Virb

after my show in LA last weekend (which went beautifully, and huge thanks to all who supported and came out!), i went on a last-minute trip for a week to leelanau county in northern michigan, one of the most beautiful places in the country to spend time, in my humble opinion...

the journey there, however, was an unexpected ordeal... here's a recap:

8:30 pm sunday: leave LA in car, SF-bound, slightly tequila'd & sun-dazed.
11:30 pm sunday: encounter standstill traffic. signs declare construction next 38 miles. tequila wore off long ago.
2 am monday: finally free of most mindnumbing traffic jam ever.
2:15 am monday: somehow accidentally get turned around while trying to pull over so we can switch drivers. headed back to LA (and traffic jam from hell!).
2:16 am monday: cut across divide and resume travel toward SF.
4 am monday: am dropped off at SFO airport, no stop-off at home.
9 am monday: my flight is delayed 1/2 hour, the same amt. of time as my layover to catch next flight. am reassured i won't miss connection because it's the same plane.
11 am monday: arrive in las vegas. am informed next flight is cancelled due to chicago thunderstorms. briefly wish i'd stayed in SF.
12 pm monday: finally rebook flight after standing in line/holding on cell phone for an hour. new flight leaves at midnight.
*kill time in vegas airport for 12 hours here*
12 am tuesday: board plane/depart for chicago.
5 am tuesday (note 2-hour timezone shift forward - flight time actually only ~3 hrs): wake up in sky surrounded by lightning storms.
7 am tuesday: final leg of flight is delayed 1 hour.
8 am tuesday: flight delayed 2 more hours.
10 am tuesday: flight continuously pushed back 10 minutes, 10 minutes, 10 minutes....
1 pm tuesday (note additional 1-hr timezone shift forward): plane touches down in traverse city, michigan.
1:01 pm tuesday: plane inexplicably required to wait on tarmac. have i mentioned i'm claustrophobic?
1:30 pm tuesday: no one is there to meet me.
1:45 pm tuesday: family pulls up in car (they were getting me food). i finally break down and begin crying (i never cry).

/hell

it's also worth noting... i was only able to properly catnap when i was at SFO, and when in flight; all seating at both vegas and chicago airports have a metal armrest between each seat. terrible, terrible idea...

thank goodness i'm 100% carry-on, is all i can say.
also thank goodness i had an amazing week in michigan and it was worth it.
back home in SF again now.