Back fom San Franciso

As I write this Hazel and I are on the way back from San Francisco after spending a week visiting friends and family. Considering weather and the recent flight cancellations by Delta our trip has gone smoothly.

This trip was a little more rushed since Hazel had to be back to teach so we didn’t get to see everyone or do everything we would have liked. Maybe next time, the third time will be the charm and we will get to see DeYoung Museum.

I never fly now without thinking about 9/11 and about security – hard not to do as you walk and those around you walk barefoot or in stocking feet pass often brusque and serious looking TSA employees. And, listening to the PA caution us to report any unattended or “suspicious” looking bags I decided to do just that. I’m not really sure what a “suspicious” looking bag is like – does it have shifty eyes or loops and wire attached to red sticks?

Hazel and I arrived at our SFO gate and as we went to sit down I noticed an unattended bag! Mmmmm this could be serious, does no one take our safety seriously. I decided to watch it and see if someone returned. Since I had to go to the counter in a futile effort to get Hazel and I seated together I waited until that was done and still no bag owner.

I asked a woman sitting a couple seats away if it was her bag or did she know who it belonged to? No but she though it might be someone standing in the line at the counter. I went over and asked everyone if the bag was theirs’ – again, No. I looked around to see how to report this unattended bag. It didn’t seem to be productive to stand in line at the airline counter again and better yet, TSA was just around the corned.

So I went around the corner and saw a man in TSA uniform. Ahhhh, this will take care of that unattended bag. I told him about the bag at gate C40. He told me it probably belonged to someone that had just stepped away and they would return in 5 minutes or so. Now he was friendly and even smiled. Okay. Someone did return…after we had been there 20 minutes. God I feel safe when I fly. No terrorist are going to penetrate our security!

I’ll have to tell my other TSA story sometime.

Well we got on the plane and I encountered another story. Our flight was going to continue on from Atlanta to Russia, was overbooked, and big, meaning slow to load. Finally got aboard and sat in my comfy middle seat next to a young woman that appeared to be sleeping. She was slouched down in a diagonal posture that had her leaning into my seat area. This meant I had to jostle with her for seat space. She didn’t seem to understand that she was crowding me and the only way to give her room was to lean into the person on my other side.

I could have politely asked her to shift back into her space but she had shifted a little so I knew she was awake and certainly aware of our close proximity. Instead I commenced to read my newspaper, moving as needed to turn pages and change sections. Suddenly she said “Will you stop moving, I’m trying to sleep!” I hadn’t expected that and not wanting to be at lost for words said “I don’t give a damn!” I continued to say, “I can’t give you more space, I am the size I am and these seats are small.” She was lucky I am not a big man.

She didn’t say anything more nor did she slug me. In fact in a short while she shifted so we both had room and the remainder of the trip was flown in “relative” comfort. Aren’t all things relative? About that close proximity to a young woman? After all, I am a grumpy old man that reports unattended luggage - what do you expect?