I Can't Sleep

I flew down to LA with my mom the night before. I love traveling. I don't love the airports, packing, flying - you know, actually trying to get TO your destination, but I love going places and staying in hotels. Anyway, everything went really smoothly - the Radisson in Culver City is where contestants stay. It's not half bad. The rooms were fairly spacious, and I liked the decor. Food options were okay and the hotel "convenience store" was practically non-existent, but when you have a large Target and mall across the street, I suppose you'll be able to find whatever you need.

My mom and I had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant. Actually, I could hardly eat anything because I was so nervous. Later, I did see another contestant checking in. I was too shy to say hello - she seemed pretty formidable. By the time we were settled in our hotel room it was probably 9 or 10 o'clock. Almost time for bed. I had a brief chat with my brother, who wished me luck, and then lights out. Unfortunately, I just could not sleep and felt pretty sick to my stomach, thinking about the possibilities of the next day. To calm my nerves, I took out my trusty Almanac (yeah, yeah - whatever) and looked over my world capitals one more time. 

After another hour of tossing and turning, I decided to take a Benadryl. It definitely slowed me down and my eyes felt heavy, but my mind was still racing. What if I crash and burn on national TV? in front of my family and friends? What if I don't even make it to Final Jeopardy and I'm ushered off the stage as the lights darken my podium? What if I make a Freudian slip, a spoonerism, or say sperm whale? What if I do my math wrong? What if....

I eventually awoke to the sound of my alarm at 6am. I'm not sure how much sleep I got. Probably 4. No matter. I was up and was going to get ready. 

At 7:20, I went down to the lobby where I got to meet the other contestants. I had a couple of pure geeky and awkward moments where I couldn't figure out whose hand to shake first. Yeah, you know what I mean. Everyone was really nice and friendly. Most people had traveled far: New York, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Connecticut, Canada. Some were even leaving that night. Soon, we all piled into the shuttle that would take us from the hotel to Sony Pictures Studios. I was definitely awake.