Airport Heart Failure

I was waiting for a flight at my gate in Minneapolis. I was assigned an aisle seat and had no carry-on to go in the overhead compartment, so I didn't see any real need to rush on board. I was trying to wait until the last possible minute to board; you know maybe I'd get in line the second time that they called for all rows to board.

There seemed to be a few people left waiting until the last minute in the gate area with me. One woman was just relaxing drinking her coffee. Another man was trying to get some last minute work done. He had his laptop out, and he was also on the phone.

Well, some time before that "all rows now boarding" call, they shut the door to the jetway. The guy who had been trying to finish up his last minute business and not really paying attention flipped out. He heard the door shut, looked up, slammed his laptop shut, and went stomping over to the gate. It was louder than when my cat tears around the house like a herd of angry rhinos. It felt a little like a movie in slo-mo; I could just see him running to push a baby carriage out of the way of oncoming traffic.

He went after the gate attendant with great concern, was assured that he'd still be able to get on the plane, and then proceeded to get back on his phone. I guess he wasn't as scared as he initially appeared. Or the effects of the scare were not long-lasting.

I looked back at the woman enjoying her coffee; she shrugged.

New Ways to Freak Out People in Las Vegas

Last night I was at the Bellagio. We were walking inside from the fountains. The Bellagio, like several strip casinos, has the doors that are the big rotating windmill style. There's probably a name for those doors, but I can't think of it. Anyway, the ones in the Bellagio are powered, and they yell at you if you stop or walk too slowly and the back of your door section catches up to you.

So last night, for some reason, I decided to jump into a compartment with a random guy. I don't really know if it is proper etiquette to get into a compartment with someone that you don't know, but I did it anyway. At first my companion didn't seem to notice my presence. He seemed to think he was alone. So, I slowed up my step a little bit until the door got mad. He then took a quick glance over and just about jumped out of his skin. I just shrugged and looked away. We kept walking and as soon as the compartment opened up to the inside of the casino, he quickly veered his course off in the exact opposite direction of me. I laughed to myself and continued walking. Is that bad karma? I didn't realize that I was going to freak him out so much.