Happy Mother’s Day, Brenda Lee Benson

The shuttle left SEI for the Philadelphia airport at 5:25a. Of course it was supposed to leave at 5:15a.,though I had a ridiculous last minute need to enjoy a breakfast. The Honey-Nut-Cheerios was magical, though not enough, so I decided to keep pushing my luck. I stuck my head inside the fridge to see that my wheat bread was pushed to the back and partially frozen. Every instinct told me to leave for SEI and just forget the bread. ..When the bread did properly toast, I ignored it. Shrugged it off. Of course I could let it go to waste no more than I could enjoy luke-warm toast, so I decided to butter the toast and then pop it in the microwave for 14 seconds. Not 15 seconds, mind you. So I tried to cut corners and save some time in order to make it to SEI by 5:15a, but clearly, it wasn’t my destiny to make it on time. You could say that it was beyond my control. As an aside, toast placed in a microwave is a soggy mess. It was at that moment that I wished that my mom hadn’t given my toaster oven to my grandmother a few years back… Wait. Isn’t it Mother’s Day?.. It is! Happy Mother’s Day, mom.

Back to our journey to Mississippi. We flew US Air out of Philadelphia. US Air is an excellent conveyor of humans; I am quite content with a nap, trail mix and cranberry juice. However on this occasion, one cannot say the same for Philadelphia Airport’s conveyor of luggage. This was a failure. We waited for forty minutes on the tarmac for our luggage. No luggage loaded, though that was not my thought, as I was more concerned that the wiring would be bundled in such a way that it was an eighth of an inch off FAA specifications and the plane would shake to bits. You can never be too careful with wire bundling. Though eventually we indeed took flight and expediently arrived in New Orleans. Of course, it’s much easier to minimize the flight time when you are sans 2 tons of luggage. Correct. Luggage was lost. Nothing new. However, no one alerted us of this mess and so we watched the carousel go round and round until someone ran out of patience, walked into the US Air Baggage Claim office, and was informed that he, and everyone else aboard the flight, must file a luggage reclaim form. Well fine. Though who can assure us that this will not happen again upon our return?.. The system is broken and there’s nothing being done and so here is my opinion. Understand please that my concern, and what follows, is completely out of love. First of all, I hate the whole system. The procedure in place for the loading of luggage on the proper airplane is the source of this whole issue. Tracking needs to be in order. Accountability is the key. Secondly, this carousel system has always struck me as absurd. Is this the most clever idea the airlines can provide for passengers? In one word, it’s silly. Finally, communication could have been improved and would have assuaged my anxiety. ...Which isn’t exactly true. I have no anxiety. It’s 85* and sunny with a refreshing southern breeze off the bay. Cookie trays are everywhere. See you in a week SEI.

But hey, don’t be sore. More pertinent blogs to follow once the hard work commences, at 4:30a Monday morning. Oy.
Yours,

Alan