methinks

6:00 a.m. Departure

The biggest challenge one faces when leaving on a 6:00 a.m. flight is knowing for when to set the alarm. Half experience and half gamble, you have to decide exactly how long you can sleep and not miss your flight. You've pre-packed everything, laid out clothes for the flight, showered, double checked everything you've packed, unpacked the tolietries so you can use them tomorrow, and now you hold the alarm clock estimating times to the minute.

Dress, brush teeth, load car...10 minutes tops. No, that's far too fast. Make it 15. You'll have to hussle. Drive to the airport, always the biggest gamble. There could be an accident, or your car could break down, or you could get a speeding ticket because you understimated get-dressed-time. You settle on 19 minutes. You've got luggage so you'll have to check-in before the flight. The monkeys at the TSA say arrive two hours before departure. You scoff, but secretly worry they'll be right this time. The airline insists that luggage be checked an hour before the departure. You wonder how it is that the plane is ready for people only 30 minutes before departure, but for luggage 1 hr is the cut-off. What are they doing to your luggage? You're a check-in guru and know you could get from parking lot to gate in 15 minutes if only everyone traveling was as efficient as you, but they're not. You fear getting in-line behind question-askers. "Do you know how long the flight is? Where is gate A10? What's the weather like there? When can I board? Is this seat going to be noisey?" You decide to arrive 1 hr before departure. 5:00 a.m. Ugh. 5 minus 19 minutes travel time, minus 1 for parking time, minus 15 for get ready time...4:25 a.m....minus five more just incase the alarm clock doesn't wake you at first. 4:20 a.m. wake up call.

What if the power goes out? There is no way you will naturally wake up at 4:20 a.m. without an alarm? Should you sleep with your watch on?

The power lasts through the night and you snap out of bed to roboticly execute the plan of action designed the evening before. You arrive at the airport exactly as planned, 1 hr before departure, and breeze through check-in and security like you were the only one there. You look around and realize you nearly are. You sit down at the gate. 50 minutes till departure. For an instant you wonder if you could've slept a few more minutes, but you realize if you'd cut it any closer you'd have been too nervous to sleep at all. Next time you'll pay the extra $40 to leave at 8:00 a.m. You thought that the time before this, too.