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Two words: Tra. Vel.
Nov. 4th, 2001 08:24 pmThe schedule worked per the plan. I woke at 3:10 am and was in the lobby to check out at 3:45. A fellow sufferer was already there, waiting for a shuttle. Great, I think to myself, now I don't have to take a cab. My next thought revolved around why the concierge recommended taking a cab at that hour of the morning after I specifically asked about a shuttle.
As it turned out, the shuttle was full, so I ended up taking a cab anyway. Seeing as how the concierge could have saved me about $18 by ordering another shuttle, my departure left a lingering sour taste in my mouth as I left the hotel at 4:00.
I arrived at LAX at 4:15. During the short trip, in the early, early morning, illuminated only by reflected artificial lights, I could not help but notice all of the tall palm trees with the achingly thin trunks, topped with tufts of leaves, which stood like sentinels along the freeway. What do they guard against?
Once at the airport, I devised the plan of inserting my driver license into my conference badge holder (rather than keep pulling out my wallet and removing, showing, and then replacing both license and wallet). I had to show a photo ID at the check-in counter, once at the bottom of the escalator to the security checkpoint, once at the top of that escalator (go figure), and again at the gate. That was at LAX; the badge holder came in handy at Salt Lake City and Albuquerque, too.
I set off the metal-detecting portal again, and was again given the thorough treatment. I came to the conclusion - as I had taken off my belt, removed all coins, etc. from my pockets, and otherwise carefully denuded myself of metal - that the metal grommets in my shoes must have been setting off the portal, because the wand only beeped when it came near my zipper and my shoes.
Anyway, I tried to get some sleep on the plane, but it was fitful snoozing at best. Once in Salt Lake, I bought Clive Cussler's Atlantis Found, and proceeded to devour about 325 pages by the time the Beechcraft 1900 landed in Farmington. Galina picked me up, we did a bit of shopping, and came home.
I am tired, but may try to stay up for the season premiere of The X Files.
Cheers...
As it turned out, the shuttle was full, so I ended up taking a cab anyway. Seeing as how the concierge could have saved me about $18 by ordering another shuttle, my departure left a lingering sour taste in my mouth as I left the hotel at 4:00.
I arrived at LAX at 4:15. During the short trip, in the early, early morning, illuminated only by reflected artificial lights, I could not help but notice all of the tall palm trees with the achingly thin trunks, topped with tufts of leaves, which stood like sentinels along the freeway. What do they guard against?
Once at the airport, I devised the plan of inserting my driver license into my conference badge holder (rather than keep pulling out my wallet and removing, showing, and then replacing both license and wallet). I had to show a photo ID at the check-in counter, once at the bottom of the escalator to the security checkpoint, once at the top of that escalator (go figure), and again at the gate. That was at LAX; the badge holder came in handy at Salt Lake City and Albuquerque, too.
I set off the metal-detecting portal again, and was again given the thorough treatment. I came to the conclusion - as I had taken off my belt, removed all coins, etc. from my pockets, and otherwise carefully denuded myself of metal - that the metal grommets in my shoes must have been setting off the portal, because the wand only beeped when it came near my zipper and my shoes.
Anyway, I tried to get some sleep on the plane, but it was fitful snoozing at best. Once in Salt Lake, I bought Clive Cussler's Atlantis Found, and proceeded to devour about 325 pages by the time the Beechcraft 1900 landed in Farmington. Galina picked me up, we did a bit of shopping, and came home.
I am tired, but may try to stay up for the season premiere of The X Files.
Cheers...
