Flaps up

Ok.  Bags packed.  Boarding pass printed.  Preflight done.  Dogs walked & fed.  Clocks wound.  Garbage on the curb.  iPad charged.  Itinerary posted.  Back up plans in place.  Car gassed up.  I think I am ready.  Will be a typical early morning.  Up at 0330, let the dogs out, fire up the Keurig, repack some shirt/socks because I think I need them, take the dogs for one last walk, check my e-mails, review the latest work crisis, shower, shave, repack another short because I think it is going to be hot/cold. pack various chargers, pack the razor, let the dogs out one last time, kiss the wife, load up, head out.  

I am off in the morning to points north of here.  First stop?  St Louis.  We've got a 2 hour layover in St Louis to change planes.  Got to remember to wave to SR300 when we go wheels up.  After that, it is hello Minneapolis-St Paul.  Over the past few years, I've done a fare share of these flights and have my own system in place to get me thought the flight, regardless if it is just 60 minutes or an 8 hour ordeal.  I claim my seat (window) and set up camp and pretty much tune out the rest of the plane.  I have my iPod charged and ear buds in place by the time we back out of the gate.  Programmed to shuffle mode, my intent is to drown out any ancillary noise during the flight (loud passengers, screaming babies, chatty seatmates).  Sorry, I really don't mean to be antisocial, but I prefer to zone out during the flight to make the time pass. I usually bring a good book to read that should get me through the outbound and inbound flights.  No, I still haven't made the transition to the Kindle or iPad reader formats - I still prefer the old school way of reading a book.  Last week, I polished off the 2nd book in the Katniss Everdeen saga (Catching Fire).  Not really a hard read, just enough to fill the time in flight and during any layovers.  That and the flight attendants won't bust your chops telling you to turn off your electronic device during take off if you are reading a book.  Should be a long day but I hope to go to ground sometime tomorrow afternoon in Mankato.  I just wish I was heading into cooler temps than down here.  I will try to post from the road, but it may be sketchy.  Definitely plan a few pictures and maybe a surprise or two.  I hear tell that Minnesota has some interesting sights to see.   


On top of all that, this weekend is the annual Reliant Park Dog show and I am planning on participating with both mutts on Sunday.  Lots of dogs, lots of dog stuff, lots of gimme stuff.    

Hey there!  What's up!