Fly the friendly highs of United.. .
By ANITA CRONE
D ESPITE the adage given us by Madi-
son Avenue as gospel truth that
"getting there is half the fun," "getting
there" can be a real pain in the neck.
It doesn't matter whether you fly, take
a bus, or, if you can find one running
to your destination, hop a train. "Getting
there has little to offer. Sure you can
catch up on reading, or, if you get bored
look out the window, but there's not
much else to do.
Over the break between III-A and
III-B I had to get there, and since it
cost only about a dollar more to fly,
and the flight lasted an hour, as op-
posed to five or six on a bus, I took my
youth fare card in hand and went to
Metropolitan Airport, where I boarded
flight 306 for Pittsburgh, Pa.
ULTIMATELY, the flight ended in
Washington, D.C., but that does noth-
ing to this narrative except explain the
type of passenger on the plane. At 9:20
in the morning you can only expect to
be sitting next to people who had to
"get there," wherever that was.
The funny thing about standby is that
it is possible to sit in the first class
section. All you have to do is board the
plane late. Not too late, because air-
planes wait for no one, unless you're VIP
enough to make it worth their while.
I'm certain that if someone from the
Civil Aeronautics Board is -late for
your flight, you can bet that the plane
will wait.
But if you time it right, and have
lots of carry-on baggage, the odds are
good that you'll find yourself in the
first class section.
MY CHANCES were not good at all
last Tuesday. The flight was packed.
But there was a seat in the rear of the
plane, next to a 50-year-old businessman
on his way to Washington to have lunch
with some big-wig in the government.
Okay, that wasn't too bad.
So we buckled up for safety and lis-
tened as the pilot welcomed us aboard.
While the stewardess explained the stan-
dard lifesaving and oxygen procedures,
the plane took off down the runway.
"Remember," cautioned the steward-
ess, "please no smoking while the no
smoking sign is on." So, I settled in my
seat and waited.
The funny thing about the no smoking
I expected him to decline and then
either arrest me, call the stewardess and
have me lectured, or ignore me. When
my own aunt and uncle won't smoke
with me, how could I expect a perfect
stranger to be any different?
He looked at me. "You won't tell any-
sne?"
I was stunned. This ian was strange.
While I was thinking that I would never
see him again, and how could I tell
anyone, he was reaching for the joint.
I HANDED it to him and watched.
He examined it, much like one of the
movies would show a man studying a
fine cigar. He inhaled the smoke, and
then scrunched in his seat, pot belly
and all.
It was really funny to see this 50-
year-old man assume the fetal position
in an 'economy class airplane seat. He
might have gotten stuck, and then for
sure the stewardesss would have noticed
something. He looked at me.
"Is this how you do it?" He had the
joint in his mouth and was puffing like
it was a cigar.
"NO, IT'S more like a cigarette, only
you hold the smoke in. Swallow it. That
way you get the full enjoyment." I had
to laugh.
His throat would be sore, and Te was
talking strangely. I had heard that you
don't get high the first time you smoke.
All sorts of wise adages were falling
apart.
Anyway, the man didn't turn me in.
Just then, the no smoking sign lit up.
He looked at it and was amazed at the
mechanical brilliance of whoever in-
vented flashing lights.
"WHAT DO I do with it?" The joint
was still burning. I put out the flame
in the ashtray and then told him to
eat the rest. He swallowed it.
Before we landed, he whispered, "Hey,
do you think you could get me some
of this stuff?" I told him it would
be easier if he just asked his kids.
There was a 10-minute layover in
Pittsburgh, and as he started to get
off the plane, he wobbled a bit.
The stewardess looked at him and
remarked to another passenger, "Some
people drink their breakfast."
The man smiled knowingly. "And
go through the day without a hangover,"
he added.
-k
sign is that all it says is no smoking.
It doesn't say, as the signs do on
busses, smoking of cigars and other
things -prohibited by law.
BUT YOU can smoke cigarettes on
busses. I guess on planes you can smoke
almost anything. When that little no
smoking sign went off, I pulled out
and lit up. Not a cigarette - I can
smoke those anytime - but a big, fat,
cigar-style joint, wrapped in American
flag paper.
The first toke wasn't bad. But I was
slightly paranoid. After all, federal mar-
shalls are supposed to be on planes to
prevent hijacking. I hoped that if there
were any marshalls on the plane, they
would be far enough away not to' smell
the marijuana.
The businessman next to me was eye-
ing me strangely, or else my own un-
certainty was taking over and inhibit.
ing my natural responses.
"EXCUSE ME," he said: "What is that
brand you're smoking?" Thinking quick-
ly, I thought that maybe if I gave him
a withering answer, he wouldn't bother
me.
"It's a new brand - Acapulco Gold," I
said.
He smiled. "Young lady, perhaps you're
not aware of the illegality of that brand
you're smoking. If I were a law en-
forcement officer of any sort, I would
be obliged to arrest you."
"But sir," I gave him a smile. "Didn't
you read the sign. All it says is no
smoking, and that only applies when
the sign is lit." But anyway, if you're
going to arrest me, would you like a
toke before it happens?"
HE BLUSHED. I could imagine what
was going through his mind. Here he
was. Fifty years old, probably making
$40,000 a year, with a wife and family.
How could he smoke the evil weed?
r
a
11
sex information
The P
I
Dill, part three
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This regular
quoestion-asnd-answer coluomn oni
matters of sexual concern is being
published in co-operation w it h
Counseling Services, a division of
the Office of Student Services.
Questions may be sent to nox 25,
The Daily, 420 Maynard, or phon-
ed into 76-GUIDE, the Counsel-
ing Services' 24-hour counseling
and referral service.)
By ROBERT KOOP
Q. I'm just starting the Pill.
How do I do it?
A. First, get them prescribed
for you individually by a doctor.
The doctor cane determine from
your medical history what dosage
pill you need, and will perform
a routine pelvic examination and
take a Pap smear (cancer test)
to determine in part whether you
should take it at all.
When you start it's a good idea
to use a backup method of con-
traception during the first two
weeks or month. (It's also im-
portant to use a backup if you
change from one dosage to a
lower one.)
Most women who get pregnant
while on the Pill do it during the
first month or right after a dos-
age change.
They're easy to take - it's a
good idea to do it at the same
time every day so it'll be easier
to remember. What you do is:
1) Count the first day of your
period as Day 1.
2) Take the first pill of the
first cycle on Day 5, whether youd
period has stopped or not.
3) Take one pill every day un-
til the package i&empty.
4) At the end of the cycle, de-
pending on the kind of pill used
you must either wait until bleed-
ing starts and begin the next
package of pills on Day 5 and if
no bleeding occurs start the
next cycle on Day 7; or wait
7 days and begin the next pack-
age no matter when menstruation
begins.
Q. What if I forget to take a
pill one day?
A. You should take it as soon
as you remember it and take the
next day's pill at the regular time.
If you do this it's a good (very
good) idea to use a backup me-
thod of contraception until the
next cycle. You might not really
need to, but explain that to the
baby.
Q. I just started the Pill and
I'm bleeding a little. Should I
stop?
A. If it's only a little, no. Keep
taking them. If a full period oc-
curs while you're taking them,
though, you should stop taking
them and start the next cycle five
days after the bleeding began. It
can help to keep a record of any
bleeding on a calendar - so you
don't haxe to try to remember if
it started on Monday or Tuesday
- or was it- Sunday?
Q. My boyfriend is away for
the summer and I want to know
if I should stop using the pills
while he's gone.
A. Probably not, if it's only
going to be for a couple of months.
The cycle may become confusing
and you'll have to relearn the
habit of taking them, and you'd
need to use a backup method the
first month you went back on
them -- It's probably more hassle
than it's worth.
Q. Where's the cheapest place
to get pills?
. A. The Health Service Pharm-
acy (here in town anyway). They
cost $1.50 a month there. At
pharmacies and drug stores
around town they range from
$1.75 to $2.50 a month.
Q. If I have intercourse during
my period should I use my dia-
phragm or is it safe without it?
A..Most people assume that
conception is pretty unlikely to
occur during a woman's period.
Generally, this is true. BUT there
is an element of risk involved,
especially toward the end of the
period. And when the stakes -
unwanted pregnancy - are high,
it's a good idea to steer clear of
all the risks you can. Whatever
your method of contraception, it
should be used at every act of
intercourse.
Q. My periods were regular be-
fore I started using the Pill and
I just stopped using it. Can I
expect them to be regular now?
.. A. Well, yes. In most instanc-
es women with a regular cycle will
re-establish their previous pat-
tern after they go of f the Pill,
There are exceptions to this rule,
though. Some women will miss
one or two periods after t h e y
And in young women the m e n -
strual pattern may change inde-
pendent of use of the Pill.
The Editorial Page of The
Michigan Daily is open to any-
one who wishes to submit
articles. Generally speaking, all
articles should be less than
1,000 words.
420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Doily express the individual
opinions of the author. This must be noted in all reprints.
Friday, July 2, 1971 News Phone: 764-0552
NIGHT EDITOR: ANITA CRONE
Suimer Editorial Stafl
MARCIA ABRAMSON LARRY LEMPERT
Co-Editor Co-Editor
OBERT CONROW JU ..................................... Books Editor
IB~ JUDRIS ................... .....,... ......,._. Photograpisy Editor
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