sniffles on an airplane

Friday, August, 24th, 2012.

You know when you get on an airplane and there’s that one girl…

She starts to sniffle, then cough, but daintily, to try and mask the fact that she’s probably infecting the air you’re all sharing in this extremely enclosed space that is the plane. She asks for more tissues from the flight attendant, because she’s in the window seat and can’t get out to get them herself, so her row companions get to watch her wipe her desperately runny nose with her sleeve, because the flight attendant forgot about her request. And of course she can’t sleep, because she’s now coughing and sneezing (at least attempting to curtail the blows, but really just making it worse) and leaning against that awkwardly concave window, in an attempt to get comfortable. The whole scene is just a horrible annoyance.

You know what’s worse than sitting next to that person?? Being that person!

MISERY.

In the last week, starting Monday Night, I’ve gotten a total of 12 hours of sleep in 5 days.

Between writing a final essay, traveling to and from Denmark, studying for a final exam, packing, then catching the bus, I have gotten an average of 2-3 hours a night.

I used to have this awesome super power. I bragged about this super power: I could sleep pretty much anywhere, pretty much anytime, under pretty much any circumstance. As of this week, my power is lost. I tried to sleep on the bus to the airport on Wednesday, because we woke up at 4:30, and I’d gone to bed at 2, so I was exhausted. I tried to sleep on the plane ride to Copenhagen. I tried to sleep on the way back, after having walked around a city for 10 hours: the plane the train and the other train. Unsuccessful.

I tried to sleep in my own BED last night, but for fear of sleeping through my alarm, I didn’t sleep at all. Zilch.

I tried to sleep on the 3 hour bus ride to the airport this morning, and the EIGHT HOUR plane ride to Chicago.  All my efforts futile.

What’s wrong with me? My super-power is gone! All right—who in Cambridge was hiding the Kryptonite?

And because of this highly stressful week (I wrote a final paper, traveled to Denmark, sent in a final portfolio, and took a final exam) and extreme lack of sleep, apparently, I am now sick.

Super.

I finally just gave up trying to sleep, and started writing this. My poor airplane companions: this blog post is dedicated to you all. It’s hard enough being stuffed in this quarantined air vessel together for eight hours, without some miserable little sicky poisoning the air. And even though you don’t know me, and will probably never see me again, please accept my sincerest apology for my current state of being.

Next time I see a coughy, sneezy person on my airplane, I will not be annoyed. My heart goes out to you poor soul in sympathy. I’ll probably still overdose on vitamins and cold-preventatives as soon as I get off the plane though. No offense.