Currently, I am relaxing after a sleepless night in the air. I am watching the sun rise over a fleet of white and red Air Canada planes. Now, I am aware that my sleepless state induced weird imaging and crossed wires in my head, but honestly, the behaviour of some people that I am watching bears commenting on. So...here is my random reflections of people in transit.
1) Hooliganting with my lady with wheels...she decided that her van was too thirsty to continue and so we stopped for gas on the way to the airport. In the stall ahead, a gentleman gets out of the vehicle. He pulls on a pair of gloves. He removes the handle and then puts in back. He removed a glove and got out his credit card and proceeded to try about 5 times to get the machine to fill. The gloveless hand pushed the buttons. Then the glove went back on. He again removed the handle. Then he realized he had to open the gas tank. Off came the glove, and he opened the door and popped the tank open. The glove was shoved back on and the fueling process began. Meanwhile the other hand only had a glove half on and off. Once complete, the gloves were both removed and then placed back in the vehicle. Then, gloveless he had to go inside to pay. I was fascinated. (For the record, at this time most people left without their receipts which have money attached to them so I jumped out and collected them all for the whopping $5.00 that madame chauffeur now has in her van.)
2) The gentleman on the plane. I use that term loosely. He sat in the seat ahead of me. Everyone was trying to sleep on this midnight run. I even think he was attempting to sleep but I don't think he was successful. He wiggled and bounced. He turned his light on and off and on and off and on and off and on and off....get the idea? He managed to tilt his seat and whack me a good headache in the process. He snored and passed odorific gas. I know it was a three hour flight but really...I could have used a nap. Just saying...and a nose plug.
3) If you know that you have an early morning flight, wouldn't it make sense to set an alarm. I am in Toronto and the number of people that seem to have forgotten that they have to be at the airport in enough time for security is fascinating. I have seen parents racing ahead of their children, only to get to the desk and realize that the four year old pushing the stroller has wandered to the wrong gate. Really? You are already late. Perhaps you may wish to leave your child but legally it does still belong to you and possibly should be processed as checked baggage. There is the old lady wheeling her chair with her bag attached and hollering "hald that pleen plis. I can't just get my feet werking rit." She was round and shuffly. For the record, they held the flight. Sitting by the San Fransico gate, they had a full flight until 16 people didn't show. How can 16 people sleep in that much? Of course, they have shown up late and are now having a massive rant at the ticket attendants. The thing is...if they were connecting and missed, I would understand. I've been there and it's not fun. These people just figured that the plane would wait while they got a bit more sleep...or something. And why yell at the people that you want to help you? Air Canada is fairly competant for the most part (Don't get me started on my experiences with some other airlines who oversell flights - you know who you are.). Next flight to this gate is Miami...I wonder what will happen with that.
4) This is an airport with moving sidewalks. I have always thought that they were fairly easy to negotiate. Today, I am convinced that I was born with a natural flair for walking on them with style...suitcase following behind me. There have been people that trip over the edges. There have been people that leave their suitcases at one end. There have been those that miss their footing on the dismount. There are of course children trying to run the wrong way (secretly I think this might be fun.) There have been wardrobe malfunctions and jostling shennanigans. Perhaps putting your shoes on at security for running might be a good idea. Socks seem to get stuck to the moving ramps.
5) If you know you want coffee, add in the additional time. This is the secured homeland. Security takes time but of course, being Canadian, you almost can't have a morning without your Tims or Starbucks. The lines for these places were out the door. And then, you get the pushing and shoving for people to get out of the place and try to run for the gates without spilling their beverages. Two have hit the floor so far! Plus, factor in the bad language over the time it takes to get a coffee. I am starting to think that the world has few morning people in it but wait...
6) At the secured check in where you pretty much have to remove everything from yourself and stand in the shuffle to get through security, there was a Jamacian sounding man that sang his instructions to people in the happiest reggae beat. He was partnered by a loud, personality princess who managed to make her instructions entertaining just by changing the tone of her voice. Even when people were not understanding her, she didn't lose her cool. She just kept repeating her messaging over and over. I was impressed. I will never be that happy in the morning.
So, now I am going to prowl facebook and scope out more episodes. People watching is sure interesting. From the couple snuggling across from me and who are totally asleep, to the business people frantically getting in that last phone call and email, to the shoe shiners waving down victims and the bright sunshine coming in the windows...I think it will be a great morning. I have time for the Tim's line up...perhaps I should get caffeine dose number three.
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