Chicago & Basketball

I'm back in Chicago until Tuesday, March 21.

Let it be noted that American Airlines is vastly inferior to JAL, Korean, ANA, Cathay Pacific, or just about any other Asian airline. The major reason is that AA's flight attendants are not particularly service-oriented and certainly not empathetic, as a rule. Unfortunately it's also true that many American (the nationality) passengers are rude, so the feedback loop reinforces negatively.

Fly JAL in business class and you'll see almost everyone neatly attired ("business casual"), serene, and polite. Passengers and flight attendants cooperate to keep the restrooms immaculate. If you glance in a flight attendant's direction — and they are always within glance range — your eyes are more than enough to let them know you have a request. Fly AA in business class and you'll see half the cabin in t-shirts and sweatpants. You cannot board because everyone who hasn't been called clusters in front of the gate, blocking access. The flight attendants disappear for long periods, and most are surly.

At this instant I'm ranked #4 in the office NCAA basketball bracket. However, I picked Iowa, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Illinois to advance much farther, and all are now out of the tournament. I think Connecticut will win the whole deal, but their first game was unsteady.