Conquering Madison

It makes for a long day when a person rises at 4:30am!  Rousing myself out of bed, the shower called while my Michael made me a steaming cup of coffee.  Staying at his house last night shaved an hour off of my commute to the airport, which was greatly appreciated this morning.  

Checking in at the Delta counter after being dropped off, my trip turned out to be surprisingly smooth.  The security line went quickly, although, after removing my belt, the female transit guard had to run her hand around my waistband to ensure nothing was being smuggled.  At least she didn't "pinch an inch" during her inspection!  Passing that test, my first stop was to obtain my seating assignment (39!) before making my way to a close Travel Mart to grab another cup of Joe. 

When they gave me 39, they meant 39 - the last row on the plane.  To top it off, my assignment was the middle seat....ugh!  At least I wasn't missing out on a window seat because, due to it being the last row, there was no window to be found; if I craned my neck there was a slim sliver of sky available as my view.  To top it off, Mr. Balding sitting in the seat in front of me immediately cranked his seat back at the same time I was digging in my carry on to find my new Allure magazine. Bonk!  Right on the top of my forehead!

Thankfully the flight was smooth.  Trying to read was out of the question due to my sleepy eyes dropping, dropping, dropping and gone.  In between napping I chewed on a few peanuts along with an orange juice/Sprite mixer, courtesy of Delta. 

The one thing about being in the back row was the view I was given of everyone going to the bathroom.  Some travelers should have been given frequent flyer mileage based upon the number of times they popped into the airborne john. 

After three hours (or was it four - the time change confused me), I departed the plane in order to make my connection in Minneapolis.  Awww, Minneapolis...home of the Mall of America.  Alas, it was not my destiny.  Normally when I have a connecting flight, my off boarding plane arrives at Gate A7 with my departing flight leaving from two hundred gates away.  Leaving the plane, I was amazed to see my arriving flight was Gate F10 with my connecting flight at Gate F13.  Yippee!  I had time to use the restroom before shuffling back onto the flight bound for Madison, Wisconsin.

My connecting flight once again involved a seat toward the end of the plane, squeezed smack dab in the middle of two passengers.  Ugh.  At least the final leg was only about an hour. 

Arriving in Madison, I made my way to baggage claim, where I met up with Jen, the gal I will be training.  We picked up the rental car, then I followed her through the scenic route, which included the capital building, to the hotel.  After checking in, we parted ways.  Entering my room, I was happy to see there was a fridge, coffee pot, microwave and stove top available for my use.  After putting my things away, I drove over to the local grocery store to grab some staples for my stay - coffee, creamer, and vegetables since I can't seem to go a week without my beloved veggie sandwich.  After picking up a Panera panini for lunch/dinner, it was back to my room once again.

After a satisfying sandwich, it was too early to simply hang out in my room so, directions in hand, back to the car I went.  I decided it would be best to find my way to my local office so I wouldn't be flustered in the morning.  Aside from an on-ramp detour, it was easy-peasy to find my way to the freeway with a hop-skip-and-jump to my destination.  Returning to my hotel locale, I cruised down the main road to see what was in the neighborhood.  Walgreens.  Pizza Hut.  Longhorn Restaurant.  Not too much so it's a good thing directions to the nearest mall came along with me for this trip.  I'll venture toward that tomorrow after work.

Arriving back at the hotel, I'm now relaxing for the evening.  And coming to grips with the two-hour time difference.  Perhaps watching Cupcake Wars will lull me to sleep.  Although Mad Men is on tonight, staying up too late may mess with my two-hour earlier waking time.  Here's to a peaceful sleep!!!

View from my room!