Burning Off Bad Karma
When faced with unfortunate circumstances, a person’s true nature comes out. I think I have the upper hand on some. A) My true nature is actually pretty nice and caring – contrary to popular belief. B) I am a seasoned flyer, and although things can frustrate and inconvenience me, I don’t get freaked out or anything. I’m not saying it isn’t anxiety inducing, but I know that it will just become an adventure and all work out in the end. I know my last post reflected my fatigue and frustration, but really the whole experience was very interesting. People who freak out, cry, scream, and act as if they will never see their home again are pretty entertaining to watch. I do however feel very very very sorry for the people having to deal with these idiots. Its funny how the gate agents remembered me when I came back from another cancelled flight needing help. They greeted me with an exuberant “Hello Ms. Reed!”
One thing that is pretty great is how people sort of rally together. I met so many nice people from all over the place. When you have nothing but time, you might as well get to know each other, right?
The most interesting person was an incredible woman from DC that I met in the bar on the second day in the DC airport. She was such a strong loving person. She has helped over a dozen transsexuals go through the sex change process. She was not herself transgender. She gives them a place to live when necessary, stays with them through the agonizing transitioning process prior to their operations, and she travels with them and gives them moral support when they have their surgery. She said she had been to Portland several times to a notorious doctor that used to live here. He was pushed out when the hospital he was in was sucked in by a religiously affiliated hospital conglomerate. We hit it off and spent several hours chatting and laughing. Oh and there were some bloody marys involved, but that is beside the point.
I also met a cool girl from LA that lives part time in Rochester NY. She works for Kodak as a designer. We had an hour to get to know each other while we waited in the freezing rain for the hotel shuttle. One woman I met when I was finally on the plane to Syracuse. She was a retired writer for a horse magazine, and she had traveled all over the world following equestrian events. And then there was this outgoing little boy who, after hours and hours in an airport, had worn on his mother. He struck up a conversation with me. I do not like kids as a general rule, but I don't mind them when they act like little adults. He have a skateboard, and he promised me I could ride it. So I did… badly. It was crowded as all get out in the terminal, so there I was making my way through the people. I wasn’t really skateboarding as much as pushing people over to keep from falling off as I hurtled down the concourse. The kid really enjoyed that… he was behind me squealing all the way, and I was laughing so hard I could barely see through the tears. At that point I was hysterical from the lack of sleep and the stress.
I also met a guy my age from Maine who was trying to get home because his dad was just put on life support and not expected to make it much longer. He was trying desperately to get there to see him. Funny…. he was calm and respectful despite the circumstances. We were chatting and sitting across the way from a woman screaming obscenities to the customer service person about how she was going to miss her daughter’s birthday. Bitch. That’s why they make “happy belated birthday” cards. I don’t recall Hallmark making a “sorry for not being able to tell you I love you before you died dad” card. Hum… Finally, after what seemed to be hours of her yelling, I could not take it anymore. So I of course had to say something to her. Not enlightening her on just how much of a bitch she was, although it was hard not to, but I told her she was in fact not the center of the universe, that there were people there who had real problems, and that she should apologize to the customer service lady because it is completely inappropriate to talk to anyone like that - ever. Of course I said it in my sweetest southern “love your heart, but…” sort of way.
One thing that is pretty great is how people sort of rally together. I met so many nice people from all over the place. When you have nothing but time, you might as well get to know each other, right?
The most interesting person was an incredible woman from DC that I met in the bar on the second day in the DC airport. She was such a strong loving person. She has helped over a dozen transsexuals go through the sex change process. She was not herself transgender. She gives them a place to live when necessary, stays with them through the agonizing transitioning process prior to their operations, and she travels with them and gives them moral support when they have their surgery. She said she had been to Portland several times to a notorious doctor that used to live here. He was pushed out when the hospital he was in was sucked in by a religiously affiliated hospital conglomerate. We hit it off and spent several hours chatting and laughing. Oh and there were some bloody marys involved, but that is beside the point.
I also met a cool girl from LA that lives part time in Rochester NY. She works for Kodak as a designer. We had an hour to get to know each other while we waited in the freezing rain for the hotel shuttle. One woman I met when I was finally on the plane to Syracuse. She was a retired writer for a horse magazine, and she had traveled all over the world following equestrian events. And then there was this outgoing little boy who, after hours and hours in an airport, had worn on his mother. He struck up a conversation with me. I do not like kids as a general rule, but I don't mind them when they act like little adults. He have a skateboard, and he promised me I could ride it. So I did… badly. It was crowded as all get out in the terminal, so there I was making my way through the people. I wasn’t really skateboarding as much as pushing people over to keep from falling off as I hurtled down the concourse. The kid really enjoyed that… he was behind me squealing all the way, and I was laughing so hard I could barely see through the tears. At that point I was hysterical from the lack of sleep and the stress.
I also met a guy my age from Maine who was trying to get home because his dad was just put on life support and not expected to make it much longer. He was trying desperately to get there to see him. Funny…. he was calm and respectful despite the circumstances. We were chatting and sitting across the way from a woman screaming obscenities to the customer service person about how she was going to miss her daughter’s birthday. Bitch. That’s why they make “happy belated birthday” cards. I don’t recall Hallmark making a “sorry for not being able to tell you I love you before you died dad” card. Hum… Finally, after what seemed to be hours of her yelling, I could not take it anymore. So I of course had to say something to her. Not enlightening her on just how much of a bitch she was, although it was hard not to, but I told her she was in fact not the center of the universe, that there were people there who had real problems, and that she should apologize to the customer service lady because it is completely inappropriate to talk to anyone like that - ever. Of course I said it in my sweetest southern “love your heart, but…” sort of way.
posted by Jill at 9:04 AM
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