Here at Top Comments we strive to recognize and promote the talent of this community by highlighting outstanding comments found throughout the day by the diarist, and more importantly through nominations sent to Top Comments at gmail dot com by your fellow Kossacks. When you send in your picks, please include your username and a word or two about why you nominated the comment, and send them in by 6:30 pm Pacific/9:30 pm Eastern to ensure they make the final diary.
This past summer we had the opportunity to travel out to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fortunately for us, our time there coincided with the last day of Indian Market. Indian Market is a show of Native American arts that pretty much takes over downtown Santa Fe for a few days each August. It brings out the best in Native American artists.
Our itinerary took us from a small airport in New York's Hudson Valley region to Detroit, then Atlanta, and, finally, Albuquerque. Yes, this was to be a circuitous flight but the price was right. We boarded the plane at Stewart airport for the first leg to Detroit. It was uneventful. So far.
Upon arriving in Detroit, we were to learn that there was a problem with the next leg of our trip to Atlanta. However, we would be flying to Minneapolis instead, an airport that would bring us much closer to our final destination of Albuquerque. Unfortunately, upon arriving at the Albuquerque baggage carousel, we were to discover that though we could not fly to Atlanta, our baggage could. And had. (Mental image of a bag with wings.) The airline would have our errant bags delivered to our hotel in Santa Fe subsequently but could only offer a few travel-sized items and a t-shirt for each of us in the interim. Each item was emblazoned with the important-sounding Skyteam logo, including the t-shirts. (Squiggly Skyteam logo here) After bungling our baggage, I certainly felt no desire to be on any team with employees of our airline but accepted the items anyway. Tired and disgusted, we made our way to the rental car station.
After engaging in some good renter/bad renter theater for the attendant, madame boran and I were offered an upgrade from the most basic car to whatever the next size up is called. (Poverty Plus perhaps?) It was to be a Kia Spectra, a car so bland and anonymous that it is best suited only for members of the Witness Protection Program. We installed the sleepy boran2 boy in the back and drove the short distance to our lodging just outside the airport. After washing our underwear, we had a few hours of sleep.
The next morning, we greeted the new day in damp underwear and identical Skyteam t-shirts. It was then that we discovered that the Kia's trunk was nonfunctional. That is, it would not open. Other travelers would have discovered such a thing sooner, but other travelers had the luxury of arriving at a destination at the same time as their luggage. Not actually having anything to place in the trunk, we had only just discovered the problem. Back to the rental station. (As there was no odor despite the considerable heat, we dismissed the notion that a Mob victim was currently inhabiting our trunk.)
We approached the counter. After explaining the problem, the attendant (not the prior rental car theater patron from the prior evening) offered us a red 2010 Nissan Versa sedan with less than 10,000 miles. After redoing the paperwork, we were sent on our way. Thankful (and believing our luck was about to change), we found the car in the adjacent lot. Upon opening the door, we were to discover that things were not as we had hoped. Saying that the car reeked of stale cigarette smoke would greatly understate the problem. By several degrees. I preferred not to inhabit such a vehicle for the time of our trip. For madame boran it would be a more significant problem. madame boran is apparently sensitive to every substance known to man. (And a few yet to be discovered.) We needed to change cars again.
We entered the rental station one more time. After explaining the problem to the attendant, he indicated that we could inspect all the rental cars in the same category in the hope of finding one that was suitable. Thus began the Great Rental Car Shakedown of 2010. (Hopefully not to become an annual event.) I stood by while madame boran and the boran2 boy moved slowly down the double line of vehicles from one car to the next. Each car received what surely must have been a detailed 100 point inspection. After some time they indicated their approval of a well-used gray-colored Mazda 3. A bit battered, it had about 35 thousand miles on its odometer, a fact that would become important later on. We loaded our few belongings and ourselves and headed toward Santa Fe.
We arrived in Santa Fe and headed for Indian Market. Rubbing shoulders with well-heeled individuals viewing/purchasing high end art takes on a new dimension when one is wearing yesterday's clothes and a t-shirt identical to those of one's companions. In fact, there were many glances and several questions about the t-shirts. "What does Skyteam mean?" "It means that the airline lost our luggage and had little to offer us." I stopped just short of saying "Delta lost my luggage and all I got was this crappy t-shirt.". In all fairness, I did very much enjoy our time in Santa Fe. Later that day we drove to our hotel. Fortunately , our luggage had arrived from its sidetrip to Atlanta. Everything seemed in order. Then I noticed the tear along the bottom of my bag, used only once before. At least the contents was undisturbed.
A couple of days later we drove to Silver City and then on to Sedona, Arizona. It was then that I noticed the tires. Having been driven some 35 thousand miles, the tires were nearly ready to join the great tire resting ground in the sky. The tread was worn very nearly down to the wear bars, the lateral small ridges within the tread openings. We had hundreds of miles to drive before our trip was done. We would have to change cars. Again.
I called the central number for our rental agency. After explaining the problem, I was told that a new car would be available at Flagstaff airport, a 20 mile drive. I was not aware that a car would be so close. Upon arriving, we quickly found our way to the rental car area. The replacement car was another identical gray Mazda 3, but with half the miles. Another distinguishing feature: A GPS unit sprouted from the dash.
Fortunately, the remainder of the trip was without incident. From now on I will put a change of underwear in my carryon bag. And I will check rental car tires.
And now to the nominations:
From bronte17:
Dallasdoc shares deep wisdom when he reminds us to remember the tragic lessons we don't want to relearn in Imagine giving birth while shackled to a bedpost by Robin NWLC. [The comments in that thread are fierce reminders to stand up for our young women before coathangers make their return appearance]
ETF speaks eloquently of the need to support our gritty foot soldiers so they don't wither away and TarHeelDem follows up in The Dude Abides: Help ANOTHER candidate who's been left in the lurch by Brainwrap.
From asimbagirl:
I thought that this comment by Augustine was simply classic and spot on. It's from James Kroeger's diary (which you should read, if you haven't already).
From the same diary, and in response to stagemom's sigline, as a Californian being threatened by the reign of Queen Meg and one who well remembers the energy crap of 2000-2001, I LOVED this comment by drewinct.
This'll probably be in Top Mojo, but this comment - which shows a great poster - by rightiswrong is off the charts fabulous for being thought provoking. It's from Citizen K's diary.
And because I'm all about money and its role in government today, I couldn't let this comment by JekyllnHyde go un-nominated! It's from gimme truth's diary.
Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, Cheers and Jeers, and Mojo Friday:
1) When these people talk about by anastasia p — 227
2) More People Should Follow the Diarist's Lead by JekyllnHyde — 188
3) Endorsing The Tea Party's Message by JekyllnHyde — 173
4) Mimi, that's amazing!! That's me, all right. by Kitsap River — 149
5) Good Rule Of Thumb: Always, Always, ALWAYS by mattman — 139
6) They are dangerous. by KingOneEye — 138
7) Good idea! by Cinnamon Rollover — 127
8) Never got a job from a poor man? by rightiswrong — 108
9) We did. About 8 years ago. And haven't by Fury — 97
10) MSM won't report it cause Obama numbers look good by LaurenMonica — 96
11) I was waiting for your diary to pop up so I could by XNeeOhCon — 94
12) What is wrong with you? by Colorado is the Shiznit — 92
13) Has to be her. You can hear her say, by dotster — 90
14) yes, that's our River by NMRed — 89
15) Good job, mimi - by Aji — 84
16) You made me cry. That you would do this for by marabout40 — 82
17) Ha Gap That!!! by skindig55 — 82
18) There's always hope for fascism by ActivistGuy — 82
19) We will make history on 2 Nov and ... by understandinglife — 81
20) Another Kiss from Another President by JekyllnHyde — 79
21) The RedState trolls here hate these type... by LiberalCanuck — 78
22) I think you got it right by EdgedInBlue — 75
23) I never got a job from anyone who couldn't... by Front Toward Enemy — 74
24) Oh what the heck by ontheleftcoast — 73
25) The Teabaggers Aren't Happy, Either by JekyllnHyde — 72
26) It's a version of the "flavor of the month" by Inland — 71
27) Thanks For Stopping By by TexDem — 70
28) Lets get this party started... by Hedwig — 70
29) The Lounge Is Open by TexDem — 69
30) CC Is Watching by TexDem — 69
31) It's not a surprise. Whenever the by LiLaF — 69
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) Tip Jar by James Kroeger — 587
2) Tip Jar by blackwaterdog — 508
3) Tip Jar by gimmie truth — 426
4) Tip Jar by citizen k — 404
5) The Right's Willing to Use 2nd Amendment Remedies by Gooserock — 354
6) Tip Jar by shpilk — 292
7) Tip Jar by jovie131 — 254
8) Tip Jar by mimi — 250
9) Tip Jar by Keith Olbermann — 236
10) When these people talk about by anastasia p — 227
11) Tips for FIGHTING BACK! by MinistryOfTruth — 220
12) Tip Jar by titotitotito — 192
13) Tip Jar by MmeVoltaire — 189
14) More People Should Follow the Diarist's Lead by JekyllnHyde — 188
15) On my recent trip to DC by Spedwybabs — 187
16) Tip Jar by ACLU — 177
17) Tips for Scott's latest ad by angelajean — 176
18) Endorsing The Tea Party's Message by JekyllnHyde — 173
19) Mimi, that's amazing!! That's me, all right. by Kitsap River — 149
20) Tips? Flames? by Something the Dog Said — 143
21) Tip Jar by calchala — 139
22) Good Rule Of Thumb: Always, Always, ALWAYS by mattman — 139
23) They are dangerous. by KingOneEye — 138
24) Tip Jar by TomP — 137
25) Good idea! by Cinnamon Rollover — 127
26) Never got a job from a poor man? by rightiswrong — 108
27) We did. About 8 years ago. And haven't by Fury — 97
28) MSM won't report it cause Obama numbers look good by LaurenMonica — 96
29) I was waiting for your diary to pop up so I could by XNeeOhCon — 94
30) What is wrong with you? by Colorado is the Shiznit — 92