This weekend, I had the opportunity to help prepare for an Algebra final. Let me rewind. I liked math as a child. I liked it in the way that you might like the Grand Canyon. It is fun to admire from a distance, but I am not necessarily excited about hiking across it. I was interested in math but not doing the repetitive work required to become good at it. So, I struggled with Algebra. I learned that subject twice, once in High School and once in College. I barely squeezed by with a passing grade. I never did any homework; I would just take the tests, and, because I was reasonably intelligent, I could guess my way to a C average. So this morning I woke to helping my daughter prepare for her Algebra final. I have now had to do Algebra homework for four Algebra courses over the years. I have now helped my wife and three children get through the subject. The interesting part? I fully understand the subject material. I even know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions! Repetition has finally paid off. I was graphing inequalities this morning at 6 am when it dawned on me. I am actually starting to understand this stuff.
Then I jumped in my truck and headed to the San Diego Airport. I am not sure how many times I have flown out of the San Diego Airport, I am thinking it must be nearing 1,000 times. I know every nook and cranny of that place. I know how to game the long term parking situation, and as I was sitting on a shuttle, I got to see the progress of the Terminal 1 construction project. I passed by construction fencing with privacy fabric installed. There were hundreds of smiley faces cut into the fabric. As I passed by, looking straight forward, I could see the faces change slightly and become animated. Similar to how you would see one of those flip book movies come to life. I noticed that as I went along the fence, the face was becoming more sinister, the grin becoming wider, and the eye slits more elongated. Of course, these are cut this way to prevent the wind from carrying the fabric away or blowing the fence over, but I began to wonder as I saw this face play before me on repeat.
Then it was over; my revelry was interrupted by a lady asking me what airline I was taking today. Does it matter I thought? There are only two terminals, and we have already passed terminal one, so I have only one option now. However, she insisted. I told her, and she nodded and smiled as if to say, my job is complete. I can drop your bag at the curb, get back in the driver’s seat, and make the loop again. Repeat. I have seen this woman before. Each time, we pretend not to know each other. She asks me that same question, and I always give her the same answer. Next time, I will bring a $100 bill and drop it in her tip basket to ensure she knows I have been keeping a tally. I know how often I have been on her bus and have yet to pay a tip. So here it is, $100 to cover the last 35 trips you took me from the same parking garage to the same terminal. In return, she may not ask me which airline the next time. Repetition.
I sat in 36C today. I have been in 36C before, probably in this same plane. The crew has changed a few times, but the seat remains unchanged. I have a game that I play. I have a famous person assigned for every number from 0 to 100. Al Pacino is 36, he says “Say Hello to My Little Friend.” So when I do the repetitive dance of getting on and off a plane, I see famous people doing funny things as I walk down the isle. It is my private joke and keeps me entertained. So I sat in the Al Pacino row again today, I think I was with him last year on yet another flight to Atlanta.
While waiting to board the plane today, I sat across from a woman who was eating a nice, small, healthy-looking salad. She did not seem like the type of person who eats this way all the time, but she seemed happy that she had decided to eat healthy on this occasion. In between bites of Kale, she was texting someone on her phone. She was an expert at this clearly. With a precariously balanced plate of salad, a phone in one hand, and a fork in the other, she was carrying on a very loud and rapid conversation. I say loud, not because she was talking but rather because she was using facial emotions to reflect what it was she was typing. Does she know that she is doing this? I wonder. I began to pick up on her facial expression when she was saying something with a bit of wit or when she was asking a question. I realized that I was probably staring, so I looked away, but not before I caught the red tattoo on her arm. It was just a number. For the life of me, I could not figure out why she had the number 00178 tattooed on her arm in red lettering. I did a Google search on this topic and quickly decided that it was a rabbit hole that I wanted to avoid diving into. Anyway, I archived this experience as one of the hundreds of interesting characters I have silently met on my travels across the country.
Although, I have to say that when I arrived in the ATL, I had a bit of a shocking moment. I have probably been to this monstrous airport a few hundred times. I am proud to say that I know my way around the airport and can navigate it almost like I work there every day. There is a praline shop in one of the terminals that always draws my attention, and I am always tempted. A woman works there who knows this weakness of mine, and when she sees me, she gives me that look that says, you know you want one of these pralines; they just came out of the oven! As I made my way to the rental car terminal, I reflected on how repetition has caused me to be confident in my ability to make my way through the world’s most complicated airport. I never rent cars; I always Uber, but today, I needed a car to pick up some employees. I note how automated the rental car system has become today, and realize with a bit of irony that my company is also dedicated to helping improve automation. Are we all going to be working in the “automation industry” one of these days? Walking down the Gold aisle, I like how Hertz makes you feel awesome even though you are not; I realized I was heading to stall 00178. Que the twilight zone theme song.
This is what repetition does to you; you start to see patterns. Some of them are meaningful, and many of them are not. However, repetition is usually how we improve, see and recognize patterns, and learn to act with speed and more efficiency. Before I got to the rental car terminal, I had to take the transportation train, and along the way, I was crammed in next to a couple who were making out with fervor. This was not casual kissing; it was a very engaged attempt to make out with energy and enthusiasm. I have never seen this before, especially in the cramped conditions of one of the standing-room-only transportation trains. Consequently, I had to turn the other way and was forced to listen to a man wearing an Ohio State shirt (2 sizes too small) explain to another man that Boise State had a 6,000 to 1 odds on a sportsbook to win the national title. He spoke of this with a level of comfort that must come from someone who spends every weekend determining where to place his next bet. I imagine he knows that system well, but I do not know anything about online sports betting. The man he was talking to was a former football player. He had the build and the look and was wearing a shirt from his alma mater. This is what prompted the sports betting conversation. I felt bad for him. Rookie move. NEVER go to the airport wearing a conversation piece. He had not traveled enough to know. I do, I know what happens when I wear a logo of anything. It opens the door to a sports betting guy.
Speaking of which, this man was sitting across from me on the airplane. He was in an aisle seat. He engaged a woman who was in the window seat in a conversation. They both seemed to want to talk. There are two types of people in this world: those that want to talk on airplanes and those that do not. I am firmly in the latter camp. Anyway, the poor man sitting between them was like me. Keep your eyes forward, avoid all unnecessary contact, and do not engage in small talk. Keep the headphones in and look very busy, at least in the early stages of the flight. I overheard some of the conversation. The man was going to his sister’s funeral. It was all very sad, and he choked up a few times. This woman and he were having this moment, heartfelt and emotional. I was curious about the man sitting between them watching John Wick 4 on the back of the seat monitor. After Mr. Wick killed his 37th person, I think the man next to him was detailing the fourth tragedy he had had in his life. I do not feel the threesome realized the irony that was playing out between them, but it was yet another example of the many airport moments that I find so fascinating.
My night is finally ending now, sitting in a Courtyard Marriot. I have stayed in one of these in every major city in the U.S. Talk about repetition. I do not think the woman at the front desk has ever met a Lifetime Ambassador, Titanium Elite, before. She nervously tried to check the corporate book on what and how you should great, Marriot Royalty. I helped her by giving her the answers to the six required questions to speed up the process. Yes, I will take the points. No, I do not require the late checkout. I am OK with the room assigned; there is no need to search for the upgrade. I am fine, I do not need the manager to check in with me tomorrow, and yes, please, the two water bottles will be great.
So here I am again, in the ATL. At least if I sleepwalk, I will know exactly where to go. However, I am a bit annoyed tonight. The power plug on the nightstand is not functioning, which has messed up my whole system. I have a system designed to work with the 12 X 27 nightstands in the Courtyard standard King-size room. Just kidding, well, I am in room 137. That means I am playing Hockey against Wilt Chamberlain again. This is the fifth time that has happened. 13 – Wilt, 7 – Hockey Stick – get it?
