I MUST Love This Game

Commissioner David Stern...if you are reading this...no one loves this game more than I do. For months I have been so hyped about going to Las Vegas for NBA All-Star weekend. And with one snow storm my dreams were about to be snowed under.

The original plan was to fly out to Vegas on Valentine's Day to get there before the crowds and celebrate loving me on the day of love. Thanks to the snow storm that hit NYC on V-day eve my plans were blown to hell.

Valentine's morning I was checking the status of my flight online every 10 minutes. My flight was at 12:29 and I held out until 11:00am before I finally left for the airport. Just as I pulled up to Laguardia my cell phone rings. It's an automated message from American telling me my flight was cancelled. Why didn't they call me 30 minutes ago? I could have stayed home and been on the internet and the phone figuring out how to fix my travel plans.

I stayed at the airport for 3 more hours trying to figure out how to get out on a flight that day or the next day. Everything was a bust. No flights available until Saturday night. The airline refunded my ticket and the hotel I was staying at refunded my one night stay. I sadly took the bus home, because the cab line was too long at the airport and I was ready to unpack and go back to my daily grind.

But thanks to my indescribable office spouse, he would not let me give up. There just has to be a way.

He was able to catch a flight out of Newark on Continental to Los Angeles and was going to drive with his boys to Vegas. He told me if I could get to LA I could ride with his boys to Vegas. So there was still hope.

I got home at 3pm and was on the phone and the internet for 4 hours trying to figure out how to get to L.A. or Las Vegas. Around 7:30pm a solution finally came and my Vegas adventure was about to begin. Get to Las Vegas or die trying...lol...well not die but try my hardest.

I caught a 10pm Amtrak train to BWI airport. I got to the airport around 1am and had to sleep on a bench in the airport. Luckily I brought my neck pillow with me and there were other stranded passengers in the airport so the airline gave us sodas, snacks, pillows and blankets (the skinny airline kind). By 5am I was in line and checking my bag on Southwest to LAX. My flight was supposed to leave at 9:30am with a layover in Phoenix and I would land in LA at 2:45pm. Due to flight delays I got bumped to an earlier non-stop flight that was departing at 9am. I was supposed to land in LA at 12 noon but actually landed at 11:30am. So things were starting to look up.

I caught a shuttle to the apartment of my office spouse's friend in Pasadena. Of course the office spouse (and everyone else) thinks I'm crazy on the regular but even more crazy for travelling by plane, train and automobile to get to Vegas. I had been on the go since 7:30am on Wednesday morning and it was now 1:30 Thursday afternoon or 4:30 for y'all east coast folks. The office spouse said it was time for me to chill and relax after all I went through. So we went and got some lunch and sat outside and enjoyed the weather. Eating lunch outside, in the sun, in the middle of February. ONLY on the west coast. After lunch I took a shower, handled some business on the internet and took a nap. My journey was almost complete.

By about 11:30pm (2:30am EST) we were on the road to Vegas. I arrived at the casino I was staying at about 4am and that is when the real adventure began.

I think this blog is long enough so you'll have to wait for part two. But I gotta close with some thank you's and shout outs.

Commissioner Stern - after reading my adventure if this does not prove that I love this game I don't know what else does. For my effort I should get tickets to all the NBA All-Star festivities in New Orleans next year.

Office Spouse - What would I do without you? This weekend would have never been able to go down without you.

MC - thanks for letting me crash on the Wash U couch and for letting me get comfortable in your crib like it was my own home.

Story - Next time you are on the right coast I promise to take you anywhere you want to go.

All the people I met on the train, in the airports, on the planes - thanks for adding to the adventure. Everyone has a story to tell and y'all each added to mine (although too many side tales to add to this blog).