First of all, my apologies for the long hiatus I took since last blogging. I won't make any excuses...but a recent article I read inspired me to vent a bit.
Rumor has it that a certain large commercial airline (I won't use any names so that I can't get in any trouble) is going to start charging passengers for water, juice, and soda. So this may not be a big deal in general, but it is part of a growing trend of the commercial airlines charging passengers for every little tiny thing that could possibly make a long, uncomfortable flight more bearable. And, it has made me think about my experiences up to now of flying the not-so-friendly-anymore-skies.
Back in the day, when the skies were oh-so-friendly...My first flight was at age 5, when I took a plane from Colorado to Florida to meet my Mom and Pop (i.e. step-dad) after their honeymoon. My Dad was able to walk me onto the plane, get me situated, and off I went. I don't remember many more details except for having lots of coloring books and getting a bag of peanuts (which I mistakenly thought--for many years, in fact--that the nice man sitting next to me bought for me).
Over the next couple of years, when I was between 6 and 8 years old, I had the chance to fly (accompanied by my parents) to Washington, DC, and Newark, NJ (with the ultimate destination being Cape Cod). I remember always looking forward to flights, getting excited about watching the take-off and landings and getting
very excited about the cute, compact airline meals. The food may have been mediocre (or worse), but I thought there could just not be anything cuter than a mini salad, mini Salsbury steak, and mini dessert. Anything mini was SOOOO cool.
As I got older, I made a few more trips. I visited family in Georgia and Florida. During one of those trips, I was on crutches due to a broken foot, but don't remember the flight being all that bad despite not being able to walk.
In high school, I expanded my horizons and went overseas for the first time. I travelled from Colorado to Paris, France
. That was a LOOOOOONG trip. I began to understand why some people would want to pay more to have larger seats, more leg room, and fancier food. But, I was content in my coach seat. Because it was an international flight, our meal was presented to us on a menu and alcoholic drinks were, of course, free (not that I was allowed to have any, but the concept of free alcohol was exciting).
My college years were when I flew the most. Four times a year, I had round-trip flights between Colorado and the NJ/NY/CT area. I was a travel pro. I knew what to pack, how to pack, how to get to/from any airport, what to expect on flights (flying time had to be 2+ hours in order to get a meal), etc. Going to college in the fall and leaving in the summer, I would have 2 large suitcases, both weighing about 70 pounds, a carry on bag and a backpack. Those were the days! There were no weight restrictions on bags, you could check 2 bags for free and take 2 carry-ons, you could bring your own food & beverages (though you didn't need to because you got it all for free on the plane), and there were no crazy security restrictions (a 1 quart ziplock bag would more likely have food in it than all of your toiletries).
The skies become a little grouchy...I can't remember exactly when things changed; but I seem to remember big changes when I was in medical school. First came the weight restrictions on bags. As a heavy packer, this was bad news for me. I had to unlearn all my skills for packing densely and learn how to pack lightly. This was (still is) not easy. Then came the size restrictions for carry-on bags. This wasn't too big of a deal for me since my carry-on suitcase still fit. What was more annoying was the strict enforcement of the 2 carry-on item rule (previously, people would often get away with 3, even 4 carry-ons). I distinctly remember being in the New Orleans airport with my carry-on suitcase and 2 medium sized shopping bags and being told I had to get rid of 1 bag. After rolling my eyes and sighing, I simply put 1 shopping bag in the other, and
voila, I had 2 bags total. I remember the end of free airplane food and the introduction of the $10 snack box. I got around that problem by bringing my own food and drinks. Then, I had the unfortunate bad luck of flying on the
exact day that the "no liquids" rule went into effect. I was able to check my bag with all of my toiletries (which I had originally intended to carry-on) and all was ok. But, forget bringing my own food and drinks anymore, unless I bought it for some crazy price in the airport concourse.
Now, the skies are just mean...I haven't yet had to deal with some of the new "fees", but anticipate I will in the near future. I was able to travel recently to Martinique without having to pay a checked-bags fee, but that's only because I bought my ticket before the airline cut-off date. I haven't had to pay an earphone/headset fee because I always have my ipod ear buds; though I'm sure the airlines will find someway to charge me for just plugging in my ear buds. I don't usually care if I have a pillow and blanket, but if they over air-condition a flight I'm on and have the nerve to ask me for a few bucks for a blanket, I'll tell them to kiss my cold butt. And when I have to deal with a fee to have water on a several hour flight, it's hard to say what I'll do (within reason, of course).
And the moral of the story...I don't see any way of travelling to the places I want to go to without having to deal with the greedy airlines, but I am crossing my fingers that the airlines will stop using "rising fuel prices" as a lame excuse to take advantage of decent folks. They have already raised the cost of airfare; and on top of that, have a "fuel surcharge". Is charging passengers extra money for their basic comfort really necessary? After all the frustration airlines cause their passengers (flight delays, flight cancellations, lost bags, missed connections, etc), a cheap blanket and a free beverage is the
least they can offer us!
(above) A front view: If you look closely, you can see my husband and our home inspector standing in the middle of the roof.
The only photos we have of the inside include the previous owners' furniture. So, for authenticity's sake, indoor photos will be shown at a later date, after we have actually moved in.
She's such a princess! If only I had a small tiara for her to wear for Halloween.
I think what he's trying to say is, "quit making me pose and give me my Halloween candy already!" 
After this very cool adventure, I must admit that Jersey is really growing on me!
