The NY Times is messing with me.

I'm not a terrific flyer. I tend towards paranoia in general -- a gift from my mother, I'm sure -- and that paranoia seems to increase exponentially when I fly. Most of the time, I assume I'm a dead man.

I knew that I would have to come to terms with my displeasure with flying before the trip that is well documented in the archives of this blog. I flew 17 discreet flights in aircraft ranging from cute, little Boeing 717s to the beastly (and soon to be retired) McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Before I left and during my trip, I researched each plane in which I'd be flying. I searched for schematics of the inside, as well as pictures of the outside. One of my weird hang ups was that I wanted to see photos of the exact plane type painted as it would be when I was flying in it. So, for instance, it wasn't enough to see a photo of any Airbus A333. No, I needed to see a THAI Airbus A333. I'm not normal.

I also did a significant amount of research into plane crashes and how to survive one. I discovered that, unlike common belief, plane crashes are fairly survivable. You'll increase your chances if you sit towards the back of the plane, wear sturdy, non-flammable clothing, and choose an aisle seat. I generally do all these things. I'm also the guy who listens attentively during the safety demonstration, reads the safety information card, and counts the number of rows between me and the exit. In addition, I try to gauge how difficult it would be to elbow the people between me and exit out of the way in the event of an emergency.

My 17 plane rides went a long way toward making me a more comfortable flyer. I was very impressed when I realized that I nodded off BEFORE takeoff during my flight from Bangkok to Tokyo. (First time ever for me.) So, when it came time to come up to Boston for the weekend, I hesitated only once (during booking when faced with the prospect of flying back in an Embraer ERJ-145) and boarded the plane up here (an A320) with confidence. I didn't even sit in an aisle seat. (Ok, that wasn't exactly my choice.)

Point is, I'm feeling braver than ever when it comes to flying. I got up this morning almost a bit excited by my flight this evening in the smallest plane I've ever flown (the aforementioned Embraer). While Sarada was making me coffee, I decided to check the NY Times website. Go now to the homepage and see the main photo feature. If it doesn't mean anything in the context of this blog (since they do change it quite frequently), just follow this link to the story and photo I saw featured. Notice the invitation to "Share a frightening experience you have had on a flight."

Not cool, NY Times. Not cool. What did I ever do to you?