Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Monday, Aug. 14, 2006 - 4:10 p.m.

Really disenchanted with the concept of getting on aeroplane anytime in the next 20 years. Just so you know. Remember this entry, where I said I really hate flying? And this one, where I said flying into England from America was a really bad idea, on accounta both countries being such prime terrorist targets and how BushCo tends to do its utmost to piss off Muslim extremists and maybe even taunt them to "bring it on," or some other such sophomoric fucking bullshit, and that I really, really, really did not want to do so and maybe should have my head examined for booking that particular round trip? Yeah.

Told.

You.

So.

You all told me to relax and breathe and take a chill pill and all that bunk you tell crazy people to calm them down so you can slip the straight jacket on over their head while they aren't paying attention, and then it turns out MY FEARS WEREN'T SO ENTIRELY UNFOUNDED, WERE THEY? HUH? HUH? HUH?

HA.

I especially like this article, explaining how, even though England has downgraded its terror threat level, that's just because they no longer consider the threat of someone blowing up a plane "imminent." It by no means means they don't expect someone to blow a plane up. Because oh, they totally expect that. Just, you know, not right now.

::sigh::

I actually would be a lot happier if they didn't relax those stringent travel rules they had in effect for 5 days, and they didn't allow liquids or gels or electronica onboard, because I'd feel a whole helluva lot safer getting on a plane where someone probably had to work pretty fucking hard to sneak chemicals and detonators onboard, but as I predicted in a comment thread over on DailyKos, that shit fell by the wayside real quick. You know why?

Because it was costing the airlines money. So they're relaxing security even while telling me they still expect an attempt to be made to blow up a plane. I guess the airlines are willing to risk my life in order to save themselves any economic loss. That's mighty big of 'em, I gotta say. I really appreciate being put ahead of their bottom line like this. It's kinda like a big game of Russian Roulette, only British Airlines doesn't have to put the gun to their temple and squeeze the trigger, they just use my head.

Here's some random freakiness. I got mail from someone I know who tends to vote Pub, and this person had this to say about the Pakistanis being the ones to bust open the whole plot and inform British and US intelligence: "Wow, where did you hear that? What we're hearing here is that the Brits were still tracking all this stuff and wanted to get more hard evidence so they could get a conviction, but Bush/Cheney pressured them for political reasons to come out with it now. It wasn't really going to happen soon - they hadn't bought tickets and many of them didn't even have passports yet."

Right off the bat, I have a few problems with this version of events.

1. You do not close down the *world's busiest* international airport for an entire day and cut 30% of the flights in and out of it for a length of time as yet to be determined on a freaking whim.

2. The Brits had no hard evidence, but they made over 40 arrests and threw the world's busiest international airport (thereby fucking up untold other airports across the globe) into a spin because Bush/Cheney asked them to? For *what*?? A really stellar photo-op???

3. BushCo goes insane and shrieks treason if the NYTimes carries an article about unconstitutional wire taps that have been going on over a year, on the grounds that it warns "the terrorists" they might be under surveillance, but they would ask MI5 to go ahead and blow the story wide open on an undercover operation bigger than September 11 before any of the persons involved had passports or tickets or really could be held for anything at all other than possible harsh language and bad attitudes? Riiiiiigggggghhhhhhht.

Seriously, I have to know where this is being spun.

At any rate, life over here is definitely interesting, and looks to stay that way for a while. I actually got a little edgy on the Metro today. I went back to Carrefour, to buy the duvet cover and groceries I couldn't get yesterday, and on the way there, this guy sitting two rows in front of me turned around and made eye contact with another guy sitting at the rear of the train and nodded at him. That guy nodded back, leaned out of sight toward his knees, and then he and the woman sitting across from him got off together at the next stop. At that point, the guy near me leans over and starts messing around for a very long time with something out of sight in or around the seat in front of him, and I think, "you know, I'm sure it's nothing, but I think I'll get off at the next stop." Which I did, along with that guy. Nothing happened, obviously, but it was a little weird, that chain of events, and for the first time since I got here, I seriously thought about how really, really easy it would be to jack people up at rush hour here. Kinda gives new meaning to that recorded announcement they play at the stations in both French and English, telling you to report suspicious behavior or packages. It used to say "don't attract pickpockets." Now it says don't get yourself blown to bits. Nice.

And on that note, let's do a meme. Just cause I think we could all use a little nice.

1. what curse word to you use the most?
Hee. Say it with me now: Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. :) What a good word. :)

2. do you own an ipod?
No, and proudly so.

3. what time is your alarm clock set for?
10am. I like to prevent my body from going into shock at the sound of hideously piercing noises. Also, I don't go to bed until like 4.

4. how many suitcases do you own?
Three, really. You could say 5, but one of the extra 2 is an overnight bag I'm not even sure I still have, and the other was company swag from Lemon-Oh and is used to store my beads, never as a suitcase.

5. do you wear flip flops when it's cold?
I don't wear flipflops EVER. Period. I hate flipflops. That fucking fwapfwapfwap sound is the single worst sound on the entire planet. Worse than The Hocker, worse than tone. Like, it actually incites me to violence. I can't tell you how much I hate the fucking sound of flipflops. I can't believe I left this off my list the other day. You know why? Because for about 33 blessed days, I have not had to hear it, and I blocked it from my memory until just now, that's why.

6. would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
I don't know. Be in it, I suppose, depending on how I felt I looked.

7. what was the last movie you watched?
Superman Returns, at the theatre. On tv, the last one that I actually watched was Mogambo, last night. It was my french version of the Sunday Night Movie - actually in the original language, with subtitles. They don't always schedule an english language movie, but I got lucky this week. It also doesn't come on until like 2am, and yes, I stay up for it.

8. do any of your friends have children?
Yep. And Jodie is about to be a mom, next month. :)

9. has anyone ever called you lazy?
Only my mother, who seems to think I think I'm "the Queen of Sheba," and the housemate, who was pissed off at the time, but whom I think actually thinks I am, which really pisses me off.

10. do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep?
I have, on occasion, taken a prescription muscle relaxant, but I tend not to, because anything that helps you sleep knocks me on my ass for 12 hours and then drags me down for another 24.

11. what cd is currently in your cd player?
At home, it's either a Mary-Chapin Carpenter cd I was burning when I left home or the Carpenters' Greatest Hits, which I was also burning while I packed. Here, it's a mix cd I made for JonnyC's birthday last year, entitled "Party Till You Puke." The cover bore this image by Jeff MacNelly (with credit, I believe).

12. do you prefer regular or chocolate milk?
Regular; chocolate is too sweet.

13. has anyone told you a secret this week?
I don't think so, but it's possible.

14. when was the last time you had starbucks?
About 5 days before I left for Paris, with Em. Thanks, Em!

15. can you whistle?
Yes. You just put your lips together and blow.

16. who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Either Em or the housemate. I think it was the housemate.

17. do you think people talk about you behind your back?
I know they do. I work in television, remember? I even know what they say about me, because there's almost always someone willing to run and tell you what crappy things are being said about you this week, just in case you've actually managed to build your id up to a functional level.

18. did you watch cartoons as a child?
Dude, I am not sure I can be friends with you if *you* didn't. My favorite live actions were The Bugaloos, The Banana Splits, Run Joe Run, Land of the Lost, Big John Little John, the Kroft Superstars, Isis, Shazam!, and HR Pufnstuf. My favorite animated cartoons were Josie & the Pussycats, Speed Racer, Battle of the Planets, Starblazers, pre-Scrappy Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, and Jonny Quest. Not all of those are from my actual *child*hood.

19. are you shy around the opposite sex?
Yes, unless I don't find the guy in question attractive.

20. what movie do you know every line to?
The Princess Bride, The Cutting Edge, and Young Frankenstein. I used to be able to include Star Wars, Empire, Raiders, The Pirate Movie, and Fast Times At Ridgemont High on this list. Probably pretty soon I'll be able to add Van Helsing to it.

21. do you own any band t-shirts?
I don't think so. I used to own concert tees from Journey, the Alarm, the Cure, Depeche Mode, David Bowie (2), the Thompson Twins, and some group I can see the t-shirt in my head for, except for the actual band. It was my favorite one, too. Wow, talk about your fickle fans. While I was typing that, I managed to spurt water all over my keyboard. I hope my laptop doesn't die. :(

22. what is your favorite salad dressing?
Marie-Pierre's kickass mustard vinaigrette, and a mix of the Tofu Tahini Dill and Lemon Herb dressings from Follow Your Heart.

23. is anyone in love with you?
I don't think so, no.

24. do you do your own dishes?
Sadly, yes.

25. are you on a desktop computer or a laptop?
At home, I'd be on my screaming fast desktop. Here, I am on my Toshiba laptop, aka The Paperweight. Man, I miss that desktop.

26. do you currently want any piercings or tattoos?
Nope.

27. what's the weather like?
Bleak.

28. would you ever date someone covered in tattoos?
Nope. But then, I heartily doubt anyone covered in tattoos would date me, so we're even.

29. what did you do before this?
Made my bed.

30. how many hours of sleep do you need to function?
At least 6 to function at all well. I can get by on less, but it sucks. I prefer 7-8. Or 10. You know, 12 is good.

31. do you eat breakfast every morning?
No.

32. are your days full and fast paced?
Heh. Heh heh. Heh heh heh heh heh...

33. do you pay attention to the calories on the packages?
Sort of.

34. do you use sarcasm?
Every chance I get.

35. are you fussy about spelling and grammar?
Yes, if it's on something published like an ad, a novel, a website, or a newspaper (to name a few). It bugs the living fuck out of me when someone has been paid to write something and they couldn't even be bothered to fucking spellcheck it. Grammar is a class unto itself. There's no excuse for bad grammar unless it's purposely done to convey something specific. To quote a t-shirt JonnyC and his sig-o gave me, "Good grammar costs nothing," people. That doesn't mean I practice flawless grammar. I like dangling prepositions and splitting infinitives with impunity. But I don't do it when someone's paying me to write, and it pisses me off when other people do. Especially when they do it because they don't know any better.

36. have you ever been to six flags?
At least once every single summer for more years than I care to admit. And I'm talking the original Six Flags, in Arlington, Texas. I even worked there for a summer after graduation.

37. do you like mustard?
Yes.

38. do you sleep on your side, stomach or back?
Side, mostly. Sometimes half on my side, half on my stomach, with my arm tucked under me. I'm trying to break that habit.

39. do you watch the news?
Hi, my name is Katie, and I am a newsaholic.

40. one of your scars: how did you get it?
I got the scar under my chin when I was talking to my best friend through the fence at a high school football game and sucking on my reed to keep it wet so it wouldn't dry out and crack. Because I was multi-tasking in this manner, I managed to slip off of the mouthpiece on my alto clarinet and somehow (I really have no idea how) banged my chin on the board fence between the two of us, splitting my chin open and bleeding all over the nice white front of my band uniform. Right before halftime, when we had to go out and take the field for marching formation. Boy, was Mr. Holbrook mad.

(Years later, btw, this scar would earn me honorary guy status, as nearly all guys have a scar under their chin, and nearly all of them got it playing football. I actually got the scar in my eyebrow playing football, but that's neither here nor there, really.)

41. who was the last person to make you upset?
The housemate.

42. do you like anybody?
Yes. In real life, I'm still more than a little fond of the stupid freaking housemate, much as it pains me to be so. In fantasy land, Michael Vartan is totally my boyfriend. :)

43. why did you do this survey?
It seemed like a good idea, at the time. If I ever date Michael Vartan, however, I may come to regret it. ;)

Peace out,
Katie

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