11.10.2006

Leavin' on a jet plane


... I'm at O'Hare, waiting to catch a 9:40 flight to St. Louis for a weekend conference ...

... I was in bed at 1 a.m. last night and up at 5:30 this morning. So I feel like I could fall asleep any seco ...

Just kidding.

... My drive to the airport this morning wasn't so bad. I've never had a good track record for getting to big places easily -- like O'Hare, or the mall -- which is why I tend to leave very, very, very early. If I'm not running late, I make a wrong turn or miss an important exit ... Today, thankfully, was a different story. I was out of the house by 7:30 and rush hour traffic on the expressway was a breeze ...

Then, inside the airport, it's navigating the terminal. Again, not so confident. Dealing with those new computerized ticket/print-out systems is one of the few places you'll find me fearful of dealing with new technology. I'd rather deal with a real person, so usually I avoid them. But with the long lines today, I immediately found an open computer and got in, got my ticket, and got out. No problem.

... There's a TV overhead with CNN and two talking head babbling about this weekend's movies. One of them is coming off like an overaged sorority girl, and she's wearing more makeup then a beauty queen ... She saw Russel Crowe's new movie last night and apparently it sucks. Whatever.

... I just noticed a large, older gentleman sitting near me and listening to an iPod. Interesting. I wonder what he's listening to?

... From the ticket counter, I traversed the winding path to the security screeners, and the endless signs about the restrictions on carry-ons and gels. No worries here, all I've got is my office bag, and it's filled with magazines and papers ... It kind of makes me sad to watch all of it, thinking about what it was like to fly before 9/11. Not that I disagree with any of the new and improved screening process, it's too bad they didn't do it before 9/11. But it makes me sad and angry thinking about what our enemies have done to force us to this point. Where we must take computers and things out of their cases, remove our shoes, and everything from our jewelry to our boots to what we're wearing underneath is scanned and scrutinized ...

... They just announced my boarding gate has changed. Gotta go!

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