Travel

Well, it's been a busy few weeks out here.

I flew home last week during my 3 days off to see some folks, and pick up a shift at my one job. Why did I need to pick up a shift? Because they said if I didn't work within 90 days, I'd be off the schedule. So I'm now good to have a job to go back to when I finish my temporary government job up here.

Anyway, my encounters with the Thousands Standing Around (http://www.tsa.gov) were unremarkable. Flying out of McCarren, I was running late for a 6am flight, but thankfully there was NO line at security. I opted out of the invasive scanner, and got my free Obamacare health screening from a polite TSA worker.

My Southwest flight home was uneventful. I ended up with a middle seat in an exit row. The flight attendant was VERY clear on making sure those of us seated in that row knew what our roles were, and the flight was slightly early into BWI. As we exited the aircraft, I became aware that the woman sitting across the aisle from me was a sitting US Congresswoman. True to her party, she was sitting on the left side of the plane - but hey, she's flying Southwest, so she's at least attempting to be fiscally Conservative.

Heading back, there was quite a line at 6am at BWI, however it moved rapidly, and I got "randomly selected" for TSA Pre-Check. That was nice. Kept my shoes on, and didn't get groped by some random guy.

The flight home Friday morning was a little bumpy, but otherwise uneventful. I still haven't seen a singing or rapping Southwest flight attendant, and the flight crew going back seemed less enthusiastic than the ones I had Tuesday. We landed back in Vegas on time. I drove straight to work from the airport, and made it in plenty of time.



PS... TSA Pre-Check rant: Because I work for the FedGov, I currently hold a HSPD-12 smart card. If I were a DOD civilian, I would be automatically eligible for Pre-Check, but since I work for a different agency, I'm not. Even though I've had a background check more thorough than TSA's. Government Efficiency right there.