Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I have been down in Florida since Friday afternoon, and I am writing this on the plane back home. It is American Airlines flight 711, and the pilot actually came out of the cockpit before we took off to welcome me aboard. I’m pretty sure that this is not a new American policy (although everyone has been very nice), but more than likely he is a fan. Even if he’s not a fan, he recognized me, so that counts as far as I’m concerned. For lunch we had our choice of a roast beef sandwich or a chicken tostada. I went with the tostada, and then the flight attendant gave me three chocolate chip cookies. That has NEVER happened before, and I have asked.

Janet is staying down in Florida with her dad, her aunt Carol, her sister Jenny, and Jenny’s new husband. I am coming home to work. In the past, I have done broadcasting from my place in Florida, but that was in the afternoon, and the show had a different (slower) pace. We’ve only been doing mornings since November, and have still yet to go through an entire ratings period, so I am uncomfortable not being in Chicago for the morning show at this point. Believe me, it was 80 degrees in Fort Lauderdale (FLL) when I left today, and as much as I love living, working, and playing in Chicago, that weather in Florida is very seductive. Maybe I’ll try it next year, after we’re #1

There is a woman who speaks Spanish sitting next to me and when she came on the flight, she had a heavy carry-on bag (Ralph Lauren) so I said I would put it in the overhead bin for her. The bag seemed a little bigger than the overhead, so I didn’t want to force it and break something. I held up the line a little, but not as much as if my seatmate had done it. A guy waiting in the aisle told me to hurry up and start “eating my Wheaties.” He wasn’t kidding, either. As you can imagine, I found this to be somewhat disconcerting. I decided to let it go, since punching him would undo my good deed. Maybe I’ll challenge him to an arm wrestle before the flight is over.