From my journal: My to-do list for 25 July 2006

• Pack (carry-on only) and assemble notes and PowerPoint material for lectures in Colorado.
• Fly (6 am) from Boston to Indianapolis (connecting through Chicago) and spend several hours with two close friends.
• Fly (6 pm) from Indianapolis to Denver (connecting through Chicago) in order to give my lectures the following day.
• Arrive Denver: Pick up Hertz car and check into hotel at airport.

What Actually Happened:

• Notes and PowerPoint material were left in my vehicle at the Boston airport parking lot. Discovered this over Buffalo. (Oh, God! Anoint my memory!)
• In Chicago I learned that Indianapolis flights had been cancelled. Visit with close friends won't happen…terribly disappointed. My friends and I will not be able to achieve world peace; nominate George Bush's successor; solve the problems of the worship wars; and identify five growth stocks that will secure our retirements on a Bill Gates level. (Lord, let mid-summer storms be cursed!)
• On to Denver (new routing on overbooked planes: Chicago, Houston, Denver). Three extra hours of flight: no books; no iPod battery power. (Prepared sermon on hell.)