Travel day

After a few meetings in the morning we took a Super Shuttle to LAX, heading for gawdawful Heathrowe.  I thought I was pretty lucky getting placed next to one of the only open seats.  Turns out a 3 foot tall tyrant was placed directly behind me.  A few times his kicks were a bit soothing, but other times they just woke me up.  Got through two movies: Mission Impossible (which achieved the rare bad - bearable - bad transition) and Ides of March (depressing pic about the game of politics).  I also chipped away at some work on the laptop while Emma dug into a romance novel using the Kindle app on her phone.

It is always a pleasure going somewhere with TravelEmma.  For those who have not spent time with TravelEmma, she is a checklister.  Even if you may have traveled once or twice before, she will regularly give advice on where to put your wallet and passport, under the guise of "making conversation".  In fact, a few times I found myself looking for an item of mine, only to find it has magically migrated to her purse; "just putting it somewhere safe," she says.

However, the real way you can distinguish TravelEmma from regular Emma is by her behavior when surrounded by people (e.g. on an airplane, waiting at a gate, security lines, etc):  wide-eyed, yet expressionless, she quietly stares at the people around her.  A mother doting on a young child receives extra attention -- occasionally with a raised eyebrow that some would call "judgmental".  Sometimes her stares last long enough so that her original smile has since drifted into a bit of a snarl; at this point, I try and get her attention before the people notice.

But take all this with a grain o' salt, as I'm working off 1.5 hrs of sleep while Emma's cheerful after at least 7 or 8.  Off to Spain!