Steph says I'm angst ridden today. So be it.

#1 — Why is it that the cabs in Charlotte, NC always STINK so damn bad? I don't mean from cigarettes, though that would be understandable in the land of the cancer-stick. Instead, they stink of CHEAP-ASS incense or those air freshener things with the Playboy bunny or shaped like pine trees. One air freshener is certainly not enough for these cabs. A few dozen, perhaps. I swear, every time I get into a cab in Charlotte it always stinks like a cheap whorehouse! And then my eyes start watering and I start sneezing. Guys, could you lay off the cheap air fresheners, please? If it wasn't freakin' cold outside I'd open the window and stick my head out, but for the moment that's not an option unless I want frostbite.

Think of the business travelers. Please.

#2 — What is with the ridiculous ID checks that I have to go through at so many client sites. A few weeks ago in Chicago I showed up at a banking client's office, gave the guard my ID, he gave me a sticker allowing me into the building. OK, no problem. Next morning, the same guard was there. He said hello to me. I signed in. He asked me for my ID. I looked at him and asked "Did my ID change from yesterday?" This generated puzzled looks, so I gave up my ID and he let me pass. By the next day he stopped asking for ID. Smart man.

Today I had a similarly surreal experience. New city, different guard. I sign in and state I am going to room XYZ. He says "OK, I need to see your ID." I put it on the table and slide it to him facing sideways. He glances at it and hands it back to me. What exactly did this charade accomplish? He didn't validate my identity in any way before giving me access to the "protected" area of this building. All he did was make sure I had an ID card, in this case my drivers license, and never checked that it was real nor did he check it against the signin sheet where I could have written "The Unabomber, 404-555-1212".

Security can be so pointless sometimes...