Ridiculously Bad Mood, Cannot Snap Out of It

Parent Cafe
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<p>I’m the first one to say “we don’t get irritated, angry, etc., we CHOOSE to be that way”, but, I seem to be in a horrendous mood, and cannot seem to snap out of it. </p>

<p>It started when I returned from a trip to Washington, two weeks ago. I check my primary luggage when I fly, because I typically stay a week at a time, and I carry things that cannot be carried on board any longer. </p>

<p>Anyway, for those who haven’t flown in a long time, the procedure now is that you take your luggage to a screening area; it goes through some Xray process, and it is also searched, although I am not sure if this happens every time, or on a sort of “nth select” basis. Bottom line, you have to leave your luggage unlocked. </p>

<p>So, I get home from Washington, unpack my suitcase, and inside I find two red pillow cases that do not belong to me. I can only assume that they came from someone else’s luggage, and were mistakenly inserted into my luggage. Thanks TSA. I threw them away of course, and promptly bought new luggage. Pillow cases from some stranger’s bed in the same container with my clothing is just too appalling to tolerate, and I could not stop thinking things like “what if the person had lice” etc. so I could not imagine ever using that same luggage again. </p>

<p>Then, I take my clothes to the dry cleaner, and days later pick them up, intending to pack for a trip to New York. The dry cleaner lost one of my white dress shirts, and they of course do nothing about it - well - they offer me some stupid credit or something, which is worthless compared not only to the price of the shirt, but the time it took for me to shop for and buy it, etc. I eat this loss, figuring it’s just one shirt, I’ll live.</p>

<p>Then I go to New York, fly back home end of the week. Immediately unpack luggage to take clothes to some new dry cleaner, and, imagine my frustration when another white dress shirt is missing - this time out of my luggage. Thanks again TSA. No, there’s no chance I left it in my hotel room, or anything like that. But just in case, mostly to humor my daughter, I called the hotel, and of course they do not have it. I know for a fact I packed it to return home, because I travel a lot, and follow the exact same process every single time. Besides, it’s pretty hard to overlook things when packing up from a very small hotel room. </p>

<p>Anyway, I took my clothes to a new dry cleaner. Meanwhile I’m annoyed beyond belief. Lost two white dress shirts in the space of two weeks, but worse, I do not know how to prevent things from disappearing out of my luggage when I travel. </p>

<p>I guess I could try to take everything on the plane all the time, with the exception of shampoos, etc. but would still have to check some things. I’m traveling again next week, and I don’t even feel like going shopping to replace the two shirts, on account of I cannot even have any comfort that I will enjoy owning them any longer than my very next flight. </p>

<p>Frustrating…</p>

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<p>I feel your pain. Business travel is now just one step up from being in a North Vietnamese prison. I travel with some stuff that cannot be checked in baggage, so I tend to carry anything of any value at all in that bag. I was frankly surprised that my Sonicare toothbrush – which I had mistakenly packed in the check-in “don’t much care if it’s ripped off” bag – wasn’t stolen on my last trip. (My electric razor was stolen last year.)</p>

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<p>That stinks. I’d be in a bad mood too. Once is bad enough but you got burned twice. Flying has become a nightmare.</p>

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<p>A lot of little things going wrong can sometimes be even worse than something serious. The good thing is that you have been able to make yourself aware of your reaction to the events, and also recognize their actual significance (or lack thereof.) The thing is, you can get used to anything. If you simply expect to 'lose" a shirt a month the actual fact of losing one won’t bother you; you’ll just adjust to the need to buy tem more frequently. My guess is that things will continue to go missing from your luggage; as long as it’s just shirts it’s probably something you can live with. My suggestion is that you simply plan on a certain amount of attrition when you travel - and compliment yourself on achieving that “zen-like” state of acceptance of your fate.</p>

<p>I try to do that in traffic…</p>

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<p>latetoschool - I hope you feel better soon…usually these bits of bad luck happen in 3’s (icky pillow cases, and 2 lost shirts :frowning: ) you may already be over the hump, and dollops of good luck are just waiting to cascade down on you… :)</p>

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<p>This is how I now deal with air travel. I have my little bags, with my little stuff – my book, my computer, my snacks (no food on planes anymore), a bottle of water, etc. I mentally wrap myself up in my happy place and try to ignore the whole world. It helps.</p>

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<p>Wow - I understand. I hate business travel now. I’ve done so much over the years I’d just rather stay home.</p>

<p>Ever wake up disoriented in a hotel room and wonder where you are? It can happen when you go from one hotel to the other and are working very long hours…</p>

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<p>1) Get naked. Paint yourself blue . Dance around a campfire beating a drum while simultaneously howling at the moon.</p>

<p>2) Leave flaming sack of poop on Bill O’Reilly’s doorstep.</p>

<p>3) Or you could sit in the recliner and whine about to any family members left at home it like I chose to do. ;)</p>

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<p>Yeah, but it’s not just missing a shirt a month, it’s the time and trouble to go replace them. And what if suits are next? I pay a lot of money for quality business attire, plus, being a size 2, 4 or 6, depending on the designer makes shopping an absolute nightmare. I hate shopping. I’d rather be stuck on the runway for hours than be trapped in a shopping mall. It’s very difficult to find quality clothes that actually fit properly and hang well, and to have them disappear is annoying beyond belief. And shopping over the internet doesn’t really work for me very well. </p>

<p>I wonder what is the total amount of theft per year, committed by TSA. I’m guessing that most people are like me - no point even trying to report it; waste of time. And who wants to recover a lost item of clothing anyway, if you don’t know where it’s been. I wonder how many items of clothing, electric razors, etc., other items TSA lifts. I wonder if Christmas is sort of like an employee benefit…must be lots of gift items in checked luggage.</p>

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<p>Hmmmm, hadn’t thought of that. What shade of blue? Enamel or latex; spray or brush?</p>

<p>:D</p>

<p>Late - I’d report whatever is missing as best you can recall the details. It will be checked out.</p>

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<p>Parent2noles, I’ve never done that in a hotel room, but, I’ve woken up in the morning in my own house and wondered where I was, on account of too many successive nights in hotel rooms. Very disorienting feeling…</p>

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<p>Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I’ll try to practice the Zen thing, since, there really isn’t any other choice and there is no way to prevent the losses.</p>

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<p>It’s bizarre. Yep, I’ve done that too.</p>

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<p>Well, DUKE BLUE, OF COURSE. <em>IS</em> there any other shade of BLUE??? ;)</p>

<p>lts~</p>

<p>I’m <em>REALLY</em> sorry that you’ve been feeling this way…{{{{{GENTLE HUGS}}}}} to you, sweetie. I owe you an “e”…you’ll be getting it soon, o.k.?</p>

<p>Hang in there…and yes, venting helps BIG TIME!! :slight_smile: love, ~berurah</p>

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<p>Consider yourself lucky LATE - to have gotten your luggage back at all :smiley: - now THAT’s a nitemare…when it just disappears completely!! :(</p>

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<p>JeepMom, you’re right of course. That has to be 100 times worse, especially from an economic perspective. To have to replace EVERYTHING has to be just incredible. </p>

<p>Still, there’s something really, really creepy about imagining a complete stranger going through one’s belongings, and selecting an item, putting others back - while the material loss is no where near as great there’s a certain “ick” factor to this…</p>

<p>But then too things could REALLY be worse - one could have the job of working for TSA, pawing through other’s belongings - that’s really, really icky.</p>

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<p>I dunno- I think that the misplaced pillowcases is funny myself, can you imagine what the person who is missing them is thinking * why would someone take my pillowcases*
& I doubt if I would have thrown them away- after all, unless you bring your own pillowcases with you to a hotel, you probably are sleeping where somone else slept before right? :confused:</p>

<p>But if I was so upset over what really amounts to trivial matters- I would suspect that actually something else is going on & worrying about what has already happened and is done, takes time away from figuring out what is really bothering you.
It also might help to put things in perspective.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=271732[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=271732&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>[But sometimes painting yourself blue works](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/75484330@N00/138862959/”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/75484330@N00/138862959/&lt;/a&gt;)
:eek:</p>

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<p>Have a nice, stiff drink. :)</p>

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<p>I’m still trying to figure out why anyone would travel with their own pillowcases. Do they have the kitchen sink in there too?</p>

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<p>The last couple of times that I have flown - we have witnessed the baggage searches - and then we are told all is well and off we go to board - sometimes they dig deep - sometimes they don’t - but every bag has been opened that we have seen.</p>

<p>I just have to realize that it is for our own safety that they do the searches.</p>

<p>And yes - EMERALD - that story certainly does put things into perspective :(</p>