Backporch Beer - WE'VE CLOSED! THANKS FOR YOUR PATRONAGE!

Comment from KellyMc
Time July 25, 2003 at 8:25 am

Here’s another one

Comment from jank
Time July 25, 2003 at 8:59 am

If it makes you feel better, I’ve been selected for further screening about 60% of the time I’ve flown since 9/11, even when I produced my military ID and the orders I was traveling on.

I’d also lay money down that if there were not stricter screening in place, we’d hear from these same ‘activists’ that the government was not doing enough to prevent another 9/11.

Comment from KellyMc
Time July 25, 2003 at 11:48 am

Jank, weren’t you getting screened on airplanes before 9/11 anyway?

Comment from etrigan
Time July 25, 2003 at 2:07 pm

Tee-hee. Jank is the only friend I know of who’s been escorted off a plane. If he doesn’t share the story him self (this is a threat), I will be glad to.

Comment from jank
Time July 25, 2003 at 9:59 pm

John- go ahead. I honestly don’t remember much between getting upgraded to first class, sucking down free booze between Orlando and Houston, and calling Melissa from the Houston jail.

Here’s the scenario: I’m at Nuke School in Orlando, cramming about two years worth of nuclear engineering knowledge into my skull in six months. 8 hours of lecture Mon-Fri, with about another 6-8 hours of studying each night. With the exception of Friday, when we hit the golf course as soon as class is out to see how many holes we can fit in between 4 when greens fees went to $4 and sunset without losing a foot to an alligator. My long-suffering wife (girlfriend at the time) and I are about 9 months out of college, and doing the long-distance dating thing.

I’d grabbed a cheap flight leaving Friday afternoon, and returning Sunday evening to go see her in Houston. I was bumped from my flight, which was going to have a connection in N’awlins and show up around ~10:30 or so. The airline got me on a direct flight, and upgraded me to first class. Which was going to get into Houston about an hour before the other flight.

As I said, I got loaded on the flight, and the next thing I knew, I was in a cruiser on the way to the Houston Jail. Woo Hoo! At the same time, Missy was arriving at the airport, finding me not there, and crying her eyes out since she thought I’d stood her up.

I get processed, cop a guilty plea to public intoxication, thrown in the drunk tank, and give Missy a call around 1 AM asking her if she will bail me out. She and her dad (*Future father-in-law) come downtown, pay my bond, and wait for about 2 hours for me to be released.

The weekend ended up being a bust. We had tickets for a rodeo concert around noon-ish, but both Missy and I were still asleep. Melissa, understandably, did not want to say a word to me for all of Saturday. Her dad, having been a Navy junior officer back in Vietnam, and having probably too much sympathy for low pay, long hours, and tons of responsibility on the shoulders of a guy 8 months out of college, convinced her to give me another chance.

She dragged me to church Sunday morning, told me that she was still going to come out for the next 3-day weekend.

I still owe her big. Huge. Not to mention she’s had my kid, too… In any case, her reward has got to be stored up in Heaven.

Comment from KellyMc
Time July 26, 2003 at 12:40 am

Hmm, OK, now that you tell it, I remember that being right.

BUT, previously in my memory, the incident took place as you were flying to Houston for your wedding. I think that detail would probably make it too good to be non-fiction.

Comment from jank
Time July 26, 2003 at 12:45 am

No, it was in Feb-Mar that I went to the big house. Wedding was in October.

Good thing too. Missy had a chance to spin down. I doubt there would have been a wedding if this had been during that trip.