one down

I got my TSA precheck done today

     Nothing is easy for me.  I made the appointment, wrote down 2 p.m. on my calendar.  Yestereay I put my passport and their paperwork together for the 2 p.m. appointment.
     Told Jackie I was leaving at 12:45 so I would be sure to be on time.  At 12:40 I pick up my passport and the paper confirming my appointment.....at 1:20.
     I admit, I may have gone faster than the allowed speed limit.  When I got to the place in downtown Rockford, I did not see a parking space, so I pulled into the garage and drove up.  And up.  And up.
     All the spaces on the first 4 floors were reserved.  Unreserved is on the roof.
But I still had 5 minutes.
     Parked, got in the elevator.  The very slow elevator.  Extremely slow elevator.
And hit the ground running.
     I walked into the office at 1:19...1 minute early!
     A lady sitting in the waiting room said, "Are you Terry?"
     Flattered that my fame as a writer/comedian/actor brought instant facial recognition, I admitted I was.
     "You're late.  They came and called dfor you but since you were not here, they went with another person."
     So I sat and waited, my ego grossly deflated.
     It was a short wait.  I struck up a conversation with the woman from Clinton WI who had been waitng for a while for a spot to open.  She told me about the food court, restaurant with cheap but delicious tacos, and the bakery in the building.
    After less than 15 minutes, it was my turn to be fingerprinted, photographed (no glasses and a neutral face, no smiles or frowns), answer a few questions, and pay my $85.  I was done in about 10 minutes.
    Bakeries always intersest me, and I ended up buying $11 worth of cheesecake to take home.
     When I was leaving, I notieced several open spaces on the side street, which would have saved me a $6 parking fee....but I was in a hurry.
     Went back to the parking garage, put my cheesecake down on a ledge while I paid, went up the slow elevator, got in the car and realized my cheesecake was still sitting at the pay station.
     I drove down, parked in a handicapped spot, ran in, grabbed my cheesecake and headed home.
     Jackie and I enjoyed it for dessert tonight.  It was delicious.
     Next week we are going to tackle real ID...........and contemplate the question:  How many government id cards does a person need?
Peace and Love