Maybe I should post something? I guess I’ll have to start thinking about whether to bring this blog back from the dead…

We’re working our way through the videos used in the new Weezer video – Pork and Beans. This time we’ll look at the “Dramatic Look,” a hamster with a steely stare…

Pork and Beans
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muP9eH2p2PI]

Dramatic Look
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40]

As you read this, I am currently suffering through another family camping trip in the Pecos Wilderness (northern New Mexico) with my family and 2 of my bro-in-laws. If all goes well, I will be back sometime late Monday, dreaming of a shower and my bed. See ya’ll next week!

As my previous post indicated, I spent part of last week travelling to the great state of Delaware on business. This is the second time that I have flown since 9/11 (not sure that I miss having to fly a lot now). Here are my rough observations:

Security
1. Security has become more of a burden than a comfort. I know that the job of the TSA is to keep me safe from terrorists, but getting through security is a real pain in the posterior. I finally had it down on the last leg of my trip – even remembering to take off my glasses before passing through the metal detector. You essentially have to take off everything that isn’t needed to keep you from getting arrested for public lewdness. The only thing the TSA hasn’t realized is that terrorists are people, and if you stop people from boarding airplanes, you won’t have to worry about terrorists taking them over…

Liberty
2. If you thought that getting on an airplane was hard, try getting in to look at the Liberty Bell. Same thing, take off all your clothes and submit to a body cavity search (or was that just because I wore my Dallas Cowboys shirt?) just to see a bell with a big crack in it. According to some guys from Philly, the Liberty Bell was located in what amounted to a bus stop 7 years ago. One of them remembered kicking it during class trips. I hate to say this, but if a terrorist gets past security and blows himself up near the bell, he won’t hurt it. You really need to be worried that he might try and ring it…

Bathrooms
3.  I never did manage to get my lower intestinal tract in synch with my travels. As such, I got to spend some quality time sitting in the stalls at each of the airports I was waiting in. The best bathrooms belong to Dallas/Ft Worth (DFW), terminal D. Next best belong to Dallas Love Field (DAL). The worst? Philadelphia International. I wandered through 3 terminals looking for a semi-clean seat.

That Just Ain’t Right
4.  How can a warm toilet seat feel so right, and at the same time be so wrong? You sit down and go “ahhhh – ewwwww”…

Smallest Seats
5.  The American Airlines crop-duster that I flew from Amarillo to DFW made me feel like a real fat-ass. I feel sorry for the people on board who actually were fat.

Worst Airline
6. I flew most of my trip on American Airlines, catching the last leg back home on Southwest. I have to say that I was very unimpressed with AA. I thought the Southwest ad where the guy has to pay for everything, including the tray table and the window shade, was funny, but I didn’t think it would be true. AA held me captive for 4 hours each way with no meal (oh – I could pay, like, $5 for a nasty sandwich). And they charge for this lack of service.

Rental Rape
7. Hertz provided my rental car in Philly, and boy, do they have a scam going. You can buy a full tank of gas when you rent the car for $2.89 a gallon (looked about 20 cents above the average in the area) and not have to return the car full. Or you can fill the tank up yourself before you return it (they start you out with a full tank), except that there are no gas stations nearby, meaning you’ll be a little short of full by the time you return the car – and that will cost you $6.89 a gallon. So I took the pre-pay option and offered to drive people everywhere.
Taxi Rape
8.  I spent the night in DFW and had to catch a cab across town to my hotel (I landed in DFW and flew out of Love Field. My hotel only covered Love Field). The price – $39. We could have rented a car for just a little more (Hertz currently shows $57).

So, do I want to fly again? Not really. Next time I’ll see if I can take Amtrak.

I’m trying out some new ads, we’ll see how they work. You’ll see a test ad at the top of the page until they get me something…