Day Tripper

In some ways I like day trips. Out in the morning, back in the evening and I get to sleep in my own bed.

And then some days, it just annoys the ever living shit out of me. It is probably not so much the in and out (that's what she said) the same day, sometimes the tribulations of travel I let get to me.

Take yesterday. To save $600 on a flight, I went out of Akron, instead of Cleveland. It meant being in my car at 05:00 - which isn't too bad, since I do that for the gym anyway. But I did have to drive an hour to the airport, as opposed to the normal 20 minutes. And I had to do it in heavy fog that left you with about 10 ft visibility. But I soldiered on.

Then I get through the slowest security line ever and had to hear a man argue with TSA about bringing a golf club through security as a carry on. A 7 iron perhaps? But I can see the TSAs point - it could do some damage to a cockpit door if one so intended.

And then the plane was late in boarding. It had no power. How is this possible? They had to find - get this - something to plug the plane into. Twice. Are airplanes the new electric car? Clearly, I know less about aeronautics than I do about automobiles. When they let up finally on, the temp was about 37 degrees, well, because the plane had no power.

Oh - and all the delays (there were two others), got me to my meeting in Philadelphia two minutes late. I was scheduled to be there over an hour early. The best laid plans.

But there's more. You knew there would be - right?

I took a cab from airport to client meeting - and yes, the driver smelled. Oh, he smelled soooo badly. Breathing through my mouth for 32 minutes, badly - not that I timed it (though I totally did!). And about three-quarters the way through my four hour meeting, I realized I had this cabbies stench on me. Blech!

At least I got a ride back to the airport by a colleague. But the Philadelphia airport really is for shit. It makes O'Hare look good. The lines, the terminals that you have to take buses to and said buses sit and wait on the taxi way for planes go to and fro - because clearly they have the right of way. How fucked up is that? Build connectors, people!!!!!

But it was 12 hours out of my life - start to finish. And I'm home. For four days.


Song by: the Beatles