I was sitting in the Austin airport Friday night and a lady with a 4 year old and a 2 year old were coming down the walkway. Mom was on the phone, 4 year old was running around her in circles screaming "I want ice cream". 2 year old was 10 feet behind screaming at the top of her lungs.
Did I mention mom was on the phone? Completely ignoring both her kids? Letting the rest of society be punished by her lack of whatever it is that makes you ignore your kids in public?
They sat in the row of chairs directly behind me. Mom was still on the phone.
I felt the spider monkey coming so I moved.
Bottom line - if you have kids, take care of them. If you don't want to take care of your kids and raise them to be polite, contributing members of society - give them to someone who will.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The TSA Incident
So my family and I were returning from 10 days in Italy and 5 days in Orlando - lots of travel, lots of foreigners. Being from Texas I pride myself on being kind to others and was astonished to find that not everyone feels the same in other places.
We were in the Orlando airport and had been waiting in the security line for an hour and a half and finally reached the actual security line where you put all your stuff in the bins and go through the cancer causing naked body scanners. 3 adults from Spain cut the entire line because they were about to miss their flight and stepped right in front of me. I politely tapped the one directly in front of me on the shoulder and told her that cutting in front of me was not an option and to go wait in line like everyone else. She shoved me backward with 2 hands and screamed at me in Spanish. I did not take this well and proceeded to rip her a new one and told her to go back to her own country because we did not appreciate rude foreigners here. This went on for some time. She cried, we went through security, she cried some more, she complained to the Sheriff that I accosted her. Seriously?
I was pulled out of the line and questioned and then I really lost it with the Sheriff - for me a tax paying citizen who was shoved and screamed at by a lying foreigner who cut the entire line? It was bad enough that they let her get away with it but now were going to question me? Who do you think you are? My taxes pay your salary and every other uniformed lackey in the building! I'm willing to go to jail over this and your willing to let her get away with it? etc. etc. etc. I'm not proud of it. But its true. Spider monkey.
Fortunately for me my husband is of a calmer and kinder nature and explained to the Sheriff that we were returning from lots of travel, were very tired, and were shocked at the way people in other countries treat each other and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Incident over.
Best part? She was on my flight and I had to sit behind her the entire 4 hours. Karma.
We were in the Orlando airport and had been waiting in the security line for an hour and a half and finally reached the actual security line where you put all your stuff in the bins and go through the cancer causing naked body scanners. 3 adults from Spain cut the entire line because they were about to miss their flight and stepped right in front of me. I politely tapped the one directly in front of me on the shoulder and told her that cutting in front of me was not an option and to go wait in line like everyone else. She shoved me backward with 2 hands and screamed at me in Spanish. I did not take this well and proceeded to rip her a new one and told her to go back to her own country because we did not appreciate rude foreigners here. This went on for some time. She cried, we went through security, she cried some more, she complained to the Sheriff that I accosted her. Seriously?
I was pulled out of the line and questioned and then I really lost it with the Sheriff - for me a tax paying citizen who was shoved and screamed at by a lying foreigner who cut the entire line? It was bad enough that they let her get away with it but now were going to question me? Who do you think you are? My taxes pay your salary and every other uniformed lackey in the building! I'm willing to go to jail over this and your willing to let her get away with it? etc. etc. etc. I'm not proud of it. But its true. Spider monkey.
Fortunately for me my husband is of a calmer and kinder nature and explained to the Sheriff that we were returning from lots of travel, were very tired, and were shocked at the way people in other countries treat each other and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Incident over.
Best part? She was on my flight and I had to sit behind her the entire 4 hours. Karma.
In the beginning...
I am the kind of person who when passionate about something (anything really) I become very animated, get louder and louder, and sometimes escalate into all out war zone. As soon as I'm done talking I go back to my normal self. As you can imagine this tends to freak people out.
I was recently on a work trip and one evening several friends and a new comer to our group were out for dinner. I told a story about an incident I had with the TSA while travelling with my family. It was 6 months ago, but I still get pretty worked up about it and while telling the story I became very animated, got very loud, and pretty much as war zone as I was during the actual incident. After telling the story I became my normal self again and my friends laughed at me, being used to my passion and our new comer said "Oh my gosh - you are just like a spider monkey! You are all cute and cuddly and sweet and then BAM you go ballistic and scratch someone's face off!"
As our meeting continued my new friend encouraged me to write a blog about my spider monkey incidents as he thinks its really funny. So here I am.
To my new friend T - thank you for being the first person to appreciate my spider monkeyness and by the way this is all your fault!
I was recently on a work trip and one evening several friends and a new comer to our group were out for dinner. I told a story about an incident I had with the TSA while travelling with my family. It was 6 months ago, but I still get pretty worked up about it and while telling the story I became very animated, got very loud, and pretty much as war zone as I was during the actual incident. After telling the story I became my normal self again and my friends laughed at me, being used to my passion and our new comer said "Oh my gosh - you are just like a spider monkey! You are all cute and cuddly and sweet and then BAM you go ballistic and scratch someone's face off!"
As our meeting continued my new friend encouraged me to write a blog about my spider monkey incidents as he thinks its really funny. So here I am.
To my new friend T - thank you for being the first person to appreciate my spider monkeyness and by the way this is all your fault!
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