pathetic

Let me get this straight: National media is punked by a 6-year-old, breaking away from coverage of President Obama’s first visit to New Orleans to show a balloon floating away. Upon discovering that they have been punked, they decide to give the story even more play, putting it on the front page of USA Today, and running regular updates on CNN.
I can only assume tomorrow we’ll get a tell-all book from the kid, and by next week he’ll have a podcast and blog.
Fighting two wars, debating heath care and climate change, with the economy still in an employment crisis and this is what they give us. No wonder journalism is dying.

nothing lasts forever

After a six month vacation, tomorrow I return to work, if only for a couple days. Will my burdens ever cease?

how did I walk away from this?

harrowing

Unquestionably, a seat belt saved my life tonight

finally

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.

missed it by that much

Pictured above: Flight 453, supposedly having “gone.”

Despite flawless weather, the gods of travel have again conspired against me, delaying my flight from Austin to Dallas just enough to make it likely that I would miss my connection to Portland. But arriving in Dallas, I learned my flight to Portland was also delayed. As we taxied to the gate, I held out hope that with a dash and a prayer that I might still catch the flight.

Then our plane made a U-turn. Out gate was filled by another plane. After 15, minutes sitting on the tarmac, my hopes flagged. But with nothing better to do, I hurried onto the SkyLink to my gate. I arrived just as they closed the door, the flight full. So I think of the myriad minutes lost, waiting to depart from Austin, those agonizing moments sitting on the plane on the ground yet not yet there, or stuck on the escalator behind morons who never learned the basic principle of ‘stand right, walk left.’ Any of these instances abated and I’d be airborne. Had the gate agent in Dallas actually called the gate to my departing flight rather than curtly saying “no, it’s gone,” I’d be on my way to Portland. Instead I sit at the airport, thinking of ways to pass the time.

While delayed and missed flights are nothing new, the constant hope that I could still make the flight frustrates. Better to miss my connection by hours than seconds, for then there’s no torment and anger and frustration, just a resignation that sometimes air travel sucks.

seeing the speech

While many are focused on the President Obama’s rhetoric last night, his plan to pull our nation out of its economic morass, a few moments before and during the speech struck me:

• As the Supreme Court was walking down the House aisle, Justice Thomas, entering behind Justice Ginsberg realized she was receiving lots of well wishes, and with the look on his face saying “I’m not waiting for cancer lady, where’s my seat?” he moved past her and the well-wishing members.
  
• Vice President Biden consistently showed exaggerated facial expressions reacting to things Obama said. He’d likely be a horrible poker player.
  
• When President Obama spoke of the need for everyone to work together to come up with solutions I was waiting for him to add “except for Michelle Bachman, that bitch crazy.”

More thoughts on the meat later if packing for Portland proves productive as planned.

Typically my mornings start at the Sheraton Club lounge to grab a cup of coffee. I arrive in time for the Today Show’s coverage of the idiocy of the day, whether it’s a woman who had too many children (but doesn’t live in a shoe), Michael Phelps’ bong (how many crummy bands have adopted names based on that story in the past few weeks?) or a missing white girl. But today the news was far more serious, far more important:

Why did a chimpanzee go on a rampage and attack a woman? This is the kind of news I can really use to start my day, and perhaps a sign that the media has finally turned its attention to what is important.

They are now running an unrelated story on the benefits the stimulus bill will provide. They are missing a chance for a great headline along the lines of "How will Barack Obama stimuluate you today?"

falsehoods on a plane

Untrue things heard on an airplane today:

• St. Cloud is nice.
  
• The Mall of America is a lot of fun.
  
• My seat is 25F.
  
• For your enjoyment we will be showing a film on today's flight: Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
  
• There is a plane at our gate, they'll be backing away shortly, we should be in there in less than five minutes.

missing white girls

Hours after the Caylee Anthony memorial service consumed Headline News, they found a new missing white girl, again with a fucked up name, to bloviate over. Now some girl named Hayleigh has "gone missing" in Florida. Odds are low she has escaped the state, but every national news network feels it is a story of great import. This while the economy collapses, we fight two wars and watch a new President begin to lead. Trivial those in the face of another family tragedy exploited for rating and distraction.