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Sep. 16th, 2008 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jianantonicSitting in Panties National Airport, waiting for our 4:35 flight to Salt Lake. Like I said earlier, our arrival time in Portland is 9pm. We don't have much of a layover in SLC.
When we got here to check in, the computer happily chirped that there's an earlier flight available if we want to take it! Sure! Oh, well then it'll be $50 each. Uhh...see what time it gets us there...could be worth it. 11pm. WTF? Airports are silly.
So now we're just hanging out. This airport is tiny compared to Dulles, and the terminals aren't connected, so once you go through security, you've only got one or two restaurants to choose from (we have either McDonald's or Einstein Brothers Bagels -- guess where we ate?) and a gift shop. It's kinda boring. So we've been reading and listening to Rick Emerson podcasts. I finished Part One of Dry, and then I got out my laptop to blog about bridge tournament planning. If you're interested, that post is up now at DoubleSqueeze. It's about planning, not cards, so you don't have to be a bridge player to get it, though it might still be boring anyway;)
I'm trying an experiment that will hopefully get me some post fodder for Gadling. I bought an Obama shirt from the Cville Democratic HQ last week, and it's SO SOFT, so I wanted to wear it on the plane. Given that I always get sick and would prefer just to sleep, it's important that I make myself as comfortable as possible. But I didn't want to compromise my service by wearing a potentially controversial shirt. I mean, I bought the shirt to wear it, obviously, but I know that if I were in customer service and someone came to me wearing a McCain shirt -- well, I'd still do my job, but I might sneeze in their coffee or something. Kidding! Of course I wouldn't do that. But I would want to. And some people might not exercise the same restraint, you know?
So I emailed another Gadling writer who is a flight attendant and asked her what she thought. Are airline employees typically conservative? Liberal? A mixed bag? Should I be wary of wearing this shirt on my flight? She told me that most all F/A's are democrats, but that they are forbidden from discussing politics at work, though a lot of her coworkers have Obama buttons on their bags and things that aren't visible while they're on the clock. She said that I should definitely wear it, because I might be offered a free drink or given other preferential treatment. She also said I should write about it if I do. So I will.
So far, three people, one of whom was an airport employee, have complimented me on my attire. No one has said anything nasty, but I have gotten a lot of looks. I can't tell if they're just people doing their standard airport people watching, or if they're staring at my shirt because they hate it, or love it, or just think I have nice tits. So the official score only counts people who say something. If my juice tastes like phlegm on the plane, then I'll blame it on the shirt, because I'm always very polite to flight attendants and other servicepeople, so if anyone would be mad at me, it'd have to be the shirt then. I guess we'll see! I'll be kind of disappointed now if I get no reactions.
Oh I didn't even consider until just now that I'm flying to Salt Lake City, where everyone is Mormon and Republican. Hehe. Maybe that's why my F/A friend had to say "most." Heh. I'll let you know how it goes.
When we got here to check in, the computer happily chirped that there's an earlier flight available if we want to take it! Sure! Oh, well then it'll be $50 each. Uhh...see what time it gets us there...could be worth it. 11pm. WTF? Airports are silly.
So now we're just hanging out. This airport is tiny compared to Dulles, and the terminals aren't connected, so once you go through security, you've only got one or two restaurants to choose from (we have either McDonald's or Einstein Brothers Bagels -- guess where we ate?) and a gift shop. It's kinda boring. So we've been reading and listening to Rick Emerson podcasts. I finished Part One of Dry, and then I got out my laptop to blog about bridge tournament planning. If you're interested, that post is up now at DoubleSqueeze. It's about planning, not cards, so you don't have to be a bridge player to get it, though it might still be boring anyway;)
I'm trying an experiment that will hopefully get me some post fodder for Gadling. I bought an Obama shirt from the Cville Democratic HQ last week, and it's SO SOFT, so I wanted to wear it on the plane. Given that I always get sick and would prefer just to sleep, it's important that I make myself as comfortable as possible. But I didn't want to compromise my service by wearing a potentially controversial shirt. I mean, I bought the shirt to wear it, obviously, but I know that if I were in customer service and someone came to me wearing a McCain shirt -- well, I'd still do my job, but I might sneeze in their coffee or something. Kidding! Of course I wouldn't do that. But I would want to. And some people might not exercise the same restraint, you know?
So I emailed another Gadling writer who is a flight attendant and asked her what she thought. Are airline employees typically conservative? Liberal? A mixed bag? Should I be wary of wearing this shirt on my flight? She told me that most all F/A's are democrats, but that they are forbidden from discussing politics at work, though a lot of her coworkers have Obama buttons on their bags and things that aren't visible while they're on the clock. She said that I should definitely wear it, because I might be offered a free drink or given other preferential treatment. She also said I should write about it if I do. So I will.
So far, three people, one of whom was an airport employee, have complimented me on my attire. No one has said anything nasty, but I have gotten a lot of looks. I can't tell if they're just people doing their standard airport people watching, or if they're staring at my shirt because they hate it, or love it, or just think I have nice tits. So the official score only counts people who say something. If my juice tastes like phlegm on the plane, then I'll blame it on the shirt, because I'm always very polite to flight attendants and other servicepeople, so if anyone would be mad at me, it'd have to be the shirt then. I guess we'll see! I'll be kind of disappointed now if I get no reactions.
Oh I didn't even consider until just now that I'm flying to Salt Lake City, where everyone is Mormon and Republican. Hehe. Maybe that's why my F/A friend had to say "most." Heh. I'll let you know how it goes.
Peace.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-17 02:08 pm (UTC)It's sort of a family joke, I guess. My cousin HATES the word "panties," and she was talking about how much she hated it while on her way to Reagan Airport, and her friend asked her if she hated "panties" more than "Reagan." She decided it was sort of a toss-up, but it would be more fun if they switched the words. So now the airport is Panties National and your undergarments are Ronald Reagans.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-17 12:28 am (UTC)Good luck with the preferential treatment!
no subject
Date: 2008-09-17 02:08 pm (UTC)SLC
Date: 2008-09-17 03:11 am (UTC)-- Kevin
Re: SLC
Date: 2008-09-17 02:12 pm (UTC)All in all, though, I didn't really get much reaction at all, which sort of disappointed me...