Trolling the corridors in a dark mood, I searched for their familiar shapes at the most likely locations. What I wanted was rare and I have competitors. My late arrival put me at a disadvantage, even though I was familiar with this locale. I glanced at some of those who were hunting the same. We knew our chances were not good.
After two rounds of surveying, I gave up and was ready to pay for them. I walked up to this over-priced bar and inquired, “Do you have what I need?” The waitress gave a wry smile. She knew our kind well. Electrical outlets are few in this airport. She led me to the corner seat and expected good tip.
My laptop drank it in, also feeding the MP3 player and cell phone with her USB teats. I launched the batch email sending operation, many with attachments that I sacrificed the batteries for during the flight here. Beer came. Batteries would be ready for the next segment of the journey. Yes, I would leave a good tip.
You don’t live this drama at San Jose International Airport. It is a Silicon Valley airport that provides free internet and seats with electrical outlets. Yep, this is what I wrote while drinking that beer: not at SJC.