Mama Drama




By min, who has no children anymore, but still writes a parenting blog as if she did

It’s not my fault that I missed a connecting flight at DFW the other day. Somebody just made that airport too big…or scheduled flights too close together….or didn’t take into account that some passengers might be wearing high heels and carrying a very heavy piece of carry-on luggage because the stupid airline charges forty dollars to check bags.

Sitting in an airport for three hours has a way of challenging the “interest” lobe of the brain. You read your book for a while, but you’ve just been on a plane and all you did was read, so you’re eyes are saying, “Give us a break. These bifocals are inhumane!!”. You put the book down and look around and think about what you would do if you were forced to live in a terminal like the guy in that Tom Hanks movie and decide that the movie made it look much more exciting than it actually would be. Then eventually you go to one of the food shops and grab something tasteless and unhealthy to eat because there just isn’t anything else to do.

After my fourth smoothie and second Big Mac, I walked around a little. I came across a sculpture of sorts. At least I think it was a sculpture. I was careful to go around it, but I noticed that some people were going inside it.

I sat down to watch.

Br DFW sculpture.jpg

It was large and blue and made of some type of plastic and it was interesting to see people walk into it and mill around even though they knew it would take them absolutely nowhere. It wasn’t a maze, or a house of mirrors, but people seemed unusuallly drawn to it. I was drawn to it. I thought I should go inside and see what the magnetism was all about, but feared that a strange person in high heels with a large piece of luggage and a camera might be watching.

As I observed the migration of people toward this structure I realized something.

It changed people.

There was some kind of weird energy exchange going on with it. It had a strange almost unearthly affect on people…almost like one of those pods that aliens always stick you in after they abduct you and before they hook you up to “the machine”…you know the one.

What I observed was that anyone entering the edifice that was over the age of about fifteen, came out walking more slowly than they went in…as if they’d been tranquilized. Their faces were calm and expressionless. Furrowed brows had been smoothed.

Anyone younger than that entered cautiously, but would exit at a much higher speed as if spit out of the device. Their faces smiling as if recharged. Some especially the very young would go back inside and recharge again….some three or four times.

I came to the only possible conclusion.

That this was some type of thermodynamic transfer device and was leeching the energy from adults and disposing of in a manner where it was sure to be efficiently burned….by applying it to children.

I don’t suppose this was against any security laws, but was still surprised that they would allow such a thing in an airport. Does that sound right to you?

I never did go into the thing. I had a long day ahead and I needed my energy. What I did do was pick-up my bag and begin exploring the rest of the airport.

If there was an energy zapping device in one terminal, surely there’d be one that had the opposite effect somewhere else on the premises.

I went to look for that one.

Categories: General
Mindy Sterba

9 Responses

  1. Evan's Mom says:

    That is really cool looking. I caught the last half of a conversation on the radio where they were talking about places like these in the airport. At O’Hare, there’s one long walkway with these lights that remind me of paint chips. They can be mesmerizing.

    Like I said, I missed the beginning of the radio segment, but I wonder if these things are in airports to calm down travelers so they don’t lose their cool when delays, etc. happen.

  2. Mindy says:

    Evan’s mom–I googled airport sculptures to see if there’s any mention of this trend. I didn’t find any evidence of these being used as calming devices but look what I found in Tai Pei.

    That wouldn’t calm me down.

  3. Evan's Mom says:

    Oh my. Yes, that would not be calming at all.

    Here’s a photo of the one in Chicago. If you’ve ever been there, you probably already know what I’m talking about.

  4. Airports always have some of the more fun sculptures in them. Not sure why.

  5. R says:

    I always love your taglines. I’m glad you keep writing even though you have “… no children anymore, but still writes a parenting blog as if she did.” You absolutely still are a mom, even though they have moved into that stage when they seem to need you less on a daily basis. You are still their anchor, and I enjoy hearing about their progress as well as yours. I’m only a couple of years behind you, so I’m learning. I hope you continue writing as you venture into this new phase of your parenting journey.

  6. shuttle mom says:

    In reading the post and then the comments I clicked on your link. It made me forget what I was going to say.

  7. Mindy says:

    Evan’s Mom–I’m not sure the O’Hare lights are calming either. They look a little eclectic to me.

    Margaret–Airports have gotten more interesting. I like the sculptures and things. It makes them look less sterile.

    R–I guess I’ll just keep writing. Otherwise I might have to get a life.

    Shuttle Mom–I guess I should have put up a disclaimer.

  8. Pamela says:

    aha! I’ve always wondered about them.

  9. Dude!! It’s like that Sphere thing!! Don’t go in — fortheloveofGod DON’T!!!