Thinking of Sarah lifts me up...

Life for me in the past month has been a living hell. The greatest insult, as far as I can tell, is the brazenness of the death cultists (especially those in the immigrant communities) especially after getting Proposition 8 passed, and the failure of the white liberal activists to even realize there is a problem. Sure, today saw "Midwest conservative" Iowa legalize gay marriages, but that's more proof that California is fucked up precisely because of Third World cultures. The last place I need to be in right now is the state of California (especially the theocratic southern third).

However, a series of Sarah-related things today made me feel a bit better. I had intended writing Perfect Girl to be a therapeutic experience, and that's what appears to be happening now.

During one of my work breaks, I logged on to Facebook, where I had recently joined a few dozen travel-related fanpages. One of them, of course, was for Sarah's employer, United Airlines, hoping that I could get some extra information from insiders (frequent fliers, employees, etc.). Not much for my use at the page, but I could browse through a few hundred photos, mostly of United aircraft flying into/out of major world airports but also some of the crewmembers, including a photo of a flight attendant training graduating class. That immediately made me think of Sarah, and made me wonder how her training would've unfolded back in 1999.

Here is a graduating class...

In the evening, I retired to the seclusion of my new car, Gwaneum One, which is a Hyundai Genesis that comes with an awesome Lexicon 17-speaker stereo. I hooked up my iPod to the stereo, then started browsing. I decided to play George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue - United Airlines' theme music. As the composition unfolded, I closed my eyes; first, the Facebook photos went through my head, but before long, I was picturing myself flying somewhere on one of those planes myself. Before long, I was picturing myself sitting in my favorite seat - 8F in a 777, which would be the front row of the business class and part of a cozy 10-seat mini-cabin - and being attended to by none other than Sarah.

Even after I started playing other tracks, the Sarah theme stayed with me. It appeared that just about any song that I had listened to, during one of my previous overseas trips, was fair game. After all, until my long-term journey in South Korea and Hong Kong at the end of 2008, almost all of my flying had been done on Sarah's airline. It all culminated with Mariah Carey's remake of "Without You," which is a strong reminder of my experiences in 1994 - flying to Seoul, listening to plenty of Mariah during my one-month stay there, then flying to New York and meeting with Mariah herself later that year. Of course, all the relevant flying that year was done on United Airlines.

I even thought of my Sarah interview done in Seoul in November last year, where I was able to spill this whole story from 1994 to Sarah herself - finally letting her know why I made her a flight attendant, and why I had to send her to United, of all airlines.

Now I am having a better idea as to how to proceed with the Hollywood double interview. Originally, I was thinking of it as primarily a chance to meet with Kirsten, with Sarah coming in as second fiddle. But now, I need to make more of this. I'll have to get very detailed and picky with Sarah regarding her work experiences. I won't be afraid to spill the beans to her on what I love, and hate, about her airline. I'll even be sharing my experiences of playing that online airline simulation - and outright telling Sarah about what her bosses can do to make her work experience better (and the customer satisfaction ratings higher). We will end up having a very nice chat, with a technical/aviation slant.

A flight attendant playing with a 777 engine.
Sarah will probably do the same thing.

(On a less nerdy note, I might mention actress Calpernia Addams to Sarah, especially my brief meeting with her last July. I'll certainly let Sarah know that if Perfect Girl were ever to become a movie, Calpernia might be the best pick for playing Sarah; after all, they are both green-eyed redheaded transwomen who stand close to six feet tall, and Calpernia's middle name is Sarah too. Sarah might object though, because (1) Calpernia is scared of flying, (2) Calpernia is several years too old to be Sarah, and (3) Calpernia is boycrazy.)

In the meantime, I need to arrange some time off from work, and take to the skies myself. I do have elite status this year, so I want to make the most of it (though I don't think I'll be flying enough to retain elite status for next year). It'll be preferable to fly United, as I can expect a 25% mileage bonus - and I can also look for a real-life Sarah lookalike on board. I do need to get far away - most of Europe and East/Southeast Asia should be fair game. (Short of resuming my retreat, I don't feel like returning to Seoul at this time, primarily due to South Korea's theocratic Republican government.) I do have to say that if I stay within North America, Sarah's biggest competition won't be other airlines, but Gwaneum One, as I could use a road trip too. (I'll probably put off the grand road trip - the one all the way across North America - until next year.)

I need to be aboard one of these planes. Seriously.
Sarah should ensure my safety and comfort.

In the meantime, I'll see if driving to Las Vegas in Gwaneum One tomorrow will help. I don't have any reservations, but I do want to go if only to catch a show (I don't feel like gambling). And as long as it's not California (or some other theocracy like Arizona or Texas), it's good enough for me right now.