may you live in interesting times

I love it, I really really love it. I mean, big bust over seas stops a mass attack on airplanes, security is tighened incredibly. I mean, it is sooo tight that they are not even allowing over the country medication on the planes. I flew on the 16th to fly to work and the lady at the Edmonton International airport went through my carry on baggage searching for something. I was confused and wondering what she was looking for when she finally found it and produced it with such flair. My Otravin nasal spray mister. I, for some strange reason, sometimes get major nasal pains when I fly and I find that a shot of nasal spray helps clear up the passages and helps me to breath. If I dont have it, it is like a needle spike through my eyes into my brain for the entire duration of the flight. Now, you might not think that is bad, but consider how painful it is to put a needle in your arm and twist it slightly. Sit like that for an hour and you get an idea of how painful it is. Anyways, she produces it and tells me that no liquids are allowed. I tell her that the signs do say that "medication like insulin with passengers name on the bottle; breast milk, milk, (though juice for this was scratched out strangely enough*G*); and non-prescription essential medication" is allowed on the plane. I say that it is non-prescription and basically essential (for the above mentioned reason) and should be allowed. Was told that it is a liquid and a liquid is not allowed on the planes anymore. However, my pills of gravol and Sinutab werent even opened and inspected but past through without a glance.

So, long story short, I had to surrender my nasal bottle to the powers that be. I nearly laughed out loud, though, when she told me that I could leave the security area, return to the front desk, hand them my bottle for them to check on the plane and return through the security area. I looked at the security area and saw that they were already 30 minutes behind because of the new searching policy and going through everyone with a fine tooth comb and figured I would probably have at least a 1 and a half to 2 hour trek ahead of me to save this $10 bottle of medication that was already half empty. Yeah, lady, thanks for the offer but I think I will have to sacrifice the $10 and catch my plane cause if I miss it I miss one days work at nearly $300/day. But, have to say, she offered a suggestion. Just wish it was a bright suggestion. She might as well have said "if you are experience nasal pain in your flight, feel free to stick your METAL knife that we give you for breakfast through your eyeball and try to dislodge the pain".

Now, I read this in the news today (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060813/dutyfree_liquor_060818/20060818?hub=Canada) I guess the threat of losing money is too great for the Canadian gov't and they have to readjust their little paranoia. I mean, you can be paranoid to the limit of losing millions or billions of dollars to a rich and powerful company, which may have the chance to offer great donations to political campaigns, and not to mention provide jobs for lots of people. Even better, they probably made it so that more jobs are created because now you have to have more people to sort through the packages, get them to the right gates and deliver them to the people.

I am not even going to ask questions like: "I started to pack a change of clothing and toilettres in my bag because the airlines kept losing my luggage or getting the luggage there a day or two late, making me buy more clothes and toilettries. Does this mean that the airlines will stop losing my luggage?" or "airlines are known for lost luggage, does that mean that there is going to be lost and miss laid duty free goods to the gates?"

Either which way, I see that the ancient chinese curse is coming to bear on all of us in the world today "may you live in interesting times", and these times are REALLY interesting.