Odd things I noticed while travelling
Post written last night at the airport:
It's 21:57, I'm checked in and sitting at the gate, but my flight isn't until 23:35. The weather in New York today was so bad I couldn't work out how long it would take to get here, so I left at 7pm. I predict a lot of boredom in my future... Wonder if I'll be bored enough to type an entire trip report on this tiny PDA keyboard?
Signs that simply make no sense
Since I started dating an autistic person, I've started to notice signs that are confusing if taken literally. I'd like to hope that any spectrum people who were able to travel independently would recognise the implicit understanding in the standard airline security check of "Has anyone given you anything to take on this flight?", and not need to mention that the person at the check-in desk gave them a boarding pass. But I genuinely hope that airline and security staff have sufficient diversity training not to drag someone aside if they mention the boarding pass, and would know to follow up with "Has anyone given you anything else to take on this flight?".
I must admit to a few seconds of bewilderment when I saw a sign in an aeroplane toilet which said "Only toilet paper can be flushed down this lavatory." If that's taken literally, it means you're not allowed to use the toilet for its usual purpose! WTF?!
Oh God, there is currently a CNN report about the Creationism Museum on the TV. Please make it go away, please!
Signs that are bewildering to Brits
I got quite confused by the ubiquitous signs by bus stops that say "No standing". At first I thought it meant you couldn't stand to wait at the bus stop, then I thought it meant you weren't allowed to stand on the bus, only sit down. Finally I realised it was an instruction to traffic - something we'd phrase as "No stopping or parking". (And now I notice the inherent illogic in "No stopping" with its implication that you have to drive forever - how on earth do we write these things?!)
I was amused, in an "I can't believe this brand name helps sales" sort of way by the sports division of the shoe shop Foot Locker. It's called The Athlete's Foot. Now, I don't know about Americans, but here athlete's foot is a fungal infection that causes peeling skin and itching. It's certainly not something you want!
The CNN report is getting on my nerves - going to play my DS for a bit & hope I can block it out.
It's 21:57, I'm checked in and sitting at the gate, but my flight isn't until 23:35. The weather in New York today was so bad I couldn't work out how long it would take to get here, so I left at 7pm. I predict a lot of boredom in my future... Wonder if I'll be bored enough to type an entire trip report on this tiny PDA keyboard?
Signs that simply make no sense
Since I started dating an autistic person, I've started to notice signs that are confusing if taken literally. I'd like to hope that any spectrum people who were able to travel independently would recognise the implicit understanding in the standard airline security check of "Has anyone given you anything to take on this flight?", and not need to mention that the person at the check-in desk gave them a boarding pass. But I genuinely hope that airline and security staff have sufficient diversity training not to drag someone aside if they mention the boarding pass, and would know to follow up with "Has anyone given you anything else to take on this flight?".
I must admit to a few seconds of bewilderment when I saw a sign in an aeroplane toilet which said "Only toilet paper can be flushed down this lavatory." If that's taken literally, it means you're not allowed to use the toilet for its usual purpose! WTF?!
Oh God, there is currently a CNN report about the Creationism Museum on the TV. Please make it go away, please!
Signs that are bewildering to Brits
I got quite confused by the ubiquitous signs by bus stops that say "No standing". At first I thought it meant you couldn't stand to wait at the bus stop, then I thought it meant you weren't allowed to stand on the bus, only sit down. Finally I realised it was an instruction to traffic - something we'd phrase as "No stopping or parking". (And now I notice the inherent illogic in "No stopping" with its implication that you have to drive forever - how on earth do we write these things?!)
I was amused, in an "I can't believe this brand name helps sales" sort of way by the sports division of the shoe shop Foot Locker. It's called The Athlete's Foot. Now, I don't know about Americans, but here athlete's foot is a fungal infection that causes peeling skin and itching. It's certainly not something you want!
The CNN report is getting on my nerves - going to play my DS for a bit & hope I can block it out.