Alex came home from Oklahoma today, and I was reminded that airports really suck these days. Especially BWI.

We checked in with the Southwest information desk to get a security pass to go through the checkpoint to meet Alex at the gate. It's required by Southwest for young kids flying alone to be met at the arrival gate by a guardian.

On the way through the checkpoint, a screener made Suz give up her keychain in exchange for getting to see her daughter again after 6 weeks away. Between her thick-soled sandals and highly dangerous half inch screwdriver bits, Suz was, to quote the screener to his supervisor, "a situation". They'll probably sell her keychain on eBay.

I would have next to her to make a scene (and probably get arrested in the process) but the woman at the first desk wouldn't even let me through to the checkpoint because "only one of you needs to go in to pick her up."

On the way the airport, Suz was laughing at my paranoia about the checkpoints. "They're not checking like they used to," she told me. On the way back home she just kept fuming about her favorite keychain, which she'll never see again, and for no good reason.

While waiting in the terminal, I saw a woman in an American Airlines wheelchair propelling herself towards the designated lane of the terminal security checkpoint with her feet. Lady, if you can use a wheelchair without rolling the wheels, you shouldn't be taking it away from somebody who can't. (Update: I've been politely told I'm an ass for saying this because people who have hip problems can often use a wheelchair with their feet but have trouble standing for long periods of time. Thanks Stan.)

Inadvertent cruelty moment of the day, the squeamish should not read on.

I turned on the BBQ this afternoon after a couple of weeks to find that a mouse had built a nest for itself and its brood. How did I discover this? When the mouse scurried out the side of the just lit grill and the nest in the corner burned to embers.

Of course, had I found them earlier I probably would have fed them to my starving snake.

August 9, 2003 - August 11, 2003

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