home again, jiggety jig
So here I am, back in NJ.
Kansas City ended the swing on a fine note. Can't say it was my favorite class ever, but there were good discussions overall and decently nice people. I blew my chance to see my friend Chasey again. Chasey was the waiter I met at the Ruby Tuesday's near the hotel last year at this time, and we got to talking on Facebook after that. For whatever reason, I got embarrassed asking if he was working Tuesday night (even though he told me he was) and ended up with a different waiter ... and never even saw Chasey walk by. But he was indeed there, and we missed each other. Ugh.
I overslept slightly this morning, so instead of leaving the hotel at 8 I left at more like 845. I was still done with the rental car and in the airport by 910, which was more than enough time to eat a breakfast sandwich and read a little before boarding the plane. Somewhat funny, though: I was bantering with the TSA woman checking ID about running late. She said, "Good thing Security is usually short around here." I commented that it wasn't like Newark, where the line can take a half-hour to get through sometimes. She offered me the opportunity to stand by her podium for another 20 minutes if I "wanted to feel at home." We both laughed, and I moved to put my stuff on the conveyor. At that moment, of course, everything ground to a halt. There was the woman with the hip replacement who needed a "female assist personal inspection" and they couldn't find a female TSA person on that side of the scanner to help; there was the woman with a ton of liquids in her carry-on. And the older gentleman who just couldn't seem to get through the scanner without setting it off. Yep -- 20 minutes before I was able to pass my stuff through the x-ray and step through the scanner myself. Can you say "jinxed yourself?"
The flight itself was smooth. I read for part of it, then ended up snoozing a bit. Towards the end of the flight, the guy in the seat in front of me turned to the gentleman in the seat across from me, pointed to his hand, and said "nice ring. looks a little heavy," with a smile. The guy with the ring said, "yes,it's a nice one. Not your average class ring, but it does have some weight to it."
I found out after I was off the plane that I'd been sitting across the aisle from Kansas City Chiefs player and Super Bowl IV champion Bobby Bell. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, very low key. I'm sure plenty of people on the flight knew who he was, and no-one made a fuss about him. He enjoyed his flight. Of course, not being a football fan at all, it wasn't as cool for me as it might have been had I been sitting across from, oh, let's say, Michael Emerson. (Shall I mention here that my buddy Dave passed Emerson walking his dog in NYC the other night? Why, yes, I shall, and try to not at all sound bitter about it.)
Once home (quickly, thanks to my favorite limo driver who knows all the back-roads), I went and grabbed my mail. 2.5 weeks worth. Plenty of bills and renewal notices and such, and plenty of packages! Subterranean Press sent me jaylake 's THE SKY THAT WRAPS. This month's hardcover from the Library of America (to which I am a long-time subscriber) is a Mark Twain volume including A TRAMP ABROAD and other travel writing. A new issue of ONE STORY was in there, and a pile of comics from my buddy Mindbender. And in another large package was the print edition of MULTIPLEX: ENJOY YOUR SHOW, and the Breakfast Club-style poster tshirt for the webcomic. Awesomness.
The evening saw me at two different bookstores near home and some exciting finds, but I'll hold those for a separate post as this one is getting long.
Kansas City ended the swing on a fine note. Can't say it was my favorite class ever, but there were good discussions overall and decently nice people. I blew my chance to see my friend Chasey again. Chasey was the waiter I met at the Ruby Tuesday's near the hotel last year at this time, and we got to talking on Facebook after that. For whatever reason, I got embarrassed asking if he was working Tuesday night (even though he told me he was) and ended up with a different waiter ... and never even saw Chasey walk by. But he was indeed there, and we missed each other. Ugh.
I overslept slightly this morning, so instead of leaving the hotel at 8 I left at more like 845. I was still done with the rental car and in the airport by 910, which was more than enough time to eat a breakfast sandwich and read a little before boarding the plane. Somewhat funny, though: I was bantering with the TSA woman checking ID about running late. She said, "Good thing Security is usually short around here." I commented that it wasn't like Newark, where the line can take a half-hour to get through sometimes. She offered me the opportunity to stand by her podium for another 20 minutes if I "wanted to feel at home." We both laughed, and I moved to put my stuff on the conveyor. At that moment, of course, everything ground to a halt. There was the woman with the hip replacement who needed a "female assist personal inspection" and they couldn't find a female TSA person on that side of the scanner to help; there was the woman with a ton of liquids in her carry-on. And the older gentleman who just couldn't seem to get through the scanner without setting it off. Yep -- 20 minutes before I was able to pass my stuff through the x-ray and step through the scanner myself. Can you say "jinxed yourself?"
The flight itself was smooth. I read for part of it, then ended up snoozing a bit. Towards the end of the flight, the guy in the seat in front of me turned to the gentleman in the seat across from me, pointed to his hand, and said "nice ring. looks a little heavy," with a smile. The guy with the ring said, "yes,it's a nice one. Not your average class ring, but it does have some weight to it."
I found out after I was off the plane that I'd been sitting across the aisle from Kansas City Chiefs player and Super Bowl IV champion Bobby Bell. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, very low key. I'm sure plenty of people on the flight knew who he was, and no-one made a fuss about him. He enjoyed his flight. Of course, not being a football fan at all, it wasn't as cool for me as it might have been had I been sitting across from, oh, let's say, Michael Emerson. (Shall I mention here that my buddy Dave passed Emerson walking his dog in NYC the other night? Why, yes, I shall, and try to not at all sound bitter about it.)
Once home (quickly, thanks to my favorite limo driver who knows all the back-roads), I went and grabbed my mail. 2.5 weeks worth. Plenty of bills and renewal notices and such, and plenty of packages! Subterranean Press sent me jaylake 's THE SKY THAT WRAPS. This month's hardcover from the Library of America (to which I am a long-time subscriber) is a Mark Twain volume including A TRAMP ABROAD and other travel writing. A new issue of ONE STORY was in there, and a pile of comics from my buddy Mindbender. And in another large package was the print edition of MULTIPLEX: ENJOY YOUR SHOW, and the Breakfast Club-style poster tshirt for the webcomic. Awesomness.
The evening saw me at two different bookstores near home and some exciting finds, but I'll hold those for a separate post as this one is getting long.