I'm in Diego, Trick

Made it to San Diego with Nathan.  First time flying solo with the Bean - I was nervous about it.  Virgin America is always awesome; I've said before that flying Virgin was the first time I was actually disappointed to leave the plane.  There are several reasons for this: (a) Nicer seats, (b) they pressurize the cabin better so the altitude doesn't bother you as much, (c) they have a humidifier so the air doesn't get as dry, and you land feeling refreshed, (d) they have mood music and lighting to make you more relaxed and cheerful (it may be a cheap psychological ploy but it's great!), and most importantly (e) they have a very cool in-flight entertainment system.  You get your own personal flat screen and you can watch any TV channel you want, or movies on demand, they've got a full MP3 library and you can listen to anything you want, from classical to pop, they've got video games like the classic Doom, and you can order drinks and food directly from the seat.  Just tap into the screen, "I'd like a Sprite," and a minute later a friendly stewardess hands it to you.  Do it again, and she comes back a minute later with another one.  It's very, very cool.  And of course it runs Linux.

And now apparently they've added wifi to each flight, and the headphones have normal headphone jacks so you don't have to pay for theirs, you can bring your own if you want, and there's even a power socket under the seat for your laptop.  (Although I didn't have time to use the wifi this time so I can't tell you how cool it is, but I imagine it's pretty cool.)

Yelena upgraded us to "Main Cabin Select."  We still sat in coach, but we got to sit wherever we wanted.  I chose the bulkhead at the front of the plane, right behind first class, because (a) you get more legroom and (b) it's faster and easier to get on and off the plane.  There was a complimentary pair of headphones for me (which came in handy because I couldn't find my own) and they gave me free snacks.  I don't mean peanuts, I mean a real box of snacks with crackers, peanut butter, cashews, and a chocolate bar.

This was Nathan's third flight to San Diego and on the first two he was a champ.  When he got a little fussy we handed him a bottle and he calmed right down.  But this time he was a rock star - during takeoff and landing he was cool as a cucumber.  While all the other babies were screaming their heads off, he was hitting on the cute girl sitting next to me.  (Well he smiled at her and said "goo;" I don't know if that really counts as hitting on her but I like to think he's getting an early start.)  When we reached cruising altitude I fed him sweet potatoes and a bottle and he slept most of the way.  The flight itself was fine - it's a short hop from SF to SD and I've done it a million times.

So now I'm down in SD with the in-laws for a week and a half.  So far so good; they're both thrilled to see "Kusi Bean."  Marina made me a Russian delicacy called pilmeni, and Sam gave me a fantastic sauce called adjika to dip them in.  Also goes great with brandy.

Now I'm sitting in the air conditioned house making plans for my next trip, to Edmonton/Vancouver/Seattle at the beginning of October.

J<