Coasting Through Security

So I made it to LA safe and sound (knock wood) and am back online on the Toshiba all wireless and stuff... 

I'm staying in a creepy old Hollywood hotel that's freaking me out a little. I feel like I'm in Room 1408. 

I just took a picture. Check it out:

(No, I haven't gotten the balls yet to open that armoire thing cause you know I'll see a dead body stuffed in there with the eyes bugging and the mouth open with the slime drool and I'll scream and shut the door-- then creak it open it again and it'll be empty...)

Anyway, I was nervous about traveling because I didn't really have any decent ID (lost wallet over the weekend). The only things I could really scrounge up were my 'original' tattered social security card which has miraculously survived all these years. A very expired passport. Some credit cards. Cable bill. And an affidavit/police report (suggested by the airline) which is basically a handwritten xerox copy statement of me saying my wallet is lost. 

This thing:

.

I got up to the counter and told the airline lady that I lost my wallet but I have a social security card. She asked if I had an affidavit from the police. I gave it to her. That was it. No photo ID needed at all! That police thing and my ratty old social security card coasted me all the way through security at JFK. Granted, I had to go through 'additional screening' on the security metal detector line. 

(The 'additional screening' was them swabbing thru my bag and giving me personal pat down by someone. I never had the physical contact thing before. Dude came over and told me to put my arms out and lightly sort of touched areas around me. Arms, legs, sides. I wondered if he was gonna feel up my groinial area but he didn't go anywhere near my groinial or my buttiockal regions. Not that I wanted him too-- but if I wanted to hide something I'd certainly put it in my groinial region.)

So basically, happily and unhappily, security all-around isn't nearly as tight as I expected it to be. Worked out well for me. I got a temp driver's license from the DMV with no ID whatsoever and got on a plane with barely anything real too. In some ways I think it's ok. I think alot of the whole security thing is pretty much for show. (Can we start leaving our shoes on yet?) Plus, in a reverse psychology way, if I really wanted to sneak onto a plane I'm sure I would fake up IDs better than the crap I showed them.

But I gotta admit that I do wish they asked me for just one more piece of ID. As an upstanding U.S. American-- I proudly had a few more papers to prove I was me.

ok bye!

tOdd

PS. Maybe focus on the cargo more than the people? Just my two cents.

PPS. Surprisingly I got RoscoeCam hooked up with an old webcam and pointed out the window of my hotel. Coolio!