Houston
My journey begins frightfully early in the morning. I am mindful both of Houston traffic, and how the heightened presence of additional security can affect one's travel time. I do not like to rise early, but it can be done - especially when provided the wakefulness of coffee. After staggering from a scalding shower in a semblance of wakefulness, I reach into the fridge, and slide a pair of cold bottles of Frappucino into my baggage before I leave.
Traffic and security are both remarkably light this morning, and my experiences would have been described as uneventful but for a woman who attempted to put her small dog-carrier through the x-ray machine... with the dog still in it. Fortunately the vigilance of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration is not limited to preventing terrorist actions, and the alarm was raised and the conveyor-belt stopped before the hapless yorkshire terrier could be thoroughly irradiated.
Disaster averted, I arrive at my gate in record time.
As I have nothing to do but wait for my flight to board, I turn to a recent acquisition of mine, an Apple iPod to provide the soundtrack for my life. The first three songs summoned for the moment prove to be surprisingly prescient:
"With a little help from my friends" from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
"There is life outside your apartment" from the soundtrack to Avenue Q
"Such great heights" from The Postal Service