Back to L.A.

It's been a while, fans, but here's another post. Being unemployed, I figured it wouldn't be any worse to be unemployed back home, visiting family for Christmas than being unemployed here. I had a great time visiting my family and some friends for thirteen days. I always seem to be happier around Christmas. That could just be my perception, though. At any rate, it was really good to see everyone, and I was more reluctant than usual to return to my regular world of a minimally furnished apartment and rapidly diminishing capital.

I flew back into town on New Year's Eve because flying any other day around it would have raised the cost of airfare by thirty percent. I read most of the way, but took to looking out the plane window as we neared LAX to notice a good number of Christmas decorations still up and running, which helped continue the feeling of wellbeing I was rapidly losing on the journey by refreshing memories of the recent past.

The plane arrived early, and all of the cabin and reading lights were out while we waited on the tarmac for our gate to be open. Of course, everyone had to turn on their mobile phones at the first opportunity, but my initial annoyance at this observation of the artificial necessity to be constantly connected was abated when I noticed the aesthetic effect these phones had on the environment inside the plane.

Red and green indicator lights were reflected on the ceiling in a manner that I found still festive. Then, the soft blue glow of small LCD screens springing to life flickered across the panels above the seats and the aisle. Differing intensities and the subtle variations in color from the myriad devices and their brightening and dimming of their screens created a play of light over everything that I found to be quite beautiful.

The feeling of wonder fled quickly when I failed in my attempts to tune out the inane conversation a passenger behind and to the right of me was having. Childish complaints of an approximately five minute wait for our gate to open up and how airlines can't get things done efficiently (completely ignoring that we arrived more than five minutes early). This and other inanities, because I found them impossible to fully ignore, brought a lovely waiting experience to an early end.

Now, I'm back. I have entirely too much time on my hands until I find work, so maybe I'll actually post items of greater substance. That and start reading for pleasure and enlightenment again. I never can do that while in school.