Notes from San Diego Airport

I very rarely have time to catch up with myself when I'm travelling - But this time I decided to make some notes.

San Diego is about 40 minutes odd south from Carlsbad (where I usually stay) and is a pretty easy drive along the freeway (so called because the speed limit posted serves as a 'suggested minimum' to most drivers). So I left early to beat the security rush and because I hate waiting in the security line, or any line for that matter.
Things I can tell you about San Diego airport;
- Its a lot like Perth, minus the international flights. It has the same small departure lounge with one or two concession stands selling overpriced water [There was a recent relaxing of the liquid no fly rules, provided you buy the liquid INSIDE the terminal - Fuckers].
- People covet the electrical outlets so as to charge phones or in my case watch dvd's. Actually I missed my spot and wound up reading a local newspaper cover to cover. Did you know Encinitas celebrated its 20th anniversary as an incorporated borough of San Diego last weekend?!? Really, you didn't - how sad for you. Then you probably also didn't know about the Viking Festival they held - kind of like a medieval fair, if Panterra organised it (I guess, I mean what do you do at a Viking festival "Hey man, Beowulf is the shit!!", "Oh yeah Bro, you totally got that right.", "So dude you wanna drink some larger and ravish some hot chicks?", "Yes I do my long haired Viking friend, Yes I do...").
- I discovered that it is now possible to get $1 coins in the States and that these $1 coins are rejected by every vending machine I could find.
- In San Diego, Mexican food is the equivalent of Chinese food in Australia, only with a higher level of sanitation - but a lot less flavour (oh yeah, I went there).

I was also touched by a young girl and her parents, she had to have been around 12yrs old for sure. She looked happy and quite unremarkable except for this wonderful pair of Gold Mickey Mouse ears. She wore that hat with all the pride of a Marine - you go girl!!

Besides all that, it was an airport terminal. My only glitch was with the ticketing machine, it was self serve. I hate technology, I hate it with a vengeance - and no wise arse remarks about this Blog. I'm talking about the kind of technology Geeky MacFreaky comes up with "To make your life easier" or in this case to fuck with your mind AGAIN as you try and comprehend how get your boarding pass. I despise with cold hatred those sorts of innovations - I want someone behind that counter, I never want to have to think for myself while I book in. That is not my job.
I'm looking at my hastily rearranged flight itinerary (so I can get out to Baltimore for 4 days of training). The gosh darn machine wants my booking number, what they hell does my booking number look like!?!?! I try another menu option, now it wants my frequent flyer card - but won't read the damm thing. Option 3 tells me to pick up the phone and it will connect me with an operator - FUCK YOU!!! I am not talking to chimp-stuffing-olive-munching-cheese-cracking-goat-loving-somabitch!!!!
Then the baggage handler guy with minimal English and a nice smile presses the buttons for me and I work out how to upgrade myself....
I feel small and ungrateful, I slink away toward the security check point - ashamed and dishonoured.

Latter as I relax in a seat with more legroom watching my dvd a buddy 'gave' me, I think to myself, "Maybe I don't hate technology, maybe I'm just getting old."

On the plus side, at my age I can buy all the cool stuff I want when I want (if my wife will let me!)