Hello FOM (Friends of Meghan)

I sit here in the Holiday Inn Media Center in the heart of down town Burbank (at least I think I am in down town Burbank, it really just sounded good) anyway I am for sure in Burbank.
My cat is here with me, coming down from her kitty high, (I drugged her up for the flight here)
The moon, a perfect crescent stained orange by LA ozone, hangs just out side my window watching me drink my sedation beer. While I am completely and totally 100% exhausted, I find I can’t calm my mind enough at night to sleep properly. I also find that beer tends to help remedy that situation  Anyone else find that?

I have been here in this Holiday Inn many times before when working for Disney so this seems a little like home and it comforts me in some strange way.

I am going to try to recount the last 7 days to you. They have been the most, worst, pinnacle, utmost, …all the superlatives… of my life (I think) at least those that I can think of and haven’t blocked out.
If I never do this moving bull shit again, it will be too soon. At least the next time I move I hope to not do it alone. This relocation really sucked! Really really

Lets start on Thursday the 19th.
My client in New Jersey, being the nice guy he is, says to me on Wednesday ( I can’t believe it was only 7 days ago) “Just go home tomorrow” I knew the project was technically finished. I would have just been hanging around for the sake of making it look good if I stayed. To be honest I had been phoning it in (as my boyfriend likes to say) for the last week and was way more focused on my move than on training him. He knew it and just let me go. I gratefully thanked him and left New Jersey in my dust. To be fair N.J was actually lovely and my client a joy to work with.
So I wake up at 2am on Thursday morning in order to get to shower and get to Newark airport by 4, after being stalked by the hotel bar tender until 11pm. (he stole my room number from my bill and knocked on my door 10 minutes after I left the bar….eeewwwww). He actually called first. I remember I was on my cell phone when my hotel phone rang. I went to answer it but remembered no one had my room number except the creepy bar tender. I ignored the phone. Not 5 minutes later a knock on the door came. I was still on the phone and I know he heard me. He knocked one more time then finally left. What a creep.
Anyway, the plan was to catch the 6am Newark to Dallas flight, that would get me into the Springs around 10am. I had plans to drop off my car for its 40K check up and get my hair cut before attending a going away party at 5p. I had it all worked out with rides (since my car would be at the mechanic’s all day) and appointments. It was a perfect plan as my original flight got me in at 9:30pm
I had called the day before to just change the flight and pay the $100 change fee (much better than the uncertainty of stand-by) American told me that because I wanted to change the lay over city (from Chicago to Dallas) they would have to cancel my current reservation and re-book my ticket at a cost of $800. Unacceptable. I would just have to fly stand by.
So, after the bar stalker and a sleepless night, after a painful stress puke in the shower, (gross) after driving an hour on the New Jersey turnpike during that nether time where even the likes of Tony Saprano are sleeping, I optimistically stand in line to check into my flight. The lady behind the counter condescendingly guided me over to the self check in kiosk and proceeded to explain to me how to check in all by myself. I decided to ignore her belitteling schpeel as I had other things on my mind. Before she could finish I politely pointed out that I wanted to fly stand-by.
“oh”
That’s when I found out that they don’t let you even stand by for a flight to a city that is not on your original itinerary.
(a slight explination)
My Original flight was from Newark to Chicago, Chicago to the Springs. But since the flight to Chicago was at 4pm (getting me home at 9:30pm) I wanted to go from Newark to Dallas and Dallas to the Springs getting me home at 10am)
That’s a big neg-a-tory
Did anyone else know that? Seriously…in all my days of traveling (7 years worth) I have never come across this rule. Now maybe it is because I’ve never wanted to do this or maybe it is because of new regulations or maybe, just maybe others bent the rules for me and this be-oughch wasn’t gonna .
Well I’m sure you know what happened next…que the water works.
Now I wasn’t doing this for theatrics. I was honestly freaking out. There was no way in hell I was going to wait around until 4 bloody pm to catch the flight, plus, all my plans just went straight out the window.
Bad bad….all bad.
I begged her through teary eyes‘please don’t make me stay here until 4pm’
Through harsh words and eye rolling on her part and tears and snot on mine, she booked me on a Newark to Chicago, Chicago to Dallas and Dallas to the Springs flight that got me in at 4p. Not as good as 10a but not as bad as 9p. There went all my plans for Thursday (except for the going away party)
I landed in the Springs, got my luggage, threw it in Betty and drove straight to the going away party that started at 5p. The girls were great and had a beer waiting for me. I was so stressed, I couldn’t drink it. ME, Meghan McGuinness, I took two sips of my lovely home town brew. I think I had one piece of my appetizer. All I could think about was the drive to California the next day. I cried my apologies to the girls that I was so lame, I cried some more and went home to my cat, my bed and the Cartoon Network. That night I slept the best I had slept in 2 weeks.