Folks,

MG:

Thank you for your kind words and also for sharing your own story of battling the bureaucracy with us. Do not feel like the Lone Ranger my friend. I suspect that everyone who has traveled much by airline has had at least something similar happen to them as well. I know that I have.

Once at Dallas Fort Worth airport I was hauled out of line and given several once overs with a device that looked to me like a combination two pronged dildo and an electric cattle prod. No matter how many times the official passed the device over, around and under me there simply was no indication of a hidden weapon or any metallic item whatsoever. Others passing more quickly through the check line began to look at me as if I might be some sort of bad guy. When I looked at them, they instantly averted their eyes. A picture of a zebra being taken by a lion as the rest of the herd casually trots by came to my unhappy mind. I was beginning to be more than a little irritated.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was not more than several long minutes, the official stopped passing the electric device over my body. He seemed perplexed. Finally, he took the probe or whatever it was called, and whacked it several times with the palm of his hand. He listened. Nothing. He struck it against the side of his jackboot (OK, his shoe) and then he passed it over me once more. Still not a peep, nor a buzz or even a mild ding was heard. I grunted but that did not seem to be the sound he was looking for.

With a big sigh and a sheepish look, the official finally, but with obvious regret, allowed me to pass on my way. As I was passing through the line at the luggage X-Ray machine, I overheard the man exclaim to another man who was similarly dressed and standing next to him, "I don't know why I bother. These damn things never seem to work anyway." I wanted to suggest that perhaps he had forgotten to install batteries but I quickly thought better of it.

In other trivial news, trivial to others that is, I watched a very interesting travel program featuring Copenhagen yesterday. It was very entertaining and informative. Especially so as I now have a friend who lives there. You are fortunate indeed to live there MG and I am sure that I do not need to tell you so.