Stranded in San Fran.

I write this from a park bench in the neighborhood of Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Last night I missed my connecting flight to Sydney and spent the night in the airport. With the ridiculous prices that hotels charge just to rest your head, I'd much rather have a free and somewhat uncomfortable nights sleep at Gate 68 in the airport.

Our Vice President Joe Biden was the cause for dozens of delayed flights out of Newark last night. Apparently air traffic control clears the air ways for presidential travel. Too good for amtrak now, Joe?

In my downtime, I started Henry Miller's book, "Stand Still Like The Hummingbird." It's a collection of essays that focus on his philosophy of life. I got into Henry Miller's work through the lead singer of the band Vision of Disorder. I noticed he listed Miller as his favorite author and I felt inclined to check out his work.

In his essay "Hour of Man", he discusses the consequences of man's narrow mindedness; our inability to view the world from different perspectives other than our own. It's our arrogance and stubbornness that will ultimately halt forward thinking. We need to look beyond ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in; to find something more than what is presented at face value.

With that said, travel breeds patience. It gives us the ability to accept and look past situations that are out of our control. Instead of viewing my delayed flight as a misfortune or lost day in Australia, I now have the chance to relax under the California sun. Sure, I have to spend 10 hours on the streets, wear the same clothes and forgo showering for a day, but that's life!