LIVE FROM THE BWI AIRPORT...IT'S THE POST THIRTY POST ROAD SHOW.
I had a great idea for a post this week, but life caught up with me...should I say, life overtook me. But more on that next week...
I have to say that it was unprecedented when we circled the outskirts of Houston due to weather concerns. It was even more unprecedented that I had my first "diverted" flight. However, there is "diverted", then there is what I had..."Uhhhhh, this is the captain speaking. Uhhhhhh, we are going to head back to Corpus. Uhhhhh, they are not accepting any incoming flights. Uhhhhh, we will be back and fuel up in 20 minutes so, uhhhhhh, sit back and 'enjoy' the trip back."
Fun.
Anyway, being in an airplane and an airport setting for the better part of 12 hours, I have made some distinct observations involving the status of air travel. Before I go all Seinfeldian on everyone, I just want to mention [again] that I loathe flying. Not that I'm claustrophobic, just that I am not a fan of not being in control. Now I know how my dogs feel when they want to sit up in the front seat but get regaled back to the back. It's instinctive of alphas that this sort of annoyance is there when control is lost or temporarily broken.
Upon observation, there are six constants when at an airport or in a plane. These are the people flying with you. And in a Utopian universe, you could ask them so many questions that a new level of human understanding would be achieved. But, I don't know if it's reconditioned human nature or time constraints or a lack of bravery toward that Utopian world that inhibits all of us to take time and find out about other people. Or, the fact that it is 5:56 a.m. and no one appreciates a chatterbox that early in the morning...maybe that's why we don't talk to the six people we meet.
...in no particular order...
- Young kid that is way too cantankerous to be on a flight but is at the terminal anyway: I am not anti-child. Hell, I was once a child (and still behave like one at times). Babies are not interesting to me because the cannot communicate effectively. But 3-5 year-olds are great. They are just as talkative as I want to be. Sure, they have huge potential to ruin a calm flight, but as crammed in as everyone is on a plane, everyone has that potential. Besides, when is the last time you have revisited how awesome fire trucks are? With the size and the lights and the sirens and the color...c'mon, those bad boys rock. But seriously, why didn't you leave the kiddo at Grams or Pepaw's house?
- Individual that speaks foreign language/awesome foreign accent that checks in with everyone before the flight: Maybe it's because I never had the drive or time to learn a foreign language. Two straight years of college-level Spanish and I still can conjugate tener, but I think we can learn tons from this person. First off, why is he or she on the phone with everyone in creation? Second, I just want them to start reading names from the phone book...I love accents. For some strange reason, it is ten-times more soluble to digest a foreign accent in person than over a phone (thanks, HP tech support). Anyone that can carry on in multilingual fashion has "interesting" written all over him or her.
- Senator John Cornyn...no, seriously, he was on my flight - or was I on his flight? Senator Cornyn is an interesting fellow. Forget the fact that I fundamentally disagree with every single thing he argues in support for, I think adversarial thinking is entertaining and interesting. I would have a slew of questions, but there is only a limited time to speak while he is devising strategy to shoot down health care reform. Again, nothing wrong with respectful disagreement. But, another observation was that he looked exhausted. I can only assume that his companion was his lovely wife...yet another perk as a US Senator...you can travel with Your Lovely (lucky!).
- Man or woman that checks in at the counter every 10-15 minutes: We can all argue personal importance and urgency to what we are doing at any specific point in time as THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT/ITEM/OCCURRENCE EVER(!). But, you really wonder why they are checking in over and over again. Perhaps they have bigger control issues than me. However, this is my first impression and I am rerouted and laid-over in Houston overnight. I asked one question to one person overnight and got what I needed. The service industry has never been an industry out to get us. Sure, inconveniences in air travel have gotten our goat time and again. But there is really no reason to repeatedly go back and forth to a control desk unless you are the person with control issues. What's in your head? Why the stress? Why not go with the proverbial "flow"? What is so extremely important that you have to triple-check what has been written on your boarding pass the whole time? Simply put, what is the story?
- Two guys that look like they are in a band but probably not: These guys are always the chieftains that order a beer at 0900 (local time). They are constantly asking for directions. These guys are the closest to having a very interesting conversation with you, but they are too busy hitting on the bartender at the airport "pub". You do want to start a conversation, but they are too busy with their dissertation on how Muse is the next Led Zepplin. For some strange reason, you don't like where any of the conversations will lead. They have the gumption to start up a conversation, but you refuse to reciprocate. And that is lame.
- Me: I'm an interesting guy. I come full circle from my thesis. I want to know what makes microcosms of society tick. In transition, we find people in their most-focused or least-focused state. We are between flights. We are between destinations. We are away from home. We are coming home. We have fear and anxiety. We have hope and purpose. We move fast. We meander slowly. It's the constant flux that we never hone-in on but we have to because of the transitive state. So, I am that guy. I want to engage in how individuals move from point A to point B. But, I don't because while traveling in this state (specifically flight), we invert. We don't engage. The push-pull of why we are flying is overriding any sort of socialization that we long to invoke. But, hey, that's okay. We travel. We move forward. We go backward. We shift laterally. But wouldn't it be kinda neat if we took the time to discover this perfect opportunity? I not saying, I'm just saying...because I don't want to be that guy.
1) No matter what happens, don't panic.
2) Carry-on luggage is nice when you get diverted and have to stay overnight somewhere. Apparently, it's policy to keep your baggage overnight it you were redirected to another flight. You paid the $20, might as well earn the money.
3) Friendliness is still contagious. Bad days happen. Stupid things happen. All it takes is some understanding and a deep breath to make things easier for everyone involved.
Ha! Thematic posts...who ever heard of such a thing? As always, to my readers, I appreciate the catharsis that is P30P. Turning the mundane into the quotable is a fun exercise. One of these days, I might get used to flying. But Wonder Woman has yet to let me borrow her jet. Talk later.
post script - I really had a good post lined up for this week. We will hit it up when the time is right.
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