I wasn’t looking forward to coming back to the swamp to stat with. It was really, really nice being back in Canada this time. I miss it a lot.
Then you add in the sudden “heightened security measures” and I really wasn’t looking forward to it.
We got to the airport three hours before our flight. Which means we were in line at 3:30am. A. M. So I make it through the inefficient gauntlet of kiosk/check in/baggage tags. Then the long line of customs clearance. By the time I get to security I think I’m in the clear.
Nope. They tell me, as I’m standing there in sock feet with a couple of bins full of my clothes, that I can’t take on any carry-on larger than the size of a piece of paper.
Excuse me?
I had just dropped off my checked luggage. I had no pockets. All I could say was, “Ok. So what do I do now then?” It took them a couple of minutes to figure out that I wasn’t going to request clarification or get all up in their grill. I just kept saying, “Ok. I understand. But what do I do now?”
They ended up checking my purse. I was told to take anything important out (It’s my purse! It’s all important! That’s why I carry it around with me all day!). When I asked if I could use my rolled up shopping bag to cary things in, they said ok, but just this once. The damn shopping bag is the same size as the purse. Whatever.
I don’t think I would have been as livid as I was, if I hadn’t then seen people with backpacks walking around the gates. Or if the lady next to me on the plane didn’t have a huge bag, with her lunch and multiple water bottles in it.
Gotta say, the arbitrary enforcement of crap regulations makes me feel so safe.