Paradise Found

I am travelling again, this time en route to San Francisco, home of the witty columnist Mark Morford.

This time it is for pleasure rather than business. I needed to take time off the Vitamin Water – my bladder could not handle it.

Six hours of flying with minimal snacks gives one a lot of time to ponder such issues as:

• Films in the in flight magazine – do you think they will ever show the film United 93 on board an aeroplane?
• I watched CBS Eye on America – they had a piece about a new show in Vegas – some aquatic, Vitamin-water addled dreamscape (if they make blue vitamin water – I don’t think I have tried that one yet). During the piece they interviewed a chap called Didier Antoine whose job title is Aerial Conceptor. What is that all about? Sounds like a made up job title to me, a bit like being an Underwater Ceramic Engineer (aka dishwasher). What title would you make up for yourself if you could?
• It seems that all the hotshot businessmen in Business Class don’t really get what they want in terms of stewardesses (Caution – somewhat sexist comment ahead). As far as stewardesses are concerned, to work in business class, with all its purported prestige, they need more experience, which means they are older, which in turn means they are less attractive. It doesn’t work out too well for the guys with the extra legroom and the personal DVD players, but it certainly works for me back in cattle class, as all the younger, more attractive stewardesses end up serving me…
• Then I notice that in Skymall there is a product called the Turbo Groomer - a nasal hair trimmer which they proudly boast has blades which whirl at 6000rpm. Now why would anyone want to stick something with sharp spinning blades rotating at 6000 revolutions per minute up their nose – all for $60. I smell trouble there…
• As I disembark and type blog ideas into my blackberry, I notice that everyone seems to be thumbing like crazy into these little RIM devices. They are literally everywhere – like the corporate equivalent of an iPod

Finally, I visit the supermarket to pick up a few things, and what do I see but Cork’s finest – Barry’s Tea! I travel all the way to the West Coast for a taste of Ireland…