For the first time in my life, I almost missed a flight this past spring. I had a 7:30am departure from LGA to YYZ. Set my alarm for 2am (I think) so I could hit snooze a couple of times, get up, shower, and then leave at 4 to do the subway/bus combo to the airport.

I wake up with a start and a feeling of dread because the sun is up. I look at my clock, and it's after 6. Of course I completely freak out. Jump out of bed, call a car service (thankfully there's one about two blocks from my place), throw on clothes, zip up my (already packed) suitcase, and run downstairs.

There's absolutely no traffic at all, I live very close to the Deegan Expressway, and the driver makes it to LGA in under half an hour. I made it to the gate about 10-15 minutes before we started boarding, but it cost me $50 for the trip.

The only other time I've had a similar experience was once in Montreal, when I was staying at a B&B and completely flubbed setting the alarm. When I woke up, I had a train to catch to Toronto in about half an hour. I ran out the door to the subway at Sherbrooke, jumped on the train, made it to the station, and boarded the train literally seconds before they closed the door and started pulling away.

Note to self: don't plan early-morning departures.