Do not make fun of others, unless it is really funny
So I made it back home after 3+ weeks. Flying through London to connect back to Boston. I changed my flights around, from an American Airline flight to a British Airlines one. [ A short diversion -- remember B.O.A.C. ? I watched Hitchcock's the Birds on the plane. At the very beginning, during the camera panning, you can see a BOAC billboard ]. I know I really should stop by the American ticket counter to get a new ticket before checking in at BA. But it is at a different terminal. Rule number 1 of travel -- be nice and you normally can get what you want.
So I check in at the BA business counter, the agent thought for a little bit, and ask me to go to the BA ticket counter to get the ticket reissued. The BA ticket agent was less nice and very confused, but after a lot of thinking and phone call, she wrote up a new ticket for me. No need to go back to AA.
I have not flown from Frankfurt to Heathrow on BA for a little while. After sailing through the airport security check, I see a long queue in front of the gates. BA decided to do another security check themselves for all flight heading to the U.K. What is the point? I wonder how the Frankfurt airport personnel feel. The British do not trust the Germans? Ha. What is different at the BA security check? Nothing -- just more polite and slower. Some how "Please remove all your belongings so that we can ransack through your stuff" sounds much better when spoken with the Queen's English acent.
Now I am on the plane. AA hands out personal DVD players for the trans alantic flights on their 767s. This is actually good unless you have seen all of the DVD already. But that's another complain. On to the funny bit: The gentlemen next to me fired up the DVD player. The kit comes with a nice set of Bose noise cancelling headphones. He inserted the DVD. Started the player. Then plugged the headphones into the seat's audio jack. Channel up, channel down, obviously cannot find the right audio for the DVD. I was debating in my mind whether to tell him he need to plug the headphone into the DVD player, not the seat. But I thought he maybe more embarassed if I told him. He figured it out after a minute or two. I am sorry but that was funny. Back to watching DVD's. These portable players and discs are coded region 6 I think to discourage people for stealing them. There are labels everywhere saying that the players are modified and will only worked on the plane. So -- remember to bring a few of your favorite region free Hong Kong DVDs on board for viewing during the flights! On the subject of movie, I saw Swordfish. The beginning is a little "interesting", but the movie is definitely fun. Don't get put off by the beginning sequence. It is a good action comedy.
During the transit in Heathrow, I had too much time on my hand and went window shopping. Unfortunately that turned into an expensive walk. I finally saw a Bell & Ross Fusion. After playing with it for a little, I decided that I really needed it. Why? Because its user interface is very well done. Right. I will write up my review of this thing later.
The American Minute
A bilingual German co-worker said American have a funny way to measure time. "One second" according to an American would be about 2 minutes. "A minute" would be half an hour. "As soon as possible" probably means "sometimes this year".