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10
Things I Learned This Summer
Terry
Riley · September
15, 2003
I've
spent many an hour in airports and airplanes this summer. Here's ten things
I learned.
1. I learned that some people - make that most people - shouldn't
wear shorts when traveling on airplanes.
2. I learned that my shoes pose a threat to passenger security in San
Jose but not in Dallas, and that I need "a government issued ID" to board
a plane in Seattle but not in Fort Myers.
3. I learned that many travelers are sporting tattoos, the cost of which
would have been better spent on liposuction or, better yet, a good pair
of running shoes.
4. I learned that kids don't belong in airports and for sure not on airplanes.
If parents want junior to spend some time with granny, granny should be
the one on a plane.
5. I learned that "muscle shirts" are misnamed.
6. I learned that a minute - as in "Folks, we will be boarding in just
a minute" - means up to a half hour or more in airlinespeak.
7. I learned that baseball caps worn backwards cover smaller brains than
those worn forward.
8. I learned that not all travelers bathe regularly.
9. I learned that many airline gate agents still treat their customers
poorly... sometimes very poorly.
10. I learned that halter tops are more honestly named than those muscle
shirts.
Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority based in Santa Cruz, Calif. He is the editor of the Web site Applied Psychology.
