tired

[dragonlady7]

I knew today would be bad when I came into the bar and Senior Cocktail Waitress was standing near the entrance, hands full of various things, and said, "Oh thank God you're here! I need a hug!"
We've hugged like, twice ever, but I gave her one anyway. She was having a bad day.


A word to the wise about the current security brouhaha:


When you're coming through the security checkpoint... well, the security checkpoints were built back when they decided they didn't want guns coming onto planes.
The thingies you walk through?
Are checking you for guns or knives.

What makes them beep is concentrations of metal.

If you do not think you can endure your flight without a little bottle of contact rewetting drops... keep it in your pocket.
Ditto for your mascara. Or your $40 makeup compact (provided it's plastic).
If the item is large enough that it protrudes from your pocket or creates a visible bulge, then don't bring it. You can't have it all.
But they can't possibly check for it all.


They have only just installed a few devices that can screen you for explosives. You may see these at airports. They're big gates, that go in front of the walk-through metal detectors, and they have doors either side. Every other person walks in, waits for the doors to close, is subjected to a few quick blasts of air, and waits a moment while the thing analyzes.
My airport has two.

My airport has five lanes of security, three of which are usually open.

The explosive "sniffer" can't detect liquid explosives.


They were working on a machine to detect liquid explosives, but they had to cut the funding in order to pay for... the checkpoint personnel who man the metal detectors that can't detect explosives or liquids.


Fly safe, y'all. And if you're actually looking to launch a terrorist attack........ befriend one of the minimum-wage drones at the airport who takes out the garbage. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GUARD ALL ENTRYWAYS.
The only thing that can stop terrorist attacks is... good intelligence.

So yeah, keep your travel cosmetics in the cargo pockets of your baggy pants.
I'm just sayin'.

Comments

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Don't they pat people down? I know I've been patted down before. It was weird.

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

Yes, if you set off the metal detector they pat you down. Or if you're selected for special security screening for some reason.

[kkatowll.livejournal.com]

I was selected once. It's on your ticket -- they don't just pick you out based on your actions or anything sensible like that. I got to watch the other people they picked, too, and in each case near me they took the ticket-holder and everyone in that person's family. I don't know what this says about my relationship, but they didn't think Trevor was with me, so they didn't search him. :)

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

Either it's on your ticket, or you have some reason to need special screening. The special line goes past the glass wall of the one bar, so I've watched the line on several occasions. Sometimes it's people with large or complex baby strollers or somesuch. Power chairs, perhaps. Sometimes if you tell them you have a hip implant or something that might set off the detector. I think they might bring over people who they cannot stop from setting off the metal detector-- i.e., been through several times and it still rings despite the person having stripped off shoes, belt, jewelry, and everything they can think of.
Sometimes it is large, large tour groups. I see them taking forty to fifty Japanese through there, for example-- it may be more that it is easier to deal there with people who do not understand English, en masse.

But mostly, yes-- it's just that you have the little S or whatever on your ticket, so they send you over there to randomly be more intensely screened.