Air Travel...

Well, friends! After a very long day of travel, I have arrived here in Philly safe and sound. For those of you were wondering, I did not get the tiki hut room again this year! I'm honestly pretty bummed out about it and wondering if the conference is going to be nearly as fun in just a plain ol' hotel room.

Today, I spent far longer than I would ever like to in airports and on airplanes. Traveling for extended hours gives you a lot of thinking time. Don't worry, I will not post all today's thoughts on this blog. Too exposing...I will however post the top ten questions that came to my mind regarding air travel. And without further adieu, here they are, in no particular order...

10. Why would an airport advertise for a TCBY that they do not have, thus making hungry travelers walk down an extra 10 gates only to be disappointed?

9. Why do they tell you to wipe out the sink basin in the airplane bathroom with a towel when you can just as easily lift up the stopper and let all the water out?

8. Why is it so important to turn off all your electronics before take off and landing? Seriously, if I had accidentally left my i-pod on, what would happen to my plane?

7, Why in the world would an airline make you fly through Dallas on your way from St. Louis to Philadelphia? I mean, have they ever looked at a map?

6. Why was American Airlines not willing to work with my social schedule and give me a little longer lay-over in DFW so I could get out and see some peeps?

5. Why is it that restaurants like McDonalds, Chilis, and Auntie Anne's pretzels always taste so much better in airports? (Ok, I shouldn't throw Auntie Anne's under the bus, I love that place!)

4. Is the only way to get free stuff on the airplane these days to flirt incessantly with the flight attendant? The guys in front of me got free vodka AND peanuts after shamelessly flirting with our stewardess. So not fair... the male flight attendant was at the front of the plane.

3. Is it funny to anyone else that people will have deep conversations for an entire 3 hour plane ride and then finally tell each other their names when the plane is about to land?

2. Is taking a carry on bag in order to save $60 (yes...that is $30 for each bag, each way!) really going to save me money later on when I have to have back surgery from lugging my ridiculously heavy bags through the airport all day?

1. Who are all these people? Where are they going? What are their stories?

The last question really did get me as I walked to the back of the plane... I was just one of maybe 2oo people on my flight, which was just one of the many flights that left today, out of a single airport. Really made me wonder...what is everyone's story?

Finally, I would like to give a shout out to my brother John (who undoubtedly will NEVER read this...so if you see him, tell him). Out of his graciousness and in exchange for my couches, he bought me this ticket! Thanks, John!

More from Philly coming soon...