I've been trying to book a flight to Chicago for the past seven hours.

First, I kept getting interrupted by work.

Then, by the time I got through the process on Yahoo Travel, it told me there were no more seats on that particular flight.

Then, one credit card was not accepted because the card company was having internal issues.

Then, a second card was not accepted because (as I eventually discovered), the company force/stealth-upgraded me to a different product. Signature Visa. What the hell is that, and why wasn't I asked if I wanted it?

Finally got the ticket using Sarah's card.

And now, I'm ready to rip the screen off my laptop, chew it to pieces and launch it out the fucking window.

Why am I going to Chicago? Why, it's the twice-a-decade meeting with one of a couple big media companies that periodically show an interest in buying Centerstage.