Flying Out Of Portland

I know it’s been a while.  I kind of get around to posting things when I feel like it these days.  I meant to post right away about my experience flying out of the Portland Jetport in Maine but I didn’t have access to a computer while on my trip and when I got back, I had company and then one thing led to another and then I just never got around to it.

So, today I’m getting around to it.  So there.

I kind of felt it was important to report my observations since at the time of my flight in September, everyone was making such a big fuss about how a few of the 9-11 hijackers originated from the Portland Jetport.  I thought that maybe with that stigma in mind, the Portland Jetport might be extra careful with security.

Pugly and I arrived at the U.S. Airways counter a good two hours early.  (If you recall, I always arrive at least two hours early at every airport due to the fact that no matter where I am going or how well I’ve followed the rules I always end up in some sort of altercation with airport security — I suspect I am considered to be on some list and have been since 9-11 — and that this has resulted in the fact that friends and family will no longer travel with me or even on the same day or airline with me.)

To the clerk at the U.S. Airways counter, I presented my folded up piece of paper from priceline.com indicating that I had purchased a plane ticket online to Cleveland that took me to Philadelphia first.  No one ever asked me for any picture identification.  I did have to present a credit card to pay for the extra carry-on baggage of a dog in a carrier.  (Note:  No one measured the carrier or weighed the dog to determine that either fit the requirements for the flight.)  Comments were made that Pugly was the cutest dog ever seen.

I handed my check-in luggage to the man at the giant x-ray machine and Pugly and I headed upstairs toward the gates.

If you’ve ever been to the Portland Jetport, then you know.  There’s nothing in the Portland Jetport.  Before the Security Gates, you have your choice of a concession stand and a magazine stand.  Pugly and I sat around for a while eating snacks and letting kiddies pet him.  Then we went in the magazine stand and bought a box of Maine salt water taffy for my aunt since we were going to visit her and all.

When we had an hour left, we got in the security line.  Now here, they did ask for an ID.  Pugly had to come out of his carrier.  Women started gushing over him.  Again people started insisting that he was the cutest dog they’d ever seen.

Now here’s what I found amusing.  This was during the height of the “no liquid” scare.  You know, when they were throwing away your lipstick and hand lotion.  My lipstick made it through just fine, but that saltwater taffy that I just bought in the magazine stand a few feet away had to go under extreme scrutiny.  I guess you never know when terrorists will be sneaking saltwater bomb taffy on board.  They actually subjected those taffy to all kinds of electrical and chemical kinds of tests with there big machines that looked like something on  Pinky & the Brain or the old campy Batman shows.

Finally, Pugly, the saltwater taffy, and I made it through.

By the way, I never needed my ID again.  U.S. Airways never did need to be sure if I was me.  I just needed that folded up print-out from priceline.com.  I guess I should be comforted that at least TSA was checking, but somehow I’m not.

What you should know about the rest of the trip is this:

• On the first U.S. Airlines trip, the stewardess didn’t care that the pet carrier was too large to fit under the seat and blocked both myself and the passenger sitting next to me from being able to make any kind of exit in case of an exit.
• At the airport in Philadelphia, I was very frustrated by the fact that it is impossible to buy water bottles or other drink bottles in a size appropriate to the amount of time of your time between flights.  This was during the time when you still could not take pre-purchased drinks on airplanes after the London scare.
• U.S. Airlines employees were not consistent in ensuring that boarders dispose of bottles of fluids before boarding.  The same stewardess would let some board but not others.  For example, I had to dispose of my Dysani but the man ahead of my could bring his Diet Coke.
• On the second U.S. Airlines trip, I had to sit in a row by myself so as to not to affect other passengers with my oversized pet carrier in case of emergencies.
• No one asked me to prove I was taking only my own luggage.

I was very glad that we drove back to Maine.

Tags: U.S. Airways, Portland Jetport, TSA, flying, airport security

In Search of the Art of Travelling

I’ve talked before about my fear of flying and how I hate to travel. I suppose the anxiety I feel about travel is really porportional to the distance and time and effort involved. Personally, I’m not particularly fond of going anywhere. I prefer to stay home; though I don’t mind being at work.

But really, there’s a lot of stress involved in going anywhere in particular. There’s the matter of dressing appropriately, make-up or no make-up, making sure you leave enough time to get ready before you must leave your house to drive somewhere…there’s more stress if you’re going somewhere you’re unfamiliar with and quite frankly that’s often true now that I’m in Maine. There’s the stress of making sure you arrive on time. There’s more stress if you’re the first one there. There’s different stress if you aren’t the first one there. Then there’s the stress of having to converse with people while worrying about saying the wrong thing or trying to be funny and when is it appropriate to leave — wouldn’t want to leave too early or stay too long.

And that’s just the stress of going somewhere social.

Taking a trip is a big ball of anxiety-ridden stress for me. First you have to make the travel arrangements, whether it be airplanes, trains, buses, or automobiles. Personally, I feel better if I have the tickets bought and paid for as early as possible. The fact that the bus station doesn’t do reservations is making my stomach hurt as I type.

Then there’s the packing — what if you pack wrong for the weather or don’t have the right clothes for an unexpected social event? What if you don’t really want to read that book you packed once you get there? What if you change your mind about your jewelry after you leave? And what will the security guy think when he searches your luggage — really, once I had a security guy comment on what was in my suitcase which was half-filled with WWery snacks. I kind of wonder what they’ll think of my copy of The Dark History of Christianity and my Paranoia magazine this year.

I started packing on Sunday for this trip. All I have left theoretically is the bath stuff.

But the real anxiety starts the day before the trip. I start feeling like I should be leaving and getting to the first stop of the trip. I just want to get there, wherever there is. I just want the whole thing over.

If it’s a 2 hour trip to Boston, I have to keep myself from leaving four hours early. I begin to worry about being late and not finding the place or something happening.

If it’s something bigger like a multi-leg trip across the country, I just want to get to each stop as quickly as possible. I start worrying about missing flights or buses overbooked or not finding the right terminal or being in the bathroom when they announce boarding of my plane. The whole time I’m travelling, I’m checking and double-checking and tripple-checking my tickets and itenery, I’m going over what needs to be done in my head, and I’m growing anxious that I can’t get to the next step because I’m waiting for the plane to land or waiting for the plane to board or waiting for the time to leave my house.

Add in that fear of flying, that feeling that one should not be flinging oneself through the air in a big metal box, and it’s just a stomach-wrenching, acid-churning, migraine-inducing event that I want over as quickly as possible and it doesn’t end until I have my luggage safely back in my possession and am comfortly installed in my hotel or at my friend’s or family’s house…

And then the whole time I’m on the vacation/trip, in the back of my mind, I’m already going through the list of things I’ll have to do on the journey back home — what time do I need to leave where I’m staying, what time does the plane/bus/train leave, how long will I have between stops to get to the next terminal…and on and on and on.

Some people seem to enjoy travelling. Those people always seemed so relaxed. They have brought DVDs to watch and books to read and don’t appear to be in a whole lot of hurry. They can nap without worrying that they won’t wake up when the plane lands or the bus arrives at the terminal. They chat with strangers without concern or paranoia.

I envy them.

I have 13 hours and 26 minutes until I need to leave my house for the bus station.

Tags: fear of flying, stress, anxiety, travel

Discombobulated Thoughts — August 27, 2005

• I tried to explain to a lesbian friend why women like the Baldwin brothers, but since they aren’t my type, she just looked at me like I was nuts.
• PW’s beaux is arriving in New Orleans in time for them to evacuate for the hurricane.
• El is worried that the hurricane will interfere with our Thursday flights to Atlanta as the weather system might be there by then.
• I think I heard on the news that there were two more incidents with planes last night.
• Maybe I’ll take the valium to get on the plane after all this time rather than do what the shrink wants and reason with my brain.
• I hate having a migraine when I want to be doing stuff.
• My cat looked so cute chasing his tail in the bathtub.

Tags: discombobulated, New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, DragonCon, fear of flying

Same Thing Happened Last Time

My headache is only slightly better but now I have a sore throat and I feel like someone has turned the heat on right above my cubicle. The last time I saw N2, I had a horrible migraine, which in part could have been the stress of being in an unfamiliar area and in charge of driving and in part could have been the stress of meeting her in person for the first time and in part could have been the weather, which as I recall went through phases of being hot, cool, and wet.

I couldn’t finish my tofu wrap, but it was extra big for some reason, and turned my pierced nose up at fries I didn’t need anyway.

I’ve just taken some tylenol. I can’t remember if I actually took my ultracet this morning. I’m debating taking a Vicadin once I get to the appropriate gate at the airport.

I’m thinking my BP must be sky high for me to be this hot and uncomfortable but two days ago it was 106/80 at the doctor’s office, so I don’t know. I just wish I could go stand in a freezer for a few hours.

Anyway, I don’t want to be miserable when I get to D.C. I want to have fun on my vacation and not be a party pooper.

The weird part is that I feel jittery like the doctor said I might feel with the switch to Effexor, but my head hurts too much for me to enjoy it. *sigh*

Tags: wellness, fear of flying, migraine

Why Today?

Well, I’m feeling fairly ill this morning. I’ve got a migraine and I feel nauseated and quite frankly, I can’t decide if it’s the anxiety over flying today or my recent Depo shot or the switch from Prozac to Effexor yesterday that is causing it. Granted, my doctor did warn me that the switch in drugs might make me feel jittery and a little ill for a couple of days, and maybe I should have thought about switching after the trip this weekend.

I was unable to finish my bagel this morning and I don’t even want to think about the comfort Twizzlers I have in my laptop bag. Gah.

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And here’s a bit of ironic realization I had last night: Interesting that I collect fairy art and am enamoured with winged beings but have a horrible fear of flying.

Tags: migraine, Prozac, Effexor, Depo Provera, fear of flying