9:39 a.m. - March 19, 2006
I Am A Dumbass, Goo Goo Goo Joob
Saturday, 10:30 AM � Indianapolis International Airport
Ah, well, the trip went off to a �roaring� start.
If your definition of roaring is hiking about 3 miles total because you were a dumbass.
Last night and this morning, I checked and double checked my bags to make sure I had enough toiletries, clothes and accoutrements for the trip. I even made sure I packed the cell phone charger in my suitcase, lest I forget it. I brought three books for the trip as well.
I�m driving along, singing my songs, through the country side of BFE Indiana, and I head down I-465 toward the airport. As I turn onto the exit toward the parking lot I prefer, I realized that I had forgotten my watch.
Ah, no big whoop. My cell phone has a clock on it, and I can just use that. Besides, time is pretty much all relative at a conference anyway. You move to the next session when one ends, and even the parties and events are fairly well time regulated.
I pull into a parking spot and start making my mental playlist. I go to turn off the iPod and unplug it from the car charger and I realize that I had forgotten to pack the actual charger for the iPod.
Oops.
Now this means I must be iPod battery frugal on my trip. Rats! Nuts!
So I grab the car charger so that when Rachel picks me up at the airport then I can get some needed juice into the iPod on the drive to the hotel.
Nuts, but at a conference normally I don�t have much time to listen to tunes. It�s just that in the airports I need to make sure I don�t run it out of juice so I have some tunes on the actual airplane.
Well, what else could happen?
Heh.
I walk to the concourse, which happens to be the farthest one from the parking lot. I check in, check my bag, and head off toward security.
It wasn�t that busy in the airport, so there was little line. I get to the place where you put all your gear in the tubs, and throw in my keys, my iPod, and my�and my�.
Crap! Nuts! %$@*! $#@&$^!
No cell phone.
To quote the great John Belushi in Animal House: �HOLY S***!�
What to do?
Fortunately, I had time, since I got to the airport early.
I grabbed all of my gear, and headed back to the car. It was an easier walk, since I just had my laptop bag and book and no the big whoppin� suitcase I was packing.
I got to the car and found it, in the front seat.
Whew!
So I snap it up and call Liz, saying that it can�t get any worse, and that I�ve already had three things happen to me so there�s nothing else that could go wrong.
I�m crossing my fingers!
Sunday, 9:28 AM � Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Well, THAT was a fun day, despite all of the crap.
We arrived in DC early, but the flight wasn�t that great. It was a small jet and they always seem to have the most issues with turbulence. I fortunately was on a row with only one seat, but the girl across the aisle was sick. Not airsick, just sick sick. She kept using the airsick bag, but did it in a very polite manner. Still�ew.
Then, it took forever to get the luggage to us, almost a half an hour, and mine was the last bag there. I thought I�d never get out of the airport alive.
But the trip the hotel was as much fun as you can have in DC traffic. Good thing it was a weekend. I�d loathe this place on a weekday.
I met Rachel and we had lunch. She�s a really fun gal � a great personality and even laughs at my stupid jokes. Heh. I hope I made a good impression on her, too.
Moose and I met and walked to Ruth�s Chris for dinner. He was running late because of Metro issues, but we made it on time and had some nice hunks of meat and a good bottle of wine, then we found a dive for some Guinness (even the dives in DC serve Guinness, how nice).
The place had a unisex bathroom, and I realized that that may be a way to meet someone (not stalkerish � but the meeting where you pass each other and make eye contact and give a little smile to each other). When you�re waiting in line for the john, you have to pass the time somehow. Why not a little idle flirty chitchat?
Oh, well, perhaps not. But then, I don�t need to do that anyway, so don�t be asking dating advice from me.
There was big news from home too. Kristin pulled up for the first time. That is amazing � she�s growing so much. I just wish I was there to see it.
Anyway, after a fair nights sleep (I never sleep well or long in this hotel, for some reason. I take a lot of catnaps), a good read of the paper, and a shower, I�m looking forward to this afternoon, meeting Zon and Vicki today. Who-hoo.
Sorry, this is a bit atypical of my drivel. And tomorrow, you get to hear how I graced Zon and Vicki with my majestic presence. Wait, it�s probably the other way around.
Cheers!
