you got to go to the lonesome valley - you got to go there by yourself - nobody else can go for you - you got to go there by yourself

I spent the entire day yesterday traveling. It's an interesting thing to watch the human dynamics of travel. The shuttle bus and both planes that I took were completely full, every seat occupied, and yet people, despite rubbing elbows with the person next to them, remain almost entirely in their own world. Given an empty bus, everyone getting on will take a seat to themselves first before the doubling up begins. Or, as I did, you can be flying for eight hours and never even speak to the individual beside you.
For the second flight I was in the very last row, aisle seat, next to two girls who must have been best friends. The one, tall, blond, covered in a small El Dorado of gold jewelry. A ring or two on every finger, three earrings in each ear, eight necklaces of descending length, and bracelets up to the elbows on both arms. The other, short, dark-haired, accessorized in silver and black in approximately the same density as her companion. They both chewed gum, wetly and loudly, without pause, and never spoke a word.