Only after getting to the airport today was I informed that my flight was canceled. Fortunately they were able to put me on a flight departing two hours later.
Which means I am writing this from within an unexpected bubble of time, hanging out in a mostly empty airport waiting area, just me and my laptop computer, a few scattered fellow travelers, and a large television on one wall set to CNN.
One you learn how to ignore the TV, it’s actually quite pleasant here. Everyone is having their own quiet time, although it is “quiet” here only in the metaphorical sense.
But I am counting my blessings. Bubbles of uninterrupted time can be hard to find. So when they unexpectedly come my way, I am grateful.
By the way, I have never met anybody who didn’t find the airplane waiting area TV set annoying. Does anyone actually like it? And if not, why is it there?
Safe travels, Ken.
I’ve often wondered if there’s some advertising deal at the root of TVs in public places. Next trip, try taking one of these along: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone
[The only time I ever appreciated a video screen at a restaurant was a sushi place playing the Finding Nemo DVD in a loop, silently. It made for a perfectly themed animated artwork.]
Most waiting areas I’ve been in have the TV muted and the closed captioning turned on. I appreciate that because I find there’s far too much motion and noise in an airport area for me to do anything that requires any amount of concentration, like reading.
Mostly, I’ve found that TV’s in airports, restaurants, banks, etc. are for the employees, not the customers. You can always make or buy a TV-B-Gone™: https://www.adafruit.com/product/73