There’s no way I can sit still ,cramped in a small space for 15 hours without sleeping . I take in a strategy that has been used by friends . I’ve been told it works . The guy at the counter slides a bag of gels over that contain some extra ingredients . He assures me that this stuff will knock me out and it won’t have the usual mind altering effects of similar products . He says it’s engineered with the added ingredients of delta 9 . Sleep tight , Howie .
We are on a mission back to Australia for our visa renewal . We are to be in Sydney on August 22 for our appointment with the American embassy . We fly with Delta direct to Sydney from LAX , leaving at 11pm on Tuesday , flying throughout an extended night that doesn’t see daylight until we arrive at 6 am Thursday in Sydney . I feel pretty smug . I’ve navigated airport security, I have a spare seat next to me and I’ve got my little helper . I scan the inflight entertainment and I’m pretty disappointed with their selection of movies . 237 movies and only 4 new releases ( 3 of them kids shows ) , the majority made before 2010 . It sounds petty , but when you long haul travel you are really relying on a couple of good movies to suck up a chunk of your time . I struggle to find any . I think I find two and one of those I’m keen to hang onto for the return flight .It’s been a turbulent flight,with the seatbelt signs turned on multiple times . Shit ,I’m really relying on sleeping now . After dinner I chew my little soft gel down and then I wait for the hour it’ll take before it works it’s magic . You see , I test drove it a couple of days before at home and it worked . There was a period of anticipation that I assumed energised my need to read before sleep , followed by a deadening heavy funk that dragged my body into the zed zone . The next morning I gingerly lifted my head to see my clock at 705 . I had slept straight through the night from just before 11pm , although I do recall some vivid dreams that I couldn’t describe or make sense of .
A jolting shock jerks through my body . I come too from some vivid nightmare where I’m running from something in the forest , but it’s a whole lot fucken worse now that I’m awake . We are going down ,and I’m not joking . The plane is vertical ,nose down , black inside . The Steele cracking , popping , the murmur of voices , crying , shaking . Fuck ! I knew I was unlucky but at least I can take solace that I’m gonna die with my wife and kids . There’s no way we can get out of this . Now that I know I’m doomed I contemplate that I’m just seconds away before I’m torn to pieces . Shit , how’s this gonna feel ? I figure we’ve got 20 seconds before I’m torn into chum . I start counting down to 3….2….
I don’t get to 1 .My eyes have deceived me . I look around . It’s all quiet , heads looking at screens , people pushed back into their neck pillows. I’d been dreaming , the most vivid of nightmares and I’m thankful for that .The plane is horizontal and all bar the persistent turbulence we are all alive and breathing . Amen . I sit still for awhile , digesting what had happened . I look at my watch . It’s 440 am , 3 hours have disappeared , I’m groggy , KO’d but not completely out . My bladders full . It takes me 15 minutes before I finally force myself “ to just get up and go “ . I do , but the toilet vacant sign doesn’t apply to me . I push it a couple of times but there’s clearly someone in there . I look back through the aircraft and I’m sure everyone is looking at me . The door opens , a women exits . I’m in there and make sure the door completely clicks and locks , I assume the women previously hadn’t fully engaged the locking process and that had kept the green vacant signal on above the bathroom As I pee there’s a announcement instructing everyone to fasten seatbelts as we are approaching some rough air . Sure enough the bumps start on queue , my pee barely staying in the toilet . Shit maybe . Paranoia increases , maybe that nightmare wasn’t a nightmare but a premonition ? Fuck , settle down dude you’re just spinning out . I bump my way back down the aisle and lock into my seat . . I stay in a state of not quite sleep but not able to function or concentrate . The hours slide by with small micro sleeps , awakened with vivid nightmares that I couldn’t quite recall and persistent low level turbulence. Around 830 am I feel the veil lift . I feel better , I’ve got some sleep but I’m not sure I can handle another fight in this type of state again .
Finally , we land in Sydney . It feels good to be on home soil . I don’t mind being jammed on the transit bus ferrying us from International to domestic . I don’t mind that my leg is numb whilst I hold it over my suitcase whilst a young girl sits next to me . I don’t mind the smell of that cheap teenage perfume or that scent of a candy that I can’t quite recognise but know it as a truly unique Australian flavour . The flight was tough , it always is , sleep is a battle and for me it’s the most crucial part of flying . Now , it’s time to suck up the Australian sounds , scents , food, friends , family and if I’m gonna lose sleep I’ll do it the right way …Melbourne Coffee…does it get any better ?
aussiehowieinla 
Fun post. Enjoy your stay, matey.
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