Health News
It seems that every time that I decide to go on a trip, like a vacation, something happens. We are leaving for a long drive to Mexico tomorrow. Last week, my dreaded irrigation system went on the brink (again), so I am in the process of putting in a new one at considerable expense (Have you priced copper wire lately? I need about 3000 feet.), and with considerable headaches. Right now, I am watering all of my beloved plants, trees, flowers, and landscaping with precious well water. Because I have a deep and relatively-low flow well, the pressure is like watering with a squirt gun. The irrigation system went out two years ago, too, when we were at our youngest son’s wedding. We planned on staying a week in a rented beach house, but I had to come home and deal with the water problem; the rest of the family enjoyed the seashore. When the late Pope visited Australia, there was a major terrorist plot uncovered to cause him harm and to down some airplanes. Guess who was on vacation in Australia? For those of you who complain about the hassles at the airport now, you should have experienced the security measures on our flight. They wouldn't say, but maybe the Pope or some other dignitaries were on our flight. We had to arrive at the airport four hours before flight time. We were not permitted ANY carry on bags; women were not even allowed to have a purse. No toothpaste (that was a mystery to me at that time, but not now); no bottles of water; nothing. We were able to hold our passports, until they collected them, of course. There were cameras everywhere and uniformed guards walked among us. One by one, we went behind a private, curtained area and had a nice body search by a same sex examiner who wore latex gloves. That was the most terrifying part - the gloves. Fortunately, my quick eye did not see any KY jelly, so I relaxed a bit. After a while, half of the people were moved to another room; and the other half remained. Some people traveling together were separated. We did not know why. Eventually, we all boarded the plane bound for Los Angeles. My son and I were singled out in New Jersey several years ago (before 9/11), returning from a pilgrimage to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We attended the Induction Ceremony for his idol, Mike Schmidt. To add to his collection of "Schmidt", he bought a 4 inch diameter pewter disk - sort of like a drink coaster. Of course, this caused some commotion at the metal detector as we were rushing to catch our flight. "Gonna need da look in yo bags", I was informed. (This person did not speak well) After dumping out all of our dirty underwear on a big table in front of other fellow passengers and digging around with a stick, she found the innocent coin-like object. Apparently, there are a lot of dangerous weapons that look like coins, like some sort of Ninja thing or land mine. I didn’t ask. We were late. "OK...you can go now." She left all of our scattered laundry for us to repack again. This was not an easy task since we decided to pack tight so we could get everything in one bag. Speaking to my son in a final moment of frustration, I said, "What a hassle." (It really was.) Apparently, the Transportation Safety Agent overheard this private comment. As we were running to catch our plane, we were stopped again, this time by a giant security guard. "Why you call Gladys a hass-ole?" (Please forgive the profanity. I am just quoting) After several minutes of denial and puzzlement, I realized that not only did Gladys not speak well, she apparently had a hearing problem, too. When I said, "What a hassle", she heard, "What an Hass - ole". When I explained this to the guard, he understood how this could have happened, so he let us go and ran off to his next emergency. Perhaps someone was being arrested for yelling "Hi" to a friend named Jack. Of course, airline safety is no joke and we all need to be patient and respectful travelers. Gladys was just doing her job. Even if I encounter a hassle again, I definitely will keep it to myself. We are leaving for Mexico tomorrow. This morning, I read an alert by the State Department regarding escalating violence at the border towns, such as Tijuana. Granted, we are zipping right through Tijuana and heading south, but there have been kidnappings of Americans, car-jacking, and even a few murders. There are reports of thugs that will follow your car dressed as policeman. Yes, a major travel alert just in time for our trip. We have had an incredibly long and stressful winter in our clinic, requiring me to work long hours. My 12-hour shifts are usually 15 hours. I really, really need a vacation. I do not need to be robbed or hassled. If I wanted that, I would have stayed home...or flown to New Jersey. Related Topics: