So it’s been a while…and right now it’s 5:47 AM on the LaGuardia Tarmac, on my way from NYC to Phoenix.  It goes without saying I’m not great at keeping any type of journal…never have been.  In fact, the only time in my life I’ve ever keep up with a journal was Mrs. Bahn’s 5th grade class where we were required to keep a journal, and we used class time every week to write in our journal.  I’m pretty sure most of my pages were filled with large handwritten sentences about how I had nothing to say but needed to fill the entire page.

I want to say part of it stems from growing up between two awesomely outspoken sisters…makes a person a good listener.  But I think it’d be more honest to say that I’m not sure how interesting the average reader would find my daily life.  For example, I’m working on some new music right now and I just got a new Axiom 25 MIDI controller.  (Read this next sentence excitedly) I’m psyched because it’s got 8 pads, and I’m working with Max/MSP and Propellerhead Reason to work out a key map with various banks…well, you can see where this is going.  In my defense, I do have a BS in Mechanical Engineering. At any rate, I just don’t know if my blogs can be all that interesting.
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Ok, so now it’s 5:55 and I’m sitting across the aisle from Paul Teutul Sr. ….you know, the father from American Chopper.  Did this just get interesting?

Let me rewind real quick.  It’s about 5:15 AM, I just checked in, but now I’ve been standing in line for 15 minutes just trying to check my baggage.  I’ve already been up since 4 AM just to make it this far.  Don’t I deserve to not have to stand here like this.  I glance over at the security line.  Looks like I’ll be in line all morning.

“Next.”

I look down the mile of ticketing agents.  Where exactly am I supposed to go?  I give the woman a confused look.

“Just walk down there and wait behind that woman.”  She points to the woman walking to the furthest possible agent.

“Oh,” I think.  You mean the woman who I was just standing behind?  The woman who is just making it to the counter now?  And the agent that is a quarter mile from this spot?  The spot that will take longer than any other?  Do you also see that I’m carrying 3 suitcases by myself?

Dragging my suitcases behind and panting, I arrive at the next line of my day.

“Sir, you can put your bag up here.”  I start strapping my 3 suitcases on my body to move the four feet forward to the counter.

“Sir, you can put your bag up here.”  I heard you the first time.

“Sir, you didn’t pay for your suitcase.”

“Sorry, what?”

“You didn’t pay for your suitcase.”

“I’m a Worldperks Elite,” I say somewhat blankly.  As I say it, the agent stops for a half second.  Nothing major, but enough that I make a mental note of it.  She seems caught off guard or something.  Did something just happen?

“Oh, sorry,” she replies.  “It didn’t say so on your reservation.  Here you are sir.  Have a nice flight.”

“Thank you very much,” I say with extra emotion and a way too large smile.

Hmm.  Seriously, what just happened?  I make my way to security trying to figure it out.  Did I say something?  Did I say that forcefully or something?  Was I just rude to this stranger?  I mean it IS 5 in the morning, my eyes are probably bloodshot and I’m probably not doing a great job hiding my desire to be back in bed, but I wasn’t trying to pass that off to her.  I’m sure she doesn’t want to be there at this hour any more than me.  Maybe it’s nothing.  I replay the situation over and over again in my head as I walk to the gate, board the plane, and make my way to seat 18F.  I chose the window exit row for the extra legroom at the cost of not having an outer armrest, a mistake I only realize as I sit down.  I depend on those armrests to help me sleep.  Bummer.  I sit down and think of what to do for the next 8 hours.  I replay the morning again.

What happened at that counter?  Am I reading too much into this?  Maybe I’m concocting this whole subtle interaction.  Maybe nothing happened.  I can’t figure it out.  Maybe it did happen.  Why is this bugging me so much?  And suddenly, I think I understand.  I reach down and grab my computer and start typing…”So it’s been a while…”  You see, this blog, these words, our ability to communicate, what we say and how we say it, they all matter very much.  Maybe I still won’t write in fear that the stories aren’t interesting, but our ability and our right to express ourselves with words is so important…so powerful.  I mean, how profound that it’s our very first amendment. And we take it for granted!  But it also makes us responsible to ourselves.  I wish I could redo that interaction at the counter, just to make sure nothing happened.

I try to wedge my coat and pillow against the wall of the plane for a makeshift armrest and I start to close my eyes.

“Sir, are you Mr. Low?”  Oh no.  What now?  “We have one seat in First Class if you’d like.”

Hmm, interesting…