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Nov. 22nd, 2013 04:15 pmI am safe in Texas, though given the weather here apparently safe is relative.
It's colder than usual for Austin at this time of year, which is doing strange things to my parents. I changed out of my traveling clothes and into a fleecy sweater, and Mum immediately demanded to know if I was cold. By the time I had said "no" and then worked out what was happening, she had turned up the heat, lighted the gas fire, and placed a fuzzy blanket over me. I barely managed to restrain her from putting slippers on my feet.
So I am very warm. Also there is a tiny dog sitting on me, pretending he loves me in order to absorb all this excess body heat. Fortunately he's cute, so he gets to stay.
I had a bizarre experience at Midway airport this morning; I was ordered by TSA staff out of the normal-people security checkpoint line and into the Special Rich People security checkpoint line. I was herded off to one side, where it was apprently BACKWARDS DAY. The TSA agent who was walking up and down the line kept yelling things like KEEP YOUR SHOES ON and PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE YOUR LAPTOPS FROM YOUR BAGS and TOILETRIES SHOULD STAY IN BAGS AT ALL TIMES.
I'm telling you after 12 years of being terrorized by the TSA, I and everyone around me was very confused. But apparently we were beta-testing the new streamlined security measures intended to be used for Pre-Check passengers who, for a nominal EIGHTY FIVE DOLLAR fee, can keep their shoes on when they go through security.
Money can't buy you love, but apparently it can magically convince people you're not a shoe-bomber.
I don't intend to sign up for pre-check. Sometimes wearing the funniest socks I can find through the security checkpoint is the highlight of my airport experience. (Sometimes, that highlight is ice cream from Ben & Jerry's in the food court.) If you've never seen a TSA agent double-take at your squid-attacking-a-pirate-ship socks, you haven't fully milked the personal-violation-by-our-government experience.
It's colder than usual for Austin at this time of year, which is doing strange things to my parents. I changed out of my traveling clothes and into a fleecy sweater, and Mum immediately demanded to know if I was cold. By the time I had said "no" and then worked out what was happening, she had turned up the heat, lighted the gas fire, and placed a fuzzy blanket over me. I barely managed to restrain her from putting slippers on my feet.
So I am very warm. Also there is a tiny dog sitting on me, pretending he loves me in order to absorb all this excess body heat. Fortunately he's cute, so he gets to stay.
I had a bizarre experience at Midway airport this morning; I was ordered by TSA staff out of the normal-people security checkpoint line and into the Special Rich People security checkpoint line. I was herded off to one side, where it was apprently BACKWARDS DAY. The TSA agent who was walking up and down the line kept yelling things like KEEP YOUR SHOES ON and PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE YOUR LAPTOPS FROM YOUR BAGS and TOILETRIES SHOULD STAY IN BAGS AT ALL TIMES.
I'm telling you after 12 years of being terrorized by the TSA, I and everyone around me was very confused. But apparently we were beta-testing the new streamlined security measures intended to be used for Pre-Check passengers who, for a nominal EIGHTY FIVE DOLLAR fee, can keep their shoes on when they go through security.
Money can't buy you love, but apparently it can magically convince people you're not a shoe-bomber.
I don't intend to sign up for pre-check. Sometimes wearing the funniest socks I can find through the security checkpoint is the highlight of my airport experience. (Sometimes, that highlight is ice cream from Ben & Jerry's in the food court.) If you've never seen a TSA agent double-take at your squid-attacking-a-pirate-ship socks, you haven't fully milked the personal-violation-by-our-government experience.
