Adventures in traveling

So I get to the airport early today. Before 1:30 for a 2:45 flight (this is Birmingham, no longer than that is needed). I go through security...and they tell me I'm the lucky winner...I get to go through the "randomly picked" (random my ass) special security fun....they pull me over to a special section with special bins for my stuff. Once I load all my stuff in the special bins, the TSA guy escorts me to a private glass booth. WTF? Someone finally comes to get me, & escorts me over to where I'm going to get thoroughly checked. They molest my body, & then go over EVERY ITEM I have with a fine toothed security comb...including the food I brought. I didn't really care, but was curious why I was selected. It was no huge deal, but it was slightly annoying, especially since I have no clue why they picked me.

Then the flight was delayed....TWO HOURS! It was late getting in, & then there was a "mechanical problem." So, when we finally get on the damn plane...it's a damn sauna, & it's abundantly clear to me that I'm not going to make my connecting plane. I got to be buddies with the man next to me, he was super nice. (Smartest man I've ever met, too, cause he & his wife have separate homes!) We get to Denver, where I find out they can't get me to Burbank until TOMORROW!!! Thank god I leave that one day cushion...which is really supposed to be for me to rest & recover from traveling...not to continue traveling! So United Airlines provides me with a hotel room in Aurora, & dinner, & an over night kit....cause I find out I don't get to be reunited with my luggage. I don't have extra clothes, no toiletries, etc. I'm told I can get dinner at the airport or at the restaurant across the street from the hotel. My new friend walks around with me, since his rescheduled flight isn't for a while. I decided to buy some cheap Colorado tourist clothes...pants & a t-shirt...cause I AIN'T wearing the same outfit again tomorrow. Gross. Yes, I would, obviously, be showering, but I've been in those damn clothes all day, & remember, the airplane had been a sauna, so I had been sweating. It was sooo cool, cause I found a $20 pair of comfy pants kinda like sweatpants, & my new friend was nice enough to buy me the t-shirt! That was so super nice. He said it was good karma, & I had to pay it forward. Cool!

So I get a smoothie for my "dinner," my new friend & I part ways, & I head to Carousel 16 to get my overnight kit. Then they tell me to head out to Island 3 & wait for the hotel shuttle.

Yeah, it's at this point that I remember I'm in COLORADO in FEBRUARY! Yeah....I stand out on the damn curb, OUTSIDE, for 1.5 hours...in a t-shirt. My jacket, which wasn't heavy anyway, was in my luggage that I didn't get to have. A t-shirt, & it's like 25 degrees! WTF?!?! Does that overnight kit contain a coat & mittens? Damn. I couldn't feel my fingers. I'm lucky as hell I had a blanket with me, so I wrapped up in that.

After 1.5 hours, I'm irritated, frozen, & had to piss like a racehorse. I'm afraid to leave the curb, worried the damn shuttle will pull up the one minute I walk away, & thinking no one is there, leave. But I finally decide to go inside & ask. I'm like, "How long do I have to wait for the shuttle? I've been out in the cold in a t-shirt for 1.5 hours!" The lady calls, & I run to the potty. Best pee ever. When I come back, she tells me the hotel expected a phone call saying someone was waiting for pick up, but United was never told they were supposed to call the hotel. Every other hotel sends a shuttle like every 15 minutes, automatically. The lady was pissed, cause they didn't even know, themselves! So she said they would be there for me in 15 minutes, & she lent me a coat. I guess people leave their coats on the planes, so she let me take one. Having a coat, relieving my bladder, & knowing I'd soon be in a warm bed made me feel better.

I checked my ticket & it has another SSSS on it....guess what that means? I get to be molested by TSA again! Wooooot! No action for over a year & suddenly I get a lot! Sweet!

Seriously, though, I cannot believe I had to go through that security bullshit today, & have to do it again tomorrow...when I SHOULD be in my own bed tonight, with my very much missed kitties, & shouldn't have to be going back through security AT ALL! This wasn't my fault, & I get inconvenienced with a security molestation again? How is that crap fair? Sheesh.

Then the United lady tells me it's supposed to snow here in Denver tonight....so will my flight even be able to take off tomorrow??? Damn.

I'm *really* hoping Mirna can go back, unexpectedly, to my house tonight, or I'm going to have STARVING cats tomorrow. *worried* Sorry, Mirna. This wasn't my plan!

I'll have to come back to Colorado some day & actually stay a while & go skiing. My friend just moved to Durango. I went to Denver for a while back in '91-ish, don't remember too much about it.

It's been an action packed day. I washed my panties in the sink here, I hope they are dry for tomorrow! Hey, they didn't sell panties at the airport! I get free buffet breakfast tomorrow, a shuttle back, & free wireless.

Unfortunately, I have to wear the same dirty socks tomorrow. *gag*