When things go wrong, or not being horrible

As previously mentioned, flood control issues at JFK meant that several flights needed to be changed on the day we left. I got my notification right after I had finished check-in and stepped into the security line.

Unsurprisingly, there was a line at the desk of people who needed adjustments made to their flights.

There are a couple of points I want to make in advance. One is that our re-route led to us making our third flight, and our luggage was routed correctly so that it met us there, even though I accidentally gave him the wrong tag at first. Yes, there was some inconvenience, but I think Delta did an amazing job of getting everyone where they needed to go.

In addition, there was an older gentleman behind me who was concerned. I told him everything I knew, because it is reasonable to be helpful to each other in such situations. I only mention that because he was returning home to Manchester, and shortly after leaving him I found out about the attack in Manchester, and realized he and his wife were going to be going home to that, and it was sobering.

By and large people were good to each other. There was another couple on their way to Edinburgh getting routed through Amsterdam as well. We ended up by each other in the airport and then on the plane. When I went to get some lunch for my mother and I, I came back and found Mom with her feet up on their luggage, thinking it was ours. I tried to change that but the woman said it was fine, and then we visited and they were great people. I appreciated them.

So here's another thing about me. Although I admit I do not try as hard with my appearance as I could, some of that is knowing that my potential outcome is limited. I admire people who manage to look put together.

While I was waiting at the desk to get rerouted, there was a woman in line in front of me who looked amazing. She had a kind of a sleeveless sheath dress of a dark gray material; a short, perfectly teased haircut, and a rolling tote that was nicely cornered and neat looking. The only person I saw who looked more impressive on the entire trip was a woman in Rome wearing a white linen sheath with gladiator sandals. Still, I had not seen the woman in Rome yet, so I was pretty impressed with the woman in front of me, until it was her turn.

I'm not sure she even needed to be rerouted, because she was mainly asking for financial compensation, which the person at the desk could not provide.

Assuming her final destination was JFK, with no need to make connections, she would be arriving two hours later than originally planned. Getting there later could cause some ground transportation issues or interfere with an appointment, but she wasn't really explaining hardships so much as she was just asking for money.

I'm not even blaming her for asking once; it seems a little greedy but some people follow the Aladdin principle that if you don't ask you never know. (Just because everyone I know who practices that has been pretty obnoxious and self-absorbed, hey, I haven't met everyone yet.)

I do feel a little more judgmental of her keeping at it for so long when there were people behind her who needed to get connections worked out. I told the previous stories because they demonstrate a sense of us all being in this together; she didn't seem to feel that as much.

Where I got really mad at her was that when she gave up on getting money from the Delta employee, then she started wanting his full name. He had a name tag, with his first name, and she could have that. Realistically, if she wanted to complain, the first name, location, and time and date is probably enough to specify, but she wanted more.

I don't know if she was thinking about this specifically, but doxxing is a thing now. If you want to make someone's life miserable, it is a lot easier to do it. No one should be required to give their last name out, especially to someone who has already demonstrated such a sense of entitlement and such a lack of consideration of others.

I wanted to be different than that, so I wrote down his name so I could submit positive feedback, and then I promptly lost it, which may relate to my not having it together at all. Still, I was easier to deal with than her.

As prepared as I had been to admire her, that went downhill really fast.