Saturday, July 19, 2014

An Unexpected (Rather Tame) Adventure

On Friday, I discovered that I was going on an adventure.  It was not meant to be an adventure, but halfway through it turned into one.  It was just supposed to be a visit to see my maternal Grandma, an extended family in Texas. Alas, this was not to be.  My quest was cut very short by a force we have yet to be able to do diddly squat about.

That is to say: My flight got canceled due to a thunderstorm. It was not a small flight either, being six seats across and completely full.  By the time I got to customer service, I had been in line waiting an hour.  It took a further hour and a half to get the ticket back to my home place, having discovered the next flight available…was still in danger of thunderstorms, and completely full besides.  That is to say, according to Mr. Meterologist, my one true chance was not this weekend at all, thank you very much, as thunderstorms and lightening were predicted for Dallas the entire time. Ergo, to preserve my sanity…I came back home.

You see, I didn’t have a direct flight. I had one of the lovely flights were you go in the complete opposite direction before you head the right way.  This, being a rule of travel, is not so surprising.  What was surprising was suddenly finding myself in Charlotte, North Carolina unable to contact my family to let them know, not sure what the right choice was, and with, get this, an ankle that is most certainly still sprained and it most certainly did not like going through the airport twice, thank you very much.

By the time I got to the gate my flight back home would go through, my ankle was roughly the size of a particularly fluffy cat’s head. Also, it hurt.  I was about 50 % sure I undid all the healing I had done, but only 50%.  Being as this is now Saturday, I can assure you that my ankle was just being a bit of a whiner, and it’s back to its mildly swollen, healing state.

I do not advise my form of health care, by the by. It leads to a startling number of adventures and an awful lot of sighing from your friends.

To give you all a run-down of the excitement, I must tell you I arrived at my local airport at rather very early, also known as 8:06. Armed with my firefly shirt (for the purpose of finding fellow nerds along the route), a backpack for the weekend, and my purse, I felt well prepared for travel.  Given I was two hours early, I was, in fact, a bit too early for an airport the size of my home airport. From there, everything went smoothly.  We took off a little late, but apparently were waiting for a member of the crew, and we more than made up the time in the air, arriving twenty minutes early.  Given that I had to go from terminal E to B, I didn’t look at the departures board, and instead rushed.

Clocking easily three times my usual speed, I near jogged to the other side of the airport, as They Have No Tram.  Really, Charlotte.  You are much too big to not have a tram from A to E, at the least.
This, I should note, was my first mistake, if you don’t count booking when there’s bad weather. Had I seen that, I would have seen my flight was mysteriously delayed by thirty minutes.  Hmm…

Seeing this, I despaired half a moment before trying to call my Grandma.  Given I don’t have a cell number for her (and suspect she has none) I tried her house phone.  This did not work. Well, maybe she was on the way. It would only be a little late, and easily make up thirty minutes in the air. Everything would be fine.  It was bothersome, but that’s all.

Right as the flight should have left, we received the announcement. The flight would be canceled due to lightening. The TSA could not approve it under the conditions.  One of the other passengers confided she was from a nine am flight that had suffered the same.  I checked the weather and said a foul word.  It was necessary.

And then began the mad chase. We went to customer service. This was not correct. We went to the East Check In desk, booking it as fast as I could limp. My ankle was mad, but I, while complaining to myself in the manner of writers everywhere (out loud, and to myself) was mostly calm.  And then I checked Dallas’s weather again.  The long wait for service and the weather reports I had at hand made up my mind.  I could not go, not this weekend.

Given how rarely I see her, this is the disappointment of the year, thus far, that I care to remember. Were their greater, I do not recognize them.  Still, all would be well, I decided as I waited about an hour after getting to the desk for the ticket back to my home airport.

After all, I am good at adventuring. It’s become nearly a specialty.

On the way to the opposite side of the airport once more, and really, wondering if I should flag a look you’re disabled cart down, I met a lovely New Yorker as my stomach growled, demanding sustenance.  I have adventures. Sustenance is needed for adventures. And so, I had a cheeseburger, and we talked and walked to her gate, as mine, of course, is the very last possible gate.

Arriving, I sat down to chronicle my adventure and right as I expected to begin boarding and had begun to put my things up, I receive, the news.  That is to say there was an announcement of a twenty minute delay due to something that I do not even know but sounded like Lal.  What Data’s daughter is doing delaying flights in the 21st century, I do not know.

I have decided I don’t want to know. At this point, I sighed, and decided such was fate, then promptly wondered if I’d make it home today at all, or if I should find a particularly cushy spot of airport floor to sleep on.

However! The good news is that I have successfully made it back, thus ending my adventure.  It was quite the excitement.  I enjoyed it thoroughly, even if it did sadly cut short a trip I had been looking forward to happening.


One Final Byte: Adventures have their place, but not at airports.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Justice Corrections Corporation

The lights that hung two stories above did little to light the grey concrete hallway as a man in a suit led a group of five other men all in grey suits as he was, down the hallway, gesturing occasionally to one of the pods on either side, each filled with a single body, a screen on the door of the pod reading the vitals of the person held in stasis inside.

“I assure you all, despite the protesters this remains the most humane way of dealing with violent criminals on the planet.”  His voice was smooth as warm chocolate, his eyes lit from behind with greed.  A security guard passed by on the walkway that served as the floor above.  Up there, the pods were a part of the wall itself, each one sunk partially into the concrete the building was made of.

“I’m certain, but I also noticed they seem to be released earlier than their sentences would suggest.  That isn’t comforting to the voting public, Mr. Reynolds.”  One of the group spoke, and the other murmured agreement.  The views of the voting public were especially important around election time, and there was one around the corner.

“Oh, don’t worry Senator.  These men and women serve their sentences like all others, just in a different manner, a more humane one.”  Mr. Reynolds assured the politicians.  “We believe that our facilities offer a better chance at rehabilitation.  Our rate of return is significantly lower than that of other prison systems after all.”

Of course, they often returned to the world with a complete lack of knowledge of what had happened while they were serving their sentences, and the culture shock made finding jobs, among other things, even more difficult, but they never were returned for violent crimes. So long as that was true, who cared about the fate of a criminal?

“I will give you that Mr. Reynolds.  Your former prisoners are not eager to return.”  The Senator paused by one of the pods and peered inside.  Behind the lightly fogged glass lay a woman, looking for the entire world like she merely slept, at peace.  “Who is this one?”

“Ah, this is our most infamous tenant, serving four life sentences.  No need to worry however.  The intravenous drip that our prisoners receive their nutrients from keeps them in the cryogenic state, so long as their body temperatures remain below a certain level.”  He assured the politicians. “It even slows their aging so that they don’t lose out on too much of their life while serving their sentences.” 

Mr. Reynolds opened the door without fear, and leaned the dark haired woman inside forward.  Her short cropped hair did nothing to hide the diodes that ran down her dark skin along her spine.  “It’s easy enough to move the prisoners and keep them in shape enough that they are able to walk and move after their internment, though even with her age slowing, Ms. Adams will be not have too much time let by the time she has finished her sentence.”

He laid her back, hiding the diodes once more and closing the door.  “I’m sure you noticed the drip going into her wrist.  Ms. Adams is well and truly held here.”  He said.  “And will serve four lifetimes, as she was sentenced, all in the computer generated world where all of our inmates serve their times.  As you men know, they begin life again from birth.  We at Justice Corrections Corp believe that this allows them better to rehabilitate themselves, by truly giving them a second chance.”

The Senator nodded at that.  “Then is seems all is in order.  I believe it won’t be hard to convince the others to award the contract to JCC.  After all, this is a rather human facility.” He said and walked on.

In the pod, Ms. Adams eyes fluttered briefly before closing once more.

“Excellent.  Given the boom in populations, prison facilities like this are truly the best choice.  We can fit more prisoners per square foot, with less resources, than any other.”  The man boasted, pleased.  “Across the 12 worlds, Justice Corrections houses almost 7.2 billion criminals.  An extra facility is sure to help, given how quickly the population grows.”

“Of course.  Isn’t the program becoming rather crowded?”  The Senator asked, and Mr. Reynolds smiled.

“Oh yes, but no worries.  We’ll be branching out. In the computer world, the prisoners will have a breakthrough in space travel.  Though it will be just enough for them to colonize a second planet, and a second prison.  It will be called Mars.”  They had already named it, some of the prisoners from many decades ago, after all.  The planets and stars had only been designed so the prisoners would not panic over it.  Anything too unrealistic and they may break free somehow.

The programmers were already designing the new prison system, and the details that would be found there.  The contract of course, was Justice Corrections. It just took enough donations to enough senators, after all.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

In Case Of Cell Phone, Break Glass:

Okay folks, I’m tired.  I am sick and tired.  I am so sick and tired, I am going to blog about it.  Also known as let’s have a talk, about your cell phone and you.

Allow me to demonstrate.  This is a typical, I repeat, typical, complaint between several a different friends of mine and me.  On average, I hear this complaint at least once week.

Friend: My boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancĂ©/husband/wife is always on the phone. I can’t believe it.  Worse, s/he is too busy on the phone to talk/flirt/mate like a wild animal with me!

This is very much what I hear, all the time.  Allow me to tell you a series of solutions:

1. Make a Rule about cell phone use when together.

Healthy relationships have rules, spoken and unspoken.  We have unspoken ones like ‘do not say I look like an elephant, even if I do.’  Then we have spoken ones like ‘no you may not poke my friend’s with a stick when they bother you.’  And yes, that is a spoken rule in my relationship. Apparently, poking people is not encouraged.

Either way, rules make people happy, and will make your relationship happier.  If the cell phone use is bothering you so much, then it’s time to discuss rules with your special somebody. Just be aware. Everyone gets on everyone else’s nerves in some way especially with prolonged contact.  They will have rules for you too.

2. When on a date, don’t take your phone with you.

Oh no! The reader gasps in horror at the very idea of not having their cell phone with them.  What about in case of emergency!

Allow me to now stare at you in sheer horror. Unless you have dates that occur deep in the woods, or the desert, or the jungle, or the middle of the ocean, or some other suitably remote place, then you should probably be in public, and let me tell you about public. There are phones in every single business out there. 

They are call landlines, and operate via wires.  I know this comes as a shocker, but they exist.  And if you can’t find a semi-mythical landline, then just find the nearest teenager or other adult.  You really should have certain numbers memorized, like your parents, your significant others, your own, 911. Please tell me you have the last memorized.  That one’s the important one. 

Ah, but I see you aren’t so convinced.  Still need your phone on you? Face down in the table, all stacked on top, everybody’s. Then you don’t have it half so easy to fiddle with do you?  Everyone will be watching you in disappointment if you give in to the urge.  And if that doesn’t work, leave the gorram phone in the gorram glove compartment. Or, if you must…

3. Only take a single phone out.

This works on the guilt principle.  As in, ‘they don’t have one, so I shouldn’t use mine.’  Just make certain the one the feels guilty easier has the cell phone.

4. But what is someone needs to get a hold of me.

Allow me to tell you something super awesome amazing. It. Can. Wait.  When out on a date with the significant other, it can wait. When out with friends, it can wait. When out with family, it can wait.  In other words, when out in any capacity that renders you in a busy status:  It. Can. Wait. Even bad news waits, dudes.  Even horrible news can wait.  It isn’t good for you to be in always constant contact anyway.  It can wait.  They can wait until you are available.  If all else fails, you get a rousing game of phone tag out of it.

5. But what if plans change, or someone is late, or something happens that I need to know about right now!

Eh. You can’t handle a change of plans, or someone arriving late, or something happening?  Dudes, if it’s serious, someone will find you.  If not, just chill, relax, and have fun in the meantime.  I promise, except in extenuating circumstances, which you would hear about from those around you in public, you can have fun on your own for all of the fifteen minutes that you should have to wait before you can say adios to them and have fun on your own.  If you are very patient, you can make it all the way to thirty.  If there is a traffic jam, and they are stuck, then find out how back the traffic jam is, then find a good book store.  In other words: Just chill.  They’ll come find you to let you know, or just be running late. It’s not that big of a deal.  Very rarely, do you absolutely have to know right that very second.

One Final Byte: Dude, it’s just a phone. So Chill out.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Injustices

So this year, I think I'm going to try something a bit different than last time I did a year of blogs. I think I'm going to try and post either a short scene/story or a poem every Thursday all year long, starting today.  I haven't been writing half as often as I should like to, after all, and I think this will get me back into writing once more, and it will get the blog active again! Yay!  So, I suppose, welcome back!  I hope you all enjoy the new scenes and thoughts.

Injustices
I have seen a boy with low credit,
At age five,
Because in order to have a phone,
His mother put the bill in his name,
And could not pay.

I have seen two parents with degrees,
Two teachers,
Unable to send their only son,
To college because two college grads,
Are not paid well.

I have seen educated women,
Flipping meat,
College degrees in their back pockets,
Without connections for a good job,
In their learned field.

I have seen men, who risked their own lives,
Homeless now,
Who gave all their self, their minds and bodies,
And now live trapped, no purpose, alone,
Their support gone.

I have seen these immoral forced acts,
Choices gone,
People stuck in ways they did not choose,
Punished, for not being born with
Silver or gold spoons.