Where have I been eating the past 4.5 years?

For the past few months, I've been having some issues with my corporate expenses getting paid on time. Yes, I was submitting my receipts in a timely fashion, but there seemed to be some lag getting reimbursed.

After spending way too much time on the phone with American Express and my Expense Department, I finally ordered a reconciliation report.  Basically, I wanted a log of each time I swiped my green corporate Amex card.

2 weeks later, I recieved an excel workbook in my email......I'm happy to report that the issue was resolved, and my Amex bills will now be paid in a timely fashion.  But, with all this wonderful data in hand, I decided to test my pivot table chops, and figure out exactly where I've been eating Monday - Thursday for the past 4.5 years.

While I had a good idea of where I've been eating, I was still a bit shocked by the results.  I can safely say that I am officially not a health conscious person anymore...and in fact.....I'm a bit amazed that I'm not at least 150 lbs heavier than I currently am.  Anyways, here's what I found:

Restaurant - # of Times Charged

• Starbucks - 163
• McDonalds - 69
• Papa Johns - 53
• Burger King - 32
• Subway - 22
• Arby's - 20
• Au Bon Pain (really, I eat here???) - 19
• Caribou Coffee - 19
• Panera Bread - 17
• PF Chang's - 14
• Taco Bell -13
• Chili's - 8
• Applebees - 7
• Wendy's - 7
• Jimmy Johns - 5
• Boston Market - 5

 I also ordered room service a ridiculous amount of times (at least 50..likely more, because some of them are likely rolled into Hotel expenses).  Also, I've had "HMS-HOST" (generic category that covers just about every airport) at least 78 times (again, likely more because I got bored with I was classifying each expense).

And last but not least....1 white castle expense.  literally 1 time going to white castle, and its damage was enough to make me never go back.

edit - I just realized that these numbers are a bit skewed.  they only represent the times that I put the expense on my card.  I know for a fact that I've been to Taco Bell more than 13 times in the last 5 years, but somebody else on my team probably grabbed some of those expenses.

India - What I learned...

Note - I started this post when I was still in New Delhi and Bombay. Now that I am back in the U.S., I have finally found some time to finish this posting.

I'm currently in New Delhi, India and heading back to the United States on December 20th. So far I've been to Udaipur, Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Agra, and Bombay (Mumbai). I've seen many forts, ridden on elephants and camels (see photos below), and learned a thing or two about how to bargain.

Instead of writing a massive post about my time in India and because there is so much to cover, I thought I would just cover what I've learned through my experiences in India.

I'm not going to rehash my first post on India, but the things I mentioned :
- Lack of personal space
- Chaotic driving
- Tasty Indian food
- Friendliness of the people

are still valid.

General Perceptions:

1. The sense of time is different than in the United States. What I mean here is that if an Indian tells you that the bus is leaving at 7am, then they really mean the bus is leaving at 7:30am or 8am. This does not mean you should be the one to cause the bus to leave late, but in reality, you probably aren't going to be leaving at 7am. At first, this is was somewhat difficult to get used to, but once I adjusted to "Indian Standard Time", (IST), I had a better understanding of when something was going to happen. I also noticed the sense of time when it came to ordering food at cafes/restaurants. In general, I noticed that Indians are not in a constant hurry and take things very easy.

2. Learn how to bargain. Services such as taxis, guides, and street goods have no set price. Instead, the person selling the service or product will start out with a price. You should then counter offer with a lower price. As I have spent more in India, I have become better at bargaining. I just wish I had known how to do it when I first started my trip. Of course there are exceptions to the bargaining rule, there are places that have fixed prices and some services like internet cafes and hotels where the price can not be bargained.

3. Everyone is a guide. Being a white, westerner from the United States, I stuck out like a sore thumb in a country of 1 billion people. Of course, people approached me claiming to be a guide, or wanting to tell me the history of a fort, park, palace, etc. I have hired three different "guides" while I have been here. Overall, the guides have given me alot of historical information. The problem is, the information is simply too much to remember. It would have almost been better if I just bought a book about each of the forts and then I could have read the information on my own time. I think the thing that made it hard for me to retain all the information is that the names are difficult to remember and pronounce and everything runs together.

4. Indian prices vs. Foreign prices. I guess I could have put this up in the "learn how to bargain" observation, but what I really mean here the drastic difference in the price of entry to forts and monuments for Indians vs. foreigners. For example, the Taj Mahal is 18 rupies for an Indian and 750 rupies for a foreigner. I understand that Indians probably don't have as much income as foreigners, but I saw this price difference at all the monuments. I also experienced this when bargaining for various goods. I was sort of nervous telling people I was from the U.S. because they might automatically think I have a lot more money and try to take advantage of me. One thing I learned is that if I shopped at the local markets (referred to by the guides as the "bad" markets), I would get prices that were fair and reasonable.

5. Bombay is not Delhi. Delhi is not Bombay. All I have to say is wow. Delhi seems more chaotic to me and there seems to be a lot more pollution than in Bombay. In Delhi, I saw a lot more animals in the street and really felt like I was in a foreign country than in Bombay. When I was in Bombay, I felt like I was in New York or San Francisco. Some of the things I really enjoyed about New Delhi were the narrow streets filled with various markets and bazaars, the smells of the vendors cooking their food, and the general feeling of not being able to find this anywhere back in the United States. My hotel was located in the main bazaar just north of Connaught Place near the New Delhi Railway Station. I would have no problems finding my way from the railway station to the hotel, but if you started me somewhere else within 5-10 minutes walking distance from the hotel, there was no way I would be able to find my way back to the hotel. I must say that on my last day, I took a city tour of New Delhi and warmed up to the city's sights and sounds. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed both cities, but if you had to ask me which one I would definitely visit again - hands down, it would have to be Bombay.

6. Being white == being different?! This was definitely a new experience for me. Granted, in country with about a billion Indian people, I wasn't expecting to find many white people. However, I wasn't expecting the type of reactions from seeing a white person. For example, when I was on the city tour of New Delhi, I was at a momument. A group of school kids saw me and some came up and shook my hand. They wanted to meet me. One of the people in my group told me they had never seen or talked to a white person before. This was pretty amazing. I took it all in stride and enjoyed the experience.

I can now add New Delhi and Bombay as major world cities that I have visited. I definitely have no regrets about going to visit India especially since I was able to experience an Indian wedding. (maybe if I had more time to see the rest of the country). Before my trip to India, I will admit that it wasn't on my "list of places" to see next. However, as I did more research about the things to do and see, I became more intrigued about the trip. I would definitely like to visit India again to experience the sights, sounds, and culture of the areas of the country I did not get to see the first time around.

I have included a couple of photos from the trip. You can see my entire trip's photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/morriswt

Hello from India!

Sharad asked me if I could get a couple of posts in while I am
visiting India. I thought I would share my initial perspectives on the
country of India.

Before I begin, I want to say that this my first trip to India,
however, I have been overseas before to New Zealand, Russia, western
Europe, Moldova, and South Korea.

A brief run down of my itinerary is that I will spend 17 days in India
spread across the following cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kota, Jaipur,
Udaipur, and Agra. My primary reason for visiting India was not to see
the Taj Mahal (ha! I know I caught a few people off guard) but it was
because I was invited to an Indian wedding.

I arrived in New Delhi very late in the evening and the first thing I
noticed was the sense of personal space was about 2 inches. While
waiting for my bags to be unloaded, many people would be push their
way forward to the baggage belt. Now I should have realized this
personal space thing after going through the boarding process in
Amsterdam. I am not sure if Indians have any concept of a line and
pre-boarding but I think the personal space issue is directly related.

The second thing I noticed is the utter chaos of driving and crossing
the street as a pedistrian. Crossing the street is truly an experience
especially with navigating ie dodging traffic and any animals in the
street. My friend told me traffic is supposed to stop for pedestrians
not the other way around. I think this may help explain why rush hour
in New Delhi takes a long time to get through. There were many close
calls when I was being driven to Agra. If you didn't accept the fact
that someone else was in control of the vehicle, then the trip would
have been more stressful. I quickly accepted this fact and enjoyed
experiencing the sights of cows, camels, dogs, donkeys, and horses
sharing the road with cars, tuk-tuks, tractors, and industrial sized
trucks. You quickly learn that driving in India should be left to
those with experience. I myself am contemplating adding a line to my
resume that states "safely crossed the street in India as a
pedistran". Yes it really is that much of an adventure.

The final first impression I want to share is that the people of India
are extremely warm and friendly. They treat you like family, make sure
you are comfortable, and give you lots of tasty food. I myself have
enjoyed trying the different types of food. It hasn't been too spicy
either. The one thing I will say is that the food is somewhat more
heavy than what I am used to. The more food I eat, the more sleepy I
become. Also add in tiring activities like street dancing for a few
hours and it certainly makes for a good night's sleep! I have learned
a lot about the Indian culture from my friend's younger cousins. They
have been helpful in explaining what is going on or why an activity is
being performed. I have also learned a lot by observing how the kids
interact with their parents and older relatives. The kids are equally
curious about me and my western culture. Even though their parents are
a little concerned with their children crowding around me and the
groom's Kenyan friend from the U.S., neither of us mind it too much
because we learn so much from the kids.

Right now, I am in Kota for my friend's wedding. In the interest of
ending this lengthy post, I will save those thoughts on my first
Indian wedding and my Agra trip for a different time. I am also
including some random photos that I have taken (obligatory taj photo
included).

Hope all is well in the states.

Why all the love for W hotels?

Yes, they are trendy and boast the Heavenly Bed.....but are they worth the price?

I'm in consulting, and my consulting collegues love the W hotel chain.  I've stayed at a few W hotels in the past (all 4 Chicago and New York), and I just don't get it.

i'm currently in New York for some meetings, and I'm staying at the W on Lexington, and while the hotel lobby is very trendy and "happening", the rooms are tiny!  I know that it isn't just a new york thing, because both of the W's in Chicago are the same. 

I feel like the room is a tiny little closet, I barely have enough room to pull out the ironing board to iron my clothes. 

What have you guys experienced at the W?  I love Starwood's point program, so I'm locked into the Westin and W, but just wanted to see if my experience was typical.

I'm a road warrior....is that good or bad?

sorry for the lack of posts, I've been swamped at work, and haven't had time to write fun things on here.  I promise to do better this week.

so this morning, I just got a note from my friends at American Airlines.  even though I've switched over to Southwest for the majority of my travel, I still managed to earn Platinum (middle-tier) status on AA for next year :)

that brings my status total to:

Marriott - Platinum - already have 50 nights there
Starwood - Platinum - currently at 40 nights, will hit the required 50 nights shortly

American Airlines - flown 50k miles this year.  Unlikely that I'll hit 100k miles for Platinum Exec
Northwest Airlines - currently silver (low tier), unlikley that I'll maintain that
Southwest Airlines - I'm about 10 flights away from A+ status.  I should hit that.

So, now that I have the numbers out of the way....here's my question....

is being a road-warrior a good thing or bad?  I've been away from home for over 100 nights (if you include training, which I don't get points for)........and I'm sick of eating take-out and room service......

if you are in consulting, how do you escape this vicious cycle???

Salon.com's "Ask the Pilot"

As a regular traveler, I try to keep up in air-travel trends.  From frequent flier bonus schemes, to updated airline security standards, its in my best interest to keep on top of all this madness.

So lately, I've started reading salon.com's execellet "Ask the Pilot" weekly editorial.  The author, Patrick Smith, is a commercial pilot for a US carrier, and flies a ton more than I do.  So, I find his rants and raves mildly entertaining.....

I was catching up with my pilot reading, when I saw his article about TSA insanity (link).  As a regular traveler, I agree that the TSA has become way too large, way too bureaucratic, and way too gestapo-ish (is that even a word?).  I've read about travelers getting their laptops seized as they cross borders.....apparntly terrorists haven't learned of data encryption and proper backup procedures....

Since its summer storm season both in Tampa and Chicago, I've been doing my part to avoid ORD like the plague.  It isn't too bad on Monday morning, but its hell trying to get home on Thursday night.  But, luckily, there's another option...Midway.  Flying from Tampa to Midway means Southwest, and it means going through the Southwest terminal in Tampa. 

For some reason, the TSA agents at the Southwest terminal (and only at this terminal, i haven't had any problems at the AA terminal) hassle me weekly about my saline solution bottle.  Since its considered a medical supply (being for my contact lenses, which I use to see), it isn't required to be less than 3 oz, and isn't required to go into the 1 Quart Bag of Freedom.  I get asked, "why do you need so much solution" (because i use it daily), "why not buy little bottles" (they are expensive, and its unsanitary to transfer from the large to the small bottle), "why not just wear glasses when you travel" (um, are you seriously trying to tell me what I can wear and what I can't?  where are your qualifications to give medical advice?  I travel every week and I like wearing contacts...deal with it).....i know that I'm ranting, but I'm sick of inconsistent madness that I go through on a weekly basis.....

How do you guys deal with outlandish airport security?  Do you remeber to remove your belt, cell phone, laptop, liquids (both medical and non-medical), dvd player, xbox, and shoes...and place in seperate bins?

Coming Soon to an airport near you - Bud Light X-Ray Vision

Wow..just wow....this is the classic example of giving government an inch, and having them take a 100 yards.

First, the knee-jerk creation of the Department of Homeland Security.....then, removing laptops (in retrospect, probably a good move, but comeon..everybody has a laptop now, can't they find a way to screen for laptops without removing them), then, removing our shoes on the grungy, nasty airport ground...and finally, the whole liquid fiasco.

Now, the TSA has procurred a new scanning machine that scans you and "look through clothing to create an explicit silhouette of the traveler—showing shapes, folds of fat and other anatomical characteristics—to identify possible hidden objects."

Granted, I fly every week, so I'm a bit jaded by the TSA and travel.  Given the complete idiots that I see working in the TSA, I wouldn't trust them to professionally view this "graphic image" and make a judgement call about security. 

If I was selected for further screening.....call me old fashioned, but I'm going for the pat-down.  If they are going to violate my civil liberties, I might as well get a piece myself.....

read the full article here - chicago tribune

Sarah - thanks for the link....

Why Vasa at the Airport

What type of sweatheart deal did VASA water sign with the Department of Homeland Security?  As a consultant, I've been to many airports...and they all serve VASA water.  Not Aquafina.  Not Dasani.  And not Nestle.......but Vasa.  I've never seen Vasa anywhere else...have you?

Feed your wanderlust!

Since returning from Costa Rica a little more than a month ago, I've been looking hit the road again.  No, not the normal "hit the road" (my weekly trips down to Tampa), but something more substantial and meaningful.  I want to go abroad again!

While I'm looking at my finances, my schedule, and my interests......I came across this excellent list of great travel books. 

Looking over the list, I have some reading to do.  Here's what I've read:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thomson
Lord of the Flies by William S. Golding

Here's what I want to read off that list:

Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin
Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Beach by Alex Garland

Has anybody read any of the books?  Anything else that I should add to my ever growing reading list? 

Volunteer Vacations....anybody done them?

So, a coworker just forwarded me an email from his older sister.  His sister just returned from Costa Rica (I want to go back!), but instead of partying and seeing the sights, she went down there to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.  After her Habitat project was done, she did get to hang out with the monkeys in Manual Antonio, and watch Arenal erupt.....

Over the last year, I've thought about going on a volunteer vacation.  The basic premise is that instead of relaxing, you get to help others out....

While I can't swing another trip down to Costa Rica, I'm thinking about heading down to Louisiana to help out in the post-Katrina madness.  Do a little bit of good while visiting a place that I've never been...seems like a win-win to me.

Has anybody done this before?  Anything that I should know before I start booking flights???

Suggestion for Airlines.....

As an elite business traveler, there is one feature that I would absolutely switch airlines over.

If an airline provided a seating chart to its elite travelers that showed the location of all the babies. That way, I could (as an elite traveler) pick a seat furthest away from them..and could get to work well rested :)

I know that I'm being picky, but this morning's flight was painful. 2 crying babies right behind me = no sleep.....

Why even earn American AAdvantage miles?

So as a platinum (the 2nd highest level) AAdvantage member, what's my incentive to keep flying on American?

I just received an email with these program updates:

AADVANTAGE AND UPGRADE AWARD CHANGES
Beginning October 1, 2008, mileage levels will be changing for select AAdvantage(R) award tickets and upgrade awards. This change will not impact the 25,000 mile domestic economy MileSAAver(SM) award. Members may book and ticket any of the current awards through September 30, 2008. On October 1, 2008, the new award structure will apply. For more details:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/?key=9kS9svbp5k3tnStMd94gvxl976

So in theory, there will still be a 25k domestic mile saver ticket....but how many of them will actually exist?


Also effective October 1, 2008, a nonrefundable co-payment of $150 will be required to claim upgrade awards used with most discount economy fares when traveling between North America and Colombia, Ecuador, Peru or Venezuela. Go to for more details:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/?key=9kS9svbp5k3tnStMd94gvxl976

Hm, they must have heard of my plans to use miles to fly to Peru....while should pay to use my hard earned miles?

Effective June 21, 2008, a $5 USD Award Processing Fee applies per person to award reservations ticketed via AA.com. AAdvantage Executive Platinum members using miles from their own account and members subject to AAdvantage Award Fees are exempt from the Award Processing Fee. Learn more at:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/?key=9kS9svbp5k3tn19nzlqff93S0l

WHAT? More fees to use miles that you have already paid for? I can understand paying to book a ticket over the phone, but online? What's next, paying to check in online?

Here are some unchanged items regarding their award program:

they are free if you book 21 days in advance.

$100 if between 20 - 8 days in advance

$150 if between 7 - 1.......

Watch out - the Luggage Police are coming!

The Wall Street Journal ran an article this morning about the impending "luggage police" that will be roaming the concourses, looking for oversized bags. The article also talked about reinstitution of a device that would reject large bags from entering the TSA security screen...

As a frequent traveler, I know how much I can pack in order to fit it into the overhead cabin...so this would probably not affect me. But this affects the regular person that doesn't travel enough to become Elite. Since I'm required to be at client sites, I (and ultimately, my clients) are willing to pay for that privilege.

Instead of targeting the regular person who rarely travels, wouldn't it make sense to target Elite travelers who aren't paying their own expenses?

Photoshop Elements Review

I just came back from Costa Rica, and I have a ton of pictues. Since I've been relying on windows to keep me organized (bad move), I just realized that I have no idea what img788234.jpg means.

So, I decided to give Adobe Photoshop Elements a shot. I read that the software is a mishmash of regular Photoshop and a good photo Organizer.

After installing, I let the program sift through the "My Pictures" folder...and it pulled all the images in. From there, I can go through and tag my pictures with the people in it (ala facebook), places, events, etc. Bascially, any way that I want to organize my pictures, Photoshop Elements will do it for me. great feature.

So now that my pictures are tagged (some, not all), I decided to play with some of the photoshop-ish features. In Costa Rica, we went ziplining during a tropical storm. I brought along my little Canon Point-and-Shoot, and while getting some amazing shots, most of them had huge raindrops on the image sensor. With Photoshop Elements, no problem...the cloning tool took care of most o fthem.

I've only had this software for about 12 hours, and its already starting to replace Picasa.

I've heard that it integrates with flickr, which integrates with Blogger....which means that it might be a few days before pics are posted...but thye will be.

stay tuned for more...

Back Home......from Costa Rica

Just got back from Costa Rica late last night....and the trip was incredibly amazing!

I'm planning on detailing out my vacation in future posts, but I'm doing some laundry, cleaning up, and getting back into the swing of things. Some of the things that I'm going to talk about:

- 10 trips down the worst road in the world
- attack of the white faced monkeys
- repelling down a 250 foot waterfall
- Tropical Storm Alma
- lava flow
- the boldest driver in the world

tim - thanks for taking care of the blog while I was away. Good luck tomorrow!

hopefully more details, and some very incredible pictures in the near future

While Sharad is on his vacation...

First, thanks to Sharad for the introduction. Since I know he is diligently packing right now, hopefully he has safe travels to Costa Rica and reports back some interesting stories from the trip. I am not as lucky to be spending my holiday somewhere other than where I live. So I've agreed to keep the blog going and hopefully the posts interesting.

I thought I'd give a preview of some topics that I will likely write about over the next 5-6 days and the websites that I frequently read. Sharad did a good job of guessing many of the topics I will be talking about - running, travel, and gadgets. This happens to be a pretty good breakdown of my personal hobbies and passions.

Travel:
Because I am such a travel junky and like my miles and points, I frequent popular travel forums. I like to find the best deals on flights and figure out how to earn the most miles and points. This addiction can get time consuming, but is very fun for me to do.

I currently visit the following travel related sites:

FlyerTalk


Airliners.net


If you ever wonder about how you can get extra miles or talk about airplanes, check out those sites. Some of the travel related ideas I want to talk about include fare and fee increases by airlines, the price of gas and oil, and airline mergers.

Running:

I am currently training for my first marathon which happens to be on June 1,2008. In the past three years, I have run 3 half marathons, a 15KM, and a 10KM. Some people would call me insane and I completely agree. There will probably be a post on the race I am preparing for - The San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon. More on this in a few days...in the mean time feel free to check out the race website.

Gadgets:

As Sharad said in the intro post, I am a technology consultant. Naturally, I have an obsession for gadgets. My favorite gadget right now is my Blackberry Curve. I am pretty excited for the upcoming blackberry releases as there are significant feature enhancements and hardware upgrades from current models.

Some of the sites I like to check out include:

Boy Genius Report

Engadget

Wired Magazine

I am also looking forward to discussing random interesting things that I see out on the internet and current topics in the news. Hopefully this post has not driven anyone away and will give you a good idea of what to expect over the next few days until Sharad returns. :-)

Introducing......Tim

As I'm off galavanting in the Pacific Ocean and the Costa Rican rain forest, my friend Tim has graciously offered to continue posting on this blog...

Just a little background on Tim. He works as a Technology Consultant in Minneapolis...and is up on all the gadgets. Without knowing what he's going to write about, I can guess that he will discuss Technology, Running, and Travel. Of course, he is much more disciplined in his writing approach....so it will provide a welcome contrast from my style of posting random drivel.

While I'm off...I hope you guys enjoy Tim and his thoughts....and I hope that you guys still around. I'll be posting pictures when I return :)

Thanks Tim!

Costa Rica Dreaming......

Just 2 days away...and I'll be hiking near Arenal, ziplining my way through the Manuel Antonio Forest, and hanging on the beach in Quepos....

while I'm off, putting my fancy new DSLR to use, taking pictures, and hopefully using this R&R time to come up with new stories for my business school essays...I'm semi-concerned what will happen to this little spot on the web.

Since I started this place in early April, its slowly picked up some momentum...and now can boast of 4 RSS feed subscribers, 1 email subscriber, and a very very dedicated reader located somewhere in New Jersey. Thanks a ton guys....I was skeptical about starting this up, but you guys have given me the confidence to keep posting my random thoughts!

So this brings me to my main point....while I am away on the beach, without internet access, completely secluded from the world....does anybody want to try blogging? Since I have set the bar very low, want to post on here while I'm away???

drop me a note if you are interested.....

California Visit - Haas School of Business

Will write out a more thoughtful review of my visit later, but wanted to post some of my pictures.

TSA absurdity

As many of my "loyal readers" (which I think only includes Mona and my mother) know, I travel every week. Week in, week out....I am at various airports. TPA, ORD, CHI, MSP, DTW....I know where the best bathrooms are, the freshest coffee, and most importantly, the shortest TSA lines.

That brings me to the point of this post. After quietly putting up with the TSA, I realized just how absurd and pointless the TSA is.

First event - I am going through security, and the agent sees something that he doesn't think is kosher. No big deal, happens every once in awhile, so I allow him to open my bag. He proceeds to rifle through my boxers, asks me why I need shoe trees (a - because they keep your shoes fresh, and helps maintain your shoes), and why I would bring my own shampoo (a - i'm balding, so I have super special shampoo to keep my hair in shape)......I'm fuming, but there's nothing that I can really do.

Of course, the pretty brunette behind me fails to put her liquids into a bag...so instead of rifling through her bag, he brings her a ziplock bag, and tells her to "remember to separate the liquids" next time. I'm pissed.....

Second event -

I land at TPA (Tampa), and I'm listening to the TSA annoucements. Off the top of my head, I believe that it goes something like this:

Due to heightened security, the TSA has restricted the items that you may bring through security. Please check with your air carrier for updated regulations.

I'd like to deconstruct this statement...line by line

"Due to heightened security" - ok, 9/11 was a good 7 years ago...we can't still be under heightened security. I don't think it is healthy for travellers to live in a state of heightened anything for 7+ years.

"The TSA has restricted..." - I'm fine with this. its clear, gets to the point..but conflicts with the next statement

"please check with your air carrier for updated regulations" - wait a second. you just told me that the TSA has restricted me. So why would I check with Jet Blue, Airtran, Air Dubai, or Southwest? Is it effective to have 6 different sets of rules? Would it be more efficient for travelers to go to the source...the TSA...to know and understand the rules.

that's the end of my rant for today.....if this post puts me on the "watch list", then I will follow up with my experience on Thursday. But, since my blog is small and barely read (other than Mona and Mommy), I doubt that anything will happen.

What's your experience with the TSA?