Sunday, November 19, 2006

the fear which shall not be mentioned

so.
you guys know how i always complain about flying on airplanes?

well, even though i try to find other things to complain about, like ticket prices and nonsensical things like having a lay-over in atlanta on your way from detroit to salt lake city, the truth is that i am just absolutely terrified of flying.

don't get me wrong, i still do it--probably more than the average person, in fact.
and for most of my life, it wasn't a problem. i mean, i was never particularly fond of the taking off part, but flying was overall a worry-less thing which resulted in me getting off a plane in someplace much more enjoyable than michigan.

but somehow, that's all changed.
and no, it's not because of terrorists.
i mean, sure. i have a little bit of fear that my plane could be taken over and blown up by terrorists, but in the grand scheme of things that scenario is just one piece in a million piece puzzle of things-which-could-go-wrong-on-an-airplane-resulting-in-my-death.

the point is, i'm flying on tuesday--to park city, where fun and enjoyable things will occur.
i haven't been able to sleep for the past two nights.
i'll probably cry all day tomorrow. and then on tuesday morning i'll consume eleven tons of xanax, and my little sisters will have to lead me onto the airplane, because i will pretty much be sleep walking.

so, yeah.
this sucks.
and i'm only telling you all because i know that while this is the most horrifying thing in the world to me, it's probably pretty funny to all of you sane people out there.
damn you, sane people.

6 Comments:

Blogger Pete said...

i have a friend that expects every plane he gets on to crash. then when it doesn't it's like a pleasant surprise.

personally i don't think a plane crash is all that bad a way to die. totally beats drowning.

9:23 PM  
Blogger stewchang said...

i'd recommend the statistical approach. according to the national safety council, your lifetime odds of dying are about 1-200 in a car, about 1-5000 in a plane.

or just take a sedative.

12:23 AM  
Blogger Jen!! said...

Uhm.

I really hate to add to the non-helpful comments here thus far...

Have a happy holiday, despite the flying.

10:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like how you have the presence of mind to discount the chance of a terrorist attack, but can't get past the chance of an accident....

And i hate to ruin your day, but the statistacal approach is based on the fact that people drive a great deal more than they fly. If you look at the number of deaths from flying per hour flown, it is roughly equal to the number of deaths per hour driven. Which is to say the chances of death while flying are a lot lower because you fly a lot less...

Now these statistics depend on where you look. I believe general aviation is actually quite a bit more dangerous per hour, but that includes all the yahoos in two seat recreation airplanes that swerve into buildings in manhattan. But if you look at general commercial airplanes (like you and i fly on) they are comparable to cars.

10:34 AM  
Blogger Michelle said...

Yeah, I like the statistical approach too.

But, Park City sounds like good times...hang in there.

10:36 AM  
Blogger tiffany said...

j...
yeah, i know.
you know me, it's not like i haven't obsessed over all those factors endlessly.

(who, me? obsess?)

also adding to my grief is that i feel if you get in a car accident 1. you have a better chance of survival, and 2. if you do die, you are spared the free fall.

so yeah.
yay for vacation!
can you all feel the excitement?

4:24 PM  

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