text: hula seventy: flight 749
  Margarita @ WestCoastMama.net March 02, 2009 11:38 AM
  an interesting approach at airplace blogging. loved it!
  *lisa March 02, 2009 11:41 AM
  You really have a way with words, what a lovely story!
  I have always been a stander, dying to get off the plane before it explodes.Last year i went on a trip with a good friend and she is such a sitter,she waited calmly,reading her book till everyone was nearly off and then stood up to go ,I was meamwhile chewing my fingers off with anxiety.Luckily the plane didn't explode that day :-)
  Hi Kooky March 02, 2009 11:44 AM
  Marvelous account. You took me right to a plane seat (by the window, of course). I'm a sitter too.
  Awhile back I was on a trans-pacific flight, and an older Asian man sat next to me. I could sense that he like to keep to himself too, and for that I was thankful (long flight!). I sometimes remember him, his handsome face, dignified manner, and the book he was reading (filled with Chinese(?) characters). We never spoke, but he is the favorite of all travel strangers I've encountered.
  Isn't it amazing how these things stick with us? I love it.
  Jessica Rodarte March 02, 2009 11:47 AM
  You're an excellent story teller. I'm glad you opted to sit. You're right! What does standing guarantee?? I'll try to remember that next time I'm flying somewhere, which won't be for a long time unfortunately. :D
  Chrissy March 02, 2009 11:47 AM
  this is really lovely. thank you for sharing it!
  kristen March 02, 2009 11:48 AM
  dude, you write from the heart. i will not be a stander any more. xo
  beth March 02, 2009 11:51 AM
  this was BEAUTIFUL....oh how I wish I could write like this !!!
  Suzanne March 02, 2009 11:52 AM
  Kristina Simes March 02, 2009 12:00 PM
  dear hula seventy,
  i love your vivid descriptions of the people, smells, colors, sounds, etc. around you. you truly make a scene come alive. and also, isn't it marvelous to make a small space your own, on something like an airplane or a train or an old bus? to grasp your music and your snacks and your reading material in both hands and just BE for a couple of hours, without obligation? ah thank you for reminding me what that feels like! glad you arrived home safely!
  Janna Widdifield March 02, 2009 12:08 PM
  I'm getting on a plane on Wed. to go to NYC for my 30th birthday with two girlfriends. I will be thinking of this post as I watch the "sitters" and the "standers."
  the letters i wish i'd written... March 02, 2009 12:37 PM
  I'm a sitter, sitters of the world unite, standing does not open the door any faster... beautifully told.
  Soon, Then March 02, 2009 12:45 PM
  so when is your book coming out??
  Joslyn March 02, 2009 12:48 PM
  i was a stander and have very recently become a sitter...
  i like that as you become a sitter, your seatmate become a far better person in your eyes...lovely.
  krista March 02, 2009 12:54 PM
  i'm going to wrap up these words in cheesecloth and steep them in hot water later. i think they'll taste delicious.
  Citygirl.em March 02, 2009 12:59 PM
  Hi Andrea...I love your people observations...I, can relate to all this. I think maybe this kindhearted guy just is terrified to fly, hence the nervousness which was mistaken for agitation, and his downing of two jack daniels. The liquor lulled him to sleep a little, taking his mind off the flight. You should have talked to him a bit. Or maybe not. It was fun assuming.
  Julia March 02, 2009 1:01 PM
  this is awesome. i love being a sitter. i definitely used to be a stander, and i can't quite remember when i made the switch, but i'll say that it has made my flying experiences infinitely better.
  Silvia March 02, 2009 1:01 PM
  Your words got a hold of me instantly and only let go when the story was told. Beautiful.
  Cheryl March 02, 2009 1:09 PM
  Hey. That's a really nice piece of writing, Andrea. And you made me realize that it's a positive to be a sitter. I always sit. I hate to get wrapped up in all the hoo-ha of the moment. I wish I could be a sitter in other moments too.
  Anonymous March 02, 2009 1:11 PM
  Very nice way to see the whole flying experience. You have nailed it. I am a sitter, from now on anyway. =]
  Robyn March 02, 2009 2:02 PM
  I feel validated for being a sitter. I've never understood the standers - especially the ones at the back of the plane. Where do they think they're going?
  I was on that plane with you. But I wasn't one of those three girls.
  Angélique March 02, 2009 2:17 PM
  Thank you. Glad you got home safe.
  And I am a sitter, always been. I like your approach, now I'm proud of it.
  EliseBlaha March 02, 2009 2:48 PM
  i am a stander.
  and sometimes i am one of those girls.
  Meghan March 02, 2009 3:03 PM
  I'm a long time listener first time caller.
  Well done. Truly. Your words read true and good.
  We have some strange connections, you and I, by the by. Jen Downer is one connection (not that she is strange, she is lovely...) and then the fact that my husband was the photographer for Mars Ill and is now friends with Nate and Kendra.
  Suban March 02, 2009 3:06 PM
  Funny...I've sat next to a man that ordered a jack daniels and coke. Same sort of thing, only he was tall and reserved, but friendly.
  My flights are usually long, and I have to make quick international connections, but I try not to be a stander...it's just hard when people you miss are on the other side of those gates.
  taf March 02, 2009 3:17 PM
  ||| laura frantz ||| March 02, 2009 3:18 PM
  I enjoyed reading this. I, too, am a sitter from way back.
  Little Miss B March 02, 2009 3:28 PM
  This is a really lovely story. I too recently made the decision to become a sitter and feel better for it, though it still takes effort no to get court up and stand!
  LeS March 02, 2009 3:30 PM
  woman, you are a delight.
  Anonymous March 02, 2009 3:35 PM
  i loved these words. so. so. much.
  peachey March 02, 2009 3:37 PM
  what a wonderful post. i am a sitter, always have been. i mosey when i walk too.
  Summer (designismine) March 02, 2009 3:42 PM
  Your writing is wonderful, Andrea.
  shanon March 02, 2009 4:55 PM
  Mmmmmmm. That was a lovely respite.
  tifanie March 02, 2009 6:47 PM
  beautifully written. i felt like i was there.
  Marigoldie March 02, 2009 7:07 PM
  Super great post, lady.
  Relyn Lawson March 02, 2009 7:19 PM
  I'm pretty sure that nothing I can add will tell you any better than those before me, just how perfect this is. Girl. You can write! More than that. I love the way you think.
  Jen Manuele March 02, 2009 7:46 PM
  i love this! There is something magical about traveling by air and I love how you captured it.
  oh yeah, and, I'm a sitter too.
  Katherine March 02, 2009 7:47 PM
  This is great. I will be clipping this and returning to it again and again.
  I often things about these things while traveling or out in the world by myself, making up lives for other people. Thanks for writing this!
  Karen Travels March 02, 2009 10:15 PM
  I lurk here once in a while, and today I just felt I had to visit. I am glad I did...I liked your desriptions of the people on the flight. A lot.
  Ellen March 02, 2009 10:34 PM
  but the only way you ever see the faces of the contented sitters is if you stand.
  René March 03, 2009 1:26 AM
  I've been a lurker on your blog for sometime now, but being a person travels a lot, I had to comment on this entry.
  I can be a sitter or a stander depending what's going to greet me at arrivals!
  Love your writing, really love your photos. Thanks for sharing both with the world.
  Annie March 03, 2009 7:29 AM
  so, so lovely. Thanks for the glimpse of the moment. One of my favorite things about travel is how I observe things differently, more closely. Including myself.
  Carolyn March 03, 2009 7:30 AM
  and she's like and he's like and we're like...
  Anonymous March 03, 2009 9:48 AM
  exactly seven days from now i'll be sitting - but i do aisle seats now since i have a hip like jacob's. many years, many transatlantic flights since-but this time we're going back to a place we lived and raised our kids for 12 years and now must breath its air and taste its food every 18 months or so to maintain any semblance of sanity on this side of the ocean. i'll be thinking of you as i turn myself sideways and let them all hurry out, let out a big sigh, grab my forearm crutch and anticipate that first lung full of spanish air. i'll be home where the other half of my soul lives.
  Unknown March 03, 2009 10:42 AM
  Beautifully written and it grasps onto me.The details are so carefully put in because they're necessary and not to over embellish.
  christina March 03, 2009 1:05 PM
  I loved this! I have to confess, I am a sitter too. When my kiddos were young, we learned this trick of staying in our seat, so we would get trampled. : )
  oldmeghale March 03, 2009 1:17 PM
  Wow, lovely. Your words are so gentle. I needed them. Thank you!
  Anonymous March 03, 2009 2:55 PM
  you have a wonderful gift, this is a beautiful piece. thank you for sharing!
  shari March 03, 2009 8:35 PM
  Unknown March 03, 2009 10:07 PM
  Andrea you are a gifted observer
  which is made visible in your writings and photographs. Welcome back.
  Unknown March 03, 2009 10:37 PM
  It's all the same for me, save the prayers go to the wings and the pilots. :)
  Oh, I also prefer the aisle. I like to get up and down as I please without climbing over the sour and acidic man beside me.
  carolbarclay.etsy.com March 03, 2009 11:42 PM
  I am one of those standers, because my tall frame doesn't do so well with airline seats- after 3 back surgeries, I find that I need to get upright as soon as possible. I do feel foolish, tho, as I know that standing isn't going to get me off the plane any faster.
  Toni March 03, 2009 11:52 PM
  I totally enjoyed reading this. I could see the people you talked about as if I were in that plane too. Thank you. BTW, I'm a sitter unless I'm sitting next to a stander who is silently pressuring me to get up.That's one reason I always want a window seat.
  cara harjes March 04, 2009 9:45 AM
  i saw this in my blog reader earlier in the week but i have been saving it because i could tell it would be amazing and i wanted to wait until i could enjoy it.
  there is a website that publishes the writings and artwork of women. it is called www.vocafemina.com
  i hope you will think about submitting this to them! truly brilliant.
  alexandria March 04, 2009 12:39 PM
  I could visualize everything you wrote. It's wonderful writing indeed!
  Jessika March 04, 2009 2:59 PM
  This reads like a perfect short story. You have such a way with words - vivid without ever being overdone.
  And oh how I can relate to everything you said!
  Chavaneth March 04, 2009 3:13 PM
  thanks andrea..very nice - i had chills at the end - felt like i was in the plane!
  Elena Rego March 04, 2009 7:12 PM
  Mancakes March 04, 2009 11:22 PM
  To stand! To feel my whole body stretch like it is a new DAY. To get off of the plane in any amount of time, this is what one must do. A stander will always leave the plane ahead of the sitter. And both will be happy at this.
  When I'm flying home, I'm always a stander.
  lucy March 05, 2009 12:24 PM
  thank you for little stories that take me away from numbers and spreadsheets. xxo
  brandeye March 05, 2009 3:43 PM
  this was cute. i am a sitter and my husband is a stander.
  gm glimmerglass March 06, 2009 2:24 AM
  Zen Sho Wordsmith.
  nath March 06, 2009 11:32 AM
  Commit to sit. Yep, that's good advice. Beautifully captured with your lovely words.
  Andrea March 06, 2009 1:48 PM
  i also stay to myself and enjoying watching everything/one around me too!
  Lotusphx March 07, 2009 11:43 AM
  I just stumbled on your blog thru "prettycraftythings", but I am now hooked! This is a fantastic post to accompany your amazing photography AND great lists!!
  I have been both the stander and the sitter, although, when I stand I almost ALWAYS hit my head on the luggage holder above! Perhaps its a sign...
  BIRDMOTEL March 08, 2009 3:49 AM
  I love this and love your writing. I often read your posts out aloud to my husband because I love the flow of your words. He is all about the rhythm of words, being a fan of Cormac McCarthy and Paul Auster.
  Just for the record I am sitter and Dan is a stander.
  Please write a book, we'd buy it.
  one little journey March 08, 2009 7:12 AM
  a lovely reads!
  *holy crap that was beautiful*
  Esti March 09, 2009 11:36 AM
  I've enjoyed your words... one by one
  Urban Organica March 10, 2009 6:25 PM
  whoa. now i know why tifanie is addicted to you. and so. i see. i have a different reason, even though you got me with this monologue. it's the boom box. the boom box for sure.
  Lodie (my nickname) March 12, 2009 9:47 AM
  I just discovered your blog and absolutely love it. I have added it to my blog suggestions and reviewed it, if you are interested. You have such a fresh and fun approach and I look forward to reading more and more of your writing. I found you through Posy gets cosy
  woof nanny March 14, 2009 1:32 AM
  I heart Andrea...
  Unknown March 17, 2009 10:22 AM
  That was so fun to read, because I've felt all those things almost every time I take a plane trip. Something about everyone being trapped in such a small space with nothing to do but wait. This is where I met Dr. Bisexual and his Spoiled Son. 2 great characters, of which I couldn't help but overhear. We were privileged to every sordid detail of their lives on a flight from NYC to Toronto one year. I'll never forget it :-)
  d smith kaich jones March 19, 2009 5:09 PM
  I am stunned I haven't found you before today. Where have I been? Over the weekend I was watching "Georgy Girl" - that old 60s movie with Lynn Redgrave - and there's a scene where she & her guy "friend" are on a ferry or some sort of boat. When the boat reaches the shore, people are already lined up to get off, actually clambering off before the boat has truly settled, actually taking a teeny step across the water, in such a hurry to be wherever. I'd never even thought about such a thing before - never - but watching the movie it struck me how some people did that & others waited. And then I find this lovely, wonderful post. Serendipity.
  Lemon March 23, 2009 2:43 PM
  some peoples' blog posts are easy to breeze over, this one drew me in and i drank down every word. i love the way you write.
  Sinéad March 28, 2009 11:18 AM
  That was a really incredible piece of writing. You took me right there!
  Closed for Business April 08, 2009 4:44 PM
  i am fascinated as well by watching and listening to people on the plane, a capsule full of people from all walks of life. you never know who you are going to be sitting next to, which can be both unnerving or exiting at the same time.
  Anonymous April 14, 2009 8:32 PM
  a poetic slice of life. very pretty.
  v8grrl May 04, 2009 3:27 PM
  kelley June 29, 2009 4:09 PM
  hula, i recently was recommended by a friend to start reading your blog, and it is truly inspiring. all of your lists, your pictures, your words. it is encouraging to know that a life that you are living is possible, an incredibly creative life, an out-of-the-box type of life. thank you for being, and keep on