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Subject:	Hello, my name is Alexander.
Time:	5:36 pm.
Mood:	miserable and not.
Music:	an out of tune piano playing jangling chords in my head.

This has not been a good day. This morning, I was late to church, and it felt like every light turned red just as I arrived. This is fairly petty, ordinary, not-so-hot day stuff. But it went off the charts this afternoon. See, I was supposed to attend a Latin for Teachers conference in Austin, Texas. I bought tickets online for the 22-25. And I thought I bought them for the month of June. I was wrong. I bought them for July. Now, this wouldn't have been that big a problem if I had discovered this earlier. I would have changed my flight, paid some fee, and been on my merry way. Unfortunately, I didn't discover the problem, the people at Continental did--about 20 minutes before I thought I was supposed to leave. The cost for changing the ticket for one in June? $1070. Did you see that number? Go back and look again. It's big. Especially since I bought my original ticket for less than a third that price. The ticket alone is a problem, but there's more. My teeny-tiny Christian private school is paying for this, the one that has a fairly small budget. They also paid my tuition to this conference, so even if I decide not to go, I've got to pay them back. And I had been planning on splitting a hotel room fee with another Latin conference attendee. So now I've got to reimburse her because it wouldn't be fair to her otherwise.

As I was thinking all sorts of tumbleweed thoughts trying to find a solution, it suddenly occurred to me that since I was buying both my Texas tickets and my Michigan tickets at the same time, I might have gotten the months mixed up for both of them. What if I had purchased my Michigan tickets for June? If I had, the dates had already passed and there would be no refund OR Michigan visit. And of course, I can't check the dates because they are on my computer at home. Cue increased misery.

I try not to think about Michigan and focus on Texas instead. The Continental people tell me to call their reservation line, and maybe some miracle will occur and I'll only have to pay the $150 changing flight fee. I spend the next half hour on hold, listening to stupid ads about how fantastic Continental is. It doesn't help that my cell phone battery is on its last legs, and I'm terrified nobody would pick up the phone before it dies. Finally, a human answers the phone. She gives me the same number I gave you earlier: $1070. Yeah. Not going to happen.

While I'm on hold, I suddenly realize that I never got my photo ID (i.e. driver's license) back from the Continental people when they were looking for my reservation. No big deal...except I had also forgotten what airline I was flying out of, so my mother and I had parked at the wrong terminal, then taken a train to the right terminal, then returned to the wrong terminal when we found out my ticket wouldn't get me anywhere. So. We get back on the train, arrive at the right terminal, and pester the Continental people. The woman who had helped my is no longer working in that area. A few other Continental people hunt for my driver's license. No luck. My mother and I decide to check out the Continental lost and found. Still no luck. We give up.

I take stock. So far I have to: reimburse my school for Latin conference tuition, reimburse my Latin conference roommate for a hotel bill at a hotel I never got to stay at, check to see whether or not I'm going to Michigan at all this year, and buy a new driver's license.

I hate my life.

My mother senses this and buys us both chocolate milkshakes. And guess what she discovers in her pocket? My driver's license. Instead of being 100% miserable, I become 99% miserable. Then my father calls and says I may be able to go to a different Latin conference later in the summer. I am now 75% miserable. I come home and check my Michigan flight. It is scheduled for the month of July. Misery drops to 25%.

The point of all this?

I'M STILL GOING TO ANN ARBOR!!!

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