It wasn't meant to be

I consider the absolute ridiculousness of my situation. I am standing outside in the cold at 8 am. I have been here since 7 am. Weather.com told me it was going to 65 degrees today, and I wasn't cold when I left my house in jeans, two shirts, and a sweatshirt. But after about twenty minutes just standing, it was feeling bitter cold. I went to bed after 2 am, and I got up before 7 to stand in this godforsaken line with who knows how many hundreds of people. Not only that, but I have a big paper due today. The paper that is my entire grade in my statistics class. I have what I estimate to be about three-quarters of it done. I worked on it yesterday, but not enough, because I decided I wanted to go to the grad student Halloween party (which turned out to be very fun as it involved much dancing, but it took a few precious hours of my last 24 before the paper was due). So now I am on little sleep because I was out (not working on my paper), and I am standing outside in line freezing my butt off, again not working on my paper.

Why am I in line? I want basketball tickets. I didn't do the whole football thing here, but I like college basketball, so I convinced five of my friends to buy tickets with me. (That's right, BUY tickets. This is no Rice where turnout at athletic events is so low they have to make it free and still can't get anyone to come). I have all their IDs and checks with me in the cold, while they are probably sleeping in their warm beds. I bet none of them have a huge semester paper due today.

We have moved all of about 100 yards in the past hour. And there are still hundreds of people ahead of me. People are walking by who have gotten through the line and gotten their tickets. They all got here between 5 and 5:30 am. Well, gosh, I should've just come here after the party and slept here instead of going home. Many of them have chairs, beanbags, blankets, and pillows, apparently to help them make it through the cold wait. I apparently missed the memo on showing up at 5:30 to get tickets. Since when is Notre Dame basketball a big deal? They've only sold out the student section once in the whole history of Notre Dame. So why would I camp out?

I apparently also missed the memo on how to dress. Everyone is wearing a hooded sweatshirt. I am quite jealous of them, as the hooded sweatshirt seems to be keeping their heads nice and warm. I debate in my head whether I should have spent an extra two minutes blow drying the rest of my hair. I might be slightly warmer, but I also might be further back in line. My only consolation is thinking that being cold burns more calories, so really by standing in the cold I am just looking better and better for my bridesmaid's dress for my friend's wedding in May.
Right.

I already decided to skip my morning class to work on my paper that is due. But now it looks like I'll be skipping my morning class because of this line. Alas.

After what seems like forever (and actually is about three hours), we are very near the front. In fact, I am only ten people from the front. And then the security guards come out... "We are completely sold out of tickets. Sorry. Go home."

WHAT?!?!? I just spent THREE HOURS in line, for nothing? Three cold, cold hours, on little sleep, putting off a major paper... and they are SOLD OUT? You've got to be kidding me. If I had gotten here all of ten minutes earlier, I would in all certainty have gotten tickets. If this is someone's idea of a cruel joke, well... it sure was cruel! It's now 10 am and I have way too much to do today.

I just emailed my paper in a few minutes ago. My head hurts, probably because I'm tired and I haven't eaten anything since the Luna bar I had in line this morning around 7:15 AM. Time to go home and eat and sleep. And be bitter about psycho Notre Dame fans.