What a Trip

Back from a whirlwind trip to Kansas City (hi, Filegirl!), where I met some really lovely people who are thinking of maybe just possibly hiring me and where I saw some really unbelievable houses and some others that might even be in my price range if I ever get a job again that pays anything...

OK, stop and breathe. I picked up a cold or something on my trip and did a couple quick rounds with Montezuma's Revenge. Yuck. Oh, and got maybe 4 hours of sleep before my interviews, 'cause my plane had mechanical problems and I didn't get to my hotel until 2 a.m. local time. Ech.

However, I also picked up some great characters and situations for future writing, which is how I live my life now and have a blast no matter what. For instance:

• The woman obviously returning from a ski trip, wearing crop pants and 4-inch heels. Oh, please, honey. Don't you know that this airport is larger than most cities?
• The orange-haired woman wearing rust and brown clothes and a red tie-dyed cowboy hat. I thought this was the weirdest thing I'd see that night until I noticed another woman in a pink felt cowboy hat. Good gravy, people.
• The man(probably on a business trip) who waited in line for the security check semi-patiently for 10 or 15 minutes, then burst out with, "I showed up 15 minutes early and now I'm going to miss my $&%$*# flight!" Ooh. Y'know, even before 9/11, I wouldn't have cut it that close. Not even in a reasonable-sized airport, which this one is, as I've mentioned, NOT.
• The cute young Japanese couple who hugged goodbye outside the security line; he watched longingly for several minutes before leaving the terminal. A few seconds later, I saw her on the phone. I bet it was him.

People are fascinating. Here's another interesting thing. When I got to security, I didn't take off my shoes because I can't really walk without them and I can't bend over to do anything with them without hurting myself. After all, the sign only says "We recommend that you remove your shoes." Well, the security guy told me to do it anyway. When I explained why I hadn't (hoping that they could just do the wand-waving thing around my feet), he said, "I'll have to send you for a secondary check because you fit our profile."

Um, excuse me? <-- See that picture? Does that look like a terrorist to you? Well, unless you're doing reverse profiling, maybe. "Fat white female, rapidly approaching middle age, obviously married, professional, and terribly sedentary." What the heck? Last thing I want to do is blow myself up, along with a bunch of weekend skiers and college students.

Did I mention people are weird? Oh yeah, fascinating. That was it. Hee.