Debate Days... part 1

CSU Fullerton…

New Year’s Eve
The trip started out well, D1 came over early, since he missed the last flight and nationals last time I bought a ticket, this is an improvement…. Then D2 called, he was going to be late and would meet us at the airport – which he did, 15 minutes late --- of course, being the travel pro I am, this wasn’t a problem.

Then we checked in – and found out that our Denver flight was delayed enough to cause us to miss our LA connection, so we’d have to go to Chicago first and then to LA – the fun begins.

Next I, along with D1 and D2 got “selected” at security—i.e. we got the pat down and bag search routine. Hubby didn’t---- hmmmm. Probably because his ticket was purchased separately… Of course, I thought it was racial profiling of Scandinavians…

Now we are at the gate, I sent Hubby, D1 and D2 off to ”find food” figuring that food in Chicago wasn’t going to happen – we have only about 20 minutes between flights and on New Year’s Eve, things probably won’t be open. I need to be more specific, as they came back with coffee and muffins.

I hope the Rental Car place(s) – I have two reservations, will still be open and have a car for us when we get t here. Good thing we get to go tonight, as it is too late to cancel our night at the hotel.

More later--- as Hubby does the “Airline” narrator voice--- the fun is just beginning…

Later ---

It turns out incompetence prevented UAL from getting us on the way to Chicago on time either… To catch our connection to LA we had to run between concourses in O’Hare --- going from B to C involves going under the taxi-way on a moving sidewalk etc… We should have had over an hour, we had more like 10 minutes.

We get on the plane to find a set of musical chairs in progress --- Jason and I join in and pretty much refused to move… and it all worked out.

When we got to LA, the luggage was another hassle and back-and-forth… it was kind of a cat-and-mouse game between carousel 1 and 3... aargh..

The bus to the car lot was the only thing that worked well for us… we got to our PT cruiser and were off…. (pretty different than the mini-vans and Explorers we usually drive..). Those things are small -- the four of us barely fit with our luggage.

Finally, about 3:15 AM West Coast time we hit the hotel…. To see the ends of many a New Year’s Eve celebration (lots of black folks… maybe a black CSU Fullerton fraternity/sorority reunion??). I couldn’t stay up the final 45 minutes to keep me awake for 24 hours----


New Year’s Day… leave it to me to start the New Year on a debate trip.

Met D1 & D2 about noon and went to the beach… have GREAT photos of both of them as they first step into the ocean. They are the 2nd and 3rd debaters I've introduced to the Pacific... being from central snowy states, it is kind of common that college students won't have seen the Pacific by the time they get to be decent debaters.

It was an all around fun day, as we saw sets from TV shows etc… wherever we went. – We had lunch in Orange County (wow--- way too much money there, which is another post all together) and ended up on an evening tour of Beverly Hills --- Rodeo drive etc… then dinner and now Hubby, D1 and D2 are working on cases for tomorrow – I’m supposed to be putting my swollen feet up..

D1 and D2 have discovered the following so far in Cali…
“The Pacific Ocean is really salty” and “Palm trees don’t exist” --- both of them find palm trees “creepy”.

Yea… it is fun to travel with them sometimes – I hope Missouri, Nebraska and Oregon are as good to us.

I’m kind of worried, as the tournament smells of fiasco – but, we’ll see. If it doesn’t work out, we won’t come back.... and we often do well at tournaments that smell of fiasco, so it may be good for us in the end.

I’m glad we aren’t planning to go to the Bloodbath on the Beach this year – I’d rather have this fiasco than that one.

More later--- as the tournaments go -- wish us luck, BNCC would like to kick some Cali debate ass!

ps... the hotel is really nice, but the toilet is scary -- it is one of those low water ones with some kind of air-assist flush... hubby and I are both scared of being sucked in...