ATLANTA, Georgia and over the Atlantic, September 22, 2005 — All day...airports and planes. And the matter of getting seven hours ahead of yourself, too.

I did wake up early. I showered, dressed, packed up the few things I'd gotten out of my luggage. I e-mailed FFP from the business center and got a boiled egg, bagel, cream cheese and an apple from the free breakfast in the lobby. Fortifying myself for a long day and night.

I take the free van to the airport and I'm

way early. And I get checked in quickly because I have a Business Class ticket and there is a special premium class check-in. They also give me a pass to get into the Crown Club. I sit there and drink coffee and watch TV. Then I wander the airport, buy a book and a magazine and a bottle of water.

We board and take off. I am sitting next to a woman who lives in South Africa. In the Johannesburg area. She's returning home and takes advantage of duty free shopping. She spends a lot of time rearranging her stuff, arranging her baggage, but it doesn't really bother me. I don't get very comfortable, however, even though there is lots of room, the seats almost go flat and they give you nice duvets to cover up with.

In the middle of the flight we stop for fuel and a new crew at Ila do Sal, the island of Sal in the Cape Verde Islands. I had no idea where we were until I got home and looked it up. It was late there when we arrived. All I could see from the window was a soccer field, brightly-lit, with a game going on.

Somewhere in the dark plane, chasing time east, it is morning.