Fayetteville to Atlanta

8:30 in the morning and I'm already mad. The State Department sent us an e-mail asking us to keep our luggage down to 1 suitcase and 1 carry-on for logistical purposes. Silly me, I tried to comply. I ended up with 1 large suitcase (large!), but my Arabic books wouldn't fit in it, so I put them in my intended carry-on. That alone was 27 pounds! So I ended up with 1 large suitcase, a carry-on of books that I checked, and my regular carry-on and, of course, my purse. Now, if you're traveling overseas you are allowed 2 pieces of checked luggage. But my ticket only goes to DC, and I had to check in electronically, so I only got 1 piece – there went $25 for my checked carry-on. The attendant weighed my large suitcase, and it was 65 pounds – there went $80. Eighty-freaking-dollars!!! Well, let's see: I have some regular clothes (not even a lot), some business clothes that I was told to bring, and formal wear that I was told to bring, and shoes for those items, and a travel iron to press the nice clothes, and the 2 months of vitamins/supplements which I need for my asthma, and my toiletries. So yeah, all that weighs a lot. I kept the receipts and I'm going to ask the State Department for a refund. And another thing – I'm flying in to Reagan Airport in DC, via Atlanta, and it will take me most of the day to get there. As I'm waiting for my plane to leave Fayetteville, I see a flight posted that leaves 30 minutes before mine – a direct connection to Washington-Reagan.