Near-Death by DELTA.

Yay for windows falling off an airplane.

Just landed in Tampa to surprise my little brother for his 18th birthday, and was thoroughly convinced for about an hour and a half, that -- grand-ass miracle pending -- I was going to plummet to my death in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.  The effort I made sneaking in my second Personal Item would have simply washed away in carefully airbagged waste.  Sweet tragedy!

I did not die, however [to my lovely Stalker's chagrin] and am presently waiting for good old Polish Mom to pick me up from the Delta terminal so we can doubly confuse and delight the younger offspring in the family.  I can't wait to see him, the rest of my family, and take a much needed break from all of the newly bicoastal traveling insanity... plus my suddenly booming little online business (thank goodness for not having to work in a bar).  There's no better place to escape from the world (read: perpetual and near-ineludable electronic client communication) than a cruise ship.  I'm about to float away for three days via forced relaxation and a plethora of doubly charged Mojitos. 

And -- for goodness sake -- do some reading.  I re-started Look Homeward, Angel (Thomas Wolfe) on the [first] plane today [before] a minor panic attack [via] half-window falling OUT of the plane, and I'm feeling a creative recharge starting.  Excited for rest, and for September in Los Angeles.  If I can survive another Delta-inspired fiasco... is the economy really that bad?

-- Ashley Avis