Thursday, February 18, 2010

National Security

Generally I tend to think airline security goes a little overboard, rather then the other way around. Like, seriously, you're confiscating my tequila*?  Or, why is the little plastic razor I'm bringing with me to shave my legs considered a hazard? I really doubt anyone would be particularly intimidated by me if I attempted to wield it.

However, they really dropped the ball on my last flight. Not because something happened. It didn't. I just happened to realize, as I was making my way through the airport ON MY WAY BACK that I had pepper spray in the pocket of my coat. I always do. I bought it and it ended up there and there it sits, in the unlikely event that I ever need it. What this means is that the coat I wore through the airport both to Florida (for business, aren't I just so grown up and professional) and returning from Florida, the coat that both times went through the scanner on the conveyer belt, had pepper spray just sitting in the pocket.  

Now, had I remembered it was there I obviously wouldn't have brought it with me to the airport. I don't need that kind of trouble.  I certainly would not have expected to make it through security with it TWICE.  

Seriously.  They need to be glad I'm not a terrorist because pepper spray is totally more of a potential weapon then a shampoo bottle or nail scissors. Those, those they confiscate.

*Bought in the Mexico City duty free arriving there before leaving to go to Germany to see the World Cup a couple years ago. I made it through security (with the open bottle) and through a flight once with it, but since I don't drink that fast I still had some on my way back and they took it then.  I should drink more. What a waste.  Oh, and I don't actually think it's that ridiculous they took it. Just sad. Very sad.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Long overdue

I'm crawling out from under the mound of work I've been doing to type a quick update post.  Things are good! Things are busy! It is good that things are busy! I've been working full out with almost no sleep for the past thousand years (it feels like).  I'm working my night time diner job at night, and working on film work during the day.  Rest is secondary. This means however that I feel stretched to the limit on every front, so I'm glad the period of hectic activity is coming to an end. I don't think it was sustainable.  I'm also glad the film I've been working on since last year is down to just one more day to shoot. We should have finished this week but it was just too cold to shoot outside.  I'm looking forward to finishing.

On another note, I find myself totally losing patience with my cats. They climb on EVERYTHING. They go everywhere they don't belong. I feel like I'm constantly screaming at them and pushing them off things and that it's not effective. If this is practice parenting I'm failing. Are there some tricks to training cats to do what you want? Or are they just alternatively sweet purring angels and annoying hell-beasts and I just need to learn to deal?