4.24.2009

Fly to Diet

4 hour international flight, with extra time on the runway. Left Chicago at just before 10:00 am. Arriving in Canada somewhere after 2:00 pm. Total in-flight refreshments: one small glass of coke, no can, and one glass of water. Wow. When did money become more important than comfort when traveling?

I miss Braniff of the 70's. Free cards, pilot's wings, a visit to the cockpit to bother the captain with silly questions and sneak a peek from the big windows. I've done a 12 hour Atlantic crossing in an Army C-141, sitting in jump seats on the side of the plane, staring at our pile of luggage strapped down in front of us, with the heater turned off. Even that was less claustrophobic and parsimonious than this flight.


-- Post From My iPhone

4.21.2009

Airport Art ...

...is much cooler in this decade!

Chicago:



Austin:



-- Post From My iPhone

Evolution

Have to wonder what evolutionary forces we might eventually see on birds living in the niche environment of airports.



-- Post From My iPhone at O'Hare International

Traveler's Time

My exciting glimpse of Chicago:



It's been years since I've flown. I've worked at a slaughterhouse, and modern air travel is remarkably similar to the stock chutes - designed to funnel large herds, lots of lines and ramps, and attempts to minimize awareness of the upcoming discomfort. I'm not sure coach could pass an ASPCA inspection. Frankly, security should stop bothering to have selected items of clothing removed. Just have us strip to our BVDs and be done with it.

At any rate, the only method to survive this voluntary torture is to switch off your brain and turn on Traveler's Time. There are no deadlines or appointments, just this foggy, fuzzy space where the only thing you control is showing up. Faces slide by, but most are at least polite. It's necessary to make the time pass and to prevent the breakdown that you know lurks under the facade of your (very) near neighbor.


-- Post From My iPhone at

4.20.2009

Stuck in Chicago Town

I'd love to find out if it's my kind of town, but apparently a round trip cab ride downtown would run to $80, so I'll just have to keep wondering. Best I can do is Chicago style pizza. Verdict: two thumbs up! Hint to pizza places that deliver to hotels - send napkins and forks!

Downside of leaving the South - no Dr. Pepper.

Next stop Canada, Hosehead!

-- Post From My iPhone

4.16.2009

Nature v. Nurture

Picking my mom up from the Austin airport today. Stopped at the restroom and saw the coolest art insets of various hairstyles in the mirror. As soon as I snapped the pic I realized that it was something my mother would do, and 20 years ago I would have been so embarassed! I guess nurture gets my vote today!





-- Post From My iPhone

4.06.2009

You would never know...

But I am now the parent of a teenager. I feel old, but he's still a kid.

He even designed his own cake this year. I have no idea what the flying skull means!

-- Post From My iPhone

Blog Working Again

That magic email showed up this weekend: "Our records indicate that you've selected to automatically renew domain registration . . . " OH YEAH! I have a blog! That one where even though I bought the domain through Google, and they configured the DNS, and those DNS settings matched the requirements, still stopped working! Hmmm . . . let's try activate custom domain again . . . OK, it's up . . . let's see how long it stays up this time!