This was my first flight since the pandemic started. Things are a lot different now. It was easy to find a parking place at the airport. Going through security was a breeze. I don't think I've ever spent less time in the TSA line. There were still a lot of people at the airport, but the place definitely wasn't crowded. There were lots of empty seats in the waiting areas and even with the center seats empty, there was still plenty of room on the plane. I think there were thirty empty seats when we took off.
If this is the future of flying it's OK by me. I'll trade wearing a mask for uncrowded planes any day. There are lots of new rules at the airport and not surprisingly, many of them made no sense whatsoever. There were many signs that told people to wear a mask at all times. There were also many places selling food. What can't you do wearing a mask? Well, you can't eat for starters. People love to eat at airports, so I saw a lot more masks off than on.
They still served snacks and beverages on the plane as well. As soon as the snack cart came down the aisle, the masks came off. Water was also served, but no alcoholic beverages. I thought they'd pass out little bottles of water, but the water arrived in plastic cups instead. There was even an announcement that if you brought your own alcohol, you wouldn't be allowed to drink it. None of this made a lot of sense. If the airline was worried about the virus, they wouldn't have served snacks at all.
I'm still amazed at how many people wear their mask below their nose. A lot of the cloth gaiters I saw today were completely worthless. I don't know why guys with thick beards bother at all. The mask just sits on top of their beard. I'll wear a mask and try to wear it correctly because I have absolutely no faith in the people around me. I didn't even eat any snacks on the plane. I kept my mask on the entire time. Oddly, just as I was leaving for the airport this afternoon I got an e-mail saying that my high quality 3M N-95 masks had shipped. A little late guys. They'll probably arrive while I'm down here in Florida.
I still managed to get my steps today. We took a long walk with Dawn before breakfast. I didn't have my smoothie this morning because I knew it would take too much time. I still had last minute packing to do. All in all, the day went very well. I didn't get a good deal on my rental car this time, but I did manage to find a car with in-dash GPS and blind spot indicators. There seems to be a lot fewer cars to chose from now. I noticed the same thing when I was going out to McDonald Observatory. Maybe they don't want a lot of idle cars sitting around.
Another strange thing was that the plane was unnaturally cold. The flight attendants aren't allowed to pass out blankets and pillows anymore either. Everyone on the plane was searching for their coats. I'm guessing that they were adding more fresh outside air to the circulation system to keep contamination to a minimum. I was cold but felt pretty safe. I think you're in a lot more danger by going to Home Depot.
Tomorrow looks like a very busy day. I've got to get my credentials at the badging office. Then there is a briefing to attend with Jim Bridenstine and a one-on-one interview with a Crew-1 mission specialist. If all goes well, tomorrow evening I watch the Air Force launch a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. The main event is Saturday when four astronauts head for the International Space Station in the first official crew rotation mission for Space X. Hope the weather hold up. It ought to be an interesting few days.
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