Life has a soundtrack and isn’t  it cool when the iPod is in sync?

Just as the Southwest Airlines captain gave the go ahead to engage electronic devices, I hit shuffle on my iPod.  The first song at about 10,000 feet over the Nevada desert?  Dirty Vegas!  How apropos.

Are we there yet?

Not yet.

Is there Wi-Fi?

Not yet.

Three hours passed without incident.  Miles and miles of long shadows cast down on the badlands and stark canyons below. There was a quick stop in Lubbock and then up, up and away over the quilt work of cotton fields and crop-circle irrigation patterns.

After the sun went down, we approached Dallas. Is there a better city view than landing on Southwest at Love Field, after hours? The plane approached downtown Dallas from the northwest and circled around the  skyscrapers as it descended. The flashy skyline and the city lights sparkled like so many precious stones — seemingly close enough to touch.  I could see inside the cubicles of generic office spaces, a reminder that my job is better.

Even before the Southwest flight from Las Vegas made a pitstop in Lubbock, I was reminded of the Lubbock songsmith Joe Ely and his classic take on Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s “Dallas” (Have you ever seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night?”

http://jimmiegilmore.com/TFL/index.html

Good stuff.  And good to be back.