The End of Civilization

Trouble started early, on the flight from Houston to Buenos Aires.

The seats were fine, the neighbors agreeable, the announcements minimal, and the food nigh edible.  But, and this is one huge "but" for one of our travelers, in its effort to test the extent to which services can be cut or charged for without mass insurrection, Continental no longer serves beer or wine at no charge on this overseas flight.

Now, to Marcos this is one more annoyance added to the list of things that really bug him, a list, by the way, whose lengthening has been accelerating as he's getting on in years.  But to Melody this is a sign that things have really gotten out of hand, that corporations are dangerously close to subjugatin' the whole lot of us, and that the revolution better not be long in coming; it's pretty much the end of civilization.

Delicious dude, but no pairing?

Alas, no signs of solidarity in the cause on behalf of our fellow travelers; it appears that we'll have to cool our heels as far as the uprising is concerned.  Seeking an outlet for her umbrage, but being a mild mannered person, Melody scribbled her opinions on Continental's policy in the margins of the refreshment pages of the in-flight magazine.  Propriety does not permit one to publish those comments on these pages.

Marcos' only beef with the flight (other than the rather unsavory beef) was that the navy blue blanket Continental furnished left numerous tiny flecks of navy blue lint on his yellow shirt.  Not the end of the world, but here's the irony: Marcos also owns the exact same shirt in the exact same Continental blanket navy blue.  If he had known he'd have worn one of those, and packed one for the return trip, and the lint would have matched perfectly.  Oh well.