I still wonder how I managed to do this and not get a severe whacking from the travel gods.

I had a 6:10AM Continental departure from SJC. I set my alarm for 4:15 but screwed up and it didn't go off. I awoke at 5:05 with the personal notation that I was truly screwed. I threw on clothes and made it to the counter at 5:35 where I was assured by the agents that "people have been later than this and made the flight." The line for security was huge; all the way past the normal crowd control, all the way around baggage claim and back past security in the hall. To their credit, TSA was very effective and they time in line was only 20 minutes.

Ok, I have to be manually scanned and so there is a period where my carry ons are out of my control. I had two bins and a large computer case. One bin had the computer and the other had shoes. I normally place everything from my pockets into the computer case. The TSO that brought the carry on stuff to where I was being groped, I mean...inspected, stacked the bins, shoes on to. You know where this is leading. I finished with TSA, pulled on my shoes and ran to the gate. It dawned on me as I was putting away the case that it felt a little light. It was 6:05.

I took my things and went back down to the gate to see if I could go back to security and get my laptop. I was told, and politely too, that they were just minutes from closing the door and I would miss the flight. To my shock and amazement one of the gate agents took off in hot pursuit of my computer and returned with it in time for me to reboard. Kudos to Continental personnel at SJC for this one. I had no expectation of making that flight after not one but two screw ups that should have left me on the ground watching the plane leave.

I probably should have bought a lottery ticket that day.