Thoughts on an Airplane

First, reasons I like window seats.
- the view. I loved it as a little kid, and I still love it now. This past trip (flying from Calgary to Toronto) was probably one of the best  I've had in a long time- as we took off, there was a perfect view of almost the entire city of Calgary, with the snow-capped Rockies in the distance (truly awe-inspiring). Flying over the prairies is an interesting experience... you know when you look at satellite images on Google Maps or Google Earth and the land looks like a haphazard patchwork of rectangles? Well, the prairies actually look like that. And completely flat in all directions. Kind of dizzying. The approach to Toronto was cloudy, but very high clouds - once we got in low enough, there was a perfect view of the huge city. We actually had to fly past the airport, turn around, and come back, so from my window, I got to see the whole city, and many parts of it twice - resorts, amusement parks, vast neighborhoods of houses, complex road junctions, huge train yards, factories, etc. And off in the distance, by a body of water that stretches off to the horizon, a black silhouette shrouded in cloud, the lone spike of the CN Tower, stood proudly yet ominously in the distance. So exciting.
- you can have a larger carry-on. I always pack my backpack too full, so it doesn't fit under the seat. When I have an aisle seat, the flight attendants always get concerned that it's a hazard - but by the window, no one cares if the backpack doesn't fit.
- you never have to be bothered by people who want to get out to go to the washroom or by flight attendants reaching over you to give other passengers refreshments.
- related to the two above, but you can make your space "yours" - keep your tray down, take your shoes off, do whatever without worrying that it'll get in the way of other people.
- while there's not quite as much leg room as in an aisle seat, the wall of the airplane curves outward a bit, so there's room to nestle an extended leg between the seat in front of you and the wall.
- you can take your time getting off the plane, without worrying about whether the people further in need to get somewhere quickly.

In the end, the only main downside to having a window seat I can think of is guilt - whenever you need to go to the washroom or get something from a flight attendant, you feel bad about bothering the people beside you.

Now, my particular window seat wasn't as great this ride because it was the only seat in the plane where the in-flight entertainment system wasn't working. But every annoyance is a blessing in disguise - I used the chance to sleep. Or to try.

School buses look like yellow pastels from thousands of feet in the air. Especially when there's a bunch parked beside each other.

Lesson learned - if there's not room for your carry-on in the overhead compartments directly above you, find an empty spot closer to the front of the plane, not further in the back. I learned this the hard way, and had to wait until every other passenger was off the plane before I could go back and get my stuff. First time being the last passenger on a plane.

Sorry, I tried to think of some deep philosophical connection between an airplane and life, but nothing profound came to mind. I hope you enjoy these simple, down-to-earth (pun intended) thoughts instead.