aero

why is it that every time matches attempts to fly somewhere, something goes amiss along the way and he ends up twiddling his thumbs at the airport? at least in the portland variety they have a classy little cafe sector, complete with phenomenal piano player (he may not actually be phenomenal, but he certainly commits to the music with his motions and facial expressions...a rare and enjoyable sight). he has a synth atop his grand piano, which is despite its 'grand' qualifier is somehow hidden within the buckets upon buckets of poinsettias that they have strewn the area with. anyway he plays them masterfully in a simultaneous fashion.

what is one supposed to do at the airport in this situation? this is a strange little nook of life, with no priorities. it seems like a movie script should erupt out of nowhere. does matches tide in and out of these tiny little shops, brookstones and the like? does he sit like he is now and play around on the internet (thank god for laptop)? does he crack a book, and try to imagine a world apart from the 'port? everyone is currently sitting around, sipping their chromatic drinks and trying to gleam a twenty-dollar buzz off of them (matches thinks his coffee much more efficient to that end, and meritorious) while glancing sheepishly at everyone else. the waitress cannot find who ordered '#79' for the life of her. this guy is really going nuts on the synth...it feels like brian eno just tried to walk through the metal detector with all of his gear, tripped, and it somehow created an electro-magnetic reaction that forced all of his instruments into a very chaotic chord. it's a little awkward for all of us, as he is trying to play something light and holidaisical. he must be upset that his electronica band fell through.

on the plus side, portland's airport is nice. in a futuristic sort of way, but not a bad, dirty, total-recall future...a happy, efficient, sleek one. it definitely feels a little out of place, considering the holiday vibe that is supposed to be prevalent. matches is looking forward to cozy quilts, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies, fireside movies and chats, frosted wintry windows, and the dizzying lightshow that a tree corded in bubbling lights and ornaments casts upon the ceiling.
and the flight has just been delayed a little longer. le sigh.

airports are interesting in that you get about as broad a sampling of the populous as you possibly can. everyone needs to fly. you would think that this happens in more arenas...grocery shopping, for example; but it's not true. everyone buys groceries, but they all remain loyal to their favorite or most convenient stores (so many options, especially in portland...don't get m started)...some people don't go to markets at all. some eat out every meal. jobs? forget about it...they are all ridiculously case-specific as to the sort of person who might apply. festivals, movies, activities in general? there are still enough assumptions about the sorts of people you might find at all these things to conclude that each has its own specific configuration, a personality type or tick that would mesh smoothly with some angle or perspective within the matter. we can make broad statements about these people. but airports? everybody travels at some point, especially around the holidays.
there are so many screens that are engaged, depending upon how you live your life; what your schedules and rhythms are, what you like to spend your free time doing / thinking, what you can / cannot afford. one of these factors is who, precisely you already know, because your tempos and scenery will blend (for the most part, cooperatively) with theirs...you tear the fabric of the world for each other, exposing things that had been hidden (or simply unknown, without reason to know) previously. think about a person who has affected your life in some significant way...and now think of how it was that you met them. there was some coinciding, some degree of connection by way of people or perspectives upon what to do with life that brought you into orbit initially. grab that initial connection; pin it to the floor and look at it for what it is (just one of the many facets that compose your sparkle). chances are, you can imagine yourself without this one, moderately-significant trait. how much of your world would have been altered if you hadn't found that one singular point of expression; if the whirling chaos of your life up to that point had not fostered this one, orphan-like thought within you? it erases so much; it removes that person from your life...it shaves off years, and memories (which are immeasurable). it alters an incredibly significant portion of your experience.

perhaps now you can see why the 'sample' population of the airport is of such interest to antimatter. it crashes those walls, those barriers, and it has the potential to insert brilliantly different people into the same space and context. it is an area unlike most others. it would be a very interesting place to work; you would likely come out with volumes of stories. if you watch 'lost', this is probably one of the reasons that you like that show, even though perhaps you haven't thought about it. who are these people; how could they have been thrust together like this? they are so distinct! anyway, that is a bit of a tangent, but it makes for a good example. what is of note, is that we still have our personality filters active, even in this strange space. matches is not likely to start a discussion with the 60-something year old man sitting across from him; he looks rather brutish (not to be extraordinarily judgmental, or anything : ) and there are severe doubts crossing through m's mind as to whether or not we would find anything to talk about in the short time that we are in each other's presence. interesting, though, isn't it? if the seat adjacent were instead occupied by a cute twenty-something female with a touch of classiness to her, the receptiveness streaming through this writer's mind would be altogether different. and yes, matches is kind of being critical of himself for that, even though he understands why it this the case. this inclination (or rather, disinclination) is just another screen that he unwittingly projects into the world.
life is so funny that way~