TSA on the way from Blue Bubble to Red Supermajority
I'm leaving my home in Portland, Oregon to visit family in eastern Tennessee. My family needs help. I'm in the airport now, waiting for my first flight.
The airport was different this time with a fancy wooden dome over the entry area, and wooden chandeliers and whatnot. They're promoting Oregon as a tree farm. They're also promoting Portland by having Portland themed everything on display, and lots of Portland-based businesses selling their wares.
The TSA screening was also different this time. Different baskets, different conveyors, different everything. I'm glad we don't have to take out our computers anymore.
The thing that stood out the most was the pat-down I received after going through the x-ray machine. I have two replaced hips, which are visible on x-ray. Instead of noting the joint replacements, the machine flagged me as possibly carrying something dangerous in the upper thigh area, and I got my butt and thighs quite well examined by a gloved woman. You'd think that with the modern technology of x-rays they could avoid having to get so physically intimate with customers. It was not pleasurable.