Feeling

Gokul43201

After hanging around in the airport, here, for 4 hours (all United flts were canceled because they ran out of de-icer) I was finally made to feel special.

The TSA guy smiled at me before letting me know that I've been selected for SPECIAL SECURITY DETAILING.

Thanks, now I feel better

loseyourname

What airport are you at?

Math Is Hard

ruh roh..
ok, gang, I think we're gonna have to go to the airport and save Gokul!

Astronuc

MIH, you now have an opportunity to use your Weapon of Math Instruction.

Gokul, I hope you make it home tomorrow.

Sounds like Chicago's O'Hare (ORD) airport.

Evo

You don't ever want to get on a plane that I am booked on because there will be some type of major engine malfunction. A four hour flight will be guaranteed to become a two day ordeal where you end up stranded in some rathole the airline books you at to spend the night because by the time you get to the city where you are supposed to change planes, the last flight out has already departed.

Any international flight I am on is guaranteed to be a minimum 36 hour ordeal where the first 8 hours is spent sitting on the runway while they repair an engine and won't let anyone off the plane because everyone has already cleared security/customs. The plane will run out of food, beverages and toilet paper 12 hours prior to landing and of course there is a screaming baby sitting directly behind you for all 36 hours.

loseyourname

On the contrary, you'll want to fly with me. The last three times I was upgraded to first class and even got to pre-board once (due to a temporary deafness in one ear). Never been selected for Security Detailing on a plane, but I was selected on a train once, because my ticket was one-way. Strangely enough, it was the DEA that checked me out, and it was during a stop in Albuquerque (the ticket was Fullerton, CA to Newark, NJ).

Evo

From now on I'm flying with you!!! I hope your good luck is strong enough to counter my bad luck.

Math Is Hard

oooohh! It might be too late. No telling what they've done with Gokul!!

Math Is Hard

What the heck is "special detailing", anyway? Isn't that what they do to cars if you pay extra at the carwash? Are they going to Armor-all poor Gokul?

plover

I thought this was where they put on racing stripes or painted flames on the side or added those "ground effect" thingies (I think that's the right technical term).

But I have a terrible feeling SPECIAL SECURITY DETAILING is going to involve thumbscrews and Donny Osmond records. I just hope Gokul had a chance to hide all his chocolate—you just know those security people will declare it "contraband" then "forget" to fill out the paperwork...

Poor Gokul! Where's Tsu and her flying bus? (De-icer? We don' need no stinkin' de-icer!! )

Math Is Hard

Hang in there, Gokul! We're coming to save you...eventually.

(Try not to worry, plover. Maybe Gokul was smart and drugged the chocolates before he got to the airport - for just such a situation..)

Tsu

I'm afraid this involves a type of 'probe' or two...

Math Is Hard

oh, thank heavens - Tsu is here!! Maybe you'd better drive. I'm a nervous wreck!!!

Math Is Hard

Gokul - don't tell them anything!! We're coming!!!

Chrono

No matter what kind of torture they use.

Moonbear

Gokul, did you make it out yet? I think I was the last of the lucky few to get out yesterday. I've been checking on the status of flights here to find out if I might see my luggage before I return home, and it looks like everything today was cancelled, and they've even already cancelled tomorrow morning's flight, so I decided to suck it up and head to WalMart (the cheap, disposable quality clothing they sell finally has a purpose in my life). I got the storm here today in the form of RAIN, no, not rain, pouring, no not pouring, buckets! I don't even want to think about how much snow is going to be thawed slightly and refrozen as ice on my driveway when I get home. At least the snow shovel is in my car, assuming I can get into the car even! I suspect I'm going to be parking in the street for a while.

Gokul43201

Finally. It took me about 20 hrs to fly from Ohio to California.

That first post was kinda rushed. I decided, after finding a gazillion people in the bars at the Columbus airport, to spend my 5 bucks of booze money on some internet time instead, and get my PF fix. Didn't realize that when I started that post, I had less than 2 minutes left.

So, as I was attempting to say before, I, and every single other non-(white Caucasian) was "randomly selected" for special additional security. First I felt like lecturing the TSA guy on what "random" means. Instead, I tried to subtly hint at the low likelihood that I would try to hijack a plane that I had not even originally booked my tickets for. Eventually, I gave up and agreed to let the guy know if I felt he was touching me inappropriately, in sensitive areas.

This was the first snowstorm of the season, and United "ran out" of de-icer on day 2??!! What were they thinking ?

It's past 3 am here (6am, my biological time). I'm going to try and get some sleep.

Thanks y'all, for rallying around.

PS : I flew from Columbus to Chicago to San Jose.