A better way to fly

When I fly, I normally like to take a combination of dramamine (drowsy version) and red wine. This cocktail, combined with sleep deprivation, helps me pass out and avoid the anxiety I usually feel during takeoff and landing. On one flight home from college, however, I found myself in the unfortunate position of having lost my last drink coupon. Thus I was stuck awake and, rather than scanning through the latest offerings of SkyMall, decided to entertain myself by drawing what I saw out the window as we were departing Hartford. I used the "Brushes" app to draw this on my phone.

This is a Mistake

Just as soon as Ken Baldwin jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, he realized that he had made a mistake. He didn't want to die. Baldwin was rescued by construction workers who witnessed his jump, and later that night, he was slipping in and out of consciousness in a hospital bed. The doctor told his wife that he had a 50/50 chance of surviving, "depending on whether he wanted to live." He's now one of the eight million living Americans who have attempted suicide.

Only about one in forty people survive the 220-foot fall into the San Francisco Bay. Most of those folks report having an experience similar to Ken's, in which they regretted the decision immediately after leaping over the rail.

I learned about Ken's story when listening to an episode of Radiolab. Also see this story from the San Francisco Gate.