Returning home random thoughts

Here we go, setting the scene in a succint manner (chronologically):
1. Traveling home from North Dakota, after a grand total of less than 24 hours there.
2. Luggage did not arrive. May or may not get there by 1 AM.
3. Nasty confrontation with ticket agent regarding said missing luggage, composed of many, many curse words.
4. Meeting in morning, no clothes, no paperwork as a result. Me = concerned. Wal-Mart clothing an option, though undesireable.
5. Luggage arrives 12:15 AM. Yay! (So I thought)

And we pick up at that point...with some thoughts on the day, post 12:15AM central time.

1. Not a good idea to drop the f-word so many times in the direction of a ticket agent when they still retain control of your luggage. I am convinced that she keyed in the code in the computer for "revenge on jerk customers", it instructs to: "Completely screw up this luggage, using any means possible. Rugby with sumo wrestlers, fireworks ignited inside case, jackhammer practice, and release of ferocious attack dogs are some suggestions." Clearly, this instruction was heeded, so I found the next morning, when it appeared as if a battering ram was taken to the case on the side, bending in the luggace 6 inches toward the center, and pooching out the other side. As well, the pulley handle was completely unattached from the body of the case. To top it off, a pack of angry mountain lions clearly played with the bag as if it were a squeaky toy. This thing was mangled. When I opened it up, everything look unharmed, but I pulled out the flat iron and it was split in half - pretty tough metal & plastic - bang up job on that one. Opened the cosmetic case - brush split in half, and a thousand tiny pieces of plastic came trickling out...every case for makeup was shattered and unusable. Wow. Be nice to your gate agent.

2. It may indicate trouble if the airline has replacement luggage sitting at the ready behind the counter. Sure enough, when I went to file a complaint, they said instead of filling out paperwork, would I want a new bag? Well, sure, I suppose. She whipped out a brand new bag, that was a knock-off $29.99 bag, like the kind you'd find on a metropolitan city street at those stands where they pack 'em up real quick when a police officer comes by because they're selling off "Coache" and "Katey Spade" bags. Question: why do the airlines have those on hand? Seems like this might be a chronic problem. Regardless, bag checked to Washington empty, along with my quasimodo one.

3. Never a great sign when you are almost about to land but have to reel in the flaps, gun the engines, and break hard left. I'm just saying - that's not part of the usual flight pattern and landing sequence. Nor is it comforting when you see the reason why the pilot did that. It wasn't for giggles, we found out. When you see a plane turning onto then taking off underneath you on the runway (approximately 500 yards) that you're supposed to land on, then a plane crossing your path perpendicularly on a level above the runway, that's not cool. Nothing like a near miss to make half the plane have to change their shorts. That one officially goes into the stat books. Gee, glad I'm a part of that. Who the heck is running the tower? Trained chimps? (Granted, they were landing 2 runways at once, and doubling one up (ours) as a departure one. Note on the double landings - you're supposed to STAGGER those planes, I believe, not land them wing to wing. They didn't get that memo.)

4. A note on parking situation: when all lots full at the airport, and you end up parking at a mall a few miles away (pay-lot), you have a reason to be pissed when the grand total for the parking adventure costs over $70. Cabs to & fro the airport, and cost of parking for 30 hours at the mall = $72. Vs. the parking at the airport: $25.

5. You are entitled to get weirded out when a book, bra, and charger cable are missing from your checked luggage. Because that is just disturbing. Somewhere a luggage handler is strolling around in my boulder holder reading a book about meditation and charging their cell phone. Ewww.

Some other thoughts I had:
1. The word obtuse. Love it - can't wait to use it in a sentence somewhere. Same with obsequious. FUN.

2. People with big bellies: How do they buckle their belts in the morning? Do they put it round the bulge, then lift the fat up to settle it on top of the belt? Or do they go ahead and buckle under the flubber? But isn't that hard to do? You can't see the buckle - do you just feel around like a blind person? Just curious.

3. Is it a law in North Dakota that youhave to own an American vehicle - Chevy, Ford, etc.? I swear, these are the folks keeping the US auto industry alive. But, what did they rent me? A Toyota RAV-4. Let's go ahead and blatently identify the east-coaster.

4. If a person cuts you off, then you realize you are heading to the same destination, and they again cut you off by pulling into a parking spot that you have clearly signaled as yours, are you allowed to make nasty comments or sucker punch them? I wanted to, but I wasn't sure if that was allowed. I settled on a nasty glare.