The Late Show

At 4:30 am Chicago time, I really should be asleep in my seat in the upper level of one of those huge new planes that are an engineering marvel... except when it comes to designing for any degree of comfort. Instead, I am watching the movie "Gravity." I am utterly transfixed. After all, they have clearly based the screenplay on my current situation: Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Stone, is from Lake Zurich; I'm from Lake Zurich. She is traveling far above the surface of the earth; I'm traveling far above the surface of the earth. Dr. Stone is convinced that she will spend the rest of her life in space; I'm convinced that I will spend the rest of my life on this plane. She is risking catastrophe and death at every moment; I'm tired and uncomfortable and my neck hurts and my seat won't recline properly. Oh well, they always get something wrong in these screenplays.