Time

I have spent numerous hours both on Monday and Tuesday, attempting to talk with various folks on the phone related to the conference I was set to travel to this Friday.  Airlines, hotels, and the conference folks themselves were all contacted and talked with.  

Ultimately, the ambiguities of travel to and from the California destination due to the governmental shutdown have forced me to cancel my in-person presence.  While I do sincerely regret not getting to visit Southern California (especially at this time of year), and while I had been thinking and anticipating all the enjoyable food and weather and adventure experiences I had hoped for (including a very pleasant sounding pipe shop), for my own sanity, and for my own reduction in anxiety..... this was the better decision.  

I truly dreaded the idea of TRYING to get TO and TRYING to get HOME from this travel.  What I have read and seen is a nightmare of LONG, LONG, LONG delays, crowding, huge amounts of cancellations impacting many, many flights and impacting a minimum of at least 100,000 passengers.  The stress would have made the experience untenable.  

So, it is a bit of bittersweet acceptance that this is the better option.

PipeTobacco