...yeah, shit that works.
Flying back from Boston last week, a couple with his-and-hers corderoy pants were seated next to me. As if that didn't effectively convey the "crunchy vibe" they were going for, when they shuffled into their seats, I was practically forced to claw my nose off my face as I surmised that the guy used one of those "natural crystals" in lieu of deoderant.
Unless you grow jasmine in your armpits, please don't use natural anything when it comes to combatting body odor.
I tell you this to explain that I may have been prematurely soured on them. I spent the next hour staring straight ahead, watching them out of the corner of my eye, trying to figure out what their deal was.
As soon as they took their seats, they both began sketching on pads. From their conversation, I gathered they were designing a house. It struck me as odd, because the guy appeared to be in his 40s, and the woman looked like someone recently out of college. Father/daughter? Professor/student? Husband/wife?
How I felt.
I didn't need to wait long to eliminate at least two of those options. As soon as they were told to put their tray tables away, they held hands. But to say they held hands would be to underrepresent what was occurring. It was a non-stop flurry of hand-holding. If it were an Olympic event, they might've medaled for effort, but not for style. It made me want to reach over and kneel on their collective arm and put a seatbelt on it.
Even with the handicap of each only having one arm to work with, they managed to continue sketching. From their dialogue, I couldn't tell if they actually had a plot of land they were designing a home for, or if this was an inflight-activity designed to keep their minds off crashing, or if they were just bat-shit crazy. Their sentences would range from rational and intelligent, to plain stupid.
Example:
Him: So if we orient the house toward the stream, we should get great natural light on the porch in the evening and strong morning light in the kitchen. Is that what you're thinking?
Her: That's perfect. I'm going to make this entire wall cabinets. And then the sink will go here, under the window.
Him: Looks good. Where are you putting the stairs to the upper level?
Her: I thought we could do a rope ladder.
(Me, silently: A rope ladder? What is this, a TREE house?)
Him: That would be cool.
Her: Right here. It will save space and be fun.
(Me, silently: Wait? He didn't even call you on that bullshit?)
Him: I don't see any closets. Where are you going to put clothes?
Her: Hooks and shelves.
Him: Hooks and shelves? What about your shoes?
Her: They'll go in the mud room. Can I have a mud room?
(Me, silently: She has to ask permission for things? I want to smack them both.)
Him: Sure. So shoes will go in the mud room? Where - on the floor?
Her: Hooks and shelves. Hooks and shelves.
(Me, silently: What is this, kindergarten? No closets? Again, not practical.)
Him: Got it. What about the fridge? You don't have a place for it.
Her: Hmm. Maybe the basement? Can I have a basement?
(Me, silently: Again with the permission! And seriously? Was the kitchen too obvious for the fridge?)
Him: Sure. You can have a basement. You'll probably want to put the water heater, furnace and other things down there though, so don't use it all for living space.
Her: Great. I'll put the fridge in the kitchen. (Thank God!) It'll go under the counter. (What?) With the freezer next to it. (Huh?) And a dishwasher next to that. Can I put a fireplace in?
Him: Sure. You can have two flues off the same chimney, so you can add one without a problem.
(Me, silently: Wait. This place already HAS a fireplace? Does that mean it exists?)
Do you understand now? They were crazy! I wanted to reach over and snap their pencils in half and tell them to do something useful. Fortunately, I was able to redirect my ire because at this point (ten minutes in the air) the woman unbuckled her seatbelt and announced she needed to use the restroom.
SERIOUSLY. We JUST took off and we will be on the ground in 50 minutes. You can't hold it?
Wait. So you like rope ladders? Then let me show you how to get to the bathroom...
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