arrogant as fuck

Thursday, July 6.

Rhonda Perkins would like to fight you.

I mean, you've got five hours to kill...

...and say, speaking of killing, it seems you've got a decision to make. You could sit squashed in your seat and spend the time reading a book. You could flick through the inflight catalog of overpriced, well, just about everything. You could stare out of the window at the majesty of the cities shrinking into the palm of your hand; becoming lost and adrift in the mists of clouds; looking out over endless tides of white and endless blue expanse above you; at the changing vistas of sea, landscapes, and cities. You could listen to music. You could even have a little sleep. You sit and graze on snacks, with your eyes staring empty and happy into space, and your jaw chomping down rhythmically like an airborne llama. You decide to browse your phone, albeit within the limits of airplane mode. It is then, as your eyes gaze vacantly at the screen in your palm, you receive a most unexpected notification.

Because here, on this flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey (thank you @bastardofthebog), it seems you managed to get yourself a rather good seat. A window view, ample leg room, and the only seat on the plane in which you can actually lean back, kick back, and relax. It's near the toilet, and there is no one sitting next to you. The crying baby is at the back of the aircraft; it's basically in another postcode. Your seat is also near the front, next to the trolley for overpriced drinks and snacks (you don't actually buy anything, of course, it's 2023 after all, and times are tough. But it's great to feel like a VIP.) It's conveniently next to the emergency exits in case of... well. You know. In case.

This prime seat of yours has not gone unnoticed; this much is evident from the notification on your phone. Rhonda Perkins is on this same flight. Rhonda Perkins has noticed your seat, and she likes what she sees. What you have to understand is when Rhonda Perkins likes what she sees, she gets what she sees. She weighs 108 lbs and she is 5ft 2 inches. She surveys the top of your head leaning back into the chair. Her fierce gaze, direct and cast downwards, rests upon the horizon of seats like a menacing sunrise. The inexplicable notification on your phone informs you that Rhonda Perkins would like to fight you for this prized place on your journey toward New Jersey. The passengers don't know, but they will. The walkway is clear. You feelin' lucky, kid?

She is waiting x

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 1985, photographed by Elisa Leonelli.

(Claremont Colleges Digital Library)

1985

Kennesaw State Lacrosse

Denzel Washington at LAX 1993

So, my dad just kind of left me. Like, just now. He told me he didn't want a druggie son, so I'm kind of really fucking depressed. I also found out a bunch of shit (thank you @furret2122), so to add on to my possible 5 years in prison, and overdose, I also had an identity crisis.

Some good advice: Don't overdose on percocet. It fucks you up.

LAX LIFE

Workers at Los Angeles International Airport took to the picket lines on Wednesday as they seek better wages. Wednesday is the first of a planned three-day protest, and dozens of people held signs and chanted outside Terminal 4. Unite Here Local 11, the hospitality workers union, placed the blame on Areas USA, the company that employs more than 400 people as cooks, baristas, cashiers, bartenders and more. “During the pandemic, airport concessionaires, like Areas USA, received millions of dollars in federal relief and cut labor costs and staffing,” the union said. “In 2024, despite the return of travel and business rebounding at the airport, hospitality workers struggle to afford a place to live and are forced to move further away because wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living.” The strikers have been working without a union contract since Nov. 19, and they’re not alone. Ultimately, unions representing thousands of airport workers are in negotiations with their employers.

"Stop for Aircraft" sign at LAX in Los Angeles, 1985, photographed by Elisa Leonelli.

(Claremont Colleges Digital Library)

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