Here’s the setup: I am not one to have a strong opinion about different cities, but I love NOLA and HATE Houston. The hate started when I went to Houston to see Coldplay in 2007. I ate dinner with friends in SE Houston, then drove back to my friend Andy’s house in NW Houston and the trip was more than 70 miles. If I drive 70 miles, I want to be in another city. I drove 70 miles and I was still in Houston. It was like the Twilight Zone.

Last summer when I went to Denver despite Bono throwing out his back, I flew from NOLA to Houston and had a connecting flight to Denver. My connection time was probably between 30 and 45 minutes. We landed in Houston and I found out the connecting flight was a train and a bus away on the OTHER SIDE of the airport. THANKS CONTINENTAL! I have now learned that IAH is laid out so it is impossible to make a connection if you have less than an hour. The train moved very slowly. It is nothing like ATL’s train that whisks you from terminal to terminal with ease. I could have run faster than this train at IAH moved. After the train, I had to take a bus to the outpost where my connecting flight was, which apparently was an older terminal. The bus driver drove like he had nowhere to go, ie SLOW. The terminal had two sides, and my flight was on the 2nd side. We pretty much wasted a stop because no one got off at the first one. At the 2nd one, I hurriedly exited to try to make my flight. As my fellow Denver passengers and I walked up, the plane was backing away. We had missed our connection to Denver. We were trapped in Houston! I shook my fist in the air with fury!

The lady at the desk was able to book us later flights, but the damage had been done. We all had to ride the bus and train back to the bigger terminal to wait for the flights later in the afternoon. For those who enjoy diagrams, this is how my time at IAH went:

Arrive –> Train –> Bus –> Missed Connection –> Bus –> Train –> Depart

Instead of arriving around lunch, I would be arriving around dinner. I walked around and found a place to eat, and later a Clyde Drexler handprint that I compared my hand to. Finally, I boarded the flight to Denver and met up with my friend Adriene in the middle of a severe thunderstorm. Of course I did. Thanks again Continental and IAH for the ridiculous travel adventure.

I finished up my paper for grad school and uploaded it with about a minute to spare. Since NC State is in the eastern time zone, I have to upload one hour earlier than probably everyone else in the class. It’s probably better off, because I know as a professional procrastinator, if I actually had till midnight, I would probably waste time until midnight. I found a late addition article to add and was able to easily satisfy the 1000 word requirement. Right on.

This morning I went on U2’s page wondering if any other shows had been scheduled, and saw the Denver show was going on sale today. In fact, I realized it was going on sale 5 minutes from the time I saw the listing. Intrigued, I thought I’d see if I could pull field tickets, and if I got them, then I’d worry about buying them later. I really doubted I’d get them though, because they are always sold out when I’ve put in for them for every show. Of course, I’d never tried right when the tickets went on sale, but still, I did not hold out much hope at all. There are multiple levels of the fan club and they all have their own presale.

When the tickets went on sale, I put in for 2 field tickets and hit ‘submit’. The page loaded, and loaded, and loaded, then it loaded. FIELD TICKETS FOR U2! What was I supposed to do now? I called Jacob and told him what was happening, he told me to buy the tickets, and we’d figure things like a flight and all that later. I just needed the encouragement I guess, because that’s what I was thinking of doing anyway. Sometimes I just need someone confirming what I’m already thinking to put me over the edge to make a decision. After I cleared the YES I WANT THESE TICKETS page, it came to the billing stuff. I was wondering before I finalized the purchase, if the field seating for the show had different levels. There were two options for GA tickets for Denver. So I called the biggest U2 fan I know, Adriene, to ask her. She told me (this may not be an exact quote) “I’m not sure, but Susan bought me and Brandy GA tickets for Denver.” WHAT? THEY ARE GOING TOO? I told her “whoa, I am buying GA tickets for Denver! OMG! Okay, let me fill this billing stuff out!” I filled out the rest of the page and finished the purchase. I JUST BOUGHT FIELD TICKETS FOR U2!

I realized after buying them, life could be completely upside down in June. I could be living somewhere totally different, working a totally different job (I HOPE), Jacob may not even be the person going with me. Things could be altered massively from what they are right now. I will have Bono in Denver though, and for me next summer, that is enough.