My 23 Air Travel Commandments - Updated

(Having traveled quite a bit over the past several months, I've encountered several of my commandments and added a few.....)You may have seen a USA Today newspaper article or two in the past couple of weeks about air travel, ettiquette, seating arrangements, rude passengers etc.

With that as my inspiration, I've compiled the following.

You may disagree with some of my commandments, I respectfully accept your point of view, however here goes…

1)         Thou shall take my flatulence medication prior to my flight

2)         Thou shall not smoke an entire pack of cigarettes within 10 minutes of my flight

3)         Thou shall not, if seated in a middle or window seat, drink 10 gallons of water, tea, soda or any beverage before or during the flight; if so thou shall wear an adult diaper.

4)         Thou shall not travel with a child younger than 2 years of age

5)         Thou shall not recline my seat; 2 inches does nothing; if it is necessary, I will ask the passenger behind me, prior to doing so.

6)         Thou shall not shower, bathe, brush or deodorize with moth balls prior to my flight

7)         Thou shall shower or bathe at least once within 18 hours of my flight

8)         Thou shall not congregate with my 30 friends in front of the gate preventing others from boarding

9)         Thou shall not bring fast food or any food on board unless it’s enough to share with others

10)       Thou shall not pull on the seat back in front of me to help extricate myself out of my seat

11)       Thou shall not bother those that are reading a book or magazine or wearing noise reduction headphones

12)       Thou shall, when traveling with a companion, book the seats together, thus preventing the need to ask others to move to accommodate my poor planning

13)       Thou shall insure my carryon bag is light enough to lift in the overhead compartment preventing a “drop” on the passenger below.

14)       Thou shall find my seat quickly and not chit chat with others preventing a traffic jam in the aisle and find their seat and the plane leaves as soon as possible

15)       Thou shall insure deodorant is working as the need to reach up and turn on a reading light or air happens frequently

16)       Thou shall not spill a bottle of cologne all over me prior to my flight

17)       Thou shall not eat a bran muffin or drink prune juice before or during the flight

18)       Thou shall not play elbow wrestling over the arm rest between seats; first come first serve basis. Thou shall sit down and get dibs.

19)       Thou shall know my ABC’s and numbers and find and sit in, the correct seat.

20)       Thou shall, if lucky enough to be upgraded to 1^st Class, pass a drink or two back to my less fortunate travel companions.

21)       Thou shall, during a turbulent flight, make every effort possible not to spill my beverage

added...

22) Thou shall not kick the seat in front of me 63 times during flight
23) Thou shall not laugh hysterically while watching a movie, thus shredding the silence of others sweet slumber.

Reader Poll results

Out of 27 votes, the results were overwhelmingly for the traditional way of reading:

19 read by either paperback or hardcover
  5 by the Kindle
  2 by the iPad
  1 by the Nook

So, what does this tell us? Well, its a very small sampling but  people still read the conventional "old fashion" way!

Thanks to all that voted. Any suggestions for another poll?

Where were you?

Where were you on March 30, 1981? The date of the attempted assasination of President Ronald Reagan. I was a junior in high school listening to the radio for updates during my Accounting I class.

Del Quentin Wilber's Rawhide Down, released this past month is said to be the first book to detail, minute by minute,  the events surrounding assassination attempt. A great documentary appeared on CNN this month too. 

It's been 30 years, where were you?

Tracking a Cat..

or in other words, Track the Cat, Nevada Barr's first installment of the mystery adventures of Park Ranger Anna Pigeon. Set in West Tex, Anna hunts for clues surrounding the mysterious death of a fellow park ranger.

Having not read a book with a back drop of nature and wild life, I wasn't sure what to expect. It is definitely a departure from the "normal" mysteries I read and I was pleasantly surprised, an intriguing whodunit, sliding down a cliff, grasping at clues, trying to hang on!!

Thanks for another recommendation from a reader and I look forward to reading more of Anna's cliff hanging adventures!

Holy Buckets!!!

Is  what I said when I read the last few sentences of James Patterson's recent book, Toys. Holy Buckets, what a spine tingling ending!!

With a bit of Sci-Fi which I mentioned in an earlier post, Toys will certainly become a fan favorite.

Highly Recommend it!

One, Two, Three...

Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson is just one of the several recommendations I've received over the last few days.  Room by Emma Donoghue, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini ( which I've read his first one, The Kite Runner. I'm told Suns is better than Kite), the Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly, Eat, Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo which I hear is extraordinary.  And for those who've suggested Unbroken, by Linda Hillenbrand, yep that's one I'll start soon.

On the subject of Eat, Pray, Love, I don't normally read these types of books, however, keeping an open mind, a curiosity to discover what all the fuss is about, an insatiable appetite for reading and the trust of who suggested it,  I think I'll read this one too.

Have you read this book? I welcome your comments.

Dinner with a Reader...

Early last month, I had the pleasure of dining with a friend. A friend who shares the same reading passion as I. Schedules being what they are, we're not always able to meet, so it was great to do so.

We sat down and began reading, literally - the menu that is.  We began the evening delving into an antipasti of Fritto Misto and a dialogue on the art of reading. Reading in quantity and for quality - slower reading for non-fiction, a bit quicker for fiction.

Medaglione di Vitello ai Porcini was our main course as we discussed one topic, that being history. military history in particular. The Monuments Men that I'm currently reading which centers on the  pillaging of fine arts by Nazi Germany was one subject and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was another. A book I've yet to read but is on my list.

The conversation flowed, much like the wine( more on that later) to how people read, is it paperback/hardcover, Kindle or Nook or perhaps audio books?.  As my readers poll winds down and as the prevalence of e-readers increases, the results of the poll may surprise you.

Our server kept our glasses full as letter writing became a topic. Letter writing is a lost art. We rely on emails, texts, tweets, facebook, etc. When's the last time you actually wrote a letter to someone? Seems archaic, but what a great way to make an impression - by doing something different - a more personal touch. So the suggestion was made that perhaps I write letters to the authors I review or promote. What a great idea. I have a few in my head but alas, as we sometimes do, emailing is easiest and more convenient so I fell to that convenience and posted a note on an authors blog instead of writing a letter. But I'm re-focused on my goal to write one or two letters a month to authors or perhaps a friend or a family member.

....As one engages in conversation, one becomes thirsty, so throughout the evening,  we quenched our palates with a bottle of Gaja Ca Marcanda Magari or was it two bottles?  I don't recall the vintage, but it was delicious. This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is highly recommended.

We ended the evening with Cioccolato Versato for dessert and a glass of port and a smooth Grey Goose.

There's nothing like a good meal to discuss one's passion for reading and the future of literature. Four of my favorite things: Great Friends, Great Conversation, Great Food and Great Wine.

Til next time, Buon Appetito!