Tuesday, January 05, 2010 - 8:24 PM EST
SOMEWHERE OVER THE PACIFIC – Hello again. As with my previous flight I am starting to write you just before the halfway point. This time we are high above the Pacific and I feel like I have exhausted and/or dismissed all of the options available to me on my AirCanada TV in front of me. Am I worried? Absolutely not. I have my book to read, I have you to write to, and thanks to my dad's generous donation of his iPod (and with the help of some friends) I have been able to bring my entire music library, which is enough to keep me going for about 40 days.
Currently, I am jamming to Atanas Illitch's album "Conscious of the City" with the title track playing. I am certain most of you are unfamiliar with this CD and that, I must admit, saddens me. It was an album often played in the Schrage household when I was younger and reminds me of warm summer days with my dad cutting the grass wearing short shorts and a Coca-Cola tee. Albums like these reinforce my desire to build an extensive music collection – and make me feel less guilty about spending a quarter of a paycheck on music and movies at HMV (that's another story).
Previously, I passed my time watching the movie "500 Days of Summer" which, as several of my friends predicted, I very much enjoyed. I also, on recommendation of my brother Billy, listened to U2's album "The Joshua Tree" all the way through. Well, I slept through most of it but it was just what the doctor ordered. Thanks bro.
Despite mentioning that I have dismissed all of the options available to me on ACTV, I am actually very pleased with the selection of movies available to me. Several interest me, including "The Dark Knight", "Gran Torino", and the latest Harry Potter – all of which I have already seen. The remaining few are light comedies that I am just not feeling right now. Hah. You know it's a long flight when I have time to write out an entire conversation I am having in my head.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other things to discuss. Combining my previous notions of the Chinese and the many varied warnings I have received about their culture I find them all to ring predictably true. Already, I have experienced the forewarned "hawking of a loogie" in the urinal at the airport, and currently a man is standing up and staring directly at me – as he has been for the past 10 minutes or so and has done several times already during the flight. Leah tells me to get used to it. Leah has been blissfully excited by the quantity of "cute little Asian babies" running around the plane. I must admit, I find their stares much more tolerable than those of their senior counterparts.
Alright, I think that is good for now. I anticipate many more unusual cultural quirks in the coming days and can't wait to share them with you!
OH! Also! A big shout out to my buddy Nick Frat who had the foresight and initiative to call me while I was waiting in the Vancouver airport to report the good news that the magnificent university in Ann Arbor has picked a successor to the Athletic Director Bill Martin in David Brandon – former CEO of Dominos Pizza. I am excited and optimistic for the future of Wolverine sports and can't wait to see what Mr. Brandon has in store!
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