Broken outlets and out of milk

I’m sitting in the American Airlines Admiral Lounge at LAX. I don’t usually fly AA so I’m not a member of any program that allows me to be here. I paid to be here. Why? Oh my flight is delayed 6 hours. I figured, well if I have to hang at the airport for six hours, $50 is not too much to pay for ample seating, food and drinks included and a bit more personal space. You know when you go to your gate and the sweatpants set are there with their screaming brood? I can’t. That was fine for Madamoiselle but not Madam.

I was kind of excited to use the Swiss made automatic espresso machine but it’s broken. Well not broken but out of milk, so therefore not making any espresso. The kind staff, not authorized to restock the machine (on a Tuesday of a busy holiday season) apologetically offered alternatives. Then sitting down I found every in-seat outlet to be broken. Every one of them. I’m using my battery that I brought with me because this is what America is now. Broken outlets and no milk. I snidely remarked to my husband, “they have those same espresso machines here that were in every classroom I visited in China last year. Except in China, they worked.” The US, I think, gave up on the future because it would require billionaires to pay .4% more in taxes. And we can’t have that, now can we?

At least though, everyone here is behaving themselves. No screaming freak outs. No monster babies running feral on a Gatorade and pixie stick rush. The most annoying person here is the Studio Excutive who has been having a very calm conversation with her office about the budget ($10.4 million) and the screeners (not fully delivered). I don’t know if the budget is in relation to an awards season promotion or something else. I think it’s how much was spent trying to get various members of the unions and Oscar/Emmy voters to choose their film or TV show for whatever it’s up for. $10.4 million is a lot of cash to spend trying to get people to vote — for a movie. Maybe our hatred of voting is why the AA Admiral’s Lounge is just a dressed up level of hell above the general boarding area. I know for a fact that there exists within this airport an even more exclusive lounge. Lounge is the wrong word. I think they’re like suites? I’ve read about them. A private suite where you and your entourage have a kitchen, bathroom and living room fully stocked and a Mercedes waiting to take you directly to your airplane where you’ll board via a totally separate entrance from the hoi-polloi. But that doesn’t go for $50 for a day pass. Maybe $5000 would be my guess.

We’re stupidly on our way to Boston for a Christmas rental in Cape Cod. We always rent a place and then Dean’s family comes to us. I’m feeling really uncertain about traveling right now. Yes, we’re vaxed and boosted and we have really good n95 masks. But still — it feels like a bad idea. And then this business of having to spend an extra six hours at the airport.  Oh, I spoke too soon about the screaming, no neck monsters. One just ran by me. It’s getting later and the “families” (gross) are showing up.

Here I am regarding the sunset and contemplating that new Swiss made suicide capsule that fills with nitros oxide to send you off laughing.