Because I was a U.S. president-obsessed nerdy child, my geeky interest naturally translated to American currency as well. Presidents were on money so what wasn’t there to like? Oh yeah, the very practical use of money wasn’t lost on me either.

Thus, you probably aren’t surprised that I took a big interest to updates in currency. Introduction of state quarters, new faces on dollar coins, and anything dealing with $2 bills all caught my attention. Something else also greatly intrigued me…

On this date 29 years ago, the new $100 bills were made available to the American public. Not tweaked since the 1920s, the fresh notes that entered circulation on March 25, 1996, packed major change. The one-dimensional “Benjamin” received a major facelift as the portrait of the bill became much more detailed and larger. In 2013, Ben Franklin would outgrow his oval-shaped frame altogether, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves—I am just focused on the 1996 changes today.

Sloan holding one of the most current $100 bills.

Besides the portrait upgrade, the signature feature of the new bill was the prominent security feature—the watermark! Applied so retailers could hold it up to the light to view for authenticity, that was the very first thing my 10-year-old-self did when I first got my hands on a new $100 bill.

Checking for the watermark is also the first thing my 8-year-old does if she ever comes into contact with a $100 bill.

Which probably makes you wonder, how did I in fact find myself in possession of a C-note? Well, my grandpa never owned a debit card or credit card in his life. To put in Randy Moss terms, he was straight cash, homie. Because of this, he always had cash in his wallet…including big bills. My siblings and I thought he was a millionaire because he always had $100 bills in his wallet. Not only did he have them, but he also generously dispersed them. My first new $100 bill came from my grandpa and I treasured it…

…until my mom took it from me and put it in the bank.

It took more than 70 years for the $100 bill to be tweaked in 1996 but it only took less than 20 years for additional changes in 2013. In addition to even more prominence of Benjamin Franklin’s likeness on the bill, a mix of different colors were splattered across it. But again, that’s not the topic of today.

Are you old enough to remember when the new $100 bill debuted in 1996? Does your supermarket checker still make you feel like a thief by taking 30 seconds to closely inspect the $100 bill you hoped to pay your groceries with? Or, like me, do you just wish you had more of them (old version, 1996 version, or 2013 version be damned)? Don’t Blink.

I ride the bus with a colleague who works on my marketing team. Yesterday, as we walked from the EWU bus station to our offices in Hargreaves Hall, Will asked me a really good question.

“How do you pass the time on the bus?”

The bus ride to/from Cheney is about 23 minutes, equating to roughly 45-50 minutes round trip. As I have outlined in this blog before, this time is coveted by most bus riders. Instead of spending it behind the wheel, it allows us to decompress and attend to things we wouldn’t have the luxury of completing while driving.

I answered Will’s question by telling him that I answer emails, format my blog, read the newspaper, and sometimes close my eyes. The last item really caught his attention. Will explained that he couldn’t imagine having the ability to sleep on a bumpy city bus. He then said something I never considered before:

“That’s your super power,” he exclaimed.

Well, if the ability to nap anywhere is a superpower, consider me Superman!

I can effortlessly sleep anywhere….including sitting up in chairs.

Yes, I have the uncanny ability to sleep “sitting up.” And this ability truly extends to just about anywhere. I can fall asleep instantly in our black leather chair at home but I also can snooze in more challenging environments as well. Car rides, bus rides, and in airports are welcome opportunities for me to catch up on sleep. Probably most advantageous of all, I can easily sleep on a plane. It isn’t out of the question for me to fall asleep prior to takeoff on the east coast only to wake up when the plane touches down on the west coast.

Where did this habit—I mean superpower—come from? My grandpa slept in his chair A LOT. As a restaurant owner who never seemed to leave his beloved café (which stayed open for extended hours), he preferred to catch some zzz’s in his reclining chair when he did come home. I observed this and I guess I ended up emulating it.

I like to think I keep my grandpa’s hours as well. As a 3 a.m. riser, I instantly fall asleep when I hit the pillow at around 11 p.m. each night. But when the opportunity arises for me to supplement this sleep schedule with a cat nap, I have no shame closing my eyes wherever I may be at. As long as I have a bed—aka a chair—I am good to go.

Sidney will tell you, however, that I don’t sleep like a baby. If she is driving a leg of a road trip and I am snoozing in the front seat, it isn’t pretty. As I never use head rests when sleeping in chairs, my cranium is bobbing back and forth while my body moves with the road. She says sudden brakeage, sharp turns, and a loud radio won’t wake me but it sure looks hella uncomfortable. I hope I don’t look as miserable when I sleep on the bus.

Sure, I would rather fly or render myself invisible as my superpower but falling asleep on call isn’t a bad consolation, right? Thank you, Will, for validating my superpower! Don’t Blink.