March 22, 2008

And now Earl and I are on a 90 minute layover in the glorious city of Cleveland, Ohio. It’s 29 degrees but sunny. The snow still appears to be melting despite the temperatures lower than freezing.

Some random thoughts that have crossed my mind while flying and sitting here in the airport terminal.

1. The ovens wouldn’t work properly on the flight from Las Vegas to Cleveland delaying our cheeseburger by 60 minutes. I don’t know why it made me nervous but if the ovens aren’t working what’s going on with general maintenance of the aircraft? It’s a good thing I’m not a nervous flyer. On the other hand, a passenger in the row in front of us lodged a complaint due to the lack of nuts. The flight attendant offered a spare, cold cheeseburger. She declined.

2. Cleveland Airport charges for internet access. Both Syracuse and McCarran had free wifi internet access. I believe it should be free. “Free the bits”, that’s always my motto. It’s applicable to many situations.

3. If the flight attendant is not going to trust me with a whole can of pop then they should go all the way with the mothering and say “Don’t Spill It”, despite the fact that I’m 39 years old.

4. Do long flights like the 19 hours it takes to get to Australia employ the same 3-3 or 2-3-2 configuration that I’ve encountered? It seems like it would be wicked cramped to be squished between two people for 19 hours. I’m not sure I can hold my breath that long.

5. As soon as the flight staff announced that it was o.k. to use our cell phones, things started ringing from every direction imaginable. I joined in the fun and sent an e-mail from my iPhone.

6. The guy across from me in the terminal has his MacBook Pro decked out with various stickers, including one for “In and Out Burger”. MacBook Pro points aside, he totally rocks with that sticker.

7. Earl and I have had more computer conversations than Earl would like to admit during our flight home. I’ve promised to sell two computers (both Macs) currently in the stable, see local listings for further details. I might sell a third as well.

So the trip to Las Vegas is coming to an end and Earl and I are sitting at McCarran airport waiting for our flight. We take off at 9:35 a.m.; it is currently 8:03 which is 11:03 Eastern Time. My body is already back on EDT.

The trip has been enjoyable. I got some much needed sun and I have a slight sunburn to prove it. While we don’t have more money than when we arrived, we aren’t going home broke. That’s always a good thing.

Last night I walked the entire strip while Earl played in a poker tournament. I walked from the Luxor to Circus Circus and back, stopping at various casinos along the way. I mentioned on my tweets last night that I found Circus Circus sort of disconcerting. It was my first time there and for some reason I felt like I was watching trained monkeys as people did circus type things while folks gambled below them. It seemed like an odd disconnect to me. I’ve always thought of Las Vegas as an “adult playground” (in many senses of the phrase) and for me it seems odd and somewhat wrong to bring children into the mix. Walking by the Bellagio I heard a woman remark that she shouldn’t have to navigate around baby buggies on the Las Vegas Strip, especially at 10:00 at night. I agree with her completely.

All in all it’s been a good trip and I feel relaxed and ready to tackle school and whatnot in the weeks that lie ahead. As we started the trip I remarked to Earl that with this spring break I am exactly halfway to my degree. That thought makes me feel relaxed as well.