Beginnings

[Posted from the freaking airport in Tokyo - no joke!]

6/30/05
JFK

And so this journey begins as do most of my trips: me at the airport 2 1/2 hours early, clearing security in 2 minutes, and waiting to board.

Saw a Buddhist Monk-looking dude eating a banana, and it looked really good. I wanted one; I'm already going native - doing as the Romans do long before I hit Rome, so to speak. So I decided to explore the terminal in search of a banana of my own. Just when I was about to give up and conclude that the bald dude had brought his own breakfast -- or conjured it out of thin air by sheer willpower -- I found it! The source of the fruit! My beloved Smoothie King, no less. Having purchased and consumed the banana, I feel strong and well-prepared for the grueling passage ahead. My vessel, a Boeing 777, is entirely full, not a single empty seat, I'm told. Let's hope my neighbors are pleasant persons of sound mind, and adventurous of spirit, as is yours truly. Onward.