so it goes

I was nice to myself this time: I scheduled my flights for two days before I had to go back to work. Plenty of time to get home, get some milk, relax, pack a little, and get some hours of work in on Sunday. 

Oh, the best-laid plans. 

We got to the airport ahead of the weather problems - we saw one rollover crash on the highway, but the vehicle occupants were walking away from it. 

By the time my flight to The Windy City was three hours delayed, I knew I wouldn't make it to Gone West. The last flight of the day out of TWC had already been cancelled, and I'd missed the earlier one.

"My advice is just to get to TWC," the agent said. "They'll prioritize the bigger flights out of a hub over the littler ones from places like this."

He didn't seem the most competent, though, and I wanted to fly out of the Mitten to avoid having my parents drive me so far, so I spent the entire drive home on hold with United. 

They never answered. 

Neither did they answer after I bought a train ticket to TWC, only to get an email that my flight was cancelled. 

Nor did they answer after I cancelled the train ticket and got an email rebooking me from TWC to Gone West... On Wednesday. At a time that was too early to take the train. 

No one here has six hours to drive me to TWC on Wednesday, and taking the train and then trying to figure out staying somewhere and then getting to the airport in the morning was not happening.

I finally hung up the phone at 3 am. At 9 am, I half-woke up, dialed again, and dozed next to my phone as it continued the horrible five note repeat that is United's hold music. 

I listened to 17 hours of that hold music between last night and tonight, and it's still ringing in my head. 

And I'm still flying out of Chicago on Wednesday. Later on Wednesday, yes, but still on Wednesday. 

Which cuts my finish work, pack, move time in State of Happiness to two weeks.

I'm just trying to ignore the rising feeling of panic and enjoy hours of catching up on Downton Abbey  with breaks to shovel the five inches of snow that accumulated between my dad shoveling the driveway in the morning and us ladies getting out there at 4 pm.