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Hawaii’s Official Tourism Site — Travel info for your Hawaii vacation

Rather than post that I’m headed out for an extended period please come by and take all the possessions here’s the announcement. This year’s vacation, one I thought I would never take, was a trip to the Islands , though we only set foot on one, of Hawaii. Rather than jump into a linear “Galt’s length” piece I’m breaking it all up into little chunks the kind of little chunks I want to produce every time I see TSA staff.

So without further ado here’s the big picture.

We left Sept 7th and returned on the 15th , direct flights both ways,the threat level was elevated ,which I am sure is a mauvy shade of pinky russet, resulting in the BS treatment I’ve railed against for years (prior to 911 too) were the state infantalises adults for their own protection. No shoes, no belt sounds like prison, checks for toe-nail bombs? and our current favorite no liquids ( I do wonder what what occur if you tried to get a block of ice through). Even though Tatp and I really suggest you wander over to a recent Garrison Keilor piece

..This way, if some guy in a burnoose sets up a chemistry lab in row 24 and mixes hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid and acetone in a big beaker that is packed in 15 pounds of dry ice to keep it cool, and cooks up some triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, the passengers will be able, in the several hours it will take him to make the deadly explosive, to bring him under control, assuming the fumes haven’t knocked Ahmed out…

which nicely illustrates the assinine nature of liquid free flight. My cpap machine was swabbed for explosives , our luggage opened and not securely repacked and the condescending bitch on the way out of Hawaii just added to my overall animosity at these “guardians of freedom”. Suggestion: let the airlines decide what security they need.

Note I never am anything other than respectful to them in person they just seem to forget that it’s a two way street. Flying sucks more than it used to. The inability to get a drink when you want one is laughable, you have to buy your food onboard (since you can’t really bring on anything that has a paste or liquid on it ) and this time they ran out early. I mean really early not only do these ass clowns have a natural monopoly , a TSA enforced monopoly atop that they had enough food for under half the plane. At $5 a sandwich, cheaper than Starbucks, you would think an industry with serious issues making money without a Gov subsidy wouldn’t miss such an obvious stream.

Anyway nothing new in all of the above, just the price of doing business.

Coming up :

reviews: Subaru outback, Chrysler Sebring and general driving.