Frustrated passengers line up during flight delays and cancellations due to extreme cold weather and wind chill at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Jan. 7, 2014.AARON VINCENT ELKAIM/The Canadian Press
Your flight has been delayed for hours and the terminal is starting to feel like a prison. You've read every magazine in your possession, eaten as many mediocre meals as you can muster and downed as many drinks as is reasonable. Now what are you going to do?
Here are 10 suggestions to keep you from going off the deep end.
Get caught up by binge watching Breaking Bad/Downton Abbey/Homeland/whatever so you can stop shrieking at co-workers to shut up every time you hear the words, "So I can't believe Walt/Matthew/Carrie …"
Indulge in a back massage or pedicure if on offer at one of those terminal kiosks. Yes, being rubbed down in front of strangers is weird. But it beats staring at an empty runway for another 30 minutes.
Kick it old school and do a crossword puzzle. You know, those funny rows of blocks and letters that are printed on actual paper. You might even make new friends by asking if anyone knows an 11-letter word for pot belly. (Yes, that's a real clue.)
Have a Timbit taste competition, à la March Madness. Blueberry v. Strawberry in the jelly bracket. Old Fashion v. Chocolate in the glazed one. Who will be the ultimate champion?
Place bets on how long until various toddlers and tweens start crying. Red face? The volcano is going to blow. Use real money for maximum excitement.
Draw up your own airport Bingo boards. Possible squares include: fighting spouses, drooling sleeper, carry-on bag that is clearly larger than regulation size, person giving cut-eye to possessor of said carry-on bag.
Turn your misery into a series of brilliant, hilarious tweets that catch the eye of the Internet and then Hollywood. Voilà, you're a millionaire. (Hey, it happens.)
Finally achieve inbox zero. This one is even better if the airport does not have free WiFi. Then e-mails won't go out until later, so you don't have fresh messages coming in as you're trying to purge.
Challenge yourself to take the most ridiculous selfie ever. If you've got a neck pillow and access to a toilet you're halfway there.
Remember that being stuck at the airport means you actually got to go somewhere (or are about to). And that's something not everyone can say. A little moment of gratitude never hurts.