wahoo...I'm in Atlanta!
Its hot, muggy and crowded here.  So many people in a small amount of space.
And nobody here knows how to drive.

So the week is starting off on the wrong foot.
I get to the hotel and check in.  My room is supposed to already be paid for and all set.
It's not.  She doesn't show any paperwork from my company anywhere.  O.k.  no problem.  I'll just have the office fax everything over in the morning.  nope...she cant let me check in without any kind payment.  sure.  i can understand that.  call my boss.  voice mail.  o.k....understandable..its the weekend, people have lives.  so she tells me that she can take my card and imprint it for the night.  fine.  and all she has is a smoking room left.  most of you know, i have vicious allergies and so that really sets off some alarms for me.  so my company has booked me in a smoking room...well the room checks out o.k.  no strong smells.  she cant offer me anything else cause the hotel is booked.  i can roll with that.
so i'm off to eat.  stop at someplace called "Houlihans".  Order the steak and shrimp.  I'm low carbing and its the only thing i can eat on the menu.  The food shows up..i'm munchin away, head in the clouds, still kinda angry about the hotel thing..but hey..things happen for a reason...so we'll see how this pans out.  I finish eating and realize...I didnt get the shrimp.  They charged me for it..but didnt deliver.  Awesome.  So the waitress goes back to the kitchen and starts screaming at the cook.  I felt kinda bad for her.  The place was empty, btw.  which is odd for Sunday at 6 p.m.  But it was close to the hotel.
So I'm off to walmarts (again...right down the road).  Need to pick up some water bottles and low-carb friendly snacks for the hotel room.
Get in line to pay for stuff.  My card is declined.
AWESOME!
see..the card i took is a mastercard debit for an account that we just opened.  I threw $1000 into that account just for this trip..figuring..no way am i gonna use it, but we'll be on the safe side.
I had to rent a car because the train going back to the airport wouldn't have got me back to the gates in time for my flight out.  And theres nothing within walking distance of the hotel for food and supplies.  I didn't want to have to use the shuttle in the morning to get to class, have to call for a ride back...call again to go eat and then call again to get picked up.  Thats a bit ridiculous, even if its a "complimentary service".
so anyway...back to the card...
so the car set my card back $300.  so why is my card declining?  because the girl at the front desk has cleared the entire week (or put a hold) against my card. so strike another 700 off of the card.
so here i am on the other side of the country, with no money.
but all is not lost.  I can call the bank and work something out.  Hopefully my company can actually pay for the room, now that I'm sleeping in it.  It wont help my card tho.  Its been my experience that when hotels remove the hold (or refund), it typically takes a few days.
so the trip is on a bumpy road.  but i'm still excited.  I have so much that i want to know by the end of the week.  I'm not gonna let these setbacks weigh me down.

those of you that know me...know that I've certainly been thru worse.