Last week I was trying to book plane tickets. I wanted to get the lowest price possible, but that meant a twelve-hour layover on the way over, and a twelve-hour layover on the way back. I argued with myself for three hours. Every time I thought of how much it would cost to get a better flight, I felt sort of sick. But every time I thought about twelve-hour layovers, I felt sick, too. Twelve hours in a bright shiny airport, bored, nothing to do. Nothing except feel miserable, be bored, take naps on hard chairs, stare at boring expensive stuff in stores and be bored. So finally I decided I'm not going to order tickets today and I went outside and took a walk.

After a few minutes it became very clear to me: spend what it takes to get a comfortable (more or less) flight. So I came back, turned on my computer again, and the first flight I came to was the cheapest one I'd seen yet, and there was only one twelve-hour layover, and that on the way back, which isn't so bad.

So that much is settled, anyway. Now if I can just figure out how not to be bored on the plane. Read-- sure, on a plane? Maybe for 20 minutes here, another 15 minutes there. Get some markers and make designs. That would work for about 10 minutes. Write some poems about boredom. Another 10 minutes. Play Sudoku, another 10. Listen to music, no, can't do that on a plane, with the roaring air all around. Eat, drink, walk up and down the aisle a few times. 18 hours to go. Sleep--well--if you call it sleeping. You feel less pain when you're asleep.

If they'd just let me stretch out on the floor for 20 minutes, I'd feel 1000% better. But no, I have to keep my seat-belt fastened, and I can't do anything weird or annoying.

But that's several weeks away, so why am I even thinking about it.