From California...

I'm attending a conference in California about 65 miles west of Los Angeles. The weather is quite nice - 25C and sunny. But let me start from the beginning...

My departure-day started at 9:30 (AM) when I caught my first bus. I walked onto my second bus at 10:21 and arrived at the airport well before my 12:30 flight. Taking a taxi, or the shuttle, would have cost me money and, in turn, would have cost my supervisor money. Being a nice guy, I took the bus (pre-paid for UVic students, a.k.a free). And, I arrived at the hotel 12 hours later. (You hear ominous music.)

When I checked in and the lady realized that I was going to the US, she looked at me, square in the eyes, and asked, "Do you have a passport?". Why would she presume that I didn't? During my first security check at Victoria International Airport, the officer ran a chemical check on my laptop. He was looking for traces of explosives (and other stuff). On my second security check at Vancouver airport, I removed my shoes so that they could be x-rayed, I was given the full pat-down and they checked all of my belongings, including my laptop, for traces of explosives (and other stuff). My conclusion is that I look like a drug smuggling idiot without a passport. Now, there's a good way to get caught - don't have a passport. "I mean, dude, I just want to enter the US, man. I'm goin' to see some friends, man. No, that's medical marijuana...".

Did I mention that two of my three flights were delayed.

Now the question, I'm left pondering, is why the security checks don't occur when Veronica's with me...

Surf's up. (or whatever they say)