Saturday, January 9, 2010

George Bush International - Gateway to adventure

So, I told a few people I'd probably make my first (legitimate) post from the airport, and I've decided it's important to follow through and get in the habit of letting my parents know my rough geographical coordinates. So, right now I'm in George H. W. Bush Int'l Airport for a roughly three hour layover before my connecting flight to Managua this evening. Once I get to Managua, I'll be meeting someone who will drive me to the school I'll be attending in Granada.

Unfortunately, since I'm not yet in the spectacular natural setting of colonial Granada, its lakes, and its volcanoes, all I have to write about at the moment is the airport here in Houston. In most respects, it's like any other airport, but it definitely has a bit of a Texas feel to it (at least if the stereotypes I've always relied upon are accurate). For example, the airport has a bass fishing store, which prominently displays a t-shirt reading "I've got your corporate ladder right here," and a picture of a hunting stand. There are also "Don't Mess With Texas" shirts (and even people who buy them) and lone star neck pillows.

Aside from the hints of Texasness in the place, I can also be sure that I'm in Houston because of the larger than life portrait of Jeff Kent to my left:



Do any other baseball fans find this strange? This is the town of Biggio, Bagwell, and Bell (in my mind the Killer B's will always include Big Pimpin Operation Shutdown Derek Bell, and not Fat Elvis). They still have Berkman and Carlos Lee. They have a ridiculous little hill that tries to kill people. And Jeff Kent is immortalized in their airport? The guy had two solid-but-unspectacular seasons here--a shorter tenure even than his grossly unpleasant time in a Mets uniform. So, I just find it a bit strange that his moustachey face is so prominently positioned in my sightline. Maybe they just like his enjoyment of pretending to fall off things he's not really washing.

At any rate, it's clear that the Houston airport offers very little to write about--unless you think Jeff Kent is a jerk. In fairness, this was mainly supposed to be a post just saying hi and welcoming you to this place where I'm gonna talk about things, and you have a limited forum in which to respond. If I learned anything from being around Wesleyan students, it's that if you have the louder megaphone, your opinion is more important.

I've left my phone at home, so I won't be reachable at my usual number for the next few months. I do have an international phone and SIM card, but it's pretty unreasonably pricey, so if you want to chat, let's try to do it on skype, and leave the cell phone for emergencies. But, just in case it comes up, my number here is 011-44-787-224-6757. I know, it's a lot of numbers. But I'm pretty sure it connects to me, and not the Mr. Sparkle Factory in Hokkaido, Japan*. My Skype username is Sethuel, and you can, as always, email me at seth.samuels at the gmails.

I'm going to head upstairs to the Fox Sports Sky Box to grab a grossly overpriced beer and watch the Jets-Ochocinco game. In about two more hours, I'll be back up in the air, and in about 6, I'll be reunited with my 35 lb backpack.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's currently 85 degrees and sunny in Granada.

Besos,
Seth



*I'd like to apologize right now for the frequency of obscure references I'll regularly be making that only my brother and a select few others will likely get.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for the obscure reference and the promise of more to come. I'll try to hold up my end too. If they were going to go with a mustachioed Astro, Dickie Thon seems like the obvious choice. Plus, maybe then they could have found a picture that didn't prominently feature a guy in a Cubs jersey.

    Glad you are enjoying the sights and sounds of Houston. From what I've heard, it's all downhill once you leave the airport. Also, it's 17 degrees on the Upper West Side, so I'm going to finish this comment and commence hating on you.

    Travel safe. Have a blast.

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  2. It's worth noting that the guy in the Cubs jersey is actually a separate picture. It's a collage of sorts. But you can see sort of a halo around Kent's head where they photoshopped it. What's odd about the Cubs fan is that he (along with two other Cubs fans near him) is cheering wildly. Meaning that it's a picture of a moment in which the Astros have presumably blown it. I'm actually wondering if it's a picture from Wrigley Field, based on the fence in front of the fan. Weird all around.

    Also, because you lacked the cojones (Spanish for "cojones") to post it: http://www.oldbaseball.com/hom/dickie_thon2.jpg

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  3. No lack of cojones here, my friend, which as we all know means "when two people collaborate to create the productivity of one person named 'Jones.'" I believe it was first used by the Germans, right after they named "San Diego."

    I agree, it actually looks like the bleachers in Wrigley, which makes it especially weird. Also, the bizarre sepia/halo thing makes it look like the-picture-that-would-be-shown-off-Jeff-Kent-at-the-end-of-a-TV-show-if-Jeff-Kent-starred-in-the-TV-show-and-then-died-tragically.

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  4. Also, good first post from the ground, fish-bulb.

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  5. When my sister visited Guatamala she saw a presentation by a former Guerilla fighter. This precipitated a discussion of who in her circle of friends/family would make a very good or very bad Guerilla. I think you'd be a good one. So, onward! For Liberty!

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