Here, Kitty...Nice Kitty...

The other day I told you the "tail" of Choochy, the pet dog that escaped from his transport container at Boston's Logan airport, causing havoc on the runways for 17 hours before being captured. Well, it's happened again folks, this time at Atlanta's Hartsfield airport (the world's busiest), but there's good news and bad news. Let's start with the good. I'm an optimistic sort, and I think good news should always come first. This time it was not a doggie that escaped, but a kitty cat, and the airline was able to keep the precious feline from running wild on the tarmac, bothering other flights or people. So that's good, right? OK, time for the bad news and picture yourself as a Delta baggage handler. A flight has just arrived from Oregon, on its way to Memphis with a stopover in Atlanta, and your job is to open up the cargo hold and remove the bags of the passengers whose final destination is Atlanta. You open the bay, grab the first bag that's marked ATL, and as you pull the bag away you suddenly realize you are face to face with a kitty cat that has escaped his travel-pen. Normally that wouldn't sound like a big deal, but in this case the kitty cat was an adult Cheetah that was being transported on loan to the Memphis Zoo. I know baggage handlers are pretty tough customers, but you put any human 18 inches form a frightened Cheetah and there will be laundry to do tomorrow! Back to the good news. The Big Cat appeared to be just as frightened as the baggage dude, and remained in the cargo hold instead of leaping out. Authorities from the Atlanta Zoo were called, and they were able to pull the plane into a hangar for safekeeping the Cheetah until zookeepers could tranquilize it. Obviously the luggage going on the connecting flight were all delayed, so you had a bunch of ticked-off passengers on arrival in Memphis with zero bags. My guess is when they finally did get their bags a day later, there may have been a wee bit of a "stank" to them. Yuck-o.

It may not be a big deal if nobody checks the lock on the plastic carrier that houses a poodle or housecat, but to all you airport workers out there: if there's an animal being transported that could tear a person limb-from-limb, it might be worth a piece of duct tape over that lock. You know, just to be sure.

ATTENTION CRUISERS....ALL-ABOARD, MATES!

The recession and more importantly the fear has kept cruise bookings extremely soft looking at the next 5-6 months (excluding the big Holiday sailings, although even those have been affected somewhat). Don't put your head in the sand. You've been looking for bargains in travel, and NOW IS THE TIME, trust me! There are extra deals if you are Senior Citizens, active or honorably-discharged US military, and in some cases there are even specials for residents of certain states. There are plenty of ways to cut back that will still allow you to travel. Haircuts, new shoes or clothes, curtailing your dining-out habits, there are hundreds of ways to save a few bucks here and there, and when the cold Winter months roll around, you'll be golden. Literally, from the tan you get while sailing comfortably around the Caribbean or West coast of Mexico, while your bitter neighbors are shoveling snow or scraping ice off their windshields every morning. Instead, the only ice you'll see is a sculpture of an eagle at the midnight buffet! Now that the stock market has turned the corner a bit, aiming up instead of down for a change, it won't take the cruise lines long to reverse the fire-sale mentality and start to raise rates again. Call or email me, and let me work up a deal for you. You'll potentially save hundreds of dollars by acting right now.

Here's a little Halloween weekend news. Detroit is a great city, home of rock 'n roll and the US auto industry (ok, the Lions not so much, but I predict they make the playoffs by 2087). However, Rock City has fallen on hard times, as industry and other social issues have created a mass exodus of people leaving, usually for warmer climates and better job outlook. A recent story in the Detroit News estimated that nearly 5000 residents are permanently moving out each year. Not good for the tax base. Here's the Halloween twist. Not only are 5000 living Detroiters moving out, but approximately 500 dead ones are also "moving" each year. It seems when people realize they're leaving and not coming back, they look at the crumbling infrastructure and realize they're probably not coming back to visit the grave of Aunt Harriet or Grandpa Jack. So about 500 people per year are dis-interring relatives and loved ones, and moving them to a new destination, so visitations can continue. Why is it I can't shake the picture in my mind of Chevy Chase driving to Wally World, with Grandma in the back?

By the way, when you're done with eatin' all that stale candy, brush your teeth. I don't really care about your personal hygiene, I just can't stand people with Candy Corn breath....