Have you ever woken up from a nap and not known where you were or what’s going on? Yeah, it’s happened to me too. Evidently, it has also happened to pilots…..

The Home Warrior sent me this article yesterday: “Pilot Mistakenly Sends Plane into a Dive.” The title kind of gets you, right? You want to read more and find out what happened, right?? Basically, on a transatlantic flight, the first officer took a nap, which is totally legal and fine. Except when he woke up, he was disoriented, and mistook Venus for an oncoming plane. So naturally he grabbed the controls and sent the plane into a steep dive. Where he almost hit the actual plane that was near them. Oops.

Passengers who didn’t have their seatbelts on were thrown all over the cabin, including several who were sleeping. (Talk about being disoriented after waking up!) In fact, more than a few passengers hit the ceiling. Holy crap.

So there you have it folks. When the flight attendant tells you to fasten your seatbelt when seated just in case, sometimes “just in case” actually happens. There have been many times when I did not have it on, especially when sleeping on a transpacific flight in business class. But no more!! When the Home Warrior and I were discussing this he, the great rule follower, said, “I don’t wear my seatbelt because I’m worried about safety, but because I’m afraid to break the rules.”  Of course, now he is also afraid of turbulence. Hah!

Readers, do you wear your seatbelt even when the “fasten seatbelt” light is off? Have you ever had crazy turbulence on a flight?

For those of you who haven’t heard about this…..

Last Friday, an American Airlines flight to Chicago was taxiing to the runway when one of the flight attendants started making an announcement over the PA system. That’s normal, right? Except she wasn’t giving safety information or instructions on buckling your seatbelt. Instead, she went on a 15-minute rant about the plane crashing, and how she was not responsible.

Bethany Christakos, of Dallas, who was seated toward the rear of the plane, said passengers started “freaking out” as one of the flight attendants gave a rambling, 15-minute speech on the plane’s public-address system.

“She said, ‘I’m not responsible for this plane crashing,”‘ Christakos said.

The other flight attendants tried to take the microphone away, and when that didn’t work called on passengers to help restrain her. Geez.

“At that point, they were trying … she’d made enough announcements, errant announcements, over the PA that they were trying to get the PA away from her,” said passenger Stephen Tremunde. “She snatched it back, became very aggressive. At that point, the other flight attendants became physically engaged.”

The plane returned to the gate, where law enforcement was waiting.

“I’m just thankful we weren’t in the air. It could have been much worse,” said Tremunde.

No kidding. Wow.

Here is the full article from NBC DFW. If you can, watch the video. It’s pretty freaky.

Thanks to my Boarding Area friend Delta Points for posting the link.

On a recent trip, I parked my car at the off-site facility I use, like normal. I got on the shuttle and rode it to the airport, like normal. Everyone else got off the shuttle at the first stop, and I was the last person still waiting to get dropped off. The shuttle driver was carrying the final suitcase down the stairs, when the passenger stopped him. “Can I ask a favor of you?” he said. (Now, I expected the favor to be something like, “Can I get change for a $20,” or something similarly benign. Um, no.) “I just realized I have a knife in my pocket. I don’t want to take it through security, because I’ll get in trouble. Can you take it and put it in my car?” Then he gave the driver a piece of paper with his parking space number and the code to unlock his car, along with an extra $5.

Wow. I have so many issues with this! First off, I know that I live in Texas. But seriously. How can you not remember you have a knife in your pocket?? This guy was obviously a frequent flier, he should have known better! Second, to give someone that you don’t know the code to get into your car? That just seems incredibly stupid to me! Finally, from the drivers’ perspective, it seems like setting yourself up for a host of problems. What if this is the one time that someone breaks into this guy’s car? Guess who will get blamed?? Oh and one more—it seems like a favor like this is worth way more than $5. But that’s just me.

One alternative was to have the driver take him back to the facility so he could put it back himself. I’ve had to do this once before (I left my phone in my car) and it took less than ten minutes. (BTW I tipped that guy $10 because I was incredibly grateful.) Granted, it’s not a great option if you’re running super short on time. It just seemed so weird!

So friends, my recommendation to you is to leave your knives at home. It just seems to make things much simpler.

Readers, what do you think? Is it a weird request, or am I being overly analytical?

Today, the Home Warrior came across this story and he thought I would want to see it. He was right, as usual. Sounds like Jennifer Winning was trying to fly home from a small Wyoming airport, and for some reason security was closed and she wasn’t able to make her flight. Once I read the article from MSNBC, I felt like I had a lot of questions.  Another (short) piece was written about the incident in USA Today, but there’s still a lot of missing information.

“They wouldn’t let me get on the plane because I’m female,” Winning told FOX31 in Denver.

Well that’s pretty inflammatory! You see that, and you think, wow! That’s unacceptable.  Is that what actually happened?

From MSNBC:

Winning told the TV station that she arrived at the security checkpoint at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of her United Express flight (operated by SkyWest) to Denver, but was informed by a Transportation Security Administration employee that she couldn’t be screened because the security checkpoint had been closed and that all the female agents were off duty. If Winning needed a pat-down, there was no one available to perform it.

She told them that was fine, she would sign a waiver, but no dice. So she ended up renting a car to drive home instead of flying.

United said that in this airport, customers are required to have completed their check in process at least 30 minutes before the flight takes off (Of course, my question is–does that include going through security?), and that Winning tried to go through security 27 minutes before takeoff.  The TSA says that once the airline lets them know that security screening is no longer needed, the checkpoint is closed. From USA Today:

However, the TSA says Winning wasn’t allowed to board because she was late and the flight had been closed after several final boarding calls.

It just seems so weird. In small airports, they will often close security if there are no flights going out. I’ve seen it happen, and I’ve seen people miss flights they easily could have made because of it. What neither story answers is: would they have re-opened the security checkpoint if the passenger were a man? If the issue is that the security checkpoint was closed, well, that’s unfortunate but that’s what happens when you cut it super close to your flight time. If the issue is that they could have reopened it, but didn’t because there were no female screeners on hand, well, that is another issue entirely.

The USA Today version adds another twist: it says Winning was there, at the airport, and the flight was delayed. She went outside, came back in, and it was too late. There’s no mention of that in the MSNBC article–just that she got there about 30 minutes before her flight took off, and the checkpoint was closed. If it’s true, and she were right outside, wouldn’t she have heard those “Last call for security!” announcements TSA made?

It sounds to me like when TSA tried to explain to her that the checkpoint was closed, she wouldn’t accept it. So they told her that there were no female officers on hand, hoping that would work. Not a smart move (and TSA isn’t exactly known for being at the top of their game all the time), but not the dumbest thing they’ve ever done.

Readers, what’s your take? Do you think she was denied because she’s a woman? Or that she was just too late and refused to accept responsibility?

Over New Years, we went to Dallas. The DFW Metro area is big, so between dinners, shopping, and family, we did a ton of driving around. At one point, we were at a stoplight, and realized that there were thousands of birds all around us. It was crazy!

Readers, have you seen freaky nature-related things while traveling?

Oh dear. TSA is a never ending source of, “Seriously???” moments. In the last year, stories ranging from hilarious to horrifying have appeared, and now the agency famous for its comedy of errors has struck again.

According to CNN, a TSA agent found a, shall we say, “personal item” in the luggage of a traveler. On the “TSA has searched your bag” paper, he wrote the woman a special note: “Get your freak on girl.” OMG. I mean, O. M. G. Can you imagine? It’s hideously inappropriate, offensive, disgusting….. and yet mildly hilarious. While you gasp in horrified laughter, you wonder what kind of idiot could possibly think this would be acceptable. And did he think he wouldn’t get found out? Has he done this before, and just not been caught?

The officer in question is facing dismissal, of course. But when the woman who received the note tweeted the pic to her followers, she said she wanted to raise the issue of what this means in the grander sense of things.

“As much as this is a funny and titillating story, when I put the note on Twitter for what I thought was a relatively limited audience, I was hoping it would open up a bigger conversation about privacy rights (or lack thereof) in post-9/11 America. It unfortunately hasn’t done that, and instead has turned into a media circus,” she said.

I think she raises a valid point. While personally I have had never had a terrible interaction with the TSA (just mildly annoying ones), there are clearly several bad apples that are creating issues for everyone else. Most of the agents are probably doing the best they can, but there seem to be many systemic issues flowing from the top down.

So, Readers, what do you think this says about privacy rights these days? Or is the idea that we have any privacy the biggest joke of all?

(P.S.: Home Warrior had an awesome name suggestion for this post, which was hilarious, but I just couldn’t do it: “Not-so Good Vibrations”. Hah! He is on a roll. Remember “Snakes on a Plane?“)

Okay, this is hilarious. Going back to my friends’ story a few weeks ago about fellow passengers joining the mile high club….. I was sent this fabulous article from reader Sylvia. Apparently another couple tried for the same thing, but it got turned into a much bigger deal…..

From Jezebel:

The tenth anniversary of 9/11 was an unwise day for an in-flight romantic adventure, as a couple learned. After their frequent trips to the bathroom raised suspicions on a Frontier Airlines flight, the FBI was called to investigate suspicious behavior and two fighter jets took to the skies to monitor the plane. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that the actual reason for the bathroom visits was “making out.”

It does make you wonder–going to the lav frequently makes you look suspicious? What if you just drank a lot of water? Or you’re sick? Or something else? Anyway, the next time you think about joining this particular club, just remember that you could end your day in police custody.

The Home Warrior and I were driving to San Antonio to see his parents a few weeks ago, and were listening to one of my favorite NPR shows, Car Talk. One of the callers, who lived in New York,  said that her significant other (boyfriend? husband? I don’t remember) refused to wear his seat belt while driving in the city. His rationale? He wanted to be able to slide over to the other seat should a car be about to hit him on the driver’s side. Uh, that is possibly the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. First of all, the likelihood of you having the superhero-fast reflexes to move out of the way if a car is coming are nil. Second, the possibility that you’ll get hit in another way (front, back, etc) is just as high as from the driver’s side–and you definitely want your seat belt on if you get hit from those directions! Third, what if you have a passenger?? Luckily the Car Talk guys agreed with me, so I didn’t have to write them a letter. For those of you who would like to listen to it, here is the link.

It was just so insane! Have you ever heard anything like this before? Goodness. Let’s be safe, people!

And to finish off the week with a few random thoughts…..

I love the Old Navy sweater that Lisa from Privilege posted over at Corporette for Frugal Friday. It’s $20, comes in a ton of colors, is nice and long, and is a great budget-friendly travel staple. The comments all say that it holds up pretty well, which makes the $20 seem like a steal.

Finally, ACL Festival starts today and I am SO EXCITED. I have a new favorite–Charles Bradley. Listening to him right now, he does soul in a way that makes you feel it. Very James Brown-esque, in the best possible way. I highly recommend you check him out.

This past weekend some good friends came into town. As we were hugging hello, my friend said, “Have I got a story for you!!” And boy, was she right. For the sake of the story, we will call these friends John and Jane.

John and Jane were flying in from California, with a layover in the middle.  They got on board the second leg, found their seats, and were settling in with their one-year old son when a man sat in front of them. He noticed a woman coming on board and yelled, “Hey there! Weren’t you at the bar a few minutes ago? Come sit over here!” The woman came and sat, and they started talking loudly about their homes and spouses. Jane remembers thinking, Oh great, drunk people. Hope they don’t wake the baby up! Of course, if it had ended there it wouldn’t be so interesting. While the plane was taxiing, the woman scooted over so she was sitting right next to the man. During takeoff, they started making out. And once the seat belt sign went off (you may have guessed this part) they went into the bathroom…..together.

The flight was only about a third full, so it was pretty apparent to a lot of people what was going on. In fact, the woman sitting across from them was so offended that she told a flight attendant, who then went and banged on the bathroom door. Which of course did nothing. John kept an eye on his watch, and by his count it was a good fourteen minutes before the man came out and sat down, with the woman following soon after. To make the story even worse, or sadder, or whatever, once they arrived and got off the plane, John went into the bathroom at the airport. He thought he was alone, until he heard a cell phone ring, and heard the guy from the plane talking to a friend. “No, we arrived on time. I’m just in the bathroom, hiding out from a woman I banged on the airplane.” <<Facepalm.>>

Not surprisingly, I have a lot of thoughts about this situation. First of all, I know that the mile-high club exists, but it would never occur to me that people would try to join on a 60 minute daytime flight. It seems like something that lends itself more to overnight flights, when people are sleeping. Or at least can’t see what’s really going on. Second, airplane bathrooms are tiny and super gross. I tried to figure out the mechanics, but it made my brain hurt so I let it go. And then the flight attendant banging on the door in the middle? I’m trying not to think about the part that they’re married…..to other people. Oy.

In all my flights, I have never seen anything like this. Maybe because I try to tune out the people around me, or because I’m always reading my book or working. But it makes me wonder–is this common? Have you guys ever noticed anything like this going on?

(P.S. The Home Warrior wanted me to call this post “Snakes on a Plane.” I laughed hysterically but couldn’t do it.)

I stayed at a Hilton outside of Boston a couple of weeks ago. It was perfectly fine, although my “balcony” overlooked the indoor pool, and I didn’t have any natural light in my room. That was weird. But they must have gone through some recent remodeling. As I was walking through the underground parking garage, I saw a large section of spaces cordoned off. At first I thought they were speakers, then as I got closer I realized they were TVs. At least twenty, maybe thirty, of them, lined up very precisely, huge and bulky. It was so bizarre! Wonder what they will do with them…..

What in the world?

Readers, what is something weird you’ve seen on a trip?