Check It

Tonight I find myself in Houston, Texas. I observed, on the cab ride to the hotel, that momentarily the air smelled of oil. Appropo, but likely just coincidental.

Since the airport security changes I've already flown twice. The thought of losing my right to carry hair gel in my carry-on created some angst. (I take a broad interpretation of our constitutional rights to life and liberty.) I'd venture that while I fly often I hadn't checked a bag in over a year. My former boss was a bit of a totalitarian grump about checked baggage (and I mean that with the utmost respect.) Even if you were the lackey in charge of carrying both the projector and laptop for a presentation -- you just had to make it fit carry-on, so what if you had no room for clothing? Despite the demands to arrive at the airport three hours prior, I confess that I've found the process of checking luggage has usually taken between 5 and 20 minutes. Security likewise has taken the same amount of time. I joked with friends that the longest line I stood in at the airport was waiting for my egg mcmuffin at McDonald's. (30 minutes, can you believe it? And even with all that time, the guy in front of me reached the register and had to ponder what he wanted to eat. I had to suppress an audible, exasperated gasp, and shove my hands in my pockets so as not to give him an angry bop on the head.)

Next month will find me traveling to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Oh yes, and of course, a little trip back to my second home of C'bus for Labor Day weekend. With all the going here and there, I think Jason and I might be celebrating our birthdays in October instead, which might be just one way to fight aging.

Besides being glad that I wasn't on an international flight from London with the folks who ended up with nothing to read but the small print in their passports last week, this NYT article about those suffering more from the new TSA rules made me feel a little better: Tighter Security Is Jeopardizing Orchestra Tours.
I was delighted that solid lipstick is now allowed under the most recent reconsideration of the new rules. Hurrah for women's rights.