What a week!

I'm so looking forward to the weekend!

Some of you might know I went to a research conference in LA last week (which went really well, by the way - no one told me my poster was stupid! ). So from Wednesday to Saturday it was talks back to back for most of the whole day.

Sunday we leave the airport at 10 am LA time (noon Texas time). The flight was supposed to be just over 2 and a half hours long. Just when we were about at Dallas, the pilot tells us that the weather is so bad there, that we're going to make a pitstop in Lubbock, TX, get gas, then wait for the weather to clear up.

So we land in Lubbock, and can't get off the plane. The pilot gets on and tells us that it should be clear now, we just have to wait for gas. An hour later (!) he tells us that the gas truck has finally gotten there, and we're taking off soon.

Its another hour to Dallas, and then we sit on the runway for an hour and a half waiting for planes to get out of our gate. By this point in time, its almost 6 in the evening, and we've been on the same plane for about six hours! I was ready for any sort of change in scenery! I should also say I'd had a muffin to eat since breakfast, since planes unfortunately no longer provide food.

So we finally get to Dallas, knowing we had missed our scheduled flight to College Station, but also knowing that one of the girls in the other lab we went to the conference with had an evening flight that we might be able to make. So we go to her gate, look for her, and find her. She tells us that one of the other girls, who had left campus at 4:30 in the morning LA time to catch a flight at 6:50 am and be home in CS by 2, was STILL at the airport!

Apparently Dallas canceled two flights already from DFW to College Station that evening. The lady at the desk was quite rude (apparently she'd already had a really bad, really long day, so in retrospect I can't really blame her) but we figured we wouldn't get a ride on that plane either.

I called my little brother, who goes to school in the Dallas area, and he agreed to drive us to College Station that evening (my hero!! ) so that we wouldn't have to spend the night, and we decided to wait around to make sure that the last girl didn't get stranded in Dallas too. Good thing, cause they canceled the last flight too at around 9pm, and not for weather problems.

So we finally all got in to CS at 1 in the morning, and had to work the next day.

More in next post!

During this trip, my poor boys had to stay in the vet's office. For those who remember, Billy was coming down with an eye problem that I had hoped would go away, but it still looked pretty bad the Wednesday I was supposed to leave.

So off to the vet we go at 9:40 (flight's at 12:50). My vet is wonderful, but we decided he needed to be treated and 3 or 4 times a day, which I just couldn't ask my pet sitter to do. So I had to board him, then run home and board his brother too since I didn't want him to stay at home by himself for 5 days. Plus I forgot that I had to get a blood test done too, so I had to run in and do that. Barely made the flight on time.


Anyhow, I had hoped to pick up the boys on Sunday since my flight was supposed to get in at 6 and the vet closed at 6:30 on Sundays (that obviously didn't happen). So my brother and I went to pick them up in the morning before I went to work, and they cried like little babies all the way home. But they forgave me right away, which was great!

Doctor's office (human doctor) called me during a talk to tell me that I hadn't done a blood test that they didn't tell me to do so I had to cancel my appointment for Monday and get another test done that day instead. I had to reschedule to next Monday, which is pushing it since I'm leaving again on Wednesday for another trip!


Annnnnnd to top all of this off, my lab has a big grant application due on the 12th, so I have to work work work to try and get data for it!

I can't waaaittt for my vacation starting on the 11th!

OMG I'm tired just reading all that...Bless your heart...I'm glad you are home with the boys now...How is Billy's eye?

His eye is looking pretty good now, maybe just a touch of pink around it. He's taking his medicine like a champ though, he's not even fighting it. (I think its because he likes the extra attention from me. )

The vet wants me to finish out the tube of medication, so with any luck it will be done before I leave again!

ok so when was the wild, party in LA

That makes me feel lazy!! Glad you made it home safe. Hope your next trip is a little less tiring!

lol No wild parties for us...though it was more fun than you'd think for a research convention. After all, we did get a photoshopped "video" of the founder of the field and several Nobel prize winners singing the Numa Numa song, as there was alcohol provided for the evenings.

And I hope my next trip isn't that eventful as well! We'll see - I'm leaving Wednesday to go to the Philippines and Hong Kong!

Originally Posted by Sandtigress

And I hope my next trip isn't that eventful as well! We'll see - I'm leaving Wednesday to go to the Philippines and Hong Kong!

Click to expand...

hmm hong kong? shoppiing trip? sounds fun, hope you enjoy it
i have never been to the philippines yet

Oh, I will! The Philippines are beautiful - we'll be there during rainy season, but its still wonderful. And definitely shopping in HK! Finally, shopping in a place where other people are my size (I'm Asian, 5' nothing!) But even better, I can see my grandfather.

Mom's Filipino, Dad's from HK, and its their 25th wedding anniversary, hence the big trip. I'm looking forward to it - I can't get away from the lab unless I'm at least out of town, so out of the country will be great!

Wow! Sounds like the flight back was a pain in the you know what!

Glad you mad it back ok and that the kits were happy to see you.

Hopefully you next flight is better.

Congrats on the great conference - glad your poster went over well.

Thanks - I ended up in the first group presenting their posters, so at least no one else had gone before me to show me up. It actually ended up pretty well - most of the people who came up to mine didn't know a thing about my field, so I could just say everything simply. And the people who were in my area had good questions that I could actually answer!


Oh, I forgot to mention that our luggage didn't come in until Tuesday night (we got back on Sunday)! But at least the airline gave us a refund on the canceled flight.