TSA Annoyances (9/2/16)
No, this isn't like one of my prior encounters like the time TSA singled me out for "special treatment", forgot to stamp my boarding pass they had completed it, and I had to undergo a second patdown at my gate while standbys were trying to grab my seat. But it seemed like the VPS TSA agents were particularly intrusive and persistent; I don't think I've ever spent so much time at a checkpoint before. They had me taking off my belt, I had to go through the scanning booth (I've gone to airports that made everyone go through them, but in this case only a few were targeted; I'm not being paranoid, but it seems I get selected an unusual percentage of times), I went through multiple post-booth patdowns; I was even asked about the driver license in my shirt pocket. I had built a lot of slack into my schedule but not enough to have breakfast this morning, including my connecting flight at DFW (no problem with connections, but by the time I got to the gate, they were ready to start boarding). The scanning mechanism they used seemed to be fascinated with my jeans for God knows what reason.
One unintended benefit of getting singled out: the person getting scanned in front of me was probably the most physically attractive woman in the airport, very well-developed, toned figure. You have to turn sideways in the booth, perpendicular to the line (As Seinfeld might say, they were "spectacular", much more so than the woman's in the episode.) I can't believe this was just a coincidence, but to be fair, the TSA followed up with the most physically repulsive man in the airport. The healthy young woman seemed to take it in stride and didn't seem to be self-conscious; she's probably one of those people who don't want bad pictures taken of themselves. Me, I had some stiffness in my left shoulder, and they were complaining I needed to raise my arms higher.
I think I have this Howdy Doody persona; I get singled out all the time for directions, to grab an item off a grocery shelf, etc. I've had grandnieces fall asleep in my arms. So I don't know how the TSA seems to gravitate to me as a potential suspect. Blog posts?
AA Still Owes Me Luggage (9/02/16)
When I returned from my Dad's funeral mass in Texas 2 years back, I was scheduled on AA. They rebooked my flight 2-3 times that day and finally got me on a Delta flight. When you change airlines like that, you have to recheck luggage. So I went to American's baggage claim to discover my hardside luggage was heavily damaged; I wasn't sure if it was TSA or AA--nobody claimed responsibility. It was taped up but an amateurish job, and I was having to hold it all the way to the Delta ticket counter to keep personal belongings from spilling out. The Delta agent didn't hassle me and added much more taping that stood until I got home in WV. But the luggage was unusable; the metal edges wouldn't seat. It looked as if the (unlocked) luggage had been pried open on all the sides (but maybe it had fallen off a luggage truck and split open). I tried to contact AA several times, but they ignored me. It's, of course, not the first time my luggage has been mishandled; I've found my luggage handle ripped off, wheels broken and other things.
So last year before visiting my Mom for the holidays, I went to WalMart and found this zippered black plastic hardside, American-made, about $100. Packing is a breeze, the wheels and handle make it nearly effortless to transport the luggage. So I no longer have to fight the battle of seating the metal edges or hand-carrying a 40-lb. suitcase by its handle to the car or taxi. I got two favorable comments on the piece today, a fellow passenger and my taxi driver home.
The Flight Home to Arizona Was Uneventful (9/03/16)
I got increasingly nervous about my return home as I saw hurricane watch paths widen westward of Tallahassee. I was wondering if I could reschedule Thursday, but the earliest a colleague could move up was to my flight to Dallas-Ft. Worth. Other than a few scattered showers, though, the Ft. Walton area weather was mostly unaffected; I constantly checked outgoing flight status. The biggest problem I had was returning the rental car; there is no early morning staffing, and I had misplaced my paperwork. So I pulled into an open rental parking spot, noted its location and dropped my note and the keys in the available drop off.
Oh, and the taxicab home wouldn't accept my travel card. I think this is the first cab I've had in years that wouldn't accept charge cards. I thought about using Uber which I think is available here, but my account is tied to my personal vs. travel card. (I had logged onto my account on my notebook, but Uber said something absurd like you have to handle credit cards on its app. I hate cellphone keyboards.) The taxi driver defensively gave his rationale for not accepting credit cards (unsafe technology, fraud, etc.); I'm not buying it, but I have enough cash on me and let the argument go. It's just a potential hassle getting reimbursed (I recently had to get a replacement hotel receipt; the beancounters wouldn't accept a credit card issuer receipt). I will soon have to make an ATM withdrawal, which I haven't done this year, to replenish my supply of greenbacks for the Luddites.
One note of caution: I had recently ordered a burger medium rare, like my steaks. It seemed to me the burger wasn't fully cooked, and I expect it's why I came down with diarrhea later in the day. That makes me back to my early days at UWM. Haseman's PhD student had just defended his dissertation, and Haseman hosted a celebration at his home. (My dissertation chair didn't throw a party for me, but it could be he threw one and I wasn't invited: for all those people who put up with me for years.) I was confused: on one of the tables was a huge mound of raw ground steak accompanied by slices of onions and white bread. Haseman explained it was a local custom, calling it scavenger sandwiches. And lots of people ate it. I'm an adventuresome eater and decided to try; it's one of those things I've tried but don't really care for (like pig ears I had in Brazil). No ill effects, but I'm older now. I've done a few Google searches on the topic, did not run on a related hit, at least for the first couple of pages or so.
It's the usual stuff after one returns home after a couple of weeks, e.g., throwing out old veggies, catching up on mail, etc. I found my weight was up about 9 lbs. I'm not in panic; it's likely water gain, having eaten out, lots of carbs, certainly not eating 5000 or more calories a day. I had been in an extended stay place waiting for my household goods from SC and had encountered a similar gain. It took about 10 days to lose it.
Well, I think with this segment I have managed to write the Seinfeld equivalent of blog posts: much ado about nothing.
