So you may have noticed I posted a few status updates about being stuck on the Jetway for 45 minutes. Here is the whole story.

We were late leaving Baltimore because the crew didn't show up on time. Generally there is a headwind on this flight and that means there is little chance to make up time.

We landed at 6:25 and were begining to deplane by 6:29, which is 20 mintues late. When we got into the Jetway we all started to jam up, because the folks in first class has stopped. What had happened is that because we had arrived at the international terminal, they had locked out the doors forcing all of us to go through passport control and customs. Now I don't know if they actively sent us to the wrong gate, or passively let us go to our original gate that had been switched over to prepare for an international flight coming in behind us, but either way we were stuck.

The Continental gate rep could do nothing to help us. The government is in charge of those doors. This went on for about 45 minutes and poeple were really getting pissed. Phones didn't work, but we could text(which is how I tweeted it). Luckily I packed snacks in my suitcase, so I handed out snack bars. Since they don't let us carry on water, I had 1.5qt of empty containers.

The final solution was to have us walk back toward the plane and exit through the service door. Walk down the steps(which was a bisnitch for strollers) and across the tarmac to the next gate. We then walked up the next gates stairs and through that gate.

You think this is fun, just wait until the government runs your health care!

I don't know if you see a pattern here but I am...

So I was watching a film on my flight from Baltimore to Houston named Julie and Julia. It should have been a cute movie about blogging, cooking and Julie Child's sex life, but instead it sucked. 

Why did it suck? They decided to attack Republicans, Texans, and McCarthyism. In fact, the only part of their insults that fit the storyline in the slightest was related to the red scare and the interview of Julia's husband. None of the history or the reasoning is included in the movie for the interview, but then again Meryl Streep is the only one old enough to remember the how they treated potential socialists then but she is also senile enough to have forgotten who we were up against.

Julia Child's husband was an American OSS agent that helped Red China fight Japan during WW2, and all he got was interviewed for a couple of days to make sure he wasn't a commie. Obviously Meryl Streep hasn't been through today's Top Secret Clearance screenings, because the one in the movie was weak. In these screenings they are looking for anything an enemy can use against you; Some things they look for are secrets about your sexuality, your finances, your friends and your family. The easiest way to avoid this scrutiny is to not work for the government.

My favorite insult in the movie results after the main character takes a sick day, but isn't really sick. Her boss says, "A republican would have fired you." Really? Republicans don't allow personal days? She misses one day of work. I thought for sure my last job at an oil company gave me several no questions asked personal/sick days. In fact my boss purposely didn't ask why you are taking the day off. Come to think of it, last I checked Republicans don't run companies. Republicans are politicians that supposedly represent the conservative people of the United States, but we will save that for another Oprah.

I was privleged enough to watch the Time Traveler's Wife on a recent flight. The story is about the love life of a man who inadvertently travels through time. The movie does a decent job of telling the story and touches on one or two of the interesting paradoxes of traveling through time.

So my question is why does a perfectly good movie have to get those few jabs in at the Republican party? I miss the cold war where the bad guys were socialists.

The good guys are artists, musicians or book researchers. The bad guys are Republican hunters. Admittedly the bad guys aren't that bad, but they are the cause of saddness. I won't get into too much more details so if you do choose to support the irrational attacks on conservative Americans.

It is this kind of bullshit that we need to stop. The liklihood of a gun accident is 1 in 1 million + in the US. So why do we continue to demonize those who choose to hunt and own weapons?

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20091118union_blocks_teacher_bonuses/srvc=home&position=0

I have a special place in my heart for my teachers. They work in a tough job with very little respect and even less pay.  My mother is one of the best teachers I have ever known, in fact she is one of the best teachers Arizona has ever known. With all this in mind, I have started to wonder recently if they are truly martyrs or actually sadomasochists.

I think unions have outlived their usefulness, and the teacher's union personifies this. Why would you choose an organization to represent you who doesn't want you to get bonuses? The complaint I always hear is that teachers don't get paid enough. Well you know what, here was your chance. These teachers were offered $100 for every student that passes the AP exam. It also offers the students themselves $100 which will motivate them to do well also. $100 per student. Even the worst AP teacher will get 2 or 3 students to pass. At Ft. Bend ISD, where I live, teachers make 41K and they work 187 days a year which is roughly $219 a day. If you were to get 10 students to pass you would make 5 days worth of pay.