Bad Behavior on a Plane....and an Update on the Ultimate Gift

I’m happy to report that there were no TSA moments involved in my airport visits in and out of the Atlanta and Orlando airports last week.  All one needs to do is pay attention to what line you choose at security and pick the line (where you place your items on the belt) that still uses the old fashioned metal detector.  So this summer when I have to go back to the Tulsa, OK airport at which the body scanners have replaced all the regular metal detectors?  Not sure yet what to do.

However, on the flight from Atlanta to Orlando I observed some amazingly rude behavior.  The plane was getting full and I was in my window seat on the plane’s left and people were still boarding.  Down the row comes a mother and her two sons around ages 13 and 8.  The three seats to my right of the aisle were empty at this point and one son asks her if this is where they are sitting and she tells him no, that their seats are in the back.  I continue to read and look out the window.  The next thing I knew I saw the same family of three get into the three seats on my right.  A minute or so later a young woman about age 20 said to the mom of the two boys, “Excuse me, Ma’am?”  And the mom ignored her.  “Excuse me, Ma’am?” again. 

The 20 yr old said, “My boarding pass says that this is my seat.”

The mom: “Well someone was in our seats.”  And looks out her window and totally dismisses the 20 yr old as if it was the end of the conversation.

The 20 yr old said, “Well, it does not matter if I sit in a different seat, but there is the issue that the airline assigned me this seat.”

The mom tells her the same thing (in a rude, dismissive tone again).

At this time the male flight attendant arrives at the row of seats.  It really makes me wonder if the 20 yr old was a man if this same dismissive, rude tone would have been used by the mom.

Flight attendant to mom, “What is your assigned seat?”  Mom tells him that it is row 31 but someone is in those seats.

Flight attendant looks toward the back of plane and of course he knows all the numbers of the rows.

Flight attendant says, “There is no one in those seats and you need to get into your assigned seats.  And you have about 3 minutes.”

Wow.  All I can say is the TSA randomly using the body scanners does not make me feel safer but the presence of some other people on the plane do.  If there are a bunch of men around the cockpit door I feel safe.  Isn’t it male passengers who have thrown recent freaks acting funky to the aisle floor?

This story involves a freak trying to get to pilots the other day and luckily a flight attendant, secret service and police office were there.


This story and this story tells of passengers intervening recently in two separate incidents.

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On the complete flip side of rude, selfish behavior, here is a news clip of the kidney swap done at Emory Hospital a couple weeks ago.  The three healthy men who gave a kidney are doing well and so are three men and boys who received a kidney.  The 7 yr old who lives near us was in fact running around a few days later.  Most of the givers and receivers just happened to be at Emory for their two-week post operation check-up the other day and while in the waiting room they figured out who was who, the journalist and camera operator were called in and this was on the news last night.  Four men and a boy (the other boy was not there at the time) sitting next to each other after the kidney swap.  It seems as though they are bonded for life.

Now I'm Terrified of some Airports As Much As Flying

I am a horrible "flyer" and when a flying trip is imminent I feel much anxiety and don't even get me started on what thoughts go through my brain during a flight, especially if there is any turbulence.

And then added to my flying experience--ever since this past fall--is the fear of the airport having only body scanners.  Last September I was at the Atlanta airport with my boss and not paying as much attention as I should have and the next thing I knew as I was putting my shoes on the security belt, is that I was in line for one of the few body scanners in place at the huge airport.  Fortunately it seemed as if the TSA workers were just learning about the machine and perhaps it malfunctioned because they turned it off a few passengers in front of me.

I had to fly again in November but I knew to just get in a security line that did not have one of the body scanners.

But then in December I had to fly to Tulsa, OK and this airport has ONLY body scanners--the former metal detector scanners are there but they have a sash in front of them to show they are not being used.  I was with my boss again on this trip and he looked ahead and stated that it looks like this is the day we have to "take nudie pictures".   I stated that I would opt out.  I told the TSA worker in the "shoe/luggage conveyor belt" area that I was opting out and she thought of many things to tell me to try and dissuade me and asked if I still wanted to opt out and I said yes.

Fortunately a different worker was summoned over past the body scanner machines (and there are only 3 or 4 at the Tulsa airport) to do my pat down, which is more of a rub down.  Of course, having a rub down I feel is completely wrong, as is having to be radiated from head to toe in a body scanner.  However, it was very brief, and I am sure that I share the same mental state as many in this position--there is a plane to catch, the other anxiety of flying itself, and the focus on Getting Home to my family.

Since December I have had to fly to Jackson, MS and Albuquerque, NM and fortunately those airports only have a few body scanners so I make sure I am not in that security line.

Interesting incident: there was an incident at a nearby high school in which a male student was dared by another student to touch a female student on the breast as he walked by her at school.  The male student was suspended from school for a week, the police showed up, and who knows what else resulted.  I said, “See, Son, it is against the law to touch someone without their consent.  You’ll learn at work that you cannot touch someone even if it is to pat their shoulder, and you certainly cannot touch someone in a private part of their body – Oh, unless it is the TSA.” (my kids know how I feel about this).  I continued, “For some reason a TSA agent is allowed to touch anyone of any age on their private parts and not get in trouble, but on the other hand as you have learned in all other areas of our law it is Not OK to touch someone in any other capacity.”

And then in April I had to go to Tulsa, OK again for business.  I told the male TSA worker by the conveyor belt that I was opting out.  I was brought over to the area past the body scanner for my pat down and the female TSA worker was NOT nice and asked several times if I had opted out before and I told her yes, here a few months ago. 

This time I was violated even more than the last time because it really stands out in your brain when someone touches your outer labia and vulva.  Even if it is on top of your clothes.  Last time this did not happen--last time I was told every move that was being made and the agent seemed apologetic that she had to run her fingers inside the waistband of my pants.   These rub downs are not consistent at the same airport.

I was left standing there while the TSA worker went over to an area and wiped lord knows what all over her gloves.  Then she tells me I am done.  Of course I should have reported her but the thing with traveling for business is I have a plane to catch that was paid for by my company, and somewhere to be for work the next day, a paycheck to earn, and most importantly, a family I wanted to see that night.

I am supposed to be in Tulsa again in a few months.  I will choose to fly into a different city, such as Oklahoma City, and drive the two hours to and from the meeting to that airport.  I will make sure I research that airport and any other new cities I may have to visit and learn if like at Tulsa there are ONLY body scanners.

This violation was not a quick thing that that was over when it was over.  It has really affected me emotionally and mentally.  If it ever has to happen again I now need to plan in advance that I will not have it done.  I understand that I will not be able to fly.  Luckily for me I am old enough to rent a rental car and am able to drive long distances.

This week I have to go to Orlando.  Who can advise me if there are only body scanners and not any "old fashioned" metal detectors there?  Note: It is only a 7 hour drive home.

One Kidney, Two Kidneys, Three Kidneys. Swap.

A long time ago I signed up to be an organ donor at the DMV.  Recently my friend Ash blogged about a family and their story on organ donation here and there is a link on that site to double check if you are indeed listed.

We have a neighbor, a little first grade boy who will be getting a new kidney during surgery tomorrow.

A couple of Augusts ago, he started kindergarten and his mom and I would talk at the bus stop in the morning.  I was the older, experienced-in-elementary-school-scene mom of a third son at the bus stop.  She is a mother of two boys and he is her oldest.  About six weeks into the school year she received some news that has forever changed their path of their days as a new mom of a kindergartener.  They found out during a visit at the pediatrician for a flu shot (and some needed blood work), that he has a kidney disease and they have been on a journey for a solution ever since.  It got so bad that his doctors decided he was better off with no kidneys and three months ago they were removed.

So of course his parents wanted to donate one of their kidneys to him.  But they found out six months ago that neither of them was a match.  Then her sister flew from her home across country to be tested and she was not a match.  That was crushing news for them.

Then about a month ago the doctors told his family about an altruistic donor who has been waiting for about a year to donate his kidney.  His dad signed up to donate a kidney to someone else one day.

It turns out that the altruistic donor has begun a "donor chain".  Let's call this donor "A".  "A" is actually giving his kidney to someone else..  So "A" is donating his kidney to "B".  Someone in "B"s family is donating a kidney to our little neighbor.  Tomorrow.

And the day after tomorrow, his dad is donating his kidney to someone else, sooner than they thought, but he will be part of the donor chain. 

They will be at the hospital tomorrow when their son gets a new kidney, and the next day the dad/husband will be operated on.  And she also has a three year old son who of course needs his mom.  And she is a veterinarian! 

Her spirits are high--it has been such a journey and it is meaningful to them that this is taking place between Passover and Easter.

As she says in this news segment (and the news will be filming more of their story this week at the hospital) this altuistic donor is giving the Ultimate Gift.  Click here to hear her tell their story and keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers on Wednesday and Thursday when three living people have chosen to give new life to three other people.

They are paying it forward during Passion Week.

The Pink Full Moon and a Healing Flowerful Weekend

It is a full moon again on Monday night--the Pink Full Moon.

I was so, so glad when this weekend arrived.  I was so happy this past week was over.  There has been a lot of stress the past few weeks and I needed the weekend to heal.
In April we like to walk around the yard and take a look at what is blooming.  Although Hubs did buy me flowers that filled two vases for our anniversary, he has said he will always "keep me in flowers" with a garden, and the roses always begin to bloom in April for our anniversary.

The dogwoods bloomed earlier than usual this year.  Today they are completely gone, but last week they were magnificent.  There are several pink ones in our yard but here is a white one:

The owl that I previously mentioned seems to have left the area, but some little birds appreciate the colorful birdhouses.  This one has the bottom falling out.  Wouldn't it be nice if some red duct tape could fix a human house too?

When I went to Florida two weeks ago for four days the pollen was in full force back at home.  This time of year our screened in porch gets a thick layer of pollen on everything and Hubs removes all the furniture and sprays everything down with a hose.  Last year he discovered wasps in our grill on the porch.  This year he discovered rust and we went shopping for a new grill.

Here is our porch as viewed from the breakfast area inside.  The outside doors are painted voodoo blue (the door is open into the kitchen area).  Hubs decided years ago that any house of ours would have its back doors blue.  It's an island thing and it's OK with me. 

 
When we went grill shopping last week I couldn't see spending all that money again for so much metal.  So we decided to get a smaller grill that can be taken camping and that would use a small propane canister.  Yesterday I said I was making turkey burgers and the next thing you know Hubs brings up tools and wood to the grilling area on our porch.  Youngest is his best DIY helper, and in less than 40 minutes a triangular wood shelf was built.

One thing we also do mid-April, and we call it anniversary gifts, is buy some vegetables for planting after April 15th.  Yesterday we bought a bunch of tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.  Today we looked around the yard and decided to try out a new area on the side of the house for planting that gets full sun.  The planting I don't mind and the weed picking and harvesting I don't mind.  But the preparation of the beds?  I was grumbling.  Hubs left for errands and I was chipper at first and remembered to wear a hat:

But a short time later I was dehydrated and weak (I've had a bad cold for over a week--first time in two years) and decided that I must be low on iron and vitamins.  Hours later I had planted vegetables in the front yard and back yard as well as the side yard.  With special mushroom fertilizer.  Glad that is done.

And then I decided that since I was weak I needed some red meat and since Hubs and I never made it out alone for our anniversary and would have spent $$ out if we had, I went to the grocery store and bought 5 large steaks and made mashed potatoes and broccoli and corn and asparagus and cooked them on the new grill.  The boys were really happy about dinner.  And now I am ready again for the next weekend.

Married at 24, and 24 Years Married

Today is our wedding anniversary.  Today we were married in front of a 300+ year old oak tree with the dogwoods and azaleas blooming.  I have now loved him more than half of my life.

Here is a picture he took of me that he keeps next to his side of the bed:

Here is the photo that I took of him that I keep in a frame next to my side of the bed:

Years later, we still love what we see today.

What--Don't the Neighbors Call the Police on Your Husband Too?

Yesterday late afternoon, Hubs and I were moseying around the yard, checking out the new plants that he had bought and sneaked into the ground while I was away for a few days.

A couple of police cars approached our house and parked.  Hubs said, "Oh--I think I know what this is about."

Note: earlier I had been out doing some errands.  And apparently there were some crows that would not shut up.  Last week we discovered that in one of the trees in the backyard there is an owl hanging out in a nest and there have been crows going crazy and they actually sound like barking dogs. 

Back to the police....they got out of their cars and Hubs approached them and they asked him if he had been outside for a little bit and he said yes.  Then they asked if he had heard gunshots.  He smiled and said, "No, but I think I know what it was.  Hubs asked them if they wanted to see and they said yes.

 

By this time I was inside the house taking pictures.  Of course when I went inside I told the boys, "The police have come to the house to talk to Dad!"  They ran around to every window.

When they were on the back porch Hubs showed the police the bottle rockets that he had shot off a little earlier when I wasn't home.  They asked him if they go up high in the air and Hubs said yes and the police told him that fireworks on the ground are allowed but none that go up in the air.  

Good thing no one called the police on us this past 4th of July or during my 12/31/09 Blue Moon New Year's Eve Party.  Going to Alabama on business every few months comes in handy when a certain mom needs to stock up for the family at the Fireworks store.

The police asked him if he had shot off 8 or 9 of them because someone had reported hearing that many gunshots.  Hubs told them that it was only 3.

So for now the contraband has been put away.  But I am sure those noisy crows will be back today.

Afterward Hubs said, "I have to call my mom--she will get a kick out of this because Dad once had the police show up in Florida when he was doing fireworks for us kids."  I told Hubs that yesterday had been 5 years since his Dad had passed away.  Hubs said, "Well, I guess I woke him up."  And then he had a good chuckle with his mom on the phone about the time 40 years ago that police showed up at their house when his dad had been setting off fireworks for his six kids.  Hubs' dad got a lecture, but then as that policeman was walking back to his patrol car, he set off his own bottle rockets just before he got into his police car!

There were no crows or birds harmed during these middle-aged man antics.

Grandma's in Rehab and We're Hitting the Road

I'm off on a road trip tomorrow and what a day it's been on five hours' sleep.  Isn't it true that whenever you leave for a little trip you get half the sleep you need because you are up late every night?  Or is it just me? 

The boys' great grandma had hip replacement surgery 4 weeks ago and she/we are very lucky that she still has "all her faculties."   She had a heart attack a couple days after her successful hip surgery.  But she is on the mend, and in a skilled nursing facility with physical therapy on the agenda a couple times a day.  My middle schooler and youngest son will be joining me for a road trip together....9-10 hours tomorrow.......to stay with a friend one night (we met on the pier there 27 or so years ago).  Then we'll go to a hotel for two nights and drive back home. I am so not ready for the beach.  My suit will be shorts and a t-shirt.

For the past six months I have been needing to visit Grandma and I am glad that two boys will accompany me (Eldest has high school baseball games).  (And Hubs will be cleaning the house and doing yard stuff).

Hope your first weekend in April is wonderful.