March 24, 2005

Robbo's Travels

Gooooood Morning, Llamaland, I'm baaaaaaack!

First and foremost, huge Llama Yips go out to Kathy for manning the fort while we Llamas were out and about (or "oot and aboot" as the Scots would say). Orgling's rayther addictive, isn't it Kathy?

Second, I have no earthly idea what is going on in the blogsphere, since I haven't even looked at a computer screen since last weekend. So if I start beating on a horse that is already very much dead, please indulge me.

Third, I have the following travel-related observations to make:

- As long time readers know, I have a real phobia about flying. But, if you have to get on an airplane, Midwest Airlines rocks. For those of you unfamiliar with them, all of Midwest's seats are big n' roomy 1st class jobs - they only stack four across where other airlines would jam five or even six. Also, their whole shtick is customer service, so you don't get the feeling so much that you're being herded into a cattle car by people who don't give a damn and would rather be somewhere else.

Unfortunately, it isn't what it used to be. About eight years ago I flew Midwest out to Omaha for a wedding. In those days, they served complimentary wine and did it so aggressively that I was pretty well buzzed before we'd even cleared Appalachia. They seemed to have knocked that policy off these days. Perhaps it's all for the best.

Of course, the only drawback is that Midwest only flies to half a dozen or so cities. But if you're going to one of them, it's definitely the best way to do it.

- I will never again agree to a "midsized" rental car. Enterprise saddled me with something called a Chevy Aveo. I'd never even heard of these things before, and I could completely understand why when I saw it - it's basically a Geo Metro knock-off. Small, low and frail. Not the sort of thing in which I'd care to take another hundred mile round trip on the Interstate.

- Speaking of driving, I am now of the opinion that police cruisers on the Interstate are detrimental to public safety. This is because they disrupt the normal flow of traffic. Usually, when someone is tooling along at or around the speed limit, other faster drivers will simply pass him. Nothing to it. And everybody is used to it. But when a state trooper is the one doing the tooling, nobody dares to pass. As a result, an enormous bottleneck can form up, with a large number of drivers suddenly finding themselves in very close proximity to each other at high speed and, equally important, in an unfamiliar situation - nobody really knows what anybody else is going to do. It strikes me that when the actions of public safety officials pose a hazard to public safety themselves, then the officials ought to consider changing them.

Just saying.

- Speaking of law enforcement, I had to spend a goodish bit of my time in the local Federal Building. To get through security, I had to present a photo I.D. When I flashed my creds from Father Justice, the guard would ask confidentially, "Are you armed?" Of course, I wasn't and wouldn't want to be. But just being asked was kinda cool.

- Oh, one other thing - Damn the Central Time Zone! How can Letterman be over at 11:30? It ain't natural.

UPDATE: Big Llama Yips! to our Llama Military Correspondent as well. I particularly like his Flash-In-The-Pan Babe series and hope he'll keep submitting them. When do we get to Catherine Bach, aka Daisy Duke?

Posted by Robert at March 24, 2005 09:26 AM
Comments

I flashed my Father Justice creds at the airport a couple of years back to see if I'd get through security without the wand and shoe removal. The nice TSA dude at the home airport asked if I was carrying and was all prepared to have me scoot through the special "no-need-to-check-the-law-enforcement" lanes behind the magnotometer. I assured him that I was not carrying, but he still assisted me through security post-haste.

Not all airports are alike, though. The other airport TSA dudette wasn't impressed with my creds and went so far as to pick through my carry on bag with her stick.

Posted by: jen at March 24, 2005 09:52 AM

Don't forget to thank the LMC. He threw up a few posts as well.

Posted by: Kathy at March 24, 2005 10:03 AM


You haven't missed much. O-Dub has posted 35 different times about Terry Schiavo (I googled and counted). I guess no one has the heart to tell him that when she dies, he doesn't get to eat her.

Posted by: The Colossus at March 24, 2005 11:45 AM

I've never tried the airport thing, always whipping out my driver's license instead. I'll have to see what happens some time.

Colloss-O, you're one sick puppy.

Posted by: Robert the LB at March 24, 2005 12:47 PM

I look for the TSA guy with the short haircut that screams "ex-military", flash my DOD ID, he responds with a greeting and my rank, we exchange a few obligatory questions such as MOS, duty stations, and old units, and finish with mutual "HUAH"s

Posted by: LMC at March 24, 2005 01:47 PM
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