Entries this day: Pre_Ohio airports zzzz

Pre Ohio

9:14am CST Friday 1 February 2002

Last night I did 4 loads of laundry around midnight. I napped between trips to the laundry room. So freezing is the wind outside!!!

But later today I'll be in Ohio, where it's even more freeeezing! Yikes! I'm going with David as part of the Jahnny Depp (Joining And Helpfully Networking Neighboring Yacs District Exchange Program Packet) (The "packet" is a reference to the document that describes the who/where/how/why of the program)

This morning I stopped by KTRU to turn in a CD and Chad was there! He works at Wende's work, and I encouraged him to apply to be a DJ. He did and I was impressed with how quickly he could run the board - basically as fast as me when I'm in chaos mode behind the scenes at KTRU. His coworker Rob (friend of Wende and me) is *also* a DJ now; he just got accepted. I'm excited!

So now I'm off to the airport.. oh hey

This is the first time I've even been to an airport, much less flown since September. I wonder how strict/fucked-up/crazy it will be going through the lines. David is checking a bag and carrying on 2 bags. I'm checking a bag and carrying on 1 bag. So weird to feel a me-vs-them mentality when I'm "up against" the airport security. Like I have to prove myself to be good and do all the right things so they won't be suspicious. Very strange.

I'll take notes.

airports

11:11am CST Friday 1 February 2002

David and I are at Intercontinental Airport, with an hour & 13 minutes before our flight leaves for Ohio for a YAC Exchange thing.

So, the most notable difference in the airport was 2 or 4 people in fatigues at every check-in carrying assault rifles. I'm no gun expert so I can't tell you what number, and I didn't spend a lot of time gawking or chatting, but I got through the checkpoint, turned the corner and saw the butt of the gun slung over her shoulder and I exclaimed "Good Lord!" and looked up... I mean the gun was right fucking next to me - I was startled and I looked up the fatigues and this woman was looking at me, a guy who just exclaimed "Good Lord" while scoping out her assault rifle, as if to ask me "you got a problem?"

No ma'am; I'll be on my way.

Walking down the jetway the nervous energy I felt prompted me to joke toward David, "I could have asked her, 'Say... how'd you get that in here???'" (Assuming we wanted to be held for questioning and never fly again).... but seriously I'm like holy shit that is scary. No longer on TV - that's an assault rifle right here. Wow.

noon Friday 1 February 2002

So the other detail about airport security is that everyone had to show their ID and boarding pass as they got on the airplane. Some people were randomly (??) pulled out of line for more thorough search/screening.

This is fine in theory, but in practice it was wack because the 3 guys doing the screening seemed quite unprofessional. They were young, joking together, not enunciating clearly to the passengers. Before beginning their work, they gossiped and bantered together talking about the legality of killing in self defense if someone tries to steal their car. I probably won't complain to anyone, but it certainly seemed like low budget security.

2:06pm

Descending now on the first flight. This stewardess is so cute and I can't quite explain why. I'm not sure if she reminds me of someone or what.

Interesting reading Brian O'Leary's Exploring Inner and Outer Space chapter on UFOs in which he cites evidence of a government-within-our-government sworn to higher than Top Secret status and possible agreements between with and aliens to give us technology in exchange for abductees, and that the star wars missile defense program may be against aliens, not terrestrial missiles, and Jimmy Carter didn't reveal UFO research as he promised in his campaign speeches because government swore him to secrecy??????

It's 34 degrees and 18 mph wind with gusts to 25mph in Detroit, our current destination.

5pm

Fun zipping down the moving sidewalks which remind me of Star Wars when a ship goes into and out of hyperspace. When we get rich, Dave and I are going to build fast moving sidewalks.

Our flight is overbooked. We're choosing not to accept free round trip to anywhere in US or Carribean in the next year in exchange for not boarding.

We are, however, open to not taking a different flight which is overbooked. Hmmmm.

What about spending a week not taking flights that we previously booked and accruing $ and free round trip tickets?

6:11pm

We're late leaving - in the little plan now being de-iced. A woman with a voice like that in "Little Fluffy Clouds" by The Orb is sitting in front of me.

I loaned my jacket to a woman from Ohio who packed her coat in Miami. She couldn't get her coat out of her checked-on baggage.

It was actually a stretch for me to do loan my jacket. I'm glad I did it. The difficulty was in speaking up in a group of strangers, and in allowing my possession out of my control. Good job me.

zzzz

1:30am Saturday 2 February 2002 (02/02/02)

Bedtime now, except some of the YAC members are telling Emilio Estevez jokes

• What do you call Emilio Estevez when he's brushing his teeth?
  Emilio Crestevez

• What do you call Emilio Estevez after dinner?
  Emilio Digestevez

There were many more.

When we arrived at the Akron/Canton airport, we wondered how we'd know our driver person. We saw a San Antonio Rally T-shirt - the Rub A Dub Slug shirt. Mary who attended San Antonio rally was there to pick us up. I didn't recognize her at first, but after a while I remembered "oh yeah - I remember her from the rally...."

David was hungry so we stopped by White Castle, which was -*!N O T H I N G!*- like I imagined it from the Beastie Boys songs I've heard, but more like a little fast food place that sold tiny tiny little hamburgers. ("White Castle burgers only come in one size!" is the B-Boy line in my head now.) I got Chicken Rings, which are basically chicken nuggets in the shape of rings. Pretty cool idea. Strange to bite into a ring and my brain is expecting onion and tastes chicken!

Upon arrival at the church (we got slightly lost) we were not immediately well-greeted, but when we told people, "Houston" or "Texas" (or both) to the question, "where are you from?" we got "oh!! You're the Texans!" One guy asked, "are you rich?" so I faked my drawl, "yep, I got a hunnert and fifty thouusan acre ranch in mah back yard, ohl wells all over the place, and ten thousan head a cattle a-roamin the range."

Aimee was the first to greet David and me with hugs. We've also met Zach, Jessie, Jaine, Bridgette, Carey, ... hmm I'm getting tired.

While talking to Aimee, David and I remembered our super magic tricks from Houston Rally, so I made some cards to do the number magic, and we did some of the Snaps magic trick as well.

We were also excited to learn that it had snowed after we arrived, so Jaine and Bridgette escorted us outside to watch us be all, "wow! Snow!!!!" and had a great snowball fight while they were all, "this is nothing! what are you crazy Texans thinking?" Fun fun stuff.