Author Topic: Travel Checklist: airline, rental car, insurance, mobile phone, gun – LOL (Read 1402 times)

beet1e · « **on:** February 10, 2005, 05:47:32 PM »

I have a long standing invitation to visit a friend in Arkansas. I’ve been meaning to go for a long time, so decided to make it happen this April.

Hehe, things are different from what they were. When booking an international flight, now they want names, addresses, even dates of birth! And that airport tax is becoming a problem, now a sizeable proportion of the total fare – ie about one third!!!

The rental car companies have a new entity that I hadn’t heard of before. When adding additional drivers to a contract, the additional driver would in some cases be known as “spouse”. Apparently that’s politically incorrect in this day and age, so now the new generic term is “Life Partner”. Gawd… what would my father have said.

What happened to “collision damage waiver”? It seems to have become “loss damage waiver”. I guess driving standards have deteriorated.

Some rental car outlets offer cell phones for short term rental. This one does not. Oh well, I’ll just have to bring a few rolls of quarters – and I was saving those for when I decide to fight streetstang in the DA – lol

Finally, my gun. Going to be driving through some dogdy areas – TX, OK, AR – so I phoned Dollar to ask if they could provide me with a gun, and to amend my reservation if they could. (maybe get an insurance discount? –lol) Hehe, I put the agent on speakerphone and recorded the whole conversation! Got it saved as a .WMV file. I was thinking of posting it here, but I don’t want to give skuzzy any more grey hairs!

LOL – I think the lady agent thought I was nuts – I think she’s right! The thought of needing a gun was highly amusing to her, and she could hardly contain her laughter. I’ll type a transcript tomorrow, if there’s sufficient interest – too tired tonight. Interestingly, this lady lives in OK herself – and does not carry a gun, ever. I put it to her that it was better to have one and not need it than not have one and need one, but she remained unconvinced. Am I going to get jumped in a gas station by an armed bandit? No, she assured me I’d be fine. Funny that – I thought the bad guys made a beeline for tourists – guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Looking forward to eating some grits – even if I hate it, I want to try it. Didn't John Wayne make a movie about this particular delicacy?

I love you gun guys!

Toodle-Pip

Beet

SOB · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2005, 05:54:19 PM »

That's one great thing about the US. If you want a handgun you can have one. If you don't, then that's fine too. You should post the audio file, it might be funny!

Drunky · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2005, 10:04:16 PM »

Wait....another gun post by bettle.

And I thought Hollywood had run out of ideas and was forced into plagarism.

For shame, for shame.

Lizking · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2005, 10:14:50 PM »

Insist on cheese-grits, and sprinkle some Tabasco on there, along with plenty of pepper and a little salt. And if you are going to Arkansas, watch yer cornhole, Bud.

Jester · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2005, 10:57:24 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Lizking
And if you are going to Arkansas, watch yer cornhole, Bud.

WATCH YOUR PIE-HOLE THERE LIZ-BREATH! You're about to let it overload your ARSE!

Don't listen to him Beetle. Texas has been pis*ed at Arkansas ever since Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys and U of A left for the SEC due to lack of competition.

BTW, you got to get down into Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama & the Carolinas before you run into "Grit Eaters." My family owned a Hunting Guide service and these guys just absolutely could not go out in the morning before they had their Grits! Even took "Instant Grits" to the Duck Blind with them!

I have lived in Arkansas all my life and have never ate a "GRIT" or know of anyone that does. Stuff tastes like plaster of paris with about the same consistancy.

Enjoy your trip.

Lizking · « **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2005, 11:04:49 PM »

Don't make me sic Nopoop on you, Jester.

SOB · « **Reply #6 on:** February 10, 2005, 11:08:10 PM »

Arkansas, Texas, whatever. They all hump sheep and milk steers.

Toad · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2005, 11:13:44 PM »

And they think that's normal.

Nash · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2005, 11:16:32 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SOB
Arkansas, Texas, whatever. They all hump sheep and milk steers.

Exactly.

Saying "I'm going to Arkansas" is like saying "I'm going to Botswana". Whatever.... it's Africa.

"South" would suffice. We'd know what ya meant.

God speed, trooper.

Toad · « **Reply #9 on:** February 10, 2005, 11:17:34 PM »

But, about Beet's post.

I did all that he talks about.. without having a heart-to-heart chat with a res agent when I went to England.

I couldn't get a gun there. But a person with a firearms certificate could "loan" me theirs as long as they were within an arm's length of me while I was holding it. Otherwise, it would be illegal for me to even touch it.

Think about it.

If I decided to off the Queen as she rode past the peg on her charger, the loaner was somehow going to stop me? Just another example of laws made by people that have no clue about how things actually work in real life.

Come to think of it, that's pretty standard, isn't it?

beet1e · « **Reply #10 on:** February 11, 2005, 02:56:20 AM »

Oooh! good haul...

Quote

Originally posted by Toad
If I decided to off the Queen as she rode past the peg on her charger, the loaner was somehow going to stop me? Just another example of laws made by people that have no clue about how things actually work in real life.

No, you're missing the point or, as I suspect, being deliberately obtuse. The point is that the loaner would have had to satisfy the authorities that he was sufficiently responsible to have a gun, and satisfy them that he was not the type to hand his gun to some wacko who wanted to top the Queen.

SOB - I could post the .WMV, my name is mentioned in the recording - and my res. # - and I wouldn't put it past someone like ra/onewordanswer to call Dollar and cancel my reservation.

Dinger · « **Reply #11 on:** February 11, 2005, 04:11:20 AM »

audacity.sourceforge.net : get in there, delete the identifying information, and let it fly man!

lazs2 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 11, 2005, 07:58:10 AM »

even tho they wouldn't rent you the gun.... Lo9ok on the bright side.... when you do get attacked at a gas station your surviving relatives can sue the rental company because you have a tape of their agent telling you that you would be "perfectly all right"

lazs

beet1e · « **Reply #13 on:** February 11, 2005, 08:42:58 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by lazs2
even tho they wouldn't rent you the gun.... Lo9ok on the bright side.... when you do get attacked at a gas station your surviving relatives can sue the rental company because you have a tape of their agent telling you that you would be "perfectly all right"

lazs

That's one of the reasons I don't want to post the .WMV file - they could then countersue my surviving relatives because I recorded a telephone call without telling them they were being recorded.

Does your granny still live in AR? I guess I could borrow her gun for a few days.

lazs2 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 11, 2005, 08:53:16 AM »

yep... granny lives in Ak. 96 and doing well.. She never really learned how to shoot.. she allways depended on the men around her who had tons (literaly) of guns. My grandfather answered the door with a big smile and a gun behind his back... he took walks at night with a gun in his pocket. Never traveled without one. I belive he only showed it to people who meant him some harm about 3 or four times. No telling if he really needed it or not but.. It was better than a cheap life insurance policy.

I have allways found it interesting that women in my life at first seem a little put off by the guns in my bags or laying around the house but latter on.... they seem to depend on me having them.. even going so far as to ask "did you bring your gun?" when things look weird. I think it has more to do with familiarity and trust than with paranoia or lack thereof.

Better to have the option than to brag that you don't need it.

lazs