Unticketed Passenger Sneaks on Plane and Attacks

Welcome back folks! I am now back home from beautiful Tempe, Arizona and finally back to normal, which means a regular commute to work with my business partner, along with an update on the never dull discussion ... or what we like to call The View from the Front Seat. So what was on my mind today? Well I just returned from Arizona via air, so flying was still on my mind.

Well it was one of those trips marred by delays, as if it isn't bad enough having to show up so early before your flight leaves in the first place. The reason? Maintenance. Apparently, there was smoke coming from the bathroom on the plane, which suggests to a small minded person like myself that perhaps something is or was on fire. It stands to reason that after announcing that to a group of people who are due to get onto the plane that the customers may be a little reluctant to actually get onto the plane and that maybe they should consider getting a different plane. However, not to the group of top notch aeronautical technicians working that particular shift, as they decided to try to "fix it." Hmmm ... you know, again I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but it seems to me like it'd be a bit of a tough sell to get everybody on the plane after it's been on fire, even if they said they "fixed it."

Anyhow, after at least of couple of hours of trying to fix the plane, they decided that they actually couldn't fix it (which was shockingly surprising to all of us uneducated passengers) and decided to wait for another plane to come in that wasn't actually scheduled to go back out anywhere else. So, another couple of hours after that, one actually arrived that didn't have any further plans for the evening and we were all able to get on board and fly home, but I didn't get home until the middle of the night, so I was a bit tired and cranky the next day ... which really isn't that different from my typical mood. So why'd I tell you this boring story? Because, apparently, some flights are actually worse than mine.

Reuters has reported that a man on an American Airlines flight from Miami to Toronto was stung by a scorpion, which crawled out of the man's own napsack. The man had been camping in Costa Rica with his brother and surmised the scorpion hid out in his bag while there. After an intense interrogation session, security officials reported that the clever scorpion impersonated a hair brush, which allowed the scorpion to escape detection during the x-ray examination of the carry-on bagage. Always quick to act when safety is at risk, American Airlines has apparently already changed their list of prohibited carry-on items to include dangerous arachnids and have provided enhanced training so security screeners to help them detect them in their disguised forms. As if there's not enough to worry about when flying these days. The return flight was delayed while authorities searched the plane for more of the South American free-loaders.

Before I go I have to update you on a story I passed onto you Friday. In the post "Thief's bag full of Pee," I described the story of a gentleman the British Police were hunting for in connection with the theft of a urinal from a British pub. Toilet owners everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief, as the guy couldn't keep it in any longer and has turned himself in, urinal still in hand. The man claimed he took the urinal as a souvenir, contrary to guesses that he may have been a plumber hoping to sell the urinal. In any event, the Pub owners are reported to have been quite relieved (sorry for that) to get their toilet back and hoped it would lead to less men being left hanging (if you know what I'm saying) in restroom.

I'll mention one more piece of exciting news ... Cross the Line Designs has introduced the first pieces in our new St. Patrick's Day line of clothing. Check them out here and make sure you're ready for one of the biggest parties of the year.

That's all for today. We'll pick you up again tomorrow for the commute to work. In the meantime, keep your eyes on the road ... you never know when somethin's going to Cross the Line (I couldn't help one more plug ... I haven't done it in a long time).