Return from Appalachia

I am back in Alabama. West Virginia was a great time. I will write more later. Today is a wash and I need to take some Excedrin and call it.

Today was easily one of the crappiest days in recent memory. I woke up, had some breakfast at the hotel, showered and packed up my stuff. Right as I was leaving, I began to feel kind of queasy. I dropped off the rental car, and on the ride back to the airport IT really hit me. I don't know what IT was, but I have been dealing with IT all day. I checked in, wobbled through security (behind two people who have clearly not flown in this post-9/11 world) and then ran into the nearest bathroom I could find. Barfed, got all clammy and lightheaded. Cleaned up, found my gate. Sat down. Got sick again. Rinse and repeat. My flight out of Charleston was an hour delayed, which was probably a blessing in disguise. I've never puked on an airplane, and I never want to. Airport bathrooms are bad enough but I'd rather keep it on the ground, kthx.

Usually throwing up helps me feel better. Not this time. I was a sweaty, clammy girl on the airplane which SUCKED. For once, I was grateful to have an aisle seat. Fortunately, I didn't need it... I just kept my eyes closed and breathed deeply and deliberately. We sat at the gate forever because there were weight and balance issues with the airplane. Normally, I would have been slightly nervous about that. Today, I could not have cared less.

Because of the delay, I only had 20 minutes to change planes in Atlanta. Which means Queasy McGhee had to RUN to another terminal, and then RUN to a distant gate only to make it on to the airplane with a couple minutes to spare. Again I had an aisle seat, so that was good (or so I thought). Now, I am not exactly svelte... but I fit into an airplane seat. The person next to me, however, did not. I felt horrible feeling annoyed by this, but I think it's because I was not feeling well and my patience was worn thin. Because my neighbor was spilling over onto me, I was spilling out into the aisle. Because of this, my little overhead fan was not hitting me and I was burning up. So, I spent the flight from Atlanta to Birmingham doubled over with my chin in my hand like The Thinker, praying to make it without barfing or fainting. I was able to nod off a couple times, only to be slammed into by someone walking down the aisle. Oh, and did I mention the turbulence?

Finally, I land in Birmingham only to wait at baggage claim in vain... my bag is lost. I have no idea where it is. I head back to Montgomery. Normally I would be angry as Hell, but I am so resigned right now. My roof could cave in and I would probably start laughing hysterically.

Despite today being Lousyville (not to be mistaken with Louisville), I have a lot of good things to write about. I was VERY impressed with Charleston, and took a lot of photos which I will post in the next few days. There were some things I didn't like about the city, but that's going to be anywhere. Still, I'll be making a list of pluses and minuses when I evaluate the transfer offer. Charleston is a beautiful town with a lot to offer for its small size. So, yes, more on that when I don't feel like a dying slug. Because I want to do justice to all the fabulous things going on in my life right now that have me so very happy and excited for the future.