Fun and Games Dept

We are on the final leg of our trip home from Hawaii. We are onboard United flight 705 from San Francisco to Chicago O’Hare. It’s a beautiful night to fly; the air is smooth and the sunset is beautiful.

Our flight from Honolulu to San Francisco was aboard a United 777-200 “version 4” with the same amenities as I wrote about on our trip out. The experience was great, the service was great, and the WiFi worked better over the ocean than it did last time. The only thing I missed was live radio feeds from the cockpit, they were not turned on for that flight. We also went through some impressive turbulence for about 90 minutes of the flight.

This 757 is comfortable. We are in the first class cabin again. As a narrow-body aircraft we don’t have the pods or lay down seats but there’s plenty of leg room and the seats are comfortable. Some of the crew on our last flight are also on this flight.

Food choices are a hamburger on a pretzel bun or ravioli. I opted for the hamburger which apparently relieved the FA as she said they had plenty of those and 1K passengers always get their first choice.

I need to become a 1K passenger. Someone please let my husband know.

The WiFi and entertainment server is having issues, according to FA Ryan’s announcement. When in doubt, reboot, and they did that. It’ll take a few minutes for it to come back up.

It’s running Linux and it’s locked down pretty well. (grin)

The 757-300 is showing a few signs of wear but overall it’s a comfortable airplane and we are having a pleasant flight. As I recall, pilots certified to fly the 757 are also certified to fly the 767 as the cockpit configurations and handling characteristics are very close. I find that rather cool.

The passengers in 1E and 1F are very high maintenance. Jamie helped them with their luggage and getting it into the overhead bin. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. The coffee is too strong. The tea is weak. Where is the washroom. The list goes on.

I just smile and thank the flight crew. They all work hard and I feel like they’re under appreciated more than they should be.

The WiFi is now up and running and there is much rejoicing.

I have finished my warm nuts, I’m enjoying a 312, and I’m going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.

If you’re not the pilot, it’s the only way to fly.

It is our last evening on Oah’u and I am sufficiently relaxed. This vacation has been wonderful with a nice balance of activity and downtime. I’ve had time to parse and defrag lingering thoughts I brought along, make plans for the future, and spend some time assessing my state of the world in an introspective way.

I’m in a good place.

I would be happy with another week away but we have further adventures coming along in 2020 and I have those events to look forward to.

I always enjoy people watching on Disney properties, especially here at Aulani. It takes a big of a commitment to come here from the lower 48 and I always enjoy the diversity and blending of cultures one sees here. As I stated in a previous blog entry, I need to bottle up some of Hawai’i and bring it home with me. Maybe I’ll find some Hawaiian candles or something.

Tonight we enjoy a family dinner and then hit the hay early for an early flight tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the continued experience.

The key to beating the darkness is to bring in the light. Open the curtains. Let the light in.

I’ve spent the morning walking the beach front path that passes by all the resorts and such here in Ko Olina. It’s a bit humid today but the breezes are keeping things under control.

Driving in from our adventures yesterday I saw a road sign advising of road closures starting February 8. I was momentarily confused because this is not weather I associate with February. It’s nice to be having this confusion.

While I’ve been online during this trip I’ve been keeping my social media interactions down to a minimum. I have participated in some conversations but there’s so much yelling and screaming going on and I just don’t have time for it.

The pacing of this trip has been great. We’re doing things here and there and having a lovely time but we’re also relaxing and taking it easy. I’m finding my center again. I want to capture it, along with the natural scents of O’ahu, in a bottle and bring it home with me. I like reminders and reminders keep me focused.

We visited the Pearl Harbor National Memorial today. Since it was our second visit here, we decided to buy our own tickets and explore the exhibits on our own schedule. The bus tour the last time was nice but felt rushed.

I love learning about the history of our country, especially the events of the early and mid 20th century. As I learn about our various wars and other major events, I find myself tearing up a bit during narrated videos and other multimedia based exhibits. I ask myself if I’m doing enough to serve my country. I’m never satisfied with my answer. And then I start to think of ways I can contribute more.

Both the Pearl Harbor exhibit and the USS Arizona Memorial are quite moving. I highly recommend a visit if you’re on O’ahu.

It’s good to learn everything we can about our history.

As I wait for the rest of the family to get ready for the day, I’m sitting on the balcony enjoying this view. I’ve scanned through Twitter and Facebook, confirming the world is still where we left it, and then I made sure the social media apps were off my phone and only accessible by my iPad, which will be left behind today.

As I listen and watch life pass by on this little slice of O’ahu I can’t help but think there are many wonderful things that allow us to experience this remotely, but there’s many more things about the Internet that are second best.

Never settle for second best.

I really want to fly in a Boeing 747 before they’re completely retired.

I have been using my iPad Pro on this entire flight. Well, I didn’t use it for 45 minutes when I took a nap. But I’ve been using my iPad Pro for around seven hours, connected to United’s WiFi, and I still have 46% of my battery remaining.

Tablet computing is the future.

I’ve watched videos, I’ve written blog entries, and I’ve been monitoring our flight progress on FlightRadar24. I can tell you which app is the largest battery hog and that would be the Facebook app. Plus, the WiFi has been spotty over the ocean, and mind you, I’m not complaining, because WiFi in the middle of the Pacific would have made the entire plot foundation of “Gilligan’s Island” moot. I’m very impressed I’ve maintained relatively good WiFi for this entire flight.

From an aviation perspective I’ve learned a lot on this flight. I’m more keyed up than ever to get my further certifications. Let make this happen!