Travel

TSA Precheck saved us an hour of waiting at Oakland Airport just now.  It's 4:45 in the morning and thousands of travelers are waiting on lines that stretch forever; we cruised right to the front of the TSA line and were whisked through the total body scanner (our pesky repaired joints are not compatible with the first level screening technologies) and on to the gate with no delays.  

5:30am is a lot earlier than I usually join the world.  A 4:15am alarm is also unusual. Saying goodbye to the little one and the big ones never gets easier.  

Air travel has become very democratic.  All sorts of people surround us at the gate.  People who've never flown Southwest and are flummoxed by the boarding procedure wander aimlessly.  Business people make important phone calls at the top of their lungs.  Teens are glued to their phones.  Anxious travelers are lined up 15 minutes before the gate crew announces that it's time to do so. 

There is one other woman wearing a mask. No one is dressed up; sneakers and flip flops are de rigeur.

Still,  $100 and one morning is a small price to pay for traversing the miles between my family and my home. 

I'm trying not to judge the people who can't seem to read the signs. 

Back tomorrow with thoughts on E. Jean Carroll and Ron DeSantis and real life.  

I'd much rather concentrate on this