And so it begins

I'm at the airport awaiting the first flight, after checking in at 4:35 AM without a hitch. I thought I should have a little breakfast -- it's going to be a long day and I'm travelling on very little sleep -- so I stopped at the food court just inside security. I picked up what I thought was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on and English muffin, but in actuality had no bacon, and a bottle of OJ. The young lady at the register, said nothing to me except "Seven Twenty-seven?"

"I have no idea," I replied, "I haven't even been to the gate yet."

Blank stare. It then occurred to me that my puny sandwich, the one with no bacon, and OJ actually cost, with tax, $7.27. Wow. I hope the humorless, unfriendly chick at the counter is the worst of it today.

The plane is at the gate. There are the usual suspects waiting at the gate with me -- the 50-something couple arguing about something trivial event from their time at the check-in counter, the skinny chick in stiletto heels simultaneously working a sudoku puzzle and conversing, rather loudly, with some unknown person on the other end of her bluetooth headset, the Asian man wearing rather large headphones for the gate area, the crazed woman in the colorful turquoise poncho -- yep, this is my crowd.

I got an internet connection, after a minor bit of wrangling, and everything else seems in place for a smooth ride to Toronto. But I've been down this road before, and I'm not letting my guard down, at least not until I'm writing you from my room.

Of course, there is another way to look at this. I'm not in much of a hurry this year. My first film isn't until 6:00, and my flight arrives before noon. Delaying my flight for a couple hours wouldn't even stress me out all that much, so will the travel gods even bother?

Damn it, Sean, don't even think that way, that is how they will get you!

Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you.

-- Kurt Cobain

Check-in time is approaching. See you in Detroit.