The Big, Puffy, Purple Chair at LAX

I was planning to check in every day while I was in Oklahoma, but gee, I was busy! I visited two wonderful middle schools--exhausting days, but so worthwhile. The kids were great (about 1000 at each school) and the educators were fantastic. Dynamite schools. I also did several breakout sessions and a keynote at Encyclo-Media, an Oklahoma state educational conference. I met some amazing and refreshingly "real" people in Oklahoma! So it was a super-busy week, with evening events scheduled, too, but I managed to hit the gym at odd hours and got my miles in. Good girl! Where the whole week fell apart was on the way home. I had a delightful conversation with the woman next to me on the leg into LAX, was feeling great, and was actually looking forward to working on the new Sammy Keyes story during my nearly 3 hour wait for a connecting flight, when I got waylaid by a big, puffy, purple chair. Where in LAX can you find a big, puffy, purple chair? With an outlet in plain view beside it t'boot? At the Starbucks in the United terminal, that's where! I thought I was dreaming, really, I did. But now that you know where to find this big, puffy, purple chair, I have a word of advice -- don't let it lure you in. Or, at least, don't eat the sandwiches offered at that Starbucks. The coffee may be fine--I wouldn't know. I wanted that purple seat, so I ordered "dinner" there -- a turkey sandwich and a bottle of iced tea. I snagged the seat, plugged in my laptop, and was totally jazzed. Such luck! But halfway into the sandwich, I knew something was not right. My tummy began protesting. It grew increasingly furious. It was soon preparing for a revolt! Overthrow that sandwich! Adding insult to brewing injury, the outlet didn't work, but who could concentrate anyway? I was sick! I managed to get home, but I was laid up for nearly the whole Labor Day weekend. Lured in by a big, puffy, purple chair.