Through Security...

So... we got to O'Hare in plenty of time, which is great!  And i'm now sitting here at a gate waiting to board, using Internet Wi-Fi through Boingo to blog for a few minutes as we wait.  Here's how the last 5 hours have worked out:

* We made it to O'Hare in record time!  Our driver (Lyle) did a great time, the roads were fine on the Toll-Road, and we cruised into United's terminal (1) at just about 7 am (Indiana time... from here forward in this post, i'll use Chicago time).

* O'Hare was PACKED!!! There must have been 2,000 or more people milling through lines to try to get to a check in counter.  We finally negotiated a Disney maze (you know... like the labyrinthine mazes they make you stand in to get on rides at Disney?) to find a TSA employee who told us that we'd have to go downstairs to check in through the Group Desk.

* So we did... negotiating the 2,000 people with all of our 1,000 pounds of love and gear, we traversed the milling masses and made it to the Group Desk.

* No Agent at the Group Desk.  

* Waiting.

* More Waiting, with repeated assurances that there WOULD be an agent shortly.

* Agents finally arrive and are great!  They bypassed 10 of our bags (which were each 2 lbs overweight) and didn't even charge us.  

* Except that they mis-directed one of my bags.  They didn't know which one.  I checked a bag for Raj and also my suit bag which contains all of my clothes.  So... either Raj will be happy (in which case i will SERIOUSLY stink by the time i come home) or i will be.  Time will tell.  

* We start the process through security.  

* More Disney mazes.

* To get to the next round of Disney mazes.

* Culminating in a final round of Disney mazes.

* Ted Bryant, while looking around, chuckled and said, "And...tell me again why the 'airlines are hurting for customers'?"  You wouldn't know it by looking around this morning. 

* Everyone through security just fine.  TSA employees are actually pleasant and helpful!  Only John Negri stopped for a thorough frisking, but they couldn't find what was setting off the machines, so he was allowed to leave without anyone breaking out the latex gloves.

* 1/2 mile jaunt through terminal and concourses to now arrive at our gate, sitting it out for about an hour before we start boarding.

Initially i thought we'd not have enough time.  Then, when the roads were clear, i worried that we'd have too much.  As it turns out, however, just call me Goldilocks because everything turned out "just right".