On the radio this morning they were issuing the standard things about traveling - take off your shoes and any jackets, put change, keys, etc., in the tray, liquids in three-ounce containers in a quart-sized ziplock bag, etc. ... and telling people to get there early so they can wait through all the people who didn't listen to the advisories and have to start from scratch.

Reminds me of when I was on jury duty and was waiting in line behind a lawyer who got to the metal detector, set it off, and then had to step back - while everyone waited - and empty his pockets, pull out his cell phone, etc.

I think the fraud thing was triggered by the check-in witch, I just can't prove it. She didn't like being showed up and having her manager back me instead of her....so she took it out with what power she had.

I have her name and a letter will be written. But still - they have you over a barrel because there is no other way to get on the flight but to comply with their damned hoops.

(((Sean))) Sorry for the travel suckage.

I suspect that travel suckage is here to stay. Maybe we'll get a resurgance of rail travel?

Don't hate me but I'm at the gym lounging in the hot tub while posting.

Don't hate me but I'm at the gym lounging in the hot tub while posting.

I officially hate Cashmere.

I'm at work, bored, but can't leave.

{{{Sean}}} Flight~ma.

There's snow on the ground. I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

Yeah, my policy with travelling is to arrive hours ahead of time (2 hours is my minimum) and be friendly and smile and be agreeable, no matter how crazy the request is. I used to get all wound up about it, but now I just want to make it through the gauntlet. I find that I do so much better being the one person out of 20 in line who say "Thank You" to the TSA agents. I may not really feel like thanking them, but if they thing I get it and make their job a bit easier they are the ones that can grease the wheels.

Once I'm through everything if I've had problems I write a letter or e-mail of complaint.

Going through metal detectors is the only benefit to carrying a purse - all my keys and change are already in there, so I don't have to empty pockets. And I'm with ND on the being nice to TSA people ... if they aren't being nasty for no reason.

I try the same thing, ND. It usually works. I just bumped up against a gal who refused to give in to the niceness and I had to ask for her manager, which pissed her off - and then he told her to do what I was asking, which really pissed her off. No amount of politeness could counter that.

ETA - We're kind of loving the low dollar because it's easier to pay off Boy's student loans. Our bad.

Oh, that's totally understandable. I'm just grumpy because it makes the writers conference I want to attend in Canada next year more expensive, and a trip to Europe just that much MORE impossible any time soon. My absolute dream trip is to pretty much spend all the summer of 2015 in Europe (2015 because of the Waterloo bicentennial), so I've got, oh, 7 1/2 years for the dollar to gain some strength. And if it's really going to be the whole summer instead of just three weeks or so in June, I'd better hurry up and become a successful author.

Sigh. 7 1/2 years. I guess that's do-able. Wish I could pause time for a bit, though...

Yeah, I've been there with gate agents. Sometimes you have to go over their head and they use whatever little power they have. Write a letter to United with her name and the name of her manager who helped you. Quite often you'll get a flight voucher out of it.