Airport Hijinks

So the plan, as of 7:00 AM this morning, was that I would fly from Memphis to Newark to Paris CDG over the course of 12 hours or so. Mom and I had driven up to Memphis and stayed at the Drury Inn, which puts out quite a tasty spread of hot appetizers and cold drinks every evening at 5:30 PM for FREE, so guys, if you're looking for a cheap but classy establishment to take a date to, that's my suggestion.* We watched the Weather Channel for a while and hoped that the horrible weather swinging through Oklahoma and Arkansas would miss Memphis and went to bed.

Clearly I wouldn't be writing this if I had gotten out on time. Actually, if I had gotten out on time, I wouldn't even be on the internet--I would be enjoying an in-flight cheesy romantic comedy with the volume as loud as possible to drown out the Danish guy next to me scarfing down his dinner and the women behind me talking in French about how lucky they are that Americans never learn another language so they can talk about them behind their backs. You'd be surprised how often this happens, in all seriousness. I've called several Frenchies out in their own language.

Anywho, flight is canceled due to what the perky ladies on Weather Channel refer to as the "Winter Triple Threat!" sweeping across the mid-South, I call Continental to rearrange, find out ALL flights out of Memphis are canceled but there is a later flight out of Jackson. I took it, we threw our stuff in the car, and hightailed it out of there. Halfway there, I pulled out mom's iPhone to check the status of the Jackson flight (I bet you know how this is going to end to...let's say it together): CANCELED.

After yet another call to Continental, and hearing the automated man say "I'm sorry, I cannot process your confirmation number, please hold while I connect you to an operator," we came to to conclusion that I was not going to be leaving the country today. As mom said, "We're working against God and against Mother Nature and neither of them want planes in the air today." I'm just really glad that I don't have to be present at UCO until Wednesday morning, so even if something happens tomorrow, I still have a bit of wiggle room. I figure that this could mean one of two things: that this is the worst of it, and it can only go up from here, or that this is just a sign of things to come. I really, really hope it's the former. I'm going to be so paranoid about my credit cards and passport, just in case.

We amused ourselves at home by watching our crazy cat chase around a laser pointer, and I caught up on all the celebrity gossip I missed during this debacle. I need to see Dr. Drew about my PerezHilton addiction...but now I can read his website ~*IN FRENCH*~ so I can increase and decrease my IQ, simultaneously. And being in France, I will now have access to all of the Western European gossip rags, too. Knowing what the deposed arch-duke of Czechoslovakia wore to some artsy gallery will be right up there with reading about Lindsay Lohan's newest girlfriend's meth habit. I'm excited! Maybe Prince Harry will dress in a Medieval Crusader costume for Mardi Gras/Carnevale and offend the entire Muslim population this time around...

So, God willing, my next post will have pictures of my new room and the surrounding area. Keep your fingers crossed!

*Note: Despite my own personal opinions of the Drury Inn and its accomodations, I cannot be blamed if your date chooses to A) loudly and verbally shame you in front of the other DI patrons and B) never call you again. So take that as you will.