Blizzards and blitzes

The brief version: Instead of MKE/DEN/SNA, I got rebooked on a flight to Chicago with a connection to Orange County.

The longer version: “Heavy snow” (the airport’s terminology) delayed that flight, too. As did the de-icing process and having only one runway for all the takeoffs and arrivals.

Things didn't improve when I arrived at O' Hare, where the L and H terminals are not very close. I had a shin-splint-inducing walk/run in heels while carrying my purse, coat, tennis racquet, and carryon bag stuffed with my laptop, clipboard, magazines, and hardcover books.

I need not have hurried. My flight left 10 minutes before I got to the gate.

Good thing O' Hare has those convenient rebooking phones. I could depart four hours later, if all went on schedule. At least I didn't have to re-check my bag at a different airline and go through the security check again (as I did in MKE).

Another bright spot: I watched the first half of the Packer game at an airport bar while eating a better-than-mediocre chicken pita and fries, among the blue and orange people and a couple of very vocal and drunk Green Bay fans. Not as much fun as last week’s festivities, but still.

I watched the second half of the game in a nearby waiting area. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, I heard a woman at the bar yell, "Oh, no!" a split second before I knew the Packers won.

By then, I was the only person clapping. But I clapped anyway. Onward!