On the topic of flying, another year of travel ahead. I did about 70 odd legs in 2010, not my highest but in Canada that requires some stick handling to be efficient. I was chatting with a colleague about carry-on the other day. I pride myself on being one of those super efficient, never check-bags, business travellers. My record is 5 days with carry-on only AND gym clothes. That one was tough, I thought the seams would break but my carry on is very sturdy.

A philosophy that was well articulated by Clooney in Up in the Air:

[Natalie, on her first outing, walks into the Omaha Airport terminal dragging her slow-moving luggage; Ryan, offended by this, looks at her in frustration]
Natalie Keener: What?
Ryan Bingham: Follow me.
[later at a store in the terminal, Ryan grabs a new, updated rolling luggage]
Natalie Keener: I really like my luggage.
Ryan Bingham: That’s exactly what it is, it’s luggage. You know how much time you lose by checking in?
Natalie Keener: I don’t know. Five, ten minutes?
Ryan Bingham: 35 minutes a flight. I travel 270 days a year. That’s 157 hours. That makes seven days. You’re willing to throw away an entire week on that?

And watch out for someone in flip flops or with children in the security line. They are not in a hurry …. invariably it goes like this (Heard three weeks ago in the line across from me, he was wearing flip flops, had a great tan and looked very happy .. I changed lines):

As we go through in separate lines, security guard holds up a 40 of Jack Daniels.

Elderly gentleman:  “But it is sealed. Seriously, what am I going to do with it? Can’t you just let it through?”

Insert stern security guard look.

I moved on smiling.