So, this Jason character of whom I spoke in the previous post - it turns out he is good at getting people over their fears.
I hadn't flown since 1999. The first time I ever flew was in 1991, when I was 15. I went to New Jersey to visit my Bon Jovi pen pal. Yes, you heard me ... er ... read me correctly. While there, I was riding in a car that was involved in an accident. I said riding, not driving. The second time I flew was in 1999, when I was 23. I flew to North Carolina to see a childhood friend. I no sooner got there, when I had to turn around and fly back home because her grandmother passed away. Her grandmother lived in Maine. So, fast forward to 2008. Third time's a charm, right?
It had been so long since I flew last, that I had developed a fear of flying. It's strange, because I enjoyed flying the other two times I did it. No motion sickness or anything. But since 9/11, the once brave flyer was now a terrifed one. I had sworn that no one would ever get me on a plane again. I was also worried about motion sickness. I'd never encountered it before, but now, I was sure it would happen to me if I tried to fly again.
So, I heard about this concert that Jason Castro was doing on December 13, 2008. In Texas. Well shoot. I'd love to go to the show, but that's just too far away. Or not. It was a Christmas concert, I mean, how could I miss that?
December 12, 2008
5:00am
Cathy is chipping an inch thick layer of ice off of her entire car. She throws her suitcase in the trunk, jumps behind the wheel, and proceeds to drive to Manchester Airport in NH. (A trip which normally takes two hours, in good weather.) Just to make things more exciting, though, there is hail and freezing rain for almost her entire trip.
So yes, as you may have guessed, I decided to go to Texas. Not only had I not flown in almost 10 years, I also had never flown this far! Eeeek! I flew on an Express Jet. Remind me never to do that again. They.Are.Small.
But it was ok. I was fine. I had a window seat and Dramamine in my system.
I had a layover in Cleveland, OH. I've never been to Ohio before! Add another state to the list of states I've now been to. I don't care when people say, "Airports don't count." Well, yes they do. The airport is IN OHIO, isn't it? Yeah. I've been to Ohio.
Anyway, it was snowing there. The layover was brief, and before I knew it, I was on the 2nd leg of my trip. Next stop: Dallas/Fort Worth Airport! As we ascended ... and ascended ... and ascended, I had a terrible feeling wash over me. Motion sickness. There it was, I knew it! I begged the stewardess to let me use the bathroom. Our "seatbelts buckled" light was still on. Mercifully, she let me go. Thankfully, as soon as I got back there, my nausea disappeared. I had crammed another Dramamine down my throat and prayed. Remind me to ALWAYS take the window seat. ALWAYS.
By the way, my seat mate was the spitting image of Bonney. It was uncanny. Same skin tone, hair color, eye color. Her voice was even similar. She was so, so nice, too.
I landed at DFW Airport and took an hour ride to my hotel. Texas is very big and very flat. I couldn't get over the fact that, from my hotel room, you could still see the big city part of Dallas, which was an hour away!
I met a bunch of fun ladies who were there for the same reason I was. A whole lot of us were staying at the same hotel. We all had a lot of long conversations and a lot of laughs in the hotel lobby. Jason's band, and the person he was opening for (Patti Labelle!), were also staying at our hotel. Jason's band is called The Heavy Steadies (check them out: www.myspace.com/davelichens ), and they even hung out with us in the lobby for a while.
The concert was fantastic. It turned out not to be so Christmassy after all. There were poinsettas strewn about, though, and Jason did sing "White Christmas" at the end of his set. My camera sucks at concerts, so please forgive the quality:
The next day, Jason did a meet-and-greet at Barnes and Noble. That was interesting. We had to line up in groups according to the letter on our M&G ticket. My letter was D. By the time my group was next, he wasn't doing posed pictures with anyone anymore. He was short on time. Oh well.
When it was my turn, I told him that I had overcome a fear a flying to come to his show. He said, "Gooood deal! That's awesome!" As this conversation was going on, I handed him a picture to sign. As I walked away, I took a moment to read what my autograph said. It read, "Cathy! Glad you flew! Jason Castro" (plus smiley face with dreads.) Well, that was thoughtful!
The next morning, I had an early flight back home. I was really sad to leave. I wasn't there nearly long enough to take in Texas. But then, it's a big state. Can one really take in Texas? Thanks to my trip (and taking Bonine and a window seat on the way back home), I'm no longer afraid to fly. Next stop - Florida. Someday.
*By the way, I shortened my story and left out a ton of little details.*
*You're welcome.*
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