Early flights, speaking in French, and a happy dog

My Friday started at 4:30am and the rest of it was spent running… sometimes literally. That didn’t leave much time for anything other than flying, work, and clean up.

One important learning (for those of you who fly out of the Air Canada terminal in Boston) is that there is no TSA-Pre or expedited line for frequent fliers. So, plan to stand in the security line for 40-minutes. And, there’s no coffee on the other side of security, so a smart PERSON would grab a Starbucks coffee as they pass, drink it before security (you have 40-minutes), and then board their flight.

A smart BUSINESS would have roaming baristas that serve people in line or a kiosk that people can purchase from as they pass. You can pay for a Starbucks coffee from your phone.

One other thing to note is that the shuttles from the airport hotels are packed at 5am because that’s when all the flight attendants and pilots head to the airport for the first flight of the day. If you’re not aggressive, you’ll have to wait for the next shuttle (15-20mins).

I was home by 9am.

We now live on Montreal’s West Island. It’s a bubble of English speakers who make me periodically feel stupid because they can pop into different languages when needed… without batting an eyelash. Living here has also made me lazy because I don’t actually have to use French. I am reminded of this every time I leave the West Island and actually have to speak en français.

The cab ride from the airport was a reminder of this because my driver would only speak in French. I did manage to navigate from the airport to our house without needing Google translate. It always helps when I prefix my speaking with: Pardon, ma mon français est très mauvais mais je dois pratiquer. He was very patient.

Kima was happy to see me. She is a very happy dog. Except when she gets stuck under my bed and can’t get out. Then she starts to cry and act like a flailing, trapped bug.

Kima loves Montreal. Every morning she transforms into the great canine hunter who is ready to chase squirrels, chipmunks, cats, skunks, rabbits, and raccoons.

But, she’s 13-years old and has only two speeds: hunter mode and I’m-ancient-and-will-hobble-like-I-need-a-cane mode. Here she is in hunter mode because she just saw a squirrel:

Here is hobble mode. Yes, she is walking in this photo. It’s all an act. I think she enters hobble mode so she can stay outside longer.