Observations from JFK

I travel on a fairly regular basis. JFK to RSW. JFK to LAX. JFK to...insert any airport code and I've probably had at least an hour layover there during which I hit up a ManchuWok, Panda Express or its local equivalent. Without fail, the time I spend in the terminal before rows 20 and above are called is usually the most entertaining part of any trip I take. I refer to my most recent trip to Texas as an example:

I arrive at JFK's Terminal 5 (the new JetBlue terminal, which I must admit is pretty cool if you're into cutting-edge airport terminals.....what does that mean??) approximately 20 minutes before boarding. I take a seat and immediately put on my iPod earphones. I SWEAR, "One Sweet Day" by Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey is on my playlist only because I downloaded songs from my last roommate's girlfriend. Something catches my eye. I look up and chuckle. A middle-aged woman -- clearly one who has not taken advantage of her "Curves" membership -- is sporting a pink velour jumpsuit. The spare tire around her waist juts out as she reaches down to grab something out of her bag. Her husband and two kids follow, and they continue on their merry way to Gate 16 - West Palm Beach. Now, I am not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination. However, I have two questions: 1) At what point did this woman look in the mirror today and say, "wow, this pink velour jumpsuit looks phenominal on me...."? and 2) Did her husband really agree that the jumpsuit was definitely the way to go when debating her various travel attire options? I open this up for comments.....

My attention quickly turns from this woman back to my iPod. "Bon Iver" is a good band. Shit, can everyone else hear the music I'm playing? Ehh, who cares. Actually, I will if another one of my roommate's girlfriend's songs reaches the top of my playlist. I notice boarding time is approaching, so I take off my earphones. My section is called to board first (actually second -- damn those people with special needs and/or little children who get to board before me). It's weird how 40 people seem to be on line in front of me, despite only three rows being called. As I frustratingly wait to board, (I hope there is enough room in the overhead compartment to fit this big ass bag that I should have checked) I can't help but notice -- or hear -- a twenty-something "professional" talking on his blackberry 5 feet away from me. He seems to have found a seat with the most pedestrian traffic in an effort to have every fellow passenger "overhear" how sweet his I-banking job is. "Dude, last year it was 6 figures. I heard bonuses are way down this year though." Hmmmm....Really?? Dooooouuuuuche Baaaaag. In the span of 3 minutes, he must have called 4 friends just to "catch up"; each conversation revealed different aspects of his awesome lifestyle as a second year Wall Street analyst. Each conversation abruptly ended with "Hey, I gotta run. About to hop on a plane to Texas for a business meeting."

I want to thank the token "I didn't realize I was talking so loud that everyone can hear me" chatterbox during my travels last week. It wouldn't have felt like an ordinary trip to JFK without you.

Oh, and you should really check out Bon Iver.