This software glitch thing was a kick in the dick the week before last because I had an early morning flight scheduled to Kansas City. I got my flight cancellation message at 4:38am and spent the following hour attempting to rebook my flight. The only option available sent me from here to O’Hare with an hour and a half layover then it was on to Atlanta with a three hour plus layover getting me to KC a speedy nine hours later with no guarantees that any of those flights would actually make it. So I had to switch my plans and drive last minute. I set out at six in the morning for six hours on the road. It was an easy trip but I was late for a couple scheduled things which I hate.
The rest of the week went well and the drive back was nice. Nothing I’m going to sign up for on the regular but pleasant. Once I move this will add an additional hour and a half so most likely out of the question. 6 hours is about my limit. Anyway, I was jammed up all week and probably due to my rhythm being thrown off my weekend was off. But then my son came in to town for a concert so Saturday night I went to Deadpool and Wolverine with him and a bunch of his friends. Great weekend but I had to cram all of my OCD stuff into Sunday.
This week I was ready to get back into some good old fashioned air travel. I had a great week but then on my return flight I came across a miscreant that made me break my normal ride-in-peace. I don’t usually say anything about anything because I watch way too many assholes getting thrown off of airplane videos and speaking up puts you at risk. On my return flight I got bumped to the front of the bus so I thought life was pretty swell.
The ride started off great until the dude in front of me leaned back like he was activating a 1970s La-Z-Boy. When we were little kids we couldn’t get the thing to lean back and kick out the foot rest without half standing and slamming our skulls into the back of it. My lifetime CTE exposure numbers are filled with nonsense like that but those are future Tom problems. Anyway, he slams back and stays that way for the entire flight.
I am not mad that he reclined. You paid for the seat, the stupid airlines still think that two inches of angle is something that people care about, so you do you. What I did mind was the aggressive slam back and the not even sitting up during meal service. But that still wasn’t the problem. After the food was gone I was reading over the shoulder of the dude in front and to my left through the seat gap (if you ever find yourself seated in front of me consider yourself warned) when this dudes bare foot came into view as he was vigorously scratching it.
His seat mate who was already in the midst of a difficult message exchange with someone who I was trying to puzzle out asked him “do you mind?” Which garnered no response other than a reduced pace foot scratch. THEN my screen was rocking as he removed his other shoe and went to town on the opposite flipper. I tried to put up a defensive wall of wind by aiming my little air jets forward but I just knew breathing would be perilous until the dust settled. I chose to respirate through my napkin as if trapped in a dust storm until things felt safe.
Seat mate was so disturbed he closed his laptop thus ending my spy fun and this foul creature put his bare pigs up on the bulkhead. Holy Hell.
As we were disembarking it was 11:15pm and everyone was a little cranky. This asshole did the crouch stand maneuver and was scanning around locking eyes with people until they looked away. I must not have been masking my resting bitch face and there was no way I would break eye contact first which forced this guy to up his intimidation by asking WHAT?
“You are an animal. That intensive bare foot scratching followed by placing your diseased hooves on the wall in front of you was just awful.” I’m pretty sure no one ever answered his question before with anything other than a mumbled nothing followed by a quick look away but I was locked on. Then he shook his head as if I were the crazy one and started off the plane.
My own seat mate had both of his eyes raised as if things were going to escalate but I just winked… which I still regret to this day. I might have unintentionally hit on a fellow passenger and for that I am truly sorry.