Planning Ahead

I was scheduled to fly to DC tomorrow morning, for a Book Promotion 101 workshop I'm giving on Saturday. I decided that it would be a good idea to start getting ready for the trip a day early, since I had appointments with 2 doctors this morning & an MRI in the late afternoon. (I'm having problems with my much-mended right arm.)

So I did some necessary shopping and in the late afternoon started doing the laundry, editing my workshop presentation and printing out the agenda. I was feeling very efficient and virtuous, when around 5pm I got a call from my osteopath's office manager, whom I'd called to change an appointment. In passing, she mentioned that of course she couldn't reschedule for Friday because of the snowstorm that's coming.

"WHAT?!?!?!" I shrieked.

"A big snowstorm," she replied. "Haven't you heard? We're supposed to get a foot of snow on Friday."

"AAAAH!!!" I shrieked again. I made an appointment for the 20th, slammed down the phone then checked the weather online. "WINTER STORM ADVISORY" blared the local report, with 6-12 inches predicted for Denver by Friday afternoon. I immediately went on the Frontier site to change my flight out. No dice: every one to DC for today read NOT AVAILABLE.

Then I called Frontier, and after sitting on hold for 20 minutes, a nice lady took down all my info, put me on hold some minutes more and then brightly announced that she'd booked me on an 8:40am flight to DC today.

"Um, could you put me on a later flight?" I asked, hoping that I could still go for the EMG (nerve torture) on my arm first thing and then head out to the airport.

She put me on hold a while longer then said, less brightly, "That's the last seat there is."

"OK, I'll take it," I said. Much to my wonder and relief, I didn't have to pay for the change.

By this time it was 6:20pm. I'd been slow and draggy all day, not a little depressed and worried about my arm. But as soon as I put down the phone I was in high gear; there was no time to think of anything other than what needed doing right then. First thing: Kick myself for not having washed the scuffed-up black pants I'd bought two weeks ago and left in a bag on my dresser.

In the next 5-1/2 hours, I:

• did 4 loads of laundry, including said pants
  
• made & ate a roast chicken dinner (the menfolk cleaned up)
• finished editing my presentation & printed it out
• printed out handouts and attendees' name tags
• sent a flurry of emails re DC & LA workshops
  
• updated the BP101 website and Publishers Marketplace page to include June LA workshop
• called people to set up meetings in DC today & Friday
• called doctors' answering services to cancel today's appointments
  
• packed
• collapsed into bed
  

MORAL: Don't be like me! Get ready before the last minute and always have business materials organized and a good outfit ready to go.

P.S. There's no place like Washington in the spring. I'm so happy to see trees and hills again!

P.P.S. Friday: Denver didn't get one single flake of snow. Meanwhile I had a wonderful day strolling around Georgetown.