I am Elsewhere

Right now, in southwestern Massachusetts, visiting my father. Yesterday in Boston, reliving bits of my past and talking about the Tudors with my friend Steve Popkes. Tomorrow, off to Burlington, Vermont, to pick up the Spouse at the airport and thence to visit Avocado at camp. Gosh but I'm a busy girl.

Observed

I flew in to Boston on Continental. One of their conceits is that the First Class and Elite Members get to board via a special blue-cartpeted aisle, and hoi polloi boards via an uncarpeted aisle. All that separates the two little aisles is a little strip of nylon ribbon. Not every First Class or Elite Member remembered to use their special little boarding aisle. Every single one of the people I saw (including me) came up to the boarding area via the uncarpeted channel. What would have happened if one, or two, or all of us had rushed the podium, asserting our rights to walk on blue nylon carpet and feel all special? Would the TSA deploy the National Guard? Would a Continental service representative risk life and limb to protect the sanctity of the blue carpet? Would the Elite Members draw steel and fight to preserve their historic advantages?

I mean really: it's a three by five rectangle of blue carpet that says "Elite" on it. Be still my heart.