Airline Travel

Airline travel seems to have become less and less user-friendly in the past ten years are so.  The costs have dramatically jumped; and many airlines have tacked on fees for baggage, changing flights, and other things.  Airline food, once passable, has become dreadful.  My wife and I have fallen back on the strategy of purchasing cold sandwiches at airports for in-flight meals if the flight is long or during meal hours.

On our last trip, from Knoxville to Seattle with a stopover in Chicago, American Airlines went 0 for 4,  Every flight was delayed!  The last one for an hour due to a taillight problem and the pilot having to do the paperwork.  The seats were incredibly uncomfortable.  I would dread a trans-Pacific flight in one of theirs.

My limited take on airlines:

Southwest Airlines is without a doubt the best, even though we have to drive to Nashville and often spend the night there.  It's easier to schedule, less costly, the cabin personnel are friendly and helpful, and it's a better ride.

Delta is okay; but stops in Atlanta can be a problem.  Frankly, I find ATL to be a crappy airport!  And if you have a short time between flights, you might miss your connections if your incoming flight is late.  As a rule, give yourself at least 75 minutes to get from one gate to another.

Air France is pretty good.

Northwest is okay, but we once flew across the Atlantic in a geriatric airframe on one of theirs.

O'Hare in Chicago is very crowded. 

Good airports -- Ft. Lauderdale, Nashville, Charles De Gaulle Paris, Seattle-Tacoma, Monterey, New Orleans, Montreal, Anchorage, Houston

So-so ones -- Las Vegas, Detroit, Oakland,  Knoxville, Memphis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Huntsville, Nome

Not too awful -- Los Angeles, Logan (Boston)

The Pits -- Burbank



American Airlines gave poor service.  It reminded me of riding a bus in the Bolivian mountains.  Riding the Dog, as I did in the 1960's was more comfortable.

Here's something.  Those add-on luggage check fees has prompted many passengers to put somewhat oversized bags in the carry-on luggage containers.  That makes the boarding process take long, as them try to jam those suitcases in spaces meant for carry-on bags.  And latecomers may not have any room for their carry-ons.

Thebest flight I had on the last trip was on a float plane from Ketchikan to Misty Fjord. Michelle is a surperb pilot, and gave us a great flight!

Arrrgh!

The love child living next door has spent practically the whole day pressure-cleaning his driveway!  Now I know that a little noise is going to happen with grass cutting or trimming, but this is totally excessive.

He should take up a nice hobby, like birdwatching or photography or cat-herding or even masturbation; just so he doesn't inflict himself on his neighbors!  It seems that a six-hour concerto is enough.

Right now, I'm listening to Mozart while wearing earplugs.

I think after he's done, I'll play some t.a.t.u. on the porch; or maybe non-stop football songs.

"Cheer, cheer for old F***ing Notre Dame," Hail to the Victors," "Buckle Down Winsocki."

Or maybe just take Fred for a long walk. 

In Which I'm Tempted to Mis-Fire Lloyd Morgan's Canon

While Diana and I were walking with Fred (dog) yesterday along the river at The Cove, we noticed that the Canada geese were back, and one pair had four goslings.

I'm aware that Canada geese, among other species, form crèches of goslings, kind of a group effort in which they take care of others in addition to their own.  In this case, the mother goose with with the goslings in the center, and five adult geese formed a pentagon-like pattern around the group.

If these were humans, I would have no problem in calling this a defensive perimeter.  fact that they're geese puts me in a bind.

I know, per Lloyd Morgan's Canon, which states that "In no case may we interpret an action as the outcome of the exercise of a higher mental faculty, if it can be interpreted as the exercise of one which stands lower in the psychological scale."   Still, this seems extremely well-organized and almost planned.

Maybe the Canada geese that are crapping on a nearby golf course are doing it purposefully in response to the noisy wind machine there.  While humans can only grit their teeth, the geese have found an alimentary way of expressing their displeasure.

More About Shorty

Here's Shorty, happy.

Here's Shorty and Fred, napping.

Shorty

Yesterday our cat Shorty had to be euthanized.  He had too many problems and was in acute pain.  It hurt like hell to see him go.

We got him about 11 years ago; our daughter brought him home from Tuscaloosa, where he was born in an attic to a stray cat.  He was a very timid kitty, and spent the first two weeks with us under a bed.

We lived in Florence, where we had a tall privacy fence.  Shorty was amazingly athletic: he could go over an 8-foot tall fence.  Mostly, he would hang around in the front yard, and protect us from the encroachments of other cats.  But he was definitely The Cat Who Walked By Himself.  He was always fond of our daughter, though.

He seemed at first to be a very unpromising, distant cat; but he grew into the family and fit in with us, and with Fred (dog) and Peaches (the older cat).  Each morning, when he came in, he rubbed against the dog and stretched out on the carpet.  He came to trust us with time, and we grew fond of him.  He managed to find a preferred place on top of our sofa.

He liked going on the porch.  All he had to do was scratch on the door, and one of us would let him out.

Lately, when this old fart would take an afternoon nap, he would join me for a nap also.  And at night he would join my wife and I and watch Burn Notice or Justified or whatever comedy movie we happened to watch.

Rest easy, Shorty.  You were a cat in a million!  Roll Tide, little buddy!

A State Map That Raises Many Questions

First, the map:

What is going on here?

I've recently become aware that there are University of Alabama garden gnomes with the goofy A monogram on their hats (Google THAT, unbelieving infidel!), but why is this lapse in taste so widespread?  At least we should be fortunate that it hasn't crept into Lauderdale or Colbert Counties.

And what is in the water in Shelby County?

But who knows?  What may be going on in the wilds by Waterloo or south of Cherokee?

I hope this intrigues you as much as it did me.

Safe and Not-So-Safe Places to Visit

According to the Canadian government, here is a map roughly depicting the countries that are safe with ordinary precautions, the ones where extra precautions are needed, and the ones to be avoided.  In general, Europe is pretty safe (I'd skip going around St. Denis in Paris, some parts of London, the Red Light District of Amsterdam, and Travestre in Rome.)  And so is Australia and New Zealand.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/travel-warnings/

 

If it's green: no worries.

 

If it's red, you're an idiot for going.