Flying Frozen: The Perils of Travel in Subzero temperatures

A shot of Lake Michigan during the Deep Freeze 2013

So as anyone watching the news can tell ya, the end of 2013, and the beginning of 2014 was pretty raw in the Midwest and Eastern US. In my hometown of Lansing, around Christmas we got rocked with a ice storm that left most of the town without power for days, forcing folks to have Christmas dinner by candle light, huddle into bed with each other, drive to other states to find power generators, (and in some cases, only to have them stolen by other people) and deal with break-ins when they left their homes to search for open motels to stay in to get away from the cold. (Thankfully, my Moms house was miraculously spared- although my sisters and my brothers were not).

Almost immediately after that, we were rocked with not only snowstorm, but sub-zero temps that either buried people inside their homes, and/or prevented them from going out. At its worst, it was difficult to go out for more than 15 minutes without getting a headache and having your face feel like its on frozen fire. While this wasn't the worst I've ever experienced (that was a morning as an MSU freshman where it was -40, and I still had to go to class), it did make doing anything and everything outside pretty damn uncomfortable.

That being the case, I still had to make it from my Moms new house in East Lansing to Detroit Metro to catch my flight back to Tokyo last week. I had my very first modeling job of 2014 the day after I got back, and come hell or high water, I was determined to start this year off right, and to make it back in time for it. In addition to the fact that it's big budget, pays really well, and is for a major brand (Konica Minolta) , it is my first modeling /TV commercial job in sometime, and I am bound to get back on that track as well. 2013 started off with the same kind of potential, but went sour quick. I was bound and determined to not let that happen again.

In order to get home, I would need to 1) get to the bus station, 2) take the bus to Detroit, and 3) then catch my flight to Tokyo: meaning I would have to use all 3 modes of transportation on a day when transportation was generally devastated everywhere.

That being the case, Mari and I decided to book an extra early bus, just in case. Then, the night before, I called around to all of the Lansing area taxis services to see if I could catch one from my Moms house to the bus station. All of them were closed because of the extreme temperatures, or buried under snow, except for one and it was booked solid from 4:00am to 9:30am (my bus was at 7:30am).

That being the case, we collectively decided that Moms would drive us out. (Who very rarely drives anywhere and would now have to do it in this weather). We decided that she would have to drive because if she was just to ride with us and drive the car back, it would mean she would have to get out of the car, and with only one functioning lung, and -25 degree temps, even just stepping outside to change seats would be dangerous for her. She'd have to drive it, so she could stay warm and in the drivers seat until she's safely back in her garage.

With that decision, the next morning, we tried to leave out, but because the temperatures made it painful to be outside, and since I had been the only one driving for the past month, I had only shoveled the driveway, just wide enough to get her car in and out...with very little extra room for error. Hadn't thought about that until it was time for Moms to drive that morning. To make matters worse, since I would be on a plane for 13 hours, and my feet swell, I packed my shoes, and was only in wool socks and flip-flops. (And my toes felt frost bitten through them within 30 seconds of being outside). I couldn't shovel or push us out quickly if I wanted to.
Thankfully, with a few tries, and some careful coaching Moms managed to get us out of there with just enough time to make it to the station and RUN to the bus driver and tap on the window before he pulled off. We just made it.

Sunrise on the bus on the way to the airport

On the bus, my toes were still frozen from catching the bus and stayed that way for the hour journey. At one point, we had to stop due to engine troubles because of the cold, and then at another point, we saw a fire that had broken out on the road we were on (again, most likely because the cold had caused something to freeze). Despite our booking a bus that was two hours earlier, only made it to the airport with 30 min to spare.

Screenshot the temp outside while passing through Ann Arbor on the bus.

While we thought we were in the clear, once we got to the gate, we found out that the vehicles that were supposed to be catering the plane were far behind schedule, and we were warned that both being outside and entering the plane would be too cold, so we would have to wait for a few minutes... Which turned into 5 hours. Thankfully, my flight would get us back to Tokyo by early afternoon the day before, so even a few hours delay would still give me enough time to get back and get some rest before the job the next day. After waiting out that 5 hours, we were finally allowed to board. At that point, the cabin was so cold that you could see your breath, and people were going to the bathroom just because it was warm. Everyone was super bundled up in their seats, and I can't say I've ever quite seen anything like it. Thankfully at that point, everyone was just happy to be on our way, and no one was complaining...actually a lot of us were joking about what a crazy experience it was. Still felt bad for the parents with babies though. I'm sure they had to be worried as hell. From there the cabin was finally warmed up, and we were ready to go...until they tried to fill the plane's water supply, but couldn't because the water kept freezing. Finally another two hours later, we took off...

Originally, it was supposed to be a packed full flight where Mars and I were sitting separately ...but then at the last minute, (most likely due to the weather) a pair of free seats opened up, so we were able to book them together at check-in... And then once we actually boarded, as a function of the fact that so many other people couldn't make it, we (as well as a lot of other people) ended up having lots of free seats open around so we could raise up the arm rests and get as comfortable as we liked.

One thing that I can say I felt proud of as a American was the fact that for the whole frozen bus ride (included when we were stopped), our whole time at the terminal and even after we boarded our freezing plane, not a single person uttered a word of complaint. While you might expect something like that from Japanese passengers or patrons (who put the importance of social harmony above their individual needs) I was really pleasantly surprised to see all my fellow Americans keeping their cool for that whole day as well.

At any event, due to the two babies behind me and the one in front, I wasn't able to get much in the way of sleep... But I was able to get a bit. We returned to Tokyo at about 9pm. I managed to get home before midnight, prepare for the next day's shoot and manage to crank out a few hours sleep again before having to be on set. The start time was actually pushed forward by another hour and the whole shoot turned out to be a grueling 21 hours long, but I was able to get through it.

From there, I've worked everyday since I got off the plane (sometimes well past midnight) and so far, catching naps whenever I can, taking tons of vitamin C and even eating right as hell, I've been able to stave off sickness and effectively keep my nose to the grindstone till my biological clock could adjust.

In the first 4 days of work, I made enough to pay all of my expenses for February (rent, phone, etc) and adding in workouts, have already gone from 17.9% body fat to 17.2%. (The goal is to hit 12% by March). Shoulder is back up to 98% percent, the knee is following suite. Despite similar challenges to last year this time, looks like this year is sho' nuff starting off on the right foot, and me thinks its gonna be a damn good year. :)