I was sitting outside a Barnes & Noble in Roanoke, VA today. It was 91F, with some mad humidity. Then it started to rain. Just enough so that I didn’t even notice it on my skin, but instead I could smell the hot asphalt being struck by the drops.

That smell — the musty, hot, electric smell — it just does something for me. I love that smell so much! It always takes me back to vacations with my father. When I was younger we’d fly to North Carolina during the summer to visit my grandparents. I remember being utterly fascinated with rain that wasn’t extremely cold, and would spend hours outside as it rained, just walking through the lawn bare foot.

So this entry doesn’t have some deep meaning other than the links between memories and smells, but in that regard, I am hardly an expert, nor a pioneer!

Still, the rain totally made my day today. I thought that was worth sharing :)

I recently flew a Delta airlines flight where I was both pleasantly surprised and horribly annoyed.

The surprise was the safety video. I know, it’s hardly exciting, but when 90% of the videos look like they were created back in the early 80s, it’s extremely refreshing. With all the effort that airlines put into marketing and identity, it’s never made sense to me why things are so disjointed and broken. From the interior of the plane to things like the safety video, they’re all little pieces that I see as “tacked on” because of the inconsistency.  At any rate, the video was very well done: modern, well produced, and acted more skillfully than an 8th grade drama-club production (for once). Happy Aaron!

The terrible annoyance took place shortly after take off, as I was trying to sleep. Crackle goes the intercom, and through the speakers comes the shrill voice of an all-too-bubbly flight attendant. She is sharing her obvious excitement for the Delta SkyMiles credit card. For ten minutes. Repeating the same thing time and time again. I felt like I was inside an infomercial. By the end of her preaching I was freaking disgusted. I am spending far too much money as it is to fly economy flights, and instead of being allowed to sleep - or at least relax - I am forced to listen to an advertisement for a credit card I neither want or need.

The tactful way to handle it would have been to quickly announce that brochures for the Delta SkyMiles credit card were available, and to press your call button if you were interested in further information. Flight attendants could have then distributed said brochures without disturbing others.

The worst part? I know I have another Delta flight at the end of the week. Save meeee!