Where's Tuesday?

We’re wheels up, looking at a 14 ½ hour commute and I’m giddy with excitement. I’m headed down, down, down past the Tropic of Cancer, past the Equator, past the Tropic of Capricorn - further south than I’ve ever been – to the Land Down Under.


Two words sum up the long flight: First Class. Qantas offered no business class seats for my air miles booty. So I had to buy more miles (thanks mom) and upgrade to the land of plenty. I’ve never flown in such a large plane before. And, while sitting below the pilots is a bit disconcerting, the view during take-off was spectacular.


To my disappointment there are no celebrities, Australian or otherwise, on board. I was hoping that with the Oscars being last night I just might get to have drinks with Russell Crowe, ogle Nicole Kidman or get an autograph from Keith Urban. But no. My seatmates are what looks like business travelers. But that's ok. The flight attendants dismissed any disappointments. Would you like more Dom Perignon Mr. Odom? Care for some fresh ground pepper on your soup Mr. Odom? Can I make your bed up for you Mr. Odom? I'm still in the nose of a Boeing 747 with over sixty movies to choose from, (it's rather ironic that my first movie was Australia) a bottomless glass of champagne, and six and a half feet of legroom.


I'm flying 38,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean at just below the speed of sound. When Captain James Cook was discovering everything from Alaska to Australia, he had only the wind to push the Endeavour and only a compass and sextant for guidance. I have four Rolls Royce engines - each putting out fifty-some thousand pounds of thrust - for a push, a digital GPS displaying updates of my position.


One thing I cannot figure out is: Where’s Tuesday? We left LA on February 23rd and arrive in Sydney February 25th. I have no February 24th. I ceased being for a day. I prepared for this trip with lots of physical activity, culling articles from every imaginable source and making a flexible travel plan. But I couldn't plan for this. Of course, I'll get it back on the way home. I'll arrive in Los Angeles before I leave Australia - an even neater trick.


The adventure begins.