Michigan and Murphy's Law

What a day. I am in Ann Arbor today for an interview at the University of Michigan. I should be more excited, but I am way too tired to feel anything right now. Why, you ask?

Well, it began at 4 AM this morning, when I awoke and started to get ready for an early morning flight. I returned from the bathroom and found a missed call from Delta airlines. I called them back twice. Both times, I was greeted by an automated message, then the call was dropped. Twice. I waited ten minutes, and Delta called back. This was the monotone, automated message:

"This is Delta airlines. This message is about your current reservation. Your flight has been (long pause): CANCELED."

I was in complete shock. It was only 4:20 AM and my day already seemed like it was ruined. My first thought was, How am I going to get to Michigan? Followed by: How am I going to get my money back. Which was then followed by: Why did I bother booking Delta?

I called the airline again, this time posing as a Skymiles member. This time, I was able to speak to a Delta representative, who then informed me that my flight was not canceled, but the flight number had changed. Apparently, Delta thinks its Skymiles members are the only customers important enough to have the privilege of speaking to a real representative on the phone...

I drove to the airport while my brother slept in the passenger seat, only to be greeting by snow and rain the whole way. Then I got to the airport, and found out that my gate had changed, and that the flight arrival time had also changed. I booked a shuttle earlier that week to pick me up at the airport, and then had to call the shuttle to inform them of the time change.

On the flight, I tried to get some sleep. I usually can fall asleep almost immediately on airplanes, but I couldn't this morning. Two girls behind me decided to talk about their love lives in squeaky, high pitched voices the whole flight. I ended up falling asleep to my iPod in one hour increments. Did I mention that I woke up several times last night? I fell asleep at 10:30, and woke up at 11:45, 2:45, and 3:45 am.

I arrived in Michigan (finally) in one piece, checked into the airport, and then attended a toxicology symposium. It was actually really interesting - someone used the phrase "xenoestrogenic disruptors" and I wasn't sure if I should be happy or slightly disgusted that I knew what she was talking about.

So, other than the extreme sleep deprivation, things have been good. I hope tomorrow is less eventful than today.