Part of a slow-coming but technically proficient series of diary entries from the RoboCup 2007 competition:
–Day One
–Day Two
–Day Three

As in Computer Science, this journal starts with Day Zero. I’m flying at thirty thousand feet with the nBites crew, and the outdoor elements are making bad metaphors outside of the plane. On the starboard side (does boat terminology work on airplanes?) , there is a perfect ROYGBIV sunset. On the left hand side, a raging lightning storm of death. Remarkably, this plane is flying straight through the middle. I can only figure that this can only be a sign of the journey to come. Either we fade gloriously into the sunset, or a lightning bolt fries our ass. Atlanta, here we come.

–Weeks Later–

Well, it turns out that neither greatness nor failure can happen sometimes. We got diverted. As ball-lightning descended upon the ginormous Hartsfield International Airport, we went elsewhere. We landed with other planes @ an airport without jetways. We hung out there, posturing as we considered bringing our robots out of their shells and let them stretch their legs on the floor. We took off again, and made it to Atlanta. We were blearly-eyed as we ran into a group of blind people getting on the terminal subway. We were worried when one decided to go left exiting instead of right.

Regardless! We took taxis from the ginormous airport to the opulent Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown Atlanta. As with any urban area, I start to freak out. Not when it matters, naturally, but just in general. Urban areas fluster me, especially when I’m getting used to it. Our taxi driver decided to skip some traffic and we roll by a street corner straight out of The Wire, which was interesting. I contemplating how much money I would have to offer the driver if he threatened to kick us out. Thankfully, we kept rolling.

I put the hotel room on my parent’s credit card — thinking, it’ll work out, right? — and then we ascended to the most sick-nasty hotel rooms I’ve ever been privy. I don’t think a day passed in which we didn’t find a brand new room we could stretch out in. Turns out the people who booked our rooms didn’t block the rooms out in their system, as so we all got upgraded. What was even cooler was that these rooms weren’t cookie-cutter; they each had their own style. Mine became the master den. We settled in for the night aiming for 10 am wake-ups, aiming to register by 12 pm @ Georgia Tech campus.