This is from the archives -- July 1999  Thought some of you might enjoy it. This was the FIRST "unofficial" OUCH convention - in Dave's Garage in Rochester NY - Five people were present, Elaine, Todd, Drummer, Kip and BarbaraD. This is what I went thru to get there. The others had their own stories.

Ok, go ahead and laugh -- it's funny NOW!!!

Hugs BD

"What don't kill you - makes you Stronger" lc bob

To say my excursion from Deep East Texas to Rochester NY had a "few" pitfalls is an understatement.

At 10:30 pm, the night before I was to leave at 6am the next morning, I got a call saying my flight to Dallas had been cancelled, but the nice man on the phone rescheduled my flight at a later time and I would arrive in Rochester the same time. No problem.

Got to the airport in Longview and got on the plane and everything was going according to schedule when the flight attendant came on the intercom for the blah blah blah announcements that no one listens to. Something came through to me when he said, "And your captain for this flight on the Enterprise is James T. Kirk and the first office is Mr. Spock. Please sit back and enjoy....."

Jim and Spock got us to Dallas "early". But 1/2 hour later we're still NOT to the gate - they didn't have a reserved parking place. I had an hour before my connecting flight, so no problem. The departure gate for my next flight was only a couple of gates down from my arrival gate. No problem.. Right? WRONG!

When the heck did they build a NEW terminal and change all the numbers? BUT, I made it (with the help of a nice guy and a wheelchair) just as the doors were about to close. (**NOTE: for those of you who are new to the board, I had surgery in Feb and my eyesight is messed up and I'm having to use a cane and had already asked for a wheelchair in Chicago because of that).

Got to Chicago a little late, but had the wheelchair waiting and got to the right gate with minutes to spare. Plane pushed back on time and Dave and the gang are waiting on me at the airport in Rochester. Gee this is easy.... WRONG!

3 1/2 hours later, sitting in a "hot" plane still on the runway, the pilot announces that he's just cancelled the flight. Well, this is unfortunate, but I've traveled enough that it's not the end of the world and I'll just be late getting to Rochester. BUT... before I can get off the plane (did I forget to mention that "heat" is one of my triggers)my left eye is swelling shut and "tears" are beginning to flow down that side of my face. (Am at about a 2-3 at this point).

They get the wheelchair and get me out in the terminal when I learn that 58 flights have just been cancelled and the terminal is a madhouse of chaos (HA is hitting close to a 5 at this point). The little guy pushing the wheelchair puts me in line (about 1000 back and that's no exageration). I yell "No F**** Way" and try to tell this person that this is not a smart move.

About this time, I'm becoming a BITCH (big time). Someone with the airline notices that there MIGHT be a problem here. (MAybe it was the way I was screaming for O2). The 1000 people in front of me were bypassed and I was removed from the main terminal to the room where they keep kids traveling alone (Never had been in that room before. It was neat, they were passing out McDonald's HB, cold drinks, and fries, but that's another story.) They are still trying to figure out if they can give me any O2 or not - By now I'm at at least a 6 (too late for O2). I'm banging my head on the counter and not very coherent at all. Have my address book opened to Drummer and am pointing at his phone number. I'm trying to tell them to call him and let HIM explain what's wrong with me. Apparently I did not make myself very clear because they didn't.

Some idiot is telling me that I need a Dr. to order the O2. In Chicago? Do you know how many Dr. Greg's there are in Chicago (there's an e-mail going out to Doc Greg on that one also). For those of you who don't know me, my "F" words are usually "frigging or freaking", but I was using the "real thing" very loudly about every other word by this time.

THEN the "unspeakable" happens. So nitwit brings me a package of Aspirin! What I said was on the order of, "Get your f'n sorry a/h out of my way or I'm going to hurt you bad!" Of course I cleaned that sentence up a lot before I posted on this board. By now I've downed an Ercaf and am banging my head on my cane and pulling my hair and screaming obsenities at anyone who comes near me. And cussing Doc Greg (at the top of my lungs) because he won't tell them I NEED O2. Some "person" keeps asking me what his last name is and they WILL call him. How the *&^% do I know what the **&^% his last name is? I don't even know what MY (*(*&^&^% name is!

40 days later (ok 20-30 minutes) when the Ercaf FINALLY starts taking effect, I'm not only reticketed for the next morning, but am being (very fast I might add) pushed to the hotel at the airport for the fastest check-in in history. (something like, "here's the key - get that woman out of our lobby!")

By the time we reached my room, the poor guy pushing the wheelchair is in shock and scared to death of me. I'm at about a 1-2 by this time and am extremely sorry I've scared him so badly. I DID tip him well, but didn't even try to explain what was wrong. Just told him I had an illness that caused me "extreme" pain when I got hot. Oh well, I'll never see him again!

Now, here I am, sitting in the dark (did I forget to mention that the electricity went off in the hotel a few minutes after I arrived?) in a hotel in Chicago. No one knows where the devil I am, I haven't eaten since morning and it's almost 10 p.m. Oh and my bag is lost of course! I'm getting a "little" depressed. But the nice security guard brought around flashlights and told us the electricity would "probably" be back on in a couple of hours.

After I had light, I found the room service button on the phone and ordered dinner. Then I called the Gang at Dave's garage. After Dave put me on the speaker, I related the past few hours to the gang. "Gee Barb, I'm sorry." would have been nice (I'm still using the "F" word quite frequently at this time), but did I get that. NO WAY. The jerks laughed at me and made wise cracks! Which was exactly the right thing to do and I love them all for it. By the time I got my flashlight on my ticket and gave Dave my NEW arrival time (maybe), I was calmed down and my head didn't hurt anymore. Then Idiot Dave asks, "What will you be wearing so I'll recognize you?" The same *(*& I have on - they LOST my bag! I said I was going to call downstairs and see if they could find me a toothbrush and I think it was Kip that suggested I ask for deodrant also (thus the appreciation of the quick shower in the previous post - the hotel was NOT very cooperative but I had a toothbrush and paste in my purse - just no deodrant).

By now, it's late, so I leave a 3am wake up call and try to sleep a couple of hours. ** Side note: Next morning, things went rather smooth and I FINALLY got to Rochester and met Dave and the gang and the rest of the weekend was wonderful.

But the point of this story (and I do eventually get to a point - most of the time) is: NEVER in my worst nightmare would I ever had thought this would EVER happen to me. I've traveled a lot before and after I got CH. I've had HAs on planes, in hotel rooms, etc. I always have a Plan "B" in reserve if the worst happens. But never could I imagine being caught by the demon in Chicago O'Hare with him on a Friday night when they had just cancelled 58 flights. This is NOT something that I would have EVER imagined (and I have a great Imagination).

But it DID happen and I SURVIVED it and can laugh about it NOW. I did NOT get arrested or thrown in a loony ward. I SURVIVED! I'm sure some of you can think of worse things to happen, but for the life of me I can't think of anything that can EVER happen to me that would be worse than this experience. So what's your point Barb D., you ask, just this, she replies, I'm now NOT afraid to go anywhere at anytime for any reason. (I'd just as soon NOT go back to Chicago for a while, but that's a personal preference!)

lc bob, YOU are right. It didn't kill me and I am stronger. I've had the experience and don't want to have it again, but if I do, so be it! I'll handle it! I began to look forward to the next adventure. That didn't come till I tried to LEAVE Rochester, but that's another story for another day.

Hope everyone has a painfree night and lots of happy dreams.

Hugs to all BD

I have cried for the last 5 yrs because I could not make it.  I cannot wait to get in the car Thurs morn, (I don't DO mornings, but I WILL do this one). 

This site and the people I have met at Davcon (Loucon) have changed my life.  I would not change having had CH for having made such great friends.

Jerry

Minus the "hit"...sounds much like my fiasco getting to Nashville for my first convention.

Glad to be in good company as the nube on their way to convention.