Get a Grip

It’s Saturday, I’m listening to this while packing for a trip next Wed to Sun.

I don't like watching movies on a plane.

Bad picture, bad sound and CONSTANT interruptions from the cabin, such as turbulence announcements, that come at 5-7 minute intervals.

I'm all for smarter technology, except for the conservation of intellect. The manufacturers assume because your coffee maker is smart, you must be a blithering moron. Hence the insistence on the coffee maker knowing exactly when it needs to be descaled.

Phooey. Stick microchips into a coffee maker, fine. Give me a warning light, fine. Don't tell me when I can and can't make coffee.

I used to travel to India frequently for work (3-4 times a year for 30 years). Originally, it was a multi-city flight (a layover in Europe). During the early days, I would have luggage delayed or missing about 10% of the times. I kept an extra bag of clothes in the office in India as a spare to handle these cases.

In 1979, I took my first transatlantic trip through Concordia College (Moorhead, MN, James is familiar with it). My parents bought me a new vinyl leather suitcase with wheels. The mobility was fairly new technology at that point. I pulled it through many airports and I named it Fido as I felt like I was walking the dog as it tagged along after me. After a while Fido learned to do tricks like beg (usually for booze). He also learned to snuggle up to interesting young women which started some fine conversations.

I still have an old small blue Samsonite (at least 60 years old) which truly is indestructible.

The other interesting suitcase I acquired at a garage sale was an equipment suitcase used by the Minnesota Twins. The nameplate was Clark Griffith, son of owner Cal Griffith. About 10 years ago Scott Johnson of Powerline helped me find Clark and I was able to return it to him. He kindly gave me a tour of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange trading floor regaling me with tales of how the exchange worked in the old days.