I'm sitting near the boarding gate at SFO waiting for a flight I hope will depart on time. Normally, I'm not good at waiting, but in airports it's enjoyable. No, I'm not medicated. I love waiting in airports because it's the best way I know for gauging the pulse of the population. At least when it comes to consumer sentiment, I trust what I see and hear in airports far more than what I read online or view on TV. Here's the scene this morning:
- Desperate patches of pink--we are not a stylish bunch out here, but half a dozen women (mostly mid-age) are wearing varying shades of bright pink, aqua and lavender. Their clothing looks new so I'm guessing these are purchases intended to cheer them or their spouses in the midst of a dulling recession. The elderly male wearing a deep purple fedora is either a very free spirit or a retired pimp.
- Resignation nation--the only way to describe most of the faces around me is "resigned." I don't sense anger or frustration. No ones seems particularly excited to be traveling and no one is socializing. This airport is typically abuzz in the morning but today it could be mistaken for a library.
- Attached--with very few exceptions, all around me are attached to some form of technology including iPod, iPhone, Blackberry or laptop. That's not unusual here, but what is unusual is their body language. It's more relaxed and casual--not the hunched, frentic, "I'm mastering my universe" stance more common to the techno-attached. If I could read minds, I bet I'd hear "shit...no way I'm making that goal," or "maybe I could make a living organizing closets..."
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