I’m in New Orleans for a conference, flew down yesterday. It coincided with a trip to Lafayette, LA, I was planning on taking for a music festival.

My trip out just got progressively worse. At first they were little problems with quick solutions, but then the solutions stopped appearing.
1. Couldn’t check in online and wouldn’t tell me a reason.
- Checked in at the airport without a problem. Had to check at least one bag of camping equipment so I figured I might as well check both since the plane I was on was too small for carry-ons and I would have had to check it at the plane any way. All I had now was my briefcase.
2. Got pulled at security for a random check.
- Didn’t take too long and I was on my way again.
3. While waiting for the flight, my name got called. Went to Delta counter and after making several calls, she was able to find out what they wanted with me. Apparently the tag had ripped off one of my bags.
- They put a new one on and everything was supposedly fine.
4. Transfer in Atlanta to a larger plane. No problems.
5. Get to New Orleans at 11pm and my bags don’t appear. Want to shoot myself for not keeping one of them with me.
- Delta gives me a toiletry pack with toothbrush and tshirt, because I’m obviously very worried about having pajamas. I’m told my luggage will arrive at 8:05am and take 1-6 hours to be delivered to my hotel.
6. Get to the hotel and am told that the airport doesn’t tell people this but they only send out couriers at 9am and 9pm, so if my bag isn’t ready to go by 9am, I won’t get it until late that night.
7. Get a call from Delta at 9:40am, they couldn’t identify one of my bags. Because of the tag that had ripped off, it now had a new tag number, which I didn’t have the receipt for. I was able to describe it and convince them it was mine. They tell me it will be delivered in 4-6 hours.
8. I wait the original 6 hours (from 8:05am arrival) and call Delta because my bags still aren’t here. A recording tells me they’re out for delivery and it could take until 1am, which is not nearly close to 6 hours away. I talk to a representative and they tell me delivery could take up to 12 hours, despite my being told twice that it would only take 6.

So I’m still waiting. And I’m thinking my stuff won’t arrive until late tonight.

I’m now exhibiting at a business conference in jeans, an EMS tshirt, and cowboy boots. And my clothes are not even clean because I wore them yesterday. No makeup, very dry skin since I had no moisturizer and hotel water is awful, my eyes are red and killing me since I had to sleep with my contacts in, my hair is a mess since I don’t have my curling iron. My prescription cold medicine is also in my suitcase, so I’ve missed 2 doses at this point and am getting sicker again, not what I want since A) I’m in freaking New Orleans right next to Bourbon Street, and B) I’m vacationing after the conference. Kind of wanted to stop coughing and sneezing and snotting for that.

I could’ve gone out and bought new clothes and toiletries this morning but instead I spent it waiting in my hotel room because I had explained to the woman I talked to from Delta that I needed a rush on it, and she said she’d tell the driver. Besides the fact that I resent having to spend more money because Delta sucks.

I just bought a car – black 5 speed ’08 Corolla LE. My dad’s coworker’s husband is the sales manager at a Toyota dealership nearby so I’m getting it below invoice. Picking it up Saturday. Good thing because my current car’s fan broke 2 weeks ago. Just in time for the hottest 2 weeks of the summer. I’ve been working from home because I can’t stand to drive an hour to work in that and show up soaked in sweat.

I’ve been traveling a lot for work, with more trips scheduled soon. For personal trips, I just booked one to San Diego in October for my cousin’s wedding and one to Lafayette (LA) in November for the Black Pot Festival. Can’t wait!

A friend of mine rented a 34 foot inflatable slip-n-slide for her graduation party yesterday. It was the most fun ever, but I can barely move today.

I found an apartment yesterday. It was posted on craigslist around noon, I saw it and called around 1, went to look at it at 2, and it was mine. It’s the top of a cute old Victorian. It has a deck, 2 parking spaces, and most importantly, a washer and dryer! I’m going to repaint the bedroom before moving my stuff up there because right now it’s an awful mauve/brown color. Haven’t decided what color I want yet, but my landlord will pay for everything so that’s cool. I need to go back and take measurements.

There are a bunch of fraudulent charges on my credit card. They called me because of some suspicious activities just to verify that I didn’t make the charges, and now I’m waiting for a call back to go over everything in more detail. How do they determine that a charge is suspicious? Is it because there are a bunch of them at once? Maybe I just went on a shopping spree. Is it because the places aren’t in my area? You can order things online obviously, or travel. At this point, I know of some charges from PayPal, Perry Ellis, and Google. It’s not like they’re fake names, so I wouldn’t think any of them would appear to be suspicious right away. Yet they did call me right away because the charges were just made yesterday and today. I guess they’ll just stop payment on the charges and give me a new account number. It’s good to know they catch things like this right away, and I don’t have to notice it later and then fight to prove that whatever purchase wasn’t mine. I know people who have had to do that and it sucks.

I’ve been looking at bikes again. With the gorgeous weather we’ve been having lately, there’s been tons of them out. Also my one friend and her boyfriend just got some (Ninja 250s). I have to buy a car this summer but I’m thinking I’ll get a bike next summer. I’ve been looking at the Vulcan 500 for a starter. I wouldn’t outgrow it quite as fast as a 250. I’ll probably break down and actually pay for the Basic Rider Course too since the free ones are so hard to get into.

As for the car, I’m most likely just getting another Corolla (except not 16 years old). Nothing exciting there. I like how they last forever though. Great mileage too.

I saw Spamalot at the Academy of Music tonight. My friend’s family all got tickets for Christmas: her parents, her brother and his fiance, and she and her boyfriend. She’s since broken up with the boyfriend so I got his ticket. Spamalot is basically pieces of the Holy Grail with some other scenes thrown in. At the end, the grail is found in a seat in the audience. Seat D101. I was in seat DD101 so I thought, damn they’re going past me. But Patsy came down off the stage and stopped at me. And pulled the grail from my seat. And then pulled me up on stage. King Arthur asked me my name, and then they gave me an award: a little trophy of the big foot that says “Best Peasant.” Then they started going on about the great people of Philadelphia – Ben Franklin, Rocky Balboa, and now me. Then they all started singing my name. It was hilarious. They also took a polaroid for me.

At the end, people kept coming up to me and asking if it was staged, did I know, was I sitting on the grail the whole time. Haha, no, the grail was in his sleeve. I would have noticed if I was sitting on that for 2 hours.

Best. Night. Ever.

Sometimes I go to my parents’ house right before my little sisters get home from school, then turn on music really loud and make them dance with me as soon as they get home. The 12 year old enjoys rolling her eyes and sighing and standing there not moving as I move her arms and hips for her. Then as soon as I stop she says “Krissy, don’t you want to make me dance?” Haha, what a brat. The 16 year old is usually up for it, but she is a teenager so sometimes I have to make her come out of her room to have fun too. Is this weird? I told my roommate what I was going home to do and she didn’t get it, I’m assuming because she doesn’t have sisters.

I slipped on the ice yesterday, fell and sprained my elbow. The left one, of course. In case you don’t know, I have fallen and broken my left arm twice before. So this makes two and a half? The bone isn’t broken, just the ligaments. I actually fell mostly on my right side because I’m bruised all over there. I have no idea how my left elbow got involved. Just to make it more ridiculous I guess.

I am now also a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding out in San Diego this October.