or e) if you get trapped on the runway at O'Hare, it's much more pleasant to be trapped in first class.

Ooh, good one!

f) all of the above

I'll go with f -- my limited experience with first class upgrades says that you arrive in much better shape, muscle-wise and mental-wise. I suspect the air is better in that part of the cabin, too.

(That doesn't stop me from hating the people sprawled in first class as I make my way back to the cattle pens, though. I always feel like announcing loudly that the first ten rows in the aircraft have the lowest survival rates in crashes.)

Yesterday, I found out that Kickass Cupcakes bakes a batch of vegan cupcakes every day! I foresee more frequent expeditions to Davis Square in my future, also because When Pigs Fly has opened a bakery outlet practically next door....

I decided recently that I should upgrade myself on the next business trip I take, because I'm not paying for the rest of the flight, but of course my flight today is on a plane small enough to not have first class. Ah well.

I woke up this morning to find my university was closed - a combination of icy conditions and a freaky campus alert. I had momentary thoughts that it was a joke but no: they moved Monday's finals to Friday. (I'm guessing that there will be some scrambling from poor souls who thought they were finished before friday and had travel plans or b. also already had finals on Friday.)

Maybe it's a good thing I'm not at work today - check out my Chinese horoscope:

The energy and boldness of the Tiger day make for a frustrating workday for the slow and traditional Ox. Your impatience and moodiness may scare off potential mates. It's best not to be overly protective of your children, or they may end up rebelling. The Earth element makes you lean toward smothering your loved ones.

It was very icy -- though not as horrendously icy as sumi's commute -- and I had to wait for my car to de-ice rather than get out and scrape it off because I was pretty sure I'd not be able to keep upright while doing so.

As with so many other things about the new place, I am on standby assembling my sofa until I can find a replacement barrel nut for the one World Market slighted me (the box and the little baggie of hardware had been opened). Though I may resort to gluing a dowel instead of using the intended screw if I can't find one in the next few days.

Connie, I think you may have gotten the allen wrench that was supposed to come with mine. (Luckily I have a Swiss Army allen wrench among my tools).

Wednesday: two hour delay which should have been a snow day.

Thursday: two hour delay.

Friday: no school because of icy rain.

Monday: highs of 70 degrees.

?