California Girl

LAST NIGHT

9:00 PM: I get out of class, start the 20 mile drive home with J
9:05 PM: Feel paranoid, check purse
9:06 PM: Item X is still in purse, breathe a sigh of relief
9:30 PM: We both realize we haven't eaten since noon, and we're starving
9:31 PM: We decide that all food at home sucks, and we need to get takeout
9:45 PM: All our favorite takeout places closed at 9:00. I pout.
10:00 PM: We roll up to Wendy's drive through
10:30 PM: After gorging myself on a burger, fries, and a Frosty, I realize that A: I haven't packed yet, and B: I have to get up at 3:00 in the morning to make my flight.
11:00 PM: Finish packing, try to keep Arcadia from seeing my suitcases so she doesn't flip out and pee on the couch again.
11:05 PM: Feel paranoid, check purse
11:06 PM: Item X is still in purse, breathe a sigh of relief.
11:30 PM: Finally get into bed, fall asleep

THIS MORNING

3:00 AM: Alarm goes off
3:01 AM: Hit snooze on alarm
3:09 AM: Alarm goes off
3:10 AM: Hit snooze on alarm again
3:19 AM: Alarm goes off, J starts groaning that it's too early to wake up, and I crawl out of bed
3:30 AM: J finishes getting ready, I'm still drying my hair.
3:31 AM: J curls up on the futon for a little nap before we leave
3:50 AM: I have to wake J up because he really did fall asleep. This doesn't bode well for the 2-hour round trip drive he's making to the airport.
3:51 AM: Feel paranoid, check purse
3:52 AM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief
3:55 AM: J keeps Arcadia in the other room so she can't see me wheel my suitcase to the door. I do NOT want to come home to a pee couch.
4:00 AM: We hit the road.
4:30 AM: Gee, that Wendy's from last night really isn't sitting well. Swear off Wendy's for at least another year.
5:00 AM: Arrive at airport, kiss goodbye, and I remind J not to fall asleep at the wheel. He agrees, but his eyes are kind of glazed over.
5:05 AM: Feel paranoid, check purse
5:06 AM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief
5:30 AM: Get through security, see that only place with food in the entire terminal is a Dunkin' Donuts with a 50-person deep line.
5:31 AM: Get in Dunkin' Donuts line with the rest of the tired, tired people who are on my flight
5:59 AM: Finally get my donuts and make it to the gate just in time to hear my row being called
6:05 AM: Shit, I'm in a middle seat.
6:15 AM: Double shit, the guy next to me wants to be chatty. I CANNOT MAKE SMALL TALK ON LESS THAN FOUR HOURS OF SLEEP, BUDDY.
6:20 AM: Takeoff
6:25 AM: Feel paranoid, check purse
6:36 AM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief
6:45 AM: I stick my iPod earbuds in my ears in a desperate attempt to let the guy next to me know that I'm not in the mood for conversation with a stranger.
6:50 AM: Hmmm... Seems to be working
7:00 AM: Even though JetBlue is awesome and has DirectTV on all its flights, there's still nothing to watch
7:05 AM: Start reading new book
7:10 AM: Feel paranoid, check purse
7:11 AM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief
9:15 AM: Finish new book. Two hours of entertainment for $17. Not worth it, IMHO.
6:20 AM: Realize that I should set my watch back three hours to account for the time zone change, and actually groan when I realize we're only halfway through the flight.
6:25 AM: Feel paranoid, check purse
6:26 AM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief
8:45 AM: Guy next to me decides to be chatty again (even though I'm clearly listening to music) and then tries to sell me a used car. Turns out he works for a dealership and can get me a "killer deal" on a used Mitsubishi. Thanks, but no thanks.
9:00 AM: Land in Oakland. Thank God!
10:00 AM: Arrive at hotel
10:05 AM: Feel paranoid, check purse
10:06 AM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief
11:30 AM: Starving, go in search of food and discover that there aren't any places within walking distance of my hotel except (wait for it) Wendy's. Curse luck.
11:45 AM: Hotel has shuttle! Go to Sports Bar and feel like an idiot for sitting alone with a book while other people are having parties and business lunches.
12:15 PM: Get back to hotel, start this entry
1:45 PM: Still working on this damn entry, and getting sleepy
1:46 PM: Feel paranoid, check purse
1:47 PM: Item X is still in purse, breathe sigh of relief.

That's been my day so far. This entry is To Be Continued tomorrow, when you can read all about my exciting night with local elected officials, what the hell "Item X" is, and why I've been so paranoid about it for the last 48 hours.