| In the first two parts of this series, we
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| | uniformly first class. There was plenty
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| covered my decision to move from San
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| | of space for one's rump and legs. Each
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| Diego to Chita, Siberia to be a professor
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| | two-seat section was the equivalent of
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| at Chita State Technical University. We
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| | three seats on a U.S. airline. It was at
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| pick up the story aboard the flight from
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| | least two feet to the seat in front of
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| Anchorage to Khabarovsk, Russia.
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| | me. Those that fly a lot will understand
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| Day 3
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| | as I quietly shed a tear in memory of
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| Technically, it's day two and half. I
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| | that flight. Dozing comfortably, I didn't
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| think. Time began to blur as we flew over
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| | give a damn if the wings fell off. At
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| the international date line. Wait, do we
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| | least we were going in style!
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| add a day or lose a day? I was so
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| | Our flight consisted of about 100 people.
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| confused that I didn't know whether to
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| | Of these, 90 percent were Russians. Grae
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| whine about losing or gaining a day in my
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| | and I counted as two and the remaining
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| life. Whatever day it was, we were flying
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| | five or so people were religious
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| along happily on Aeroflot.
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| | volunteers going to convert the godless
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| I must say that communism had some things
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| | masses. They appeared to be having no
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| going for it. The average airline ticket
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| | luck on the plane, but Grae and I were
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| in the U.S. should come with a shoehorn
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| | able to strike up a few conversations.
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| to help wedge you into the seat. God
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| | I must say that the Russians on the plane
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| forbid if the person in front of you
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| | were extremely nice and very honest.
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| should put their seat back. Damn people
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| | While honesty is generally a good thing,
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| in first class! Communism solved this
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| | their frankness made me a bit
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| problem nicely.
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| | uncomfortable. First, there was a clear
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| I wouldn't say our plane was old, but the
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| | consensus that we were out of our mind
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| younger planes around our gate were
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| | for agreeing to go to Chita. "You are
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| crowding in to hear our plane tell
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| | going WHERE?!" was followed by a lot of
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| stories about the first flight of the
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| | whispering between Russians and bulging
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| Wright brothers. Despite some interesting
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| | eyes. Since I doubted the pilot would be
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| details [My God, does that look like a
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| | willing to turn the plane around, this
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| crack in the wing? That better not be
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| | wasn't particularly comforting.
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| duct tape!], the "maturity" of our flying
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| | Our conversations raised an additional
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| bull had some distinct advantages.
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| | problem regarding the definition of
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| A central concept of communism is that
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| | "fluent". In my mind, being fluent in a
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| there is only one class of people, to
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| | language meant that one could get
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| wit, the workers. Theoretically, everyone
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| | directions, tell boring stories, etc., in
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| gets the same treatment. The benefits of
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| | the language in question. It quickly
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| this theory are debatable, but I can tell
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| | became clear that Grae's definition of
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| you it stomps capitalism into the ground
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| | "fluent" was something less. This was
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| when it comes to flying.
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| | verified when he turned to me and said,
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| The seating compartment on our plane was
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| | "Man, I've forgotten a lot.
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