Tuesday, August 07, 2007

BITCHUS INTERRUPTUS*....and a potpourri of ponderings

I was home last weekend (YAY) and spent some of my overtime earnings on a new laptop. A MacBook. It was necessary to buy another laptop because my Dell has once again turned into a paperweight. Something about a power source. One would think that means the source of power is the problem. And one (meaning me) would think the source of power would be (1) the power cord or (b) the battery. And yet, both work,. And yet, the laptop doesn't.

I was told by the Dell people that the power source INSIDE the laptop doesn't work. I went to the Dell Kiosk in the mall where a couple of guys I wouldn't trust to show me how to make a paper airplane explained to me that Dell no longer makes that model laptop. They did have a number I could call to talk to someone who may be in this country (but who may be in another country) who could hook me up to the people who sell parts to laptops Dell no longer sells. But they would be happy to sell me a new one.

60 seconds later, I was in the Apple Store and 45 minutes later, I was walking out with my MacBook.

Since this all involves technology, and that always involves glitches, I figured that another plus to all of this (besides having a working laptop) was that I also purchased some blog fodder.

Imagine my surprise and delight to find setting up the computer and getting connected went smoothly.

I mentioned this to some good friends and family members and said that I was robbed of blog fodder. "Bitchus Interruptus" is how one termed it.

And I told him I would steal that and use it.

And I did.

BUT, all is not lost. When one is in need of blog fodder, there is always air travel. My flight back to Sacramento provided me with such fodder. Actually, not the flight itself, but a certain TSA agent in St. Louis.

There is the new guideline of 3-1-1. Three ounces of liquid in a 1 quart ziplock bag and 1 bag per passenger.

So, I had my mascara, foundation and eyedrops in a 1 quart baggie.

I also had powercords to my Blackberry, cellphone and iPod in another baggie for organization purposes.

And I had my Blackberry, cellphone and iPod in yet another one quart baggie, again for organization purposes. I have had those items in my carry-on when going through security and have had TSA agents call for a bag check to figure out what the cords, etc. are. So now, I just pull then out of my carry-on and put then into those plastic trays to send through x-ray. They stay nice and neat in the baggie.

Until I ran into Yesterday's TSA Agent In-Search-of-a-Brain.

He confiscated my two extra baggies. I had to take the powercords and electronic equipment out of them and he took the baggies, saying passengers were each limited to ONE baggie.

When he informed me if my violation, I froze while removing my shoes. "What?!?"

He said, pointing to a sign, 3-1-1. "Only one baggie per passenger. "

"But--" I started to argue. The gentleman behind me said, "I'd cave on this. What does it matter, he's taking your baggie, not your iPod."

I agreed and continued my travels with a carry-on full of unorganized powercords and electronic equipment. But my flights were safe from me having too many 1 quart baggies.

And he is between us and terrorists.

Hoo boy.

*Thank you, Jerry, for the caption idea.

UPDATE: One complaint about the MacBook. When I attempted to run spellcheck on this post, I found out that function doesn't work with MAC OS/X (is that the name of my new operating system? Or is it MAC OX/S? Or Mac/Sox?)

UPDATE TWO: OK, two topics in one post hardly makes for a "potpourri of ponderings", but I'm on the patio at the hotel and, frankly, I'm freezing. It's currently 92 degrees in St. Louis 11:00 pm, but it's 67 in Sacramento at 9:00 pm -- and breezy. I'm even wearing a fleece jacket. And this is after scoffing at a Sacramentonian I saw today who was wearing a leather jacket. Leather!! In August!!!

But fleece is OK.