The best worst day ever

So today shouldn't be a good day.

• I had to wake up at 5 am to catch a flight to Detroit for Creating Change. Creating Change is generally a headache (of all the conferences I attend regularly this is the one that beats the crap out of me) and this year I have three sessions to facilitate plus a bunch of meetings.
• My co-facilitators seem to be dropping like flies leaving me unprepared to go solo. So I'm scrambling to put together enough content for three times what I had been planning for.
• Before I left my house was declared a disaster area. We were having some "minor" work done which turned into leaky, coal-dusty, drafty hell. Then the contractors went MIA.
• jb and I fought right before I left which is alway rotten and even though we made up via phone I prefer to leave on good terms.

So not a great framework.

I get to the airport tearstained and still half-asleep. My flight to Detroit was scheduled to have a three-hour layover in Chicago. Which, if you consult a map, you'll see doesn't make sense geographically. On top of this, I was assigned a center seat to enjoy these out of the way flights. I check in and it says that my flight has been cancelled and the next flight is at 2 pm. I seriously think I might explode. I ask the attendant if I have to do anything to change my reservation to the later flight and she says, oh, let me see if I can get you on another airline. Next thing I know I have a window seat (the whole row to myself) on a direct (40 minute!) flight to Detroit. Lucky me.

Arrive at my hotel, check-in and try to work on a report that is overdue. My laptop is plugged in, and as I work I notice that my low battery light is flashing. Apparently my laptop charger died. I can't really afford to be without my laptop for 5 days. I have a lot of work due and, well, let's face it, I'm addicted to Perez Hilton and withdrawal is not pretty. Before I resign myself to a nervous breakdown I think to call the hotel's lost and found on the off chance there might be a charger there. I admit that I haven't lost a charger, but I am in dire need of one. It turns out they have two!! And they let me keep them both!!! And these chargers are much thinner and sleeker than mine AND one is a two prong plug making it much more versatile. Then on top of that I got a call that this weekend's EC meeting was canceled which extends the deadline on the report I was working on. Double lucky me.

So, I've caught a couple lucky breaks, but I'm still pretty stressed out. I think maybe it would be nice to treat myself to an in-room massage. I call the concierge and make an appointment for 7 pm. At 7 pm sharp there is a knock on my door. It's the masseuse and as I let him in he says, "They didn't bring up a table?" Of course they didn't. I call the front desk to inquire about the table and apologize and promise to send it right up. Then they call back to tell me that they "can't find" the table. The masseuse goes to help them look. This goes on for nearly an hour. Finally the masseuse comes back, apologizes and say that I can either get a refund, or he can reschedule the appointment and then make it up to me with an additional free appointment. So I wasted an hour tonight, but I get two massages for the price of one! I am one lucky duck.

Now if only it wasn't so Detroit-y out.

UPDATE: I added picture of the view from my hotel room. I was overlooking the Detroit River which was capped with ice. Across the river is Windsor, Ontario. Interesting fact: that is the only place that Canada is south of the United Sates.