I finished up my training early (talk about shooting yourself in the foot, right?) but it actually worked out well because not only did it mean I would get to see Blog Girl sooner than anticipated, but it also allowed me to fly home Friday and be able to attend my niece Rhyan’s wedding on Saturday evening in At. Augustine (and to surprise Blog Princess, who did not know I was coming home in time to be there, lol).

My favorite memory of Rhyan is the very first time I met her at MY wedding to her aunt 10 years ago when she was 8 years old. We were married on Easter Sunday in the afternoon so Rhyan (as well as her younger sister) was dressed up in a beautiful white Easter dress,  with gloves, matching purse and even a stylish hat. I was coming down the hall of my future in-law’s home when she stepped out from the entry foyer, stood in front of me with her gloved hand outstretched, and said, “Hi, I’m Rhyan. Are you my new uncle?”. She was so polite and mature for her young years that she melted my hard old heart and I smiled (trying not to use my normal smile, which is quite scary), took her hand, and told her I was and it was a pleasure to meet her.

It’s hard for me to believe she’s getting married now. Time flies when you’re having fun. She’ll be married, or close to it, by the time this is posted (to keep Blog Princess from knowing I’m home), but hopefully I’ll have a couple of pictures to post next time around.

Anyway, Atlanta airport security is a nightmare, as far as the screening process goes. When you first step in line you see they are using the queue system developed and perfected by Disney to good effect. The lines look like an undulating snake made of people, as they loop back and forth through the cordoned off walkways. That is good, that is very organized. At some point you reach a TSA agent sitting in a chair who wants to see your boarding pass and ID. That is good too, because you want to be sure the people coming through have been properly ticketed and identified.

Then, all of the sudden, all the excellent organization ends. As you pass the agent who is checking the boarding passes, you discover that everyone is being fed from the various checkpoints into a mob that is expected to now find their way to the NEXT lines that will lead to the x-ray machines that take your shoes. People were simply pushing their way into whatever position they thought would give them the best chance of getting into a line so they could keep proceeding through the unbelievably disorganized mess that TSA at Atlanta airport tries to pass off as security. It was by far the worst security check I have been through, even worse than the ones we went through on our way to France and back. Even as crowded as it was (and it is much more busy now during this time of year) the process should not have taken the hour that it did.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for security and in this day and age it is an inconvenience we must deal with to avoid the possibility of something worse than an inconvenience. But man, this isn’t rocket science and having a disorganized mob in the middle of your process isn’t going to work to your advantage or ease the emotions and frustrations of those who have to put up with your disorganization.

/End rant

…until tomorrow’s post about airline scheduling…or lack thereof.