Return of the Rolling Luggage

Tuesday … 9:30AM … San Jose Convention Center

Yes, you can all relax now. I got my luggage back. My string of bad luggage luck got worked out yesterday. I had to hang out in the San Jose Airport Terminal A luggage claim for an hour, but I was rewarded with the return of my personal belongings.

I’m currently accessing the web from a Compaq laptop on 802.11 within the San Jose Convention Center. IDF technical sessions start in 30 minutes. I’m having some free Starbucks in Compaq’s Wireless Laptop Den. They provide the laptops and coffee so I can “experience wireless”. I’d rather experience my Toshiba on some real broadband … I need to get into my work network.

Last IDF, we were provided 100 MBit to our own laptops. This allowed me access via VPN so I could get actual work done while away from the office. This has been replaced with company-sponsored kiosks, wireless dens using other people’s laptops, and four SJCC payphones with datajacks (only three of them work).

Anyway … back to the luggage fiasco.

Somewhere in Vegas, Delta missed the handoff of personal belongings to American Airlines. Each one blames the other. It’s kind of like watching a quarterback and running back sort out who botched the play on 3rd and 15 while the coach scowls at them in disgust. I had to wait an hour for Delta to move my luggage to American’s claim center. Delta is in Terminal C, American is in Terminal A. The San Jose Airport appears to have been designed by a reject from Arnold’s House of Waffles and Industrial Design, so this was no easy task.

The contents of my luggage survived the trip, minus my eyeglasses case. Since I’m mostly blind without contacts, I take my glasses as a backup. They spend most of the time hiding in a metal Bugs Bunny eyeglasses case. Bugs sacrificed himself to save my glasses … the case hinge was broken and the bunny had a little cartoon lump on his forehead. I was suprised that little stars weren’t orbiting his head.

It’s now fifteen minutes before the tracks begin. Twelve people are in line for their corporate-sponsored Starbucks fix, while others scramble to check-out the dwindling supply of laptops.

Time to stop typing and start working.


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