such a gross word, isn't it? Tuber...culosis. Sounds like a potato blight. Bleck!

Anonymous said...

Nothing to do with lastnights blog... but has joe always been really helpful with the kids?? I mean my honey and I go to work at the same time yet I wake up 1 hour b4 he does (4 am) and get 2 kids (7&2) ready to go to the sitter (my sister) make 2 lunches (his and mine) and as I'm walking out the door he wakes up. although when he gets home he does cook dinner if i'm not in yet (no green koolaid fish though)and if I have to work over he does make sure the girls have showered adn usually they are asleep by the time I walk in. Or did he (joe) start out like this?? just wondering maybe a SSO ?-- sasha

Anonymous said...

Can you set up the links in your blog to open a new page instead leaving your site?

Brenda said...

Sounds like fun so far! Have a great trip!

Anonymous said...

I love that word "bloke".
Have fun!

Karla

Anonymous said...

"Won't he be surprised, when he gets his 50 rolls of film back..."
Hey Dawn,the 90's called, they want their camera back!
No one gets rolls of film developed anymore. We download them to our computers so our family history can be wiped out when our husband downloads a virus.

Anonymous said...

A "writer" in Memphis, TN has stolen your blog title!

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/apr/03/hey-ma-can-i-wear-my-birthday-suit-now/

Sheila said...

I have flown with TB Joe, too. I have also flown with Polly PukesALot.

There is nothing worse than a bad landing when you feel like you just might hurl when the person beside you starts to. Even if she tries to do it unobtrusively. Pretty soon everybody is, and those little puke bags don't actually hold in liquid that well.

All in all, though, flying is fine. Airports aren't unless you like $12.00 hamburgers, but flying is okay. You get pop in cups smaller than your baby's sippy cup, and you get peanuts, though half the plane is allergic to them.

But the clouds are nice!

Visit To Love, Honor and Vacuum today!

Mama Smurf said...

That story of the English "Blokes" reminded me of another story...

When I was young...like single digits young...my aunt and uncle had just had a baby. My Uncle is from England. I asked what the baby's name was and he said "Pole"...I said "huh?"...he repeats "Pole"...I said "Pole??!! Who names a baby "Pole"??!! My mother then piped in to explain..."NOOOOOO! His name is "PAUL"!!! oh...duh....

TheHMC said...

Well gee... who doesn't take pics out the plane window? You weirdo, Dawn. First, no analyzing of the kids' cartoons and now this?

lol

and hey! You were supposed to pick me up and take me with you!

Suzie said...

I hate flying I am always scared I will get all worked up think the plane is going to crash and end up running around screaming until they cart me away.

Mom to 5...Daughter of the King said...

Wow! I came acrosst his blog through a link and have been laughing like crazy! Thanks for the smile!

Dawn2 said...

SSO question...my husband and I celebrated our 18th anniversary this week and I gave him the same card I've been giving him for the last eight years (which he has never said a word about so I assume he hasn't noticed) and wondered if you "recycle" cards for you kiddos like this or if you single handly keep Hallmark in business?

Arjun said...

Hey Mrs.Meehan! Im a fremd student who was inspired to create a blog thanks to you:D. And nice trip btw, sounds like you had fun.

And a quick question, how do i actually get people to start reading my blog:P?

lifesblogger.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Haha! I love that you "named" them Harry and Ron!

debi9kids said...

Isn't it great when sickies fly? Sweet! You're gonna bring TB back home with you! UGH

Kathy said...

Wow, what a flight! I couldn't have done it though, I hate flying!

SSO question: Did you contact your editor and publisher or did they contact you? If you contacted them, how did you go about it? Just wondering, thanks.

www.kathy-iamwhoiam.blogspot.com

Anna said...

I will admit that I don't like being shuffled to another blog to finish reading a post. It makes me feel like you are luring me on to get more hits to get more ad money. Somehow that strikes me as slightly cheap and tacky.

I know it is the name of the game, but that is just how I feel about it. :(

Dawn said...

Well, Anna, you certainly don't have to click the link and go to my other blog. No one is making you. And you'll notice that I don't have any ads on my other blog. It's not about getting more hits or making more ad money. I posted on another blog to honor my contract with BlogHer Ads. I can't very well write about Johnson & Johnson and the cool things happening on this trip because I'm here on J&J's dime. That really wouldn't be fair to the people who have paid to have their ads run in the BlogHer Ad network.

Unknown said...

Oh the things people complain about...

I also don't understand English. I find it charming and fascinating, but am unable to concentrate enough to translate it into good ol' American.

Michelle said...

Ok, Dawn, I'm somewhat of an Internet dork (meaning I'm way behind the times). I saw South Park tonight (Tivo), and yesterday's episode parodied many of the YouTube famous people. One was the giggling baby who was in a high chair. Was that supposed to be Brooklyn, or is there another video out there that I've missed? How cool if it were her to be forever "immortalized" that way!

Hope you're enjoying NJ!

Michelle
www.honestandtruly.blogspot.com

KatBouska said...

I hope you took some time to recognize and feel greatful that the child on the plane coughing up a spleen was NOT yours!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

Wined and dined... Oh, waitaminute...you only mentioned being wined. Well, something tells me you didn't mind all that much.

I read the other blog post too. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of the tanner. Now two people I know, both of them young, have had to have benign melanoma tumors removed. Benign or not, this makes me rather hesitant to even consider tanning beds, but I'm going on a cruise? Ai....

Laura ~Peach~ said...

i have taken some of the best pictures ever from a plane window... i have busch stadium (the original one) with the arch and of course much of downtown st louis i have atlanta and other cities and yep some beautiful clouds and thankfully not a one has a reflection in them:-)
all digital of course have not had a film camera in ages.

Anonymous said...

Dawn,
Thanks for sharing why you use another blog for "the-rest-of-the-story." I was wondering. Sounds like a reasonable accommodation to me.
Sandy, HE, ILLINOIS

Anonymous said...

So funny that you named your English passengers. I used to name the smily happy obnoxiously fit people on my exercise videos.
(I wonder if "Floyd and Tami" miss me...it's been a while.)
Tina

Anonymous said...

Hey dawn this can be a SSO question. I know this was a LONG time ago but I'm trying to talk my parents into going to discovery cove. I was wondering How long did you have with the dophins? I have a blind sister and although I'd enjoy the dophins I think she would die. because she loves the water and uses eco location sometimes. thanks do much dawn!

P.S. your previous post was just down right mean:)

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you have seen this before on not. It's really funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W95Y8hNQiH8

Sherry said...

Another angel earned his wings today. Ethan Powell. I learned about Ethan from the link on your website. I clicked on it several months ago because there is a boy at our church with the same name. Just thought I would let you know.

Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life said...

You make flying sound fun...sort of. Other than the lung being coughed up and the poor felllow with pictures of his reflection. You have a wonderfully unique way of looking at things.

Dorothy said...

Hope your trip is filled with laughter and joy as you take the photos and enjoy the site.

My best,
Dorothy from grammology
remember to call gram
www.grammology.com

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am a college student who reads your blog all the time, and know several others do as well.

I was wondering if you could ask your wonderful readers if they could help me out with a sociology assignment I have.

Basically, I need to find someone in the service economy who works FULL time so I can interview them (I can do an email or IM interview, so they can be anywhere in the United States) about their job and what it's like trying to live on what they get paid (which is often way less than they should be getting). This assignment is due really soon though (Wednesday actually, because I procastinated), so the sooner the better. I can probably get an extension if needed.

I want to focus my paper on women in the service economy who have children in childcare, and I figured at least some of your readers must fit that category.

So, if you are willing to do this, I really appreciate it.

Readers can contact me at socproject08@yahoo.com
for more information. They will have to sign a permission paper, and I will not use their real name, so their privacy is protected.

Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

"I named them Harry and Ron."
LOL! You give people you don't know names too? Thought I was the only one!

Michelle

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