Last time I flew, I left my phone at security. So this time I put the phone in my backpack. Now I can’t find it. I ran back and forth looking for it; no luck.

So I sat down and was about to use the convenient wireless Internet connection available from the gate when I was called to board; no time.

The one time I was ready to refuse to show ID, I didn’t have to. In Chicago, as the speakers in the ceiling said many times, you’re not required to show ID when boarding.

As I was boarding (tired and hot from running) I was invited to see the cockpit. I’d always wanted to do that. It was quite interesting; lots of complicated switches and such. But I couldn’t think of any good questions to ask; no breath. (I wonder if I’d make a good interviewer; it’s hard to get people to tell you interesting stuff.)

The one time I was hot, my seat had no air nozzle things. The one time I had a DC power outlet at my seat, I didn’t have an inverter. The one time there was a movie I wanted to watch, I was really far away from the screen.

Just my luck.

But hey, things’ll be better from now on. I’m in San Francisco, after all. What could go wrong?

Update: A lot, apparently. I got the loooong ride to my hotel, taking almost two hours. Then I took a looong (and uphill many ways) walk to meet some friends. I finally found where they live, but I can’t find them, because 50 people live in the same house as them. I was totally unprepared for this. I’m so sick of transportation and logistics. Next life, I’m getting a retinal GPS and IRC display.

Oh, and I found my phone. Unfortunately, my Mom assumed it was permanently lost and had mine deactivated and FedExed me hers. Sigh.

Update update: Some people seem to have the impression I’m having a bad time — just the opposite. Despite getting lost several times on the way to Bab5, not getting anything to eat or drink, being too tired and hungry to keep up conversation, being shyly afraid of all these people I didn’t know, wearing new shoes that don’t really fit quite right, and staying in a dumpy hotel, I’m having the time of my life. I think the lesson here is that pain doesn’t keep action from being uplifting and comfort does little to keep blandness from being depressing.

Or maybe it’s just California.

posted February 27, 2003 10:58 PM (Personal) #

Nearby

Why “Intellectual Property” is not Property
Enabling IPv6 on OS X
explain it to me
News Update
The Wireless Future
Just My Luck
Notes from the DRM Conference: Impacts of DRMs on flows of information
Trip Report
Trip Report (cont.)
Valenti Remix
New Valenti Remix

Aaron Swartz (me@aaronsw.com)