DTW- it's mostly a good airport

Initially, I was concerned about using Detroit as a connection. For one, the city might as well be Nagasaki, but with bad chi instead of nuclear radiation. They do the same amount of damage to the surrounding area though. Second, this was the famed "Flight of the Underwear Bomber". In case you live under a rock, here's the photo evidence:

The man apparently stashed some kind of explosives in his, erm, testicular region (I am keeping my promise on the penis-free blog!) and then failed to detonate them properly, instead setting himself on fire in that area. He was apprehended and taken care of, but the aftermath meant I was traveling with a very very nervous father. Security in the Amsterdam airport isn't like what you normally deal with here. Each individual gate has its own agents, xray machine, and sniffer room thing. I thought it would just be an improved version of a normal procedure. Until I recieved, hands down, the most invasive frisking ever. Seriously, it was more action than I have gotten in a good long while. I know I'm, erm, well endowed, but I am not hiding bombs in there. Also, I was wearing leggings-type pants. Grabbing my butt cheeks/lady bits is unnecessary, a visual inspection, I believe is more than adequate. However, I am not in control of security procedures, and I was in Amsterdam, so I let the creepy Asian with the soul patch do his thing without protest. I didn't like it but I bet no one else sneaks anything on in their underwear, so, that's how it goes.

Now, back to Detroit. According to their airport website, the buildings that I am in are the McNamara terminal, which are all new as of 2002. It's really a pretty, bright airport. Concourse A is the second longest airport in the world, with a one mile long hallway. There is a train that moves up and down it, but instead of being underground, they installed it way overhead, so you can see it buzzing up and down. It's definitely neat to watch. The most interesting part about the airport, however, is the acid trip that is the tunnel. Here's the wikipedia entry reference to it:

The "B" and "C" concourses are connected to the main terminal building and the "A" Concourse by a pedestrian walkway under the tarmac. This walkway, known as the Light Tunnel, features an elaborate multi-colored light show behind sculpted glass panels extending the entire length of the walkway, as well several moving walkways. The light patterns are synchronized with an original musical score. This installation, one of the first, large scale uses of color changing LED lighting in the States, was produced by Mills James Productions and has won multiple lighting design awards including the prestigious Guth Award of Merit.

Well, and here is my version:

The flights themselves were actually really pleasant. Going over, I slept most of the way, and coming back I enjoyed the personal entertainment screen and a copy of Shutter Island. Some random comments from that aspect:

• If you have read the book Shutter Island, please take a moment to inform me WTF is going on in the last 50 pages. Thanks. I liked it a lot until that point and then I was lost.
• If you choose to watch the movie, "The Men Who Stare at Goats", it probably makes a lot more sense if you don't take a nap in the middle. I woke up to an army base that had LSD released into the water supply and everyone was going insane. It was a really confusing time for me.
• Top Gun. One of the best movies ever. That's really all I have to say about that.
• I also got in a bit of Inglorious Basterds (sic), and wasn't all that impressed. I have really bad taste in movies for the most part I think though. I rarely like a movie that wins any kind of award.