I bought myself a new watch on the aeroplane the other day, coming back home to Finland. This seems to be something I do regularly, with a twelve-year cycle, as evidenced by the fact this was the second watch I bought on an aeroplane, coming back to Finland (the first one was - wait for it - twelve years ago, and yes, on an aeroplane, coming back home to Finland. What more evidence do we need? Exactly). Seriously, though, the idea of these seemingly unrelated things - aeroplane, buying a watch, twelve years passing - coinciding in my personal space-time sort of tickles me a little. I'd like to imagine that there'll be a third time, and (if I'm lucky), a fourth, too. Go on, let's really let rip - a fifth one is within the realms of possibility. I could have another thirty-six years ahead of me.
Friday, January 16, 2009
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8 comments:
I had to read your title a couple of times, you player with words, you. Lovely words though. I too buy watches at the airport - they are slightly cheaper unless you are at Schiphol where everything seems to cost more. I would not pay more than £30 for a basic timekeeper, and I think my last two had six years between them, and the pink strap on one is cracked to hell. Still - I was gifted a lovely Timex watch recently, so I am happy enough.
How does one go about buying a watch on an aeroplane? I mean I suppose I may envisage buying any number of things on a cruise ship, but is there a jeweler's on the plane?
Or do you approach some secretive johnny in dark glasses who pulls up his sleeve to reveal his wares: twenty or so Rolexes?
Since you have already made the aeroplane connexion, the timepiece seems redundant, anyway.
Oh, well.I'm sure it's good to be home.
Oh man, NMJ, now I'm just annoyed I didn't pay proper attention to your watch - for some reason I'd like to be able to visualise it. But yes, both of my watches have been bought on the aeroplane, not at the airport - they claim they are "completely tax-free" so they'd bloody well better be a little cheaper than the same thing bought on the ground. This one, so I allowed myself be told by the EasyJet in-flight magazine, a veritable fount of information and learning, is only available onboard - which does make it a little difficult to compare prices, right enough.
The old new-time keeper had a red leather strap - still does, actually - which had suffered pretty horribly over the years. It was the one I had with me in Hawai'i - you may recall me from time to time swearing about it growing green hair overnight on the bedside table. The children I teach occasionally asked me why my "clock" was "so broken". It was clearly time for some new time.
Dearest Montag - far be it from me to approach some dodgy secretive johnny in dark shades, on an aeroplane or elsewhere. No. One goes about the procedure in quite an opposite fashion - one allows oneself to be accosted by the goody-bearing stewards, and it all kind of develops from there, irresistibly.
And yes, thank you - it is good to be home, but not unconditionally. I had a lovely time, a while in which to get out of being what my role in (family) life is, a chance to just be me for a while, a real holiday. It was lovely.
Very good to see you, incidentally, and I loved your inflatable Christmas-thing post.
I did.
No. Correction. I thought I did, but I think I thought wrong.
Still thinking, mind.
No, I think my thinking is going to need a bit of help.
Please.
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