Brush with the TSA…
Interesting incident this morning while leaving Atlanta for San Francisco. At Atlanta airport, I realized that I was not cleared for TSA Pre this morning – so had to go stand in the standard queue which was a little crowded. As I walked up to the TSA agent – nice young lady, “Culp” was the name on her badge – I was going to break the ice by commenting something random like “that is a very unique last name” or whatever. But she took charge immediately, and before even she could read my boarding pass told me “I know you. You travel too much”.
I was caught so off guard that, for once, I was at a complete loss of words. I mumbled something like “Yeah, I know” (instead of what I should have done – “Really? How?”) … all the while trying to figure out whether when TSA tells me “I know you” – is that working in my favor or against me 🙂
As I think about it now, there is no way she could have known me due to my travel. There are too many agents in Atlanta airport, too many gates and too many prototypical Indians every week at the airport for her to know me from seeing me at the airport.
So either we have common friends or there was some incident that made her remember me.
Now, the curiosity is killing me!!!!!
May be she saw the most attractive Indian face in Atlanta 🙂
Sri Ganesh, that is probably not saying much for the Atlanta Indians 🙂
You do stand out in a crowd!!!
May be that is her pickup line! 🙂
Jayeeta Choudhury, nice!!!
Manisha, In which case, I certainly picked up the wrong line 🙂
Eric Snowden told her about you.
Rajib Roy I am waiting for some responses from my relatives in Atlanta 🙂
Sri Ganesh, that reminds me, when are you next in Atlanta?
Rajib Roy Not in the immediate future.
She got pulled up the last time coz she overlooked your name in the no-fly list 🙂
She was the bartender last night…
Your frequent flyer status? That coupled with seeing you a few times?
Tom, maybe last time I asked for a flight, she gave three glasses of tiny amounts of wine? 🙂
Sumit, you remember Atlanta. There are literally hundreds of TSA agents – on Wednesday, my friend and I counted the number of TSA agents milling around the North gate and how many were actually doing something – you do not want to know 🙂 And there are literally millions of passengers in a year thru Atlanta. It being a technology center, we have our fair share and more of Indians. I have serious doubts that she would have recognized me – unless some event happened….
Rajib Roy, you must have made some interesting comment about her last name. 😉
Busted!!
Mea “Culp”a 🙂
Rajib – perhaps someone like you has been having some memorable interactions with TSA?
Diamond medallion gives it all away
Maybe she says that to everyone. One way to find out might be to get into her line again and see if she says that…!
Hoi nijer matha drill kor ar nahole oi bhadromohila ke abar khuje baar kor…. NICE YOUNG LADY
Haven’t you been reading. The NSA knows your flight schedule and she got a report from them. Along with all your previous flights.