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Ahh, the comforts of the modern traveller. I'm sitting here in Newark International Airport at 8:10 in the morning. I'm typing this entry outside of Gate A26b in Terminal A. My laptop is plugged into a weird rotating sign that has an outlet in its base. I'm listening to a rotation of MP3s playing through Winamp over my Sony earbud headphones. I've got a 20oz. Diet Coke next to me. I'm ready for the day.
Actually, I've been ready for the day since about 5:45 AM. And my flight is scheduled for 9:30 AM. I haven't been on an airplane or in an airport since September 11th. I really didn't know what to expect. Then couple a rainy forecast with the beginning of the NY/NJ metropolitan rush hour and I overcompensated. I felt I had to get the kids to daycare as early as possible (which is 7:00 AM) so I woke them at about 6:15 AM. I got them dressed, got them fed, and packed them in the truck. I slowed down to about 15 MPH and kicked them out the door hoping my aim and speed was good enough that they would roll to a stop right outside the school door. Well, really I took themi inside and got them situated before running out the door again. I actually made very good time as time-stamp on my parking ticket says 7:28 AM. Took the really slow monorail from the parking lot to the terminal. Got my E-ticket boarding pass printed by those cool little kiosk machines, thereby bypassing the horrendous line at the check-in counters. I just have my laptop backpack and a backpack for my clothes/stuff. I guess the "2-hour before flight time" recommendation is for people checking in and checking bags.
The only real delay was the security checkpoint. I had to wait in a line for awhile. I had to take my laptop out of the case so it could go on the X-ray machine on its own. My bags/computer got through fine. I wasn't so lucky. They must have turned up the sensitivity of the metal detectors, because I set the thing off. An Indian woman pulled me to the side and used the wand on me. Here are the following things that set off the wand: 45 cents in my pocket (2 dimes and 1 quarter), my belt buckle, the metal grommets in the laceholes of my shoes. Then the woman turned me around and asked if she could touch me. Even though I mentally prepared myself for a possible anal probing, she just ran her hands over my back and up either side of my legs. While it was going on, I felt something akin to the feeling I get when I've been pulled over by the police. You sit there while everyone else is zooming past you. You don't really want to make eye contact with the lucky ones who escaped being nabbed. But they are all looking over at you. I can't really complain. I'm glad they are doing it. More later.
I snapped this picture of a guy wearing a black leather Looney Tunes jacket. I thought it was interesting that a person would be so in love with these characters that we would buy this jacket. The thing I didn't get in the picture is that he was wearing a Wolverine / X-Men shirt. Not a t-shirt, but a garishly colored, button down. This guy apparently has a thing for animation. Guess who he ended up sitting next to. Yep. I maintained radio silence at all times, though.
Got into Atlanta with no problem, got my rental car, got to our offices, did some work, blah, blah blah. Pretty dull stuff. I lived it, no reason for you to have to hear about it.
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