Originally Posted by
CarlaRant
Ugh...worst...trip...ever!
I took the charter bus to Costa Mesa with my coworkers. It was full, therefore cramped. The driver had the AC cranked all the way up, so I was FREEZING! We stopped in Blythe, the epitome of no-where for lunch. Hmmm...Carl's Jr., Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Arby's, or Del Taco for this vegan? Thank goodness for no-cheese tostadas and the variety of snacks I packed.
I hadn't slept well the night before, so I knew I was heading to bed early Thursday night. After the 7 hour bus ride, I checked in, registered for the conference, quickly unpacked, and caught a quick nap before dinner.
As I was walking down the FREEZING hotel hall towards the elevator, I heard the laughter of one of my coworkers and knocked on the door. After being invited in, it was soon apparent that she and her roommate had been drinking for quite a while. They offered me a beer and after I declined, the roommate made some comment that indicated that she didn't believe that I didn't drink. Dumb, dumb girls.
I was the last one to be served at my dinner table because apparently the staff didn't get the memo about the "please no cheese on my salad or pasta primavera" that the conference coordinator swore up and down that she took care of before we left Phoenix. Oh, and what did my dinner actually look like? – a plate of overcooked vegetables. Exhausted, hungry, freezing, and irritated, I left for my room.
Tossing and turning all night, let's just say I didn't get much sleep that night either. I awoke with a stomach flu-type illness. My co-worker/friend texted me around lunch time because she hadn't seen me all day. She came to my rescue by coming to my room to get my key and meal tickets. She then delivered crackers, ginger ale, Advil, and my meals (which were only salads). Hubby called to check in on me and bought me a plane ticket out of there for the next morning.
The highlights of the trip was that I was actually able to attend a couple of workshops hosted by an author I really like and have admired, I met an interesting young English teacher from Ohio on the bus, and found out who I can trust and depend on at work.
