DV: Delta (Airlines) Volente

DV is usually taken to mean "Deo Volente, God willing." It's a great excuse to avoid personal responsibility, as in, "I'll met you at 6:30, God willing." Or, more precisely, "If the road is congested, it's not my fault if I'm late."

I've been happy with Delta Airline's MSP-PDX on-time performance while traveling that city pair a few times in the past month. Prior to a couple takeoffs at Minneapolis/St Paul, MSP, we had to pause at a deicing station. Enough slush time was left in the schedule for the flight to make it to Portland, PDX, on schedule.

Tomorrow I expect to be home, on time, for dinner with my partner, DV (Delta Volente).

Travel Gear: Mesh Stuff Sack

On a train or plane, it's good to have stuff immediately to hand.

My solution is a mesh stuff sack that closes with a drawstring and toggle. It's light and durable, it keeps things together, and I don't leave random possessions behind when I disembark. My partner and I have been traveling with the same sacks for decades.

When I board, I drop the sack on my seat and stow my backpack in the overhead. I then sit with the sack sandwiched between my back and seat. Flight attendants never ask me to stow it.

Once I'm settled, the sack and its contents fit in the pouch along with the safety card and airline magazine.

Trains and Planes and Earworms

I don't know how road warriors do what they do, year in, year out.

My temporary home, Portland, Oregon, is a wonderful place, but I've been experiencing an earworm filled with loss and longing as I walk to work.

Wikipedia defines an earworm thus:

An earworm, sometimes known as a brainworm, is a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person's mind after it is no longer playing.

Studies have found 98% of individuals experience earworms, so I don't worry about my earworms. Generally they are simple music, and reflect my mood.

Road Warriors

Tomorrow, I'll be sitting in an airline club, tuning out the other road warriors. "Just checking in" phone calls to the home office shouldn't last twenty minutes.

Extreme road warriors cluster around departure gates. One may be begging for an upgrade, others are making sure they board ahead of the next-lower class. A common topic of conversation is so-called status: a Diamond ascertains he's chatting with a Platinum.

Airlines know what they need to do to breed loyalty.