Memphis to Shreveport – 11 hours

It was a usual Monday. I arrived well ahead of my flight time to get through some paperwork, only to find out that the flight was canceled. No sweat, there's one in the afternoon, and I'd have a chance to get some stuff done during the day. But that flight was full. Determined to get me to my final destination, Northwest rerouted me through Minneapolis/St. Paul, then through Cincinnati, and arriving in Shreveport, LA 11 hours after I arrived at the Memphis airport. It looks like I'll bank 4000 FF miles today, and I may write them a letter to see what else they're willing to do for one of their best customers. It will give me a chance to enjoy my new book, The Tipping Point. Someone compared it to Freakonomics, but that's a hard one to follow.

I met someone who told me he had never been on an airplane before. I don't hate flying and even enjoy the window seat most of the time. It still amazes me that something that weighs this much can keep itself off the ground, especially with engines made by a company that built itself on toasters. It is a privilege that I may never fully grasp. In the history of the world, probably less than .0001% have ever gotten to experience what I am doing right now as I type this.