I guess you can’t really call it a vacation unless it includes having to recover from a logistical snafu that threatens to derail the entire trip. This time, it was that my departing flight had a mechanical issue, discovered only when we were all seated and ready to roll back from the gate. I mean, we were on-schedule to the minute when the pilot announced that something wasn’t right and we’d have to stay put while it got checked out. After that, I watched as various people boarded the plane, squinted at something in the cockpit, and left with concerned expressions. I lip-read one flight attendant saying “oh shoot” and worried we’d all have to de-board and re-schedule. As it turned out, we were delayed an hour which, in the grand scheme of things, seems like not much. But I had only an1 ½ hour layover to catch my connecting flight in Chicago. I was extremely lucky to be seated near the front of the first plane because after we landed (and taxied for at least 15 minute...