I thought I’d drop a post before I disappeared again, but I doubt at the rate I’ve been (not) blogging, that anyone would notice.

Anywho, I just checked in online for my flight tomorrow morning. I’ve got a 9am flight to Nashville, Tennessee! I’ve never been there before, so I’m very looking forward to exploring the, uh, Nashville airport for 70 minutes before my next flight takes off again from there. I hope that’s enough time to collect my free drink from Bat, who had so much faith in his beloved Tennessee Vols that when UCLA went over there to play a few weeks ago, he bet against my alma mater. He’s man enough to make good on his loss at this rare and earliest of opportunities, even if it means driving to the airport and throwing a drink at me across an airport bar before I have to take off running to catch my flight to…

…sunny Orlando, Florida! Helloooo, Jordan! She’ll pick me up when I land at 7pm (or as soon thereafter as likely for lovely Jordanabanana) and we’re going to meet up with “everybody” for dinner and drinks at 8p. “Everybody” is defined as Flat Coke & Flies, Jordan’s friends Darryl and Darren, and a few new significant others I have yet to meet. Everyone except Darren would be coming from a fun day of Universal Studios, and Darren is coming because he ALSO lost the same bet to me, calling a win for the Vols over the Bruins, and he now owes me my second free drink thanks to that game.

Saturday will be spent at Clearwater Beach with Jordan, Flat Coke, and their respective significant others (I’m stagette). I’d been there before with Jordan and James, it’s Jordan’s favorite beach. The last time I was there, I’d texted Flat Coke & Flies and asked for a restaurant recommendation. She insisted on Cooters, a casual seafood restaurant a short walk from the shore, and James and I fell in love. With the FOOD, I mean. Grouper cheeks…amazing! Raw oysters…a dozen for less than $10! I’m used to half a dozen for $15 or so.

Then Sunday, I’m flying out of Tampa Bay airport (which Flat Coke generously offered to drive me to, so I will compensate her with alcohol when I see her) to…Denver, Colorado! Woohooo! The last time I was there was for a scuba diving tradeshow. I was in college, working for Ocean Master, did the show all weekend before midterms, and had scheduled the flight to make it back in time for an evening and overnight cram for my two midterm exams the next day. I also had an essay due the next afternoon. Construction on Denver International Airport had only recently been completed, and the airport now bragged that its technological advancements would allow planes to take off even in a snowstorm. Turned out that planes still couldn’t LAND there in a snowstorm, and since that Sunday delivered the first snowstorm of the year, I was stranded at the airport overnight. If planes couldn’t land there, there weren’t enough planes to take off from there. My study material were in my checked in luggage and gone. Needless to say I didn’t perform well in a couple of exams and the essay situation was a nightmare that I still cringe over when I think back to it. But I’m sure THIS Denver stay would be different. THIS Denver stay is during hot weather AND only 40 minutes long, which gives me 10 minutes between arriving and subsequent boarding to get off the arriving plane and run to the departing plane’s gate. And then it’s HELLO, John Wayne Airport and Hello, Hubby at 8:45p. Bedtime before having to get up for work the next morning.

I’d like to thank my flight sponsor, Christi, for making this weekend possible!