Karen's Thoughts From. . .

. . .Day ONE

What Have I Learned Today . . . from Karen

Never connect flights through San Francisco. A little fog and every flight is stuck on the ground, and passengers have to frantically find new connections to their destination.
Stay away from Chinese food sold in the San Francisco Airport. It does not agree with my digestive system. I need to stick to bread and butter, specifically sourdough bread from Boudin’s.
Beware of the code SSSS on a boarding pass. This code means that you will go through extensive security screening. You will walk into an enclosed booth where a sudden blowing system will blow a strong puff of air that will detect if you are carrying a chemical dust that might suggest terrorist activity. Then you will have a TSA (Transportation Security Aviation) agent search through every nook and cranny of your belongings, which include your shoes, carry-on bags, purses, and computers. Did you know that you can only bring 3 ounce bottles of liquids in carry-on luggage? I didn’t know that my toothpaste was not only over the limit, but also considered a liquid. No use getting upset about it, especially since I packed my toothbrush in my check-in luggage.
Always smile, make silly conversation, and be pleasant to airline agents, especially when you want to get on a stand-by flight. Telling stories about “lesbians” will definitely bring a smile to an agent, and hopefully give you benefit points to getting a seat, or three, on a sold-out flight.
The key to meeting a man is to wear interesting jewelry. The man might not be someone you want to write home about, or even sit next to on a flight, but it does make a long, boring day somewhat more hopeful. Do you know where Kuwait is? It’s supposed to be the garden spot of the world. . .NOT!!!! Stupid small talk!
Learn to have conversations with anyone, and everyone. It’s amazing what you can learn just by starting up a conversation. Ask a question, make a comment, give a compliment, it really doesn’t matter what it is, but people are fascinating, especially when traveling. And along the same line of thinking, it’s also fascinating to people watch, especially in an airport. People carry the most amazing pieces of luggage. Amounts and sizes of luggage vary, and right now I am dying to own the small carry-on, hard-sided PINK luggage that is for sale at Brookstone’s. I saw this pink cutie last October when I went to visit my kids in D.C., and the only thing that stopped me from spending the $100 was the size. It was definitely NOT large enough for my stuff. I take way too much stuff with me when I travel, and this trip is no exception. Which brings me to number 7.
The maximum weight allowed in one piece of luggage is 50 pounds. Why can’t the rule be: if it fits in the luggage and you can zip it shut, then shut up and accept it. My bag was 12 pounds over limit, and it cost me an extra $50. And I haven’t even shopped yet! YIKES!!!!! Looks like I will have to buy another piece of luggage. . . maybe that cute PINK one. I can check in two bags because I’m traveling international, each bag can weigh 50 pounds, and I won’t be charged the extra $50.
The selection of movies on international flights can be a crap shoot. Fool’s Gold was one of the movies, and it’s hard to believe that two stars like Matthew McConnaghy and Kate Hudson actually got paid to act in that movie. It is possibly the WORST movie I have EVER seen;. I just watched the last 45 minutes, and no sound, and I can tell you that it was a waste of time. It was sooooo bad that I should get a rebate from the cost of my flight.
And last, but not least, Eric needs to take a geography class when he gets to college. He thought we were flying to Europe in a westerly direction, eventually flying over Russia. HUH?????? I had to explain to him that we were flying the polar route, and we were going easterly. It’s just past 9:30 p.m., and the sun is just starting to set, which is totally weird. Just wait until we get to Amsterdam and it doesn’t get dark until almost 11:00 p.m. That’s it for Day 1. . .