The Bamboo Lady

I wish I had pictures...I fear words just won't do this justice...

Today I flew back from California. I show up to the airport and know of eight people waiting for my flight who do not have a seat assignment (including me). When they finally announced that there was a problem and needed volunteers...they needed THIRTEEN!!! No joke! They ended up calling volunteers based on check in time, but I wasn't on any sort of time schedule for tonight, so I asked them if they could garuntee me a seat on the last flight out of LAX at 7:25pm. So another passenger and I, his name is Fred, were given the last two seats on a flight out of LAX as well as a $400 voucher! Not bad! My mom and Scott came to pick me up, and we gave Fred a ride since there was no point for him to pay $75 for a cab when we were going to the same place...I got a free dinner outta that one! Thanks Fred!

O.k. So the Bamboo Lady. I'm sitting at the gate doing my homework and all of a sudden, I see this long stick of bamboo pass by me...so of course I have to look up. This lady had her little suitcase on wheels with the bamboo sticking out of it and it was taller than her. My first thought, "What the heck does she have a house plant for? I feel sad for the person who has to sit next to her!" Yeah...well, guess who that person was....ME! Yes, Fred and I got seats in first class..he was behind me. I turned around to talk to him after we had boarded the plane when all of a sudden, this bamboo palm whizzes past my head. Fred told me later she almost speared me with it because she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. So she sticks the bamboo under the seat...which extended to the seats in front of us and two rows behind us! Oh my gosh...I had to text my friend, who was picking me up, with the following, "I am sitting next to a lady with a 4ft piece of bamboo...not kidding. She slid it under the seat and I fear if I adjust my leg position, I will break it in half-though I must admit, it is very tempting!" Well, apparently, I wasn't the only one feeling that way. I watched that piece of bamboo as it was clearly being stepped on, kicked, nudged, moved, etc throughout the flight. All of a sudden, someone started to pull it! I couldn't believe what was happening! The guys two rows behind us had had it with the bamboo and was trying to get it out from where their feet were! Obviously they had no idea how long it was and that they would have to stand up and walk about four rows back to get the thing safely out from under them! The bamboo lady saw what was happening too, and she grabbed a hold of it. OOOOO....I was SO HOPING for a tug-a-war! But that didn't happened. The bamboo lady slid the bamboo back up so it was now jabbing the people in front of us and that was the end of the bamboo....until we were trying to deplane. The bamboo lady got the bamboo out, and laid it on the arm rest extending, once again, to the seats in front of and behind us, creating a little barrier that was holding me in position in my seat. DOES SHE NOT SEE A PERSON SITTING NEXT TO HER? How about the other three window seat occupiers blocked in by her ridiculous piece of bamboo! Come on lady, your bamboo isn't the only thing that exists on this plane...but apparently she thought it was. Oh and by the way, when she turned on her computer, can you guess what the wall paper on her screen was? You got it...BAMBOO!