Always, always, always...make sure there is nothing illegal in your bag. I am not talking about forgetting your stash or smuggling lemurs or something. Nothing patently illegal, just an item or two that will keep you from getting through the security point, or worse.
Such as the collapsible billy club I keep in my chrome bag in the unlikely event I run into the unruly cager on my commute...on occasion.
As I came through the metal detector and waited for my bag to come through the X-ray machine, I got a sinking feeling as the technician asked, pointedly, "who's bag is this?"
With the loud rip of velcro his hands were rooting around inside, talking out my shoes - looking at the cleats, setting aside the bungee chord and multitool. I asked if I could help. He just waved me away with a hand motion, and then said, "I'm looking for something long and metal...like...THIS."
My jaw literally dropped open (and a moth came out) as he removed the weapon. Holy shit. I had completely forgotten...
"Oh, no...oh, no..." he kept repeating. He must've known I was a nice guy who'd made a mistake and was in store for some not very nice treatment. A throng of baby-blue clad TSA employees had very quickly gathered, and a severe looking woman with a crew cut walked up to them, took a cursory glance at the club, then at me, and said...
"Arrest him."
On the walk back to the CPD office, I was given the good-cop-bad-cop routine, alternately being told I would have no trouble making my flight, and that I was in deep trouble. But upon running my Social and seeing I had no record, the cop who seemed to be most in charge just asked if I had really forgotten it was in there. He was obviously stressing the fine line between crime and accident, and when I stressed right back I had certainly no idea it was in there, I was free to go.
There was some question and joking whether or not I would make it back to Chicago...
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This just in...camp is hard:
And then it's even harder:
This is the 1:25 interval I ran from Cayucos Beach to the top of the wall. Average power of 292w, and a peak 10 minute power of almost 340w.
(It's so tempting to try and lose just another 10 pounds and get that power to weight ratio up, but...)
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A preview of the local racing season here in Chicago on the Chicago Cycling Examiner.
3 comments:
illegal stuff in baggage story, shortened for lack of time: when i was moving from boston to chicago, i was, of course, up until stupid o'clock wrapping up loose packing ends. i tossed the final stuff in my messenger bag. and my girlfriend's... airport security took issue with my brand new pedal wrench in my girlfriend's bag. gone. they run her bag through the xray again. we get through, i'm pissed but getting over it when my girlfriend pulls out a six inch kitchen knife. jaws drop. yes, from the same bag that went through twice. she was not pleased with me.
A few years ago, I had a large pocket knife make it through TSA at ORD and the Brits at Heathrow. Thankfully, I found it in my carry-on before the return trip, because the Germans hand searched all of our carry-ons in Frankfurt. I mentioned my mistake to one of the Lufthansa agents and he said the German police would have automatically held me for up to 24 hours to check my background. The Germans don't screw around with airport security.
Unlike here, where TSA and airline safety are more akin to a Christmas pageant, or church. It's gives you a warm feeling but doesn't really make your life any better.
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