My East Coast Trip, or how 8th graders are hilarious

 I thought I would recap my trip to the east coast for work last week. I went to Chicago, Washington, DC and New York to help host regional receptions for alumni and newly admitted students to the law school (USC...that is where I work...Richard goes to UCLA...we are rivals)

Sunday, March 11, 2007: I arrive at the airport in plenty of time to make my flight. I dined on delicious airport food. It is still a novelty and I am happy for La Salsa. While on the flight I attempt to read a VERY exciting book called Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation. I fail miserably and watch the movie instead...Night at the museum. This was not a great movie, but satisfied my desire to veg out on the plane. A very successful flight.

Monday, March 12, 2007: I woke up at 10:00 a.m. Very nice to sleep in. I went for a run along Lake Michigan. The weather was surprisingly nice. I went out to Navy Pier with the wind with me...I felt pretty good. Then I turned around, fought the wind the whole way back. Yuck. We had the reception that night in the Chicago Athletic Club, a very old school/old money kind of place. Jackets and ties required kind of place. We had 13 our of the 19 people who RSVP'd attend. Pretty decent. I ate a lot of the cheese on the buffet. That was my favorite part. Margie and Brandon picked me up with Lilly the pug (my sister and brother-in law). We got some Subway and went to their house for an hour or so. Their house is adorable and the Realtor said that it is ready to show. Way to be a great decorator Marjorie! Too bad I forgot to get Margie a present...bad sister, I hang my head in shame.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007: Back on a plane to Washington, DC. While en route to the airport, I realize I don't have my phone.  I left it in the hotel room.  What a moron.  Oh well, what can you do. I have the hotel ship it to LA.  We arrived in DC and for lunch, I stopped by my favorite sandwich chain in DC, Potbelly's. This also is in Chicago and I recommend it. Yummy sandwiches and my favorite treat, Shelia's Dream Bars. Richard brought me back one when he went to Chicago for interviews. I thought that I would buy three, eat one myself and bring him back two. I ended up eating all three....bad wife, I AGAIN hang my head in shame. The reception that night was very nice. I had to sit in the lobby almost the entire time and let people in the building (high security, the building was a block from the White House). I talked to Sam the Security Guard the whole night.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007: Another plane to NYC. I did some work in the afternoon and then went running in Central Park. The NYC runners were out in full force and were flying past me. I am very very slow. Pasha (my coworker) and I then went to a nice restaurant for dinner. Delicious and nice to go to bed on a full stomach.

Thursday, March 15, 2007: Highlight: meeting up with Emily (my brother Karl's girlfriend) for lunch. We went to a deli near Times Square that had just HUGE sandwiches. We then ran in the rain to the Gap to get jackets because it had gotten so cold and rainy. Poor Emily's feet in her flip flops looked so cold, but nice because the week before she and Karl had gotten pedicures for her birthday! We had our reception that night at the New York Athletic Club. 35 out of 39 people came. Pretty good turnout I think. When we left the hotel, it was clear again, but by this point...everyone was talking about the storm that was supposed to hit the next day...

Friday, March 16, 2007: We were slated to leave out of JFK at 11:30. We called in the morning, our flight wasn't cancelled, so we checked out of our hotel and went to the airport. Everything seemed fine. I ate more airport food (bacon, egg and cheese croissant) Felt kind of sick from that, and got ready to board the plane.  We boarded, and then waited on the runway.  The captain said that they needed more visibility to depart.  We waited an hour and a half, and then finally, they cancelled our flight.  They were cancelling all flights out of JFK that day, so Pasha and I decided to get a hotel and figure out our next plan.  We got rooms at the lovely JFK Holiday Inn.  I spent the next 45 minutes on hold with United.  Pasha decided to call as well and gets through in 10 minutes!  What the heck!  They rebook us in the next available flight...Monday morning at 7:00 a.m.!!!  I DO NOT want to spend the next two days in the JFK Holiday Inn.  I begin looking for other options.  We decided to try to get a train down to DC and then fly out of there, because the weather isn't as bad.  We got a flight out of Dulles at 4:30p.m. on Saturday, arriving in LA at 7:15 p.m.!  YIPPPEEE!!!

Saturday, March 17, 2007:  We leave the JFK Holiday Inn at 6:00 a.m. (NYC time) and take a shuttle to JFK.  From JFK we take a cab to Penn Station.  While exiting the cab, I stepped in a huge snow/slush drift and fall down.  Clearly I am not used to the snow. We get on our train at 10:00 a.m. and enjoy the nice scenary to Washington DC.  We sat by some man who worked in the FBI.  Rusty, if you are reading this, he suggested that you start applying for jobs (post graduation jobs) now.  Just FYI.  We arrived at Union Station and split our cab with some girl who is doing the same thing (took train down from NYC to get to the east coast).  When we get in the cab, the driver says "I need to make a quick stop." The girl said, well I have a 2:45 p.m. flight (it is about 12:45 p.m.) can't it wait?  The cab driver basically goes crazy, tells us we should get another cab, etc...We tell him fine, no problem make your stop if it is that important...crazy cab driver.  When we get out he says..."Thanks for letting me stop, if I win the lottery, I'll give you some money." !?!?!?!  What the heck!  He stopped to play the lottery. 

When we arrive in the airport, I immediatly spot a tour group of pre-teens.  Yuck, I thought.  I sure pity the people who have to be on a flight with them.  Little did I know.  We make it to our gate, I eat my last batch of airport food (Yippeee!) and then I see them making their way towards our gate...the same group of pre-teens!  Man, oh man...I hope I don't have to sit by any of them!  We board the plane a little late (5:00 p.m.),. I go back to my seat and I am sitting by an 8th grader who promptly starts asking me questions, even before I sit down!  Oh the joys of 8th grade. 

This is what I learned from Nathan (aka Buddy [that is what his family calls him]) on my flight home
1.  He loves football, basketball and baseball, but football best of all
2.  USC Football sucks, UCLA is awesome
3.  Paintballing is a sport.  They have teams and professionals...and magazines.  We looked through 4 magazines for a while.  He pointed out which gear he has.  I can't remember the names of the guns he owns
4.  The girl two seats up likes him, but he doesn't like her
5.  His brother is super rich, he has his own company.  He married a girl from South Africa who isn't black (he wanted to make sure that was clarified)
6.  The couple to our right started dating on this trip.  Nathan thinks the guy is dating her because she buys him things.  She bought him a pair of shoes on the trip (sound like Sam anyone?) 
7.  He likes ATVs.  He is saving up his money for a new one.  He didn't call it an ATV, but I can't remember the exact name he used.
8.  He likes Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy, his rich brother bought him his Ipod
9.  Almost everyone in his grade has a cell phone
10.  On his 7th grade trip to Sea World, he drank the water in the whale tank and immediatly threw up.  

Clearly I learned a lot. 

All in all it was a very nice trip, and I actually did enjoy my flight home.  Mostly because I was returning to the Chard.  I missed him very much.