Rant: Travel

I'm going to go on a little, fairly pointless, rant now. It will probably make me seem self absorbed, egocentric and inappropriately entitled ... but at least I know it.

The subject of my rant: travel.

Act 1 - The big stall in the bathroom: an open letter

Dear Big Stall Users,

All stalls are empty, but when you go into an airport public restroom you bee-line to the handicap stall. I know why. It's because you have a giant bag that, in a few minutes, you will try to stuff into the overhead bin on the plane before the attendant makes you check it. You know I'm right.

Now, your bags would fit in the smaller stalls, but it would be a tight squeeze and not as comfortable. But while you are inappropriately in the only big stall, which, incidentally, also contains the only baby changing table, there are pretty good odds that there are people waiting for you to leave. People in wheelchairs. People with strollers and babies with very stinky diapers. People with very small periods of time in between right that moment and the time that their plane is going to take off.

Think about this while you are taking for-ev-er. Think about this after you are finished (I know you are) and you are simply taking this time to take everything out of your carry on and put it back in a futile effort to make it fit in that plane compartment. And I'll think about it as I change my baby on the bathroom floor, thanks to you.

Sincerely,

Bitter Mommy

Act 2 -- The Miracle of the iPod and the Day I lost It

I bought my video iPod in 2007. It was good day ... a pricey day, but a good day.

And it was only through a miracle from God that it lasted until now. I am notorious -- NOTORIOUS - for loosing my stuff. But not this.

One time it broke, and Apple replaced it because they rock like that. I bought an indestructable rubber case. And that was my secret.

Last night I lost it in the airport. It's gone. Gone and gone for good, in the hands of someone else with oodles and oodles of Lord knows what on it for their listening pleasure. Enjoy the bands I'm not even willing to admit are on their.

And now I'm out several hundred $$$. :::sad::::

Act 3 -- Baggage Policies: a Second Open Letter

Dear US Airways,

When you delayed my flight last night more than two hours, getting us to Seattle well after midnight local time (and after 3 a.m. D.C. time) I was a little ... tired. Not mad, just tired. And when my baby screamed for a good hour plus of that time, I was still not mad, just tired. Mind you, he would've been fine and gone right to sleep if he had gotten on the plane even an hour later than we should've -- but not two hours. So really the screaming was mostly your fault. But I still wasn't mad.

But when I got up this morning after a mere 5 hours of sleep (your fault) and noticed that my stroller clip was busted and a big hole was torn in my duffle bag I was a little mad.

But the clincher was when I looked at your damaged baggage policy. All claims must be made within four hours of the flight. And at the airport.

Are you kidding me? So I land in the middle of the night with a very upset infant and you expect me to stand there and take stock of everything so I can file a claim then and there? No room for noticing breaks and tares later?

Please make this right.

Sincerely,

Me.