Trip Notes

Well, it's back to daily routine. The wife and I didn't have a single unpleasant moment while staying with her brother and his family. We had a blast. In fact, such a blast that we promised them we would return at least once in '08, hopefully when the temp is above freezing.

There were good points and not so good points about Kansas City's airport. We got through security in record time - there was not even a line. But after we were on the other side, I noticed that all the shops were gone...they were on the pre-security check side. I wanted something to drink, so I had to exit the gate area, find a shop, buy a Sprite, return to security, take my shoes off again, and walk through the metal detector again. DFW has them beat big-time in this matter.

Once aboard our plane, I was deeply distressed because the lady in front of me wanted to sleep. (see picture below) And if you want to sleep on a plane, generally you lower your seatback. I'm a hair shy of 6'5" and this little maneuver effectively swallowed up what tiny space my knees had. I just think this is the height of selfishness. So I responded by making sure she felt my kneecaps for the next hour and a half. I was sure she would react to my bony knees by putting the seat in its original position. She kept sleeping. As we were leaving the plane, I saw her face and instead of having horns and pointed canines, she appeared to be a gentle and sweet sort...and I felt bad for what I had done.

Another problem was the 5 year-old girl who sat across the aisle. She had the whiniest voice I've ever heard (and this includes Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe Through the Tulips). And she whined without pausing for the entire flight. I told Carole that I felt like I was in auditory purgatory.

And finally, about halfway through the flight, the plane made a sudden turn. I happened to be looking out the window at that time and noticed another jet coming straight at us on a route perpendicular to our. I grabbed the camera and took the shot you see below. I had to act fast because it was closing on us at 500+ mph. It's hard to believe, but it passed just under us. I'm gonna assume that no FAA separation rules were violated, but mercy, it looked close.