sacramento
airport
maya cafe,
abiquiu, NM
Current Trip:
Paradize, Calyfornia
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Sacramento:
not Phoenix
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Other, far reaching, posts:
Abiquiu, New Mexico
posted: September 14, 2008.
After finally arriving in New Mexico, I was picked up at the Albuquerque airport by my friend, Alex, a raging liberal commie comrade who is distraught over the state of affairs with the looming national election. I'm not so distraught: I have no hope. The republicans are better at fraud than the democrats could ever be; and those democrats in office who could do something about the fraud, seem unconcerned. Short of the Second Coming of Christ, or the end of the world as we know it in 2012, I am not expecting change. God bless Barak Obama, but does he stand a fair chance at winning this election? Don't count on it.
HOWEVER: I will vote, and encourage everyone I know to get out and vote for Obama. I go back and forth about that, because I'm not excited about his positions on the Middle East: more war, moving battle weary troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, continuing the Bush Doctrine War on Terrorism. But, how could we do any worse? We can't. Even if Obama turns Muslim the moment he sets up camp in the White House, it could never be as bad as the terror we've experienced the last eight years.
To move on: Today is Sunday, the day of rest. I have work to do for my friend, but instead we are at the Maya Cafe in Abiquiu. On US 84, about fifty miles NW from Santa Fe. The proprietor just made us waffles, and I'm on my second latte: excellent blend of steamed milk and caffeine. I cannot survive without having at least one latte per day.
But, at least I'm finally here. I will have to be back to the airport in Albuquerque in anther week in order to head to Nashville, Tennessee. But, until then, it's going to be a calming time to be had out here by all in the mesas of New Mexico.
-cc. barker
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Previous Posts in this thread (chronological order top to bottom):
Airport Life: the Sacramento, California airport.
posted: September 11, 2008. 5:15 p.m.
LOUD IN PUBLIC
Besides it being that anniversary, this is a strange day for flying. Or, possibly it's the clientele I have to endure while waiting for my plane. There was surely a time when people were more private. Today, people at airports, at least, find it necessary to SPEAK LOUDLY into their cell phones so that everybody in the terminal can hear them; and the two business men three rows across from me are either bragging or complaining that they are two of the most boring human beings on the planet. I know their business, where they work, who they work with, how many are in their families, who is sleeping with whom in the next office, and what it's like flying into Philadelphia.
There was a time — I remember it well, it was the 1960s — when people were private about their lives; it was considered bad behavior to BE TOO LOUD IN PUBLIC!
The woman across from me is a nurse, works in an operating room in a hospital, she's in charge of ordering stuff for the operating room, the budget in her hospital is cut drastically, and her cousin will probably NOT lose her nursing license because what she did is not a felony. She finally hung up promising to get back to whomever she was speaking with.
The two business men, on the other hand, are getting louder because the interest by the people around them is waning so their have escalated their volume.
Teenager across from me, to the right of the nurse, is being so quiet on his cell phone I can hardly eavesdrop without getting caught.
Teenagers more polite than adults? Nearly always. [Unless you're a teacher, or a cop.]
Third guy joins the two business men: loud plus 33%. Last year's travel budget was doubled for this year. Third guy doesn't want to eat. Second guy already ate. First guy is hungry.
Teenager's mother has hand over mouth while speaking into her cell phone. Can't hear her: and she's only about two yards from me.
Is it just this airport? Because about a month ago I was flying through here and in this same terminal a guy stood behind me TALKING LOUDLY INTO HIS CELL PHONE while we waited in line to check the status of our flights. He was less than a foot from the back of my head; there were no other people in the line. After it was my turn, the bonehead fallowed me and sat right behind me in one of those two-sided benches and made another call AND TALKED EVEN LOUDER. I got on my cell and called a friend and said: "GOTTA CALL YOU BACK BECAUSE LOUD MOUTH IS SITTING RIGHT BEHIND ME AND I CAN'T HEAR YOU.
They called my flight. I packed up my gear, took my Zanex, and got on the plane. I no sooner than got myself comfortable in my seat when the captain came on: "This flight to Phoenix has been cancelled due to a problem in Phoenix." Of course I figured the worst because, after all, it's 9/11 today. But, found out after I got back off that it was the weather. An "act of God," which meant it wasn't their fault so I had to wait until the next flight tomorrow.
And, there you have it. For now.
posted September 12, 2008. 12:50 p.m.
musings while still at the Sacramento airport: acts of God and MORE LOUD OBNOXIOUS PHONE TALKERS
Spent the night in Sacramento at a friend's house. Flight was cancelled yesterday due to "problems in Phoenix." The weather. An "act of God."
Now, I am back at the airport and waiting to hear if I will be let on this flight: a straight through shot to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Waiting. No Loud people at this moment.
Didn't make the standby flight. Last chance will be the four o'clock flight to Phoenix and then to Albuquerque. Hope to get in by around 6 p.m.
Airports don't have a lot of electrical outlets. It's first come first served, dog eat dog. I went and got a sandwich and hustled back to check the outlet I was plugged into before. No go. Saw an empty duplex across the gate area, got to it just before another guy came by. Got a good seat, pulled out the sandwich, shoved it down, chased with a bottle of water, and am now trying to relax.
Many fliers read books. I went by the book seller just before getting my sandwich and came across a new book by Newt Gingrich called "Real Change." He ought to know: he and his "Reagan Revolution" failed at everything they attempted before G. W. Bush won [stole ]the 2000 election. I opened the book to see if he was endorsing McCain, but he must had hidden that information somewhere deep in the book. He's actually a very good history writer; I wouldn't give you two cents for his politics.
The sky is clear outside the terminal windows; and the billboard at the gate says Phoenix is mild and sunny. I guess the act of God is over. Nobody calls it an act of God when the weather's good. I suppose we just consider it our due when the weather is nice. Then we blame Him and the gay and Black populations of New Orleans when Katrina hit. It seems funny to me how God finds the time to wipe out entire communities with severe weather but never gets the credit when it occurs in high income, mostly white, communities.
LOUD GUY got here. About 10 - 12 feet from me. Got a beef with the airlines calling the stuff we carry onto the airlines our "personal items." "Next," he's saying QUITE LOUD ENOUGH, "THEY'LL BE SAYING YOUR ASS IS YOUR PERSONAL ITEM."
He's got a purebred dog of some sort. Got him at the rescue, he called it. Now the woman to my immediate left, in the closest row and between me and LOUD GUY, has her phone out. I can't hear what ... yeah, I can. But, she's being drowned out by the announcer to another flight. And LOUD GUY, whose dog is outside in the yard, he's told his mom over and over to keep the damned dog inside the house.
Woman is getting LOUDER. Laughing. Is going to Phoenix, too. She's drowning out LOUD GUY, loves her family, and is a generally happy person.
LOUD GUY is a standby kind of guy. Signed up for the standby list, but was told in Atlanta that "we don't have a standby list." Now he's explaining that he's a "platinum customer with over 1.5 million miles, and insulted. "Oh, you're a Platinum customer?" Yes, "I GUESS I'LL JUST WEAR A FUCKING STICKER ON ME THAT SAYS I'M A PLATINUM CUSTOMER." He's a dipshit. Now his ire is turned to the oil speculators. We need our cars converted over to natural gas.
I can't help but wonder if he's one of the fools that's been voting republican for the last 20 years.
Time to get some rest. Or, find a book. A novel, maybe. Something about something other than planes falling into the Grand Canyon.
posted September 12, 2008. 2:15 p.m.
still more musings while still at the Sacramento airport: irritable travelers and ANOTHER LOUD PHONE TALKER GUY and a latte.
I was getting tired. Slowing down. Needed a latte. So, I asked the guy next to me to watch my stuff, he said "okay," and I headed off to the Starbucks. Was third in line, but only one woman was working, and so I knew it wasn't going to be easy. And, it wasn't. I did luck out and s guy in front of me got a little pissy and so left the line. I moved up. A moment later there were about five people behind me. Then, this little woman, about my age, was creeping forward. So, I said: "You DO know I'm in line, here, right?" She said: "Are you line?" I said, "Yes. And, I'm losing consciousness and so need a latte, and quick. Trying to lighten the mood. She grumped: "I didn't realize you were in line."
Actually, a preschooler who was just learning the concept of lines would have known I was ahead in the line. And, she was still hedging her bets, still trying to sidle in ahead of me. With my luck she'll be on the same flight, in he next seat, and stealing my bag of peanuts. The woman behind the counter said, "Who's next?" As Little Pushy Woman opened her mouth and stepped forward I said: "I need a latte, and a lemon loaf!" The Woman behind the counter quickly and efficiently got right on my latte, as the espresso was dripping, she got my lemon loaf, took my cash, and I was heading back to my spot.
There, everything was looking good. I sat into my seat, got the laptop going and .... yes, you guessed it: still ANOTHER LOUD GUY began talking into his blue tooth ear peace. Maybe it's their fault: there's no mouthpiece closer than your ear, so maybe people just think they have to TALK THIS LOUD!
This guy's son is being baptized tomorrow — something I really don't want to hear about — then he's going to the Utah State football game. But, first, he's got to fly down to Las Vegas and finish some business.
Meanwhile, FIRST LOUD GUY IS STILL GOING ON ABOUT ... his vacation. I'm glad that he's going to have a vacation and that the weather is looking up for him; but I don't want to hear about. Sorry. As about the fifth Southwest Airlines jet takes off and absolutely no US Air Jets seem to be getting off the ground. This is the last time I fly US Air. So far Frontier and Northwest are giving me what I want.
Oh, oh: they're calling my flight. With any luck I'll be in New Mexico in another couple hours. Here's hoping.
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